Fly With Blake | Fly With Blake |
|
Days since beginning: 1067
You can be notified of when this site is updated!
IMG_0379.JPGDate: 16/09/2007
At: Dec 04 2008 23:00Z
|
Tuesday, December 2, 2008 - 11:19:33 ET
Have $3,000,000? Why not buy this Boeing 727-200? It's got a bar, and over 50 "first class" style seats. Avionics look a little rough though:  Comments (0) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Saturday, November 22, 2008 - 13:56:25 ET
This is a pretty scary video of a pilot who entered a flat spin (by accident) while trying to do a normal spin. I suspect the engine quit because the forces of the spin caused an imbalenced fuel flow. At the end, the aircraft flipped over because the landing gear snagged some barbwire that the pilot didn't see. Comments (0) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 22:21:12 ET
So after a week of comments and research, it's time to answer the question. This is a unique problem. Mainly because of some of the procedures at Bromont. During glider ops you are not to overfly the airport. So that rules out joining the mid downwind after overflying the airport. Because there was no traffic advisory available, then the control zone was an ATF. Which means there is only one other way to join the circuit, that is via the straight-in downwind. I think this is a knowledge gap during the training process. I've come up with a chart that will help with figuring out when MF and ATF rules and procedures are in place. Please let me know if you find any errors so that I can correct. Comments are welcome. Comments (0) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Thursday, November 13, 2008 - 12:05:16 ET
I had a reader send in a question about joining the circuit at Bromont airport a little while ago. I'll let him explain it: On my first solo flight after getting my Licence, I decided to go from Montreal CYHU to Bromont CZBM. The soaring activity was using the grass strip (runway 05R) on the upwind side of runway 05L. Take a look at the airport diagram. The only relevant procedures for this airport in the CFS is that runway 05R/23R to use right hand circuits. It also states "Do not over fly airport during glider ops" So, was the pilot correct in joining the circuit this way? If you feel his actions were incorrect, then how do you think he should have joined? I will post the correct answer in a few days. (oh and my post about Runway Surface Condition reports is coming!) Comments (7) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Wednesday, October 29, 2008 - 21:07:18 ET
I got the latest edition of the CFS (Nov 20-Jan 15) yesterday by mail and noticed something peculiar. It was much smaller! I would estimate approx 25% smaller when compared to the two editions previous. There are still the same amount of pages, however the paper seemed different. I think they are using a higher grade/weight paper in this edition. It doesn't feel as "newsprinty" as the previous editions. It feels much sturdier too! Also to note is the small addition of RVR information for runways/aerodromes that support operations below 2600RVR. See page A2 of the CFS for more info. I'm going flying on Saturday! Comments (0) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Thursday, October 23, 2008 - 12:02:16 ET
Further to my last blog post. I've been able to obtain a copy of Nick's presentation. I've made the original Power Point available. As well as a PDF. You just don't get the cool animations with the PDF. Download Power Point You can also visit Nicks website at aerosafety.ca. Comments (1) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Tuesday, October 21, 2008 - 13:57:33 ET
Last week I attended this months Transport Canada Aviation Safety Seminar. The topic was winter weather and icing presented by a CBC Meterologist (Nick Czernkovich). I learned quite a few new things thanks to his presentation. Consider the following situation: You're flying above the clouds in non icing conditions. As your making your way to your destination you realize that there is freezing drizzle forecast/occurring for your time of arrival. This was not anticipated. However your alternate is currently experiencing freezing rain. There are other options, however. Another airport is showing hail, while a fourth is showing snow. Essentially what Nick is going to answer is: "Given the type of precipitation falling, can you determine your risk/chance of icing as you descend into the clouds and land at the airport?" The answer is yes. Unfortunately, I didn't take any notes during the presentation so I can't give you any more detail then that. Your best bet is to land at an airport with snow. This type of condition will yield the least amount of icing. One of his pet-peeves are pilots that go straight to the METAR and TAFs for their weather briefing. His philosophy is to take a look at all available resources: GFAs, METARS, Upper Winds, etc.. Don't look at what's happening now, but what happened in the past few hours. Understand the current weather conditions and make your predictions. Correlate what you think is going to happen with the TAF. They should match. If you understand why the weather is going to be a certain way, then you are better prepared for designing exit strategies when you encounter adverse weather. Icing was the main topic of discussion however the focus was more on tailplane icing, rather than wing/airframe icing. Recovering from a tailplane stall is way different than recovering from a wing stall. He suggested that you purchase the NASA Icing package which includes videos, simulations, and data on all of the research NASA has done on icing. The entire package is available for only $10 from Sporty's. I'm going to see if I can get a copy of Nicks presentation. Comments (2) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Monday, October 13, 2008 - 09:21:05 ET
A friend and I headed up to Parry Sound this past Saturday. I would recommend to everyone (In southern Ontario) to take advantage of this 23°C weather and blue skies to get into the air and enjoy the autumn to it's fullest.  For the first time ever, the airplane I wanted to use was "timed out". That is, there was about only 1 hour left before the necessary 50 hour inspection. There was some discussion at dispatch about getting a 10 hour extension. I decided to err on the safe side and get another (and what ended up being a better) aircraft. I flew the (new to the fleet) 172R C-GKRF. The cool thing about this aircraft is that it has a two axis auto pilot! Heading and Altitude. I took advantage of both throughout the flight. There were some things to note. The Midland VOR isn't your standard "witches hat" style VOR. The Simcoe VOR is a good example of that. Instead it's a really tall antenna. I'm not sure why this is the case, but if anyone can shed light on why this is please let me know. The airplane is equipped with a Garmin GNS430w gps/radio. The map was not displaying class C or D airspace. I couldn't figure out how to display it. I found the manual on Garmins website and now I know for next time! I was able to find Buttonville airport fine coming from the north as 15 was the active and the REILs were flashing away. I was cleared for the straight in approach. Thanks to Marco for keeping me company during the flight and providing such excellent photos. Comments (2) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Tuesday, October 7, 2008 - 12:48:47 ET
This clip was posted to liveatc.net. Stuck mike during an ILS lesson. Personally I think I would have a hard time learning from this instructor. As always, comments from the peanut gallery after the stuck mike has been identified are hilarious. Comments (4) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Friday, October 3, 2008 - 14:36:06 ET
John Sauder CBC News at Six Manitoba Johanna Wagstaffe CBC News: Weather Centre Nick Czernkovich CBC News: Weather Centre (Not Confirmed) I wonder if that's a pre-requisite to getting hired ;) Although not a meteorologist, Jacquie Perrin of CBC Newsworld is a pilot as well. Comments (2) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Friday, October 3, 2008 - 13:59:58 ET
This months safety seminar is all about weather. CBC News Meteorologist Nick Czernkovich will cover the ins and outs of the fall and winter weather. Ground operations, fog, and aircraft icing are some of the topics to be discussed. Nick will bring the latest information and research on winter weather, including new technology that will enhance forecasts in Toronto. I plan on attending. If anyone else is, let me know! For more information see the Transport Canada website. Comments (0) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Wednesday, October 1, 2008 - 10:29:19 ET
Porter announced today that they will be flying to Chicagos Midway airport starting November 12. Flights starting at $149. I'm sure if Meigs was still around, they'd be using that airport instead. Comments (3) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Friday, September 19, 2008 - 15:29:53 ET
I went on a flight this past week to Goderich, for which I have a post lined up. In the mean time, enjoy these videos!
Comments (0) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 12:08:51 ET
After the tragic death of the owner of Greenbank Airport in an ultralight accident (CADORS: 2008O1622), his wife is selling the airport. Mickys wife, Dorothy had this to say:
The airport is on 77 acres, located on the greenbelt and is zoned airport. Price Tag: $2 million. If you are interested, or would like more information, contact Dan Farquharson at 905-640-4151 . A information sheet will be made available shortly. Comments (1) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Friday, September 12, 2008 - 11:17:32 ET
I would just like to "officially" congratulate one of my class mates. I think he was a semester a head of me and he just got a job at Durham College as a flight instructor! Congrats Lu! You'll make a good teacher. Comments (0) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Monday, September 8, 2008 - 12:18:42 ET
Transport Canada has released detailed information about the new licence booklet. In a nutshell, they are treating the paper licenses more like a passport. Your ratings and medicals are stickers that you place into your booklet.  ATPL and CPL pilots are the first to get the new booklets at the end of this year. You can view more details at Transport Canadas website. Comments (0) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Sunday, September 7, 2008 - 16:30:06 ET
There are a lot of online flight planning tools out there. However, none of them (that I've found) focus on Canadian planning. That said, a friend and I have been working on getting something set up (we don't have a name for it yet) for Canadian pilots. One of the features we plan on releasing is an interactive map where you can click your departure, waypoints, and arrival locations on an "aeronautical" aware google map. It's unfortunate that NavCanada doesn't provide geotiff versions of their maps, like the FAA does. Here is a screen shot of what we've come up with so far:  This is a view of Buttonvilles' Control Zone with a few nearby airways. Eventually you will be able to control how cluttered the map is by selectively displaying navaids, airspace, airways, and airports. I am having some trouble with storing more complex airspace definitions, for example CYA512(P). Any PostGIS experts out there that can help me, please drop me a line by leaving a comment or clicking on the "contact" link at the top of the page. Once you pick your route, information such as METAR/TAF and FDs are automatically fetched and used to produce all your necessary flight planning numbers. If there are any features you would like to have in this web application, please let me know! Comments (6) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Wednesday, September 3, 2008 - 22:04:49 ET
A C-172 crashed a few days ago near Shelburne, Ontario (57351 8th Line SW, Melancthon, Ontario to be exact) there were three occupants. Two went to hospital and the pilot walked away. After reading media reports (I know, I know..) and the CADORS report I have one comment to make about the situation. All of the reports mentioned that the pilot reported that they crashed "somewhere between Brampton and Collingwood". That's a pretty big area to cover. As a pilot you should be aware of your position at all times. When I'm flying x-country (especially at night) I always make sure I know where I am. That way if a situation does arise, I know what position to give in my mayday call (which the pilot of this incident didn't do). According to the CADORS report (#2008O1950) a York Region Helicopter and a Canadian Forces C-130 aircraft were dispatched to try to find the crash site. The ELT was not activated. The only method of being able to find the crash site was using Rogers and the 911 call to triangulate an area using cell phone towers (old school cellular 911). In the end, a farmer walking his dog found them and told 911 the location of the crash. I am unsure of the time between the crash and the rescue, but even if the ELT failed to activate, an accurate position report by ONE of the THREE pilots on board would have been sufficient to find them quickly. I look forward to seeing the official TSB report. References: Comments (7) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Friday, August 29, 2008 - 15:43:10 ET
AIC 36/08 outlines NavCanadas latest decommissioning project. NAV CANADA, the country's provider of civil air navigation services, recently evaluated the requirement for very high frequency omnidirectional range (VOR) receiver test facilities (VOT) in Canada. Personally, I've never used one before. Does this mean that they will be removing the VOT related questions from the PPL/CPL written? They are requesting users submit their comments about the decommissioning schedule. Comments (0) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Friday, August 29, 2008 - 11:07:32 ET
I was driving by the airport the other day and noticed that some obstruction lighting on telephone poles near the approach of 33 were burnt out (and have been for months). Does anyone know who I should contact to get that fixed? It's off airport property, so I don't think it would be the Airports responsibility. Transport Canada? Nav Canada? The local utility company? Comments (1) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Tuesday, August 26, 2008 - 21:15:15 ET
Rating: 4 out of 5. Although I'm already a pilot, I thought it would be interesting to read this book -- just to see if I would learn anything new. Guess what, I did! The book covers all the topics and frequently asked questions people have about being a pilot, specifically for Canadians. It goes over, in detail, things like getting your medical, the PPL exam, and all the other ratings you can get. There is a perfect balance of information. "Both" sides are represented. Reasons TO and reasons TO NOT be a pilot are fully explored. One of the sections that was most interesting to me were the Appendices. This is the *only* location I know of where you can see a sample resume of a pilot. Along with sample interview questions asked by Air Canada and WesJet. Sure you can get these elsewhere, but they usually charge an arm and a leg for them. There is some great advice with regards to your training and what to do and not do. The author also talks about The Webster Trophy, something I have never heard of until now. Tips on how to find your first job were also helpful to me. There is even a few cameo appearances giving advice in the book. All in all I suggest that every wanna-be pilot read this book so that they can get a better feel for what it REALLY is to be a pilot. If you aren't discouraged by what you read here, then you truly are meant to be a pilot. Two things I want to ad: This book as a facebook group, as well as it's own blog. Check them out! Comments (0) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Tuesday, August 26, 2008 - 20:36:23 ET
There was a recent fire in the Toronto area that was being fed from propane. There was some discussion about the incident at YYZ, on the ground frequency. It's interesting to note that there was no hotel on fire and the military was never called in. Clip provided by liveatc.net. More information about the incident can be found at CBC News. Comments (0) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Monday, August 25, 2008 - 10:29:13 ET
This is a really cool video! Comments (0) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Monday, August 18, 2008 - 11:40:18 ET
Sorry for the lack of updates everyone. My day job is keeping me busy with the Olympics, plus some events in my personal life have also kept me away from flying. That said, I do plan on having a few updates in the next week or so. So stay tuned for those! Hope everyone is enjoying their summer! Comments (0) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Friday, August 8, 2008 - 15:02:59 ET
We've all heard of CRM. But what about Single Pilot Resource Management? The University of Western Ontario has a course on Single Pilot Resource Management. The course is only $50, and totally online. This would be an excellent course to take for GA pilots as its focus is on cockpit resource management for single pilot operations. Resource management is different when you are alone and there isn't someone else to share the load. This course goes beyond the "aviate, navigate, communicate" method of resource management. For a full review of the course and what it offers, check out this article from COPA. I plan on taking the course and reporting back my experience. Comments (1) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Tuesday, August 5, 2008 - 09:46:55 ET
I discovered an air route by accident the other day while taking a close look at my Toronto VNC. I had never heard of an air route before until I dug a little deeper. Air routes differ over airways in that they are in uncontrolled airspace. That is, air routes are not controlled by ATC, unlike airways. They may pass through controlled airspace, but the space on either side of the route is not class E, like an airway is. "Pygmie" on avcanada.ca explains it this way: The designators AR and BR (there might be a couple others) are used to designate air routes and while part of the airway [i think he meant air route] may be within controlled airspace, they do not "create" controlled airspace. You will be able to see them on your charts are are usually designated with names like AR30. Comments (0) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Friday, August 1, 2008 - 19:45:41 ET
I was looking at the Designated Airspace Handbook tonight and noticed something peculiar. The DAH is the legal document that describes Canada's airspace. It defines all airspace from control zones, special use areas, classes A through F as well as low level airways. I noticed this oddity for LF/MF airway A-2 and A-15: A2 Calgary, AB NDB \ to Red Deer, AB NDB \ to Edmonton, AB NDB \ to Whitecourt, AB NDB \ to Grande Prairie, AB NDB \ to Dawson Creek, BC NDB \ to Fort St. John, BC NDB \ to Fort Nelson, BC NDB \ to Liard River, BC NDB \ to Watson Lake, YT NDB \ to Whitehorse, YT NDB . . . Beaver Creek, YT NDB \ to Nabesna, AK USA NDB A15 Banne, BC Intxn \ to Nichols, AK USA NDB . . . Beaver Creek, YT NDB \ to Nabesna, AK USA NDB You will notice that the last segments of each airway overlap each other (Beaver Creek NDB to Nabesna NDB). How does that work? Can the same airway have TWO designations? Is this an error? Comments (2) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Thursday, July 31, 2008 - 12:09:04 ET
I came across this interesting document. ICAO Annex 14: International Standards and Recommended Practices Aerodromes. Essentially its the international rules on how to build and maintain an airport. It contains directions on Markings, Obstacle Obstructions, physical characteristics, and more. Its over 300 pages long. Feel free to download a copy, its heavy at over 7mb. Comments (0) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 08:02:46 ET
MillionAir and Toronto Airways announced a multi-million dollar, two level renovation of the current terminal building! It's about time. The new building will include: - A new location for Toronto Airways (dispatch) Druxies and the Prop Shop will remain in their same locations, with a few changes to their storefronts. This is welcoming news as they are trying to attract more people to come and use the airport. I wonder if the location of the new Honda Headquarters just north of Elgin Mills has anything to do with it?! You can read the full press release at aviation.ca Now only if they can fix the broken sign that faces the 404. Comments (1) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 - 16:07:14 ET
Does anyone know what a fixed RNAV route is? There are only three defined in Canada: T101: Firon, QC Intxn to Atuko, QC Intxn Are these like victor airways, but using RNAV intersections instead? Comments (0) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Monday, July 14, 2008 - 17:31:26 ET
One of the ways I stay proficient with the rules of flying is by referencing the AIM frequently. In fact it is the only reading material in the bathroom. So every time I need to use the facilities, I open up the AIM to a random page/section and read away. I came across this gem last night: SAR 4.9 is an extract from the Canada Shipping Act: 514. The law, statutory and other, including the provisions of this Part, relating to wrecks and to the salvage of life or property and to the duty or obligation to render assistance to ships or vessels in distress, applies to aircraft on or over the sea or tidal waters and on and over the Great Lakes, as it applies to ships or vessels, and the owner of an aircraft is entitled to a reasonable reward for salvage services rendered by the aircraft to any property or persons in any case where the owner of the aircraft would be so entitled had it been a ship or vessel. My interpretation of this excerpt essentially is: If an aircraft finds a shipwreck it is entitled to the same salvage rights as if a ship or vessel found the wreck. As well, a pilot flying an aircraft has the same duties and obligation as a vessel to render assistance to ships/vessels in distress. I tried looking up this particular excerpt in the Canadian Shipping Act only to find it had been repealed when the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 came into force. I guess the AIM needs to be updated. I guess that also means that there is no legal requirement for aircraft to render assistance to ships/vessels in distress? Update: I contacted the person responsible for the AIM at Transport Canada via e-mail. He said that he would pass my comments on to the DND and NSS for their review. Comments (1) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Wednesday, July 9, 2008 - 15:21:32 ET
For my American readers, I would like to point you to a new website I discovered a while ago called Ask A CFI. The owner is a flight instructor that encourages it's readers to ask him questions. In turn he will post the answer on his website. Recently he commented on TCAS and an incident that happened in the US where an F-16 pilot intercepted two aircraft without any reason. On a different note, there have been some changes in the works behind the scenes for this website. Upgrades, redesigns, etc.. Stay tuned for more information. Comments (0) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Thursday, June 26, 2008 - 20:51:57 ET
If you havn't seen this bit yet, watch it. Extremely funny. Contains some strong language. Comments (1) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 11:57:35 ET
Aviatrix over at Cockpit Conversation has a great idea for IFR students. She Her idea is to set up a database of possible flights that you will be tested on so that you can be better prepared for the flight. I encourage you to send along your most recent flight details to her so that she can start compiling her database (and so that I may use it when it comes time for my IFR ride). On a similar note. A user at liveatc.net has compiled audio files of IFR clearances for students to practice with. Scoot on over there any check out the "audio clips" section in the forum. For fun, listen to this IFR routing from JFK to Point Salinas Airport. Comments (4) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Friday, June 20, 2008 - 14:16:32 ET
A stuck mike at JFK can be a serious thing. You're blocking a really busy frequency. However, when everyone is stuck on the ground due to weather and you make a PA announcement over the ground frequency instead of in the cabin, well.. You're bound to get razzed. The clip starts with a stuck mike. Intertwined in here is an aircraft with a potential engine fire. I love it how everyone is keying their mikes while he's making the PA announcement. Comments (7) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 11:29:57 ET
This news is a little late. However, AIC 21/08 fills us in: TORONTO/BUTTONVILLE, ONTARIO REDUCTION IN THE CONTROL TOWER HOURS OF OPERATIONS Those tower guys deserve an extra hour of sleep ;) Comments (3) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 - 15:38:18 ET
I came across this post on avcanada.ca. I'm posting it here more as a "reminder" for me when it comes time to file my taxes as a full time pilot. I'm going to copy-and-paste it verbatim: From http://www.avcanada.ca/forums2/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=41875 1.Did you have to move for your job? If yes, you can deduct moving expenses. The total goes into line 219. 2. Did you get paid per diems in your job? If no, you can claim up to $51 CDN per day in Canada, but you must have a signed form from your company. Use Form TL2 at the following link. Also keep in mind that if you were paid per diems, but less than $51 per day, you can claim the difference up to $51 per day. For example, your employer pays $30 per diems. You work 200 days in the year. you can claim another $21 per day, or $4200. this then gets cut in half, and your claim will be $2100 entered in the employment expenses part of the income section of the T1. Note that the TL2 has to be signed by your employer. this verifies the amount of per diems they paid you. Same goes for if you were working to the US, claim $51 USD per day. Canada Revenue Agency has an average exchange rate for the year, and for 2007 it was 1.07478127 CAD per 1.0 USD. See this link for the rest of the main currencies. All amounts claimed must be converted to CAD. 3. You can deduct the cost of Charts, Approach Plates, Uniforms, Cost of your Medical Examination, License Fee, and even Headsets if you can get a note from your doctor saying that a headset is required to protect your hearing. (this shouldn't be a problem). all of these items get added up and entered as one total in the employment expenses section. (You need form T2200 signed by the employer saying charts, etc were necessary for performance of duties. But even if you can't get that, I would claim it anyways, as it's a pretty common claim by pilots, especially at smaller companies). 4. If you paid out a training bond, get a form from your employer stating that training costs(and the other costs above like charts, etc) were required for employment. Form T2200. 5. Northern living allowance if you live north of 60 degrees. T2222 6. Overseas Employment Tax Credit if you spent more than 6 CONSECUTIVE months working outside of Canada for a Canadian company. this is form T626. this also must be signed by the employer. This is potentially a huge tax credit. This does not have to be in one tax year, but if it crosses tax years, you can't claim the credit until you have surpassed 6 months working outside of Canada. Example: Start working in africa in october 2006. don't come home other than for vacation until April 2007. you can't claim this until you file for the 2007 tax year(which would be march 2008). What you do is go back and re-file your 2006 return with the T626 that you would have had your employer sign at the end of the 2007 tax year. So the credit saddles 2 tax years, but I have never had a problem refiling the previous year. they even pay you the interest on the money that they would have owed you after the 2006 tax year. Comments (0) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 - 12:34:53 ET
I came across this article in the latest issue of Wired Magazine (Jun 2008, Page 50). It describes how anyone can land an airplane in an emergency.  As a pilot, I was highly skeptical that these steps would work. It assumes that the person flying the airplane knows where to find the auto pilot, radios, flaps, etc. I'm sure most would be overwhelmed by all the buttons and knobs. I'm curious to your thoughts on the article. You can click on the image to make it bigger. Comments (12) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Saturday, June 7, 2008 - 15:46:56 ET
I was approached by a member of the Buttonville Flying Club to be a safety pilot for him so that he may do some approaches to keep his IFR currency. This was to be done in the owners aircraft, a 1980 Beechcraft Baron 55. This was my first time in a Baron and the only other twin I have to compare it to is the Seminole. My first thoughts: - The Barons wingspan seemed to be a lot smaller at 11.53m (versus the Seminoles' 11.77m)  The "Cockpit" After a quick runup, we departed 33 for Brantford airport. Followed the shoreline to about the Skybridge then headed direct to Brantford. The approach we were going to do was the GNSS 29 to minimums. I kept a sharp eye out for traffic while the pilot donned on his hood and did his thing. I'm always amazed had how well these approaches work sometimes. Our next stop was to shoot an ILS approach into Kitchener/Waterloo. That wasn't going to be possible as the ceiling (broken) was approx at 2800' ASL. We would need to climb up to 3000' to do the ILS approach. Instead we decided to head back to Buttonville.  Approaching Kitchener Airport The Baron would haul ass. I was keeping an eye on the ground speed and I saw it peak out at about 180KTs (about 330km/h). All in all the flight was a great experience, and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. The last time I acted as a safety pilot, was for Mark over a year ago. It's rare that I get to fly from the right seat, and it's even rarer to just be a passenger. In other news... studying the G1000 is coming along nicely. Hopefully I can get checked out next week. Comments (6) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Wednesday, June 4, 2008 - 22:50:52 ET
So I started studying the G1000 (Nav III) for the Cessna and spent 20 minutes in the simulator trying to figure out how to tune an NDB when I looked it up in the manual: The G1000 does not support tuning of the ADF in Nav III aircraft. ADF tuning is accomplished through the Bendix/King KR 87 ADF Radio. ADF volume must also be adjusted through the KR 87. A top of the line system doesn't even have an ADF/NDB radio built in? WTF. So you can get ADF info on the PFD, but you have to use and tune an external radio. Boourns to that. Comments (1) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Friday, May 23, 2008 - 12:19:17 ET
I was made aware at Toronto Airways dispatch of a small procedure change when requesting taxi instructions. Most (if not all TAL pilots) perform their run up on the main apron, which is uncontrolled. Once the run-up is complete, then the pilot calls up Buttonville Ground requesting taxi instructions. The problem here is that the the controller must look through the entire main apron searching for the location of your airplane. During busy hours this can take time. The memo directs pilots to proceed to the proper taxi way for the active runway and to hold short, then call up ground for taxi instructions. This way the controller knows the general area you are in. Since the main apron is uncontrolled, this is not an issue. Although not stated in the memo, it might also help them to say where on the main apron you are. For example: "Alpha Bravo Charlie is on the main apron, holding short of bravo, requesting taxi instructions to the active." Keep this in mind next time you're going flying. Comments (0) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Friday, May 23, 2008 - 09:00:00 ET
Here are the details about the photo I posted earlier. It actually happened on June 24, 1918, and not June 18th as I originally stated.  Click for larger This was the first ever Air Mail flight in Canada. It consisted of 120 letters to the "T. Eaton Company" from Montreal to Toronto. The airplane landed at Leaside Aerodrome, which would have been located on the present day Downsview Subway station. The airport was in operation from 1931 to 1939, until the Malton Airport (now YYZ) became fully operational. Originally, the pilots were approached by their friends in Montreal who wanted the letters to be delivered to Toronto. However, when the Post Office Department (now Canada Post) heard about the idea, they decided to make it a test for an air mail system. The pilot was Captain Brian Peck, although I don't know who he is in the photo. The flight from Montreal to Toronto wasn't without its adventure. Apparently the plane was so heavy, that it could not climb higher than 40' AGL. In some instances, Capt. Peck had to fly under telegraph wires and around obstacles. The total length of the flight was just over 6 hours. It wasn't until 1954, in the book Canada's Flying Heritage by Frank Ellis did the reason for why the aircraft was so heavy came to light. Capt. Peck was asked by a friend to bring back something for a wedding. It was a time when Prohibition was in place in Ontario and Peck had loaded his plane with cases of Mull Scotch. A stamp was released in 1980, commemorating the first Air Mail flight by Capt. Peck. It depicted the same airplane he used, a Curtiss JN-4. 
Comments (2) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 13:36:28 ET
This photo was taken on June 18, 1918, somewhere in Toronto. Click for larger
I'll give you a few hints: The airport no longer exists, but was in Toronto. The cargo was flown from Montreal (you can see it in the photograph). I'll give the answer in a few days. Comments (0) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 13:19:00 ET
Planning a trip to Brantford? Guess again. The main runway 05/23 and 17/35 is closed this summer for repaving. Update: Keep in mind the airport is still open with runway 11/29 as is the restaurant. See comments for more details. Here is the NOTAM: 080043 CYFD BRANTFORD CYFD RWY 05/23 AND 17/35, TWY A, TWY E FM RWY 17/35 TO TWY D, TWY D FM TWY E TO TWY A, AND TWY C FM RWY 17/35 TO TWY E, CLSD DUE CONST 0805201100 TIL 0808081200 This just leaves 11/29 open, along with Taxiways E, B, and parts of C, and D. Areas with red are closed.  Comments (1) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Friday, May 2, 2008 - 11:05:29 ET
There has been talk in the news recently of commercial aircraft reducing their speeds in order to save on fuel costs. Over the course of a year the savings can be in the million of dollars. As the costs of fuel rises, everyone from commercial airlines to the GA pilot is looking for ways to save fuel. Toronto Airways is no exception. In a recent email to all students/customers: We all have been feeling the pinch of the increased fuel costs lately, and aviation fuel is no exception, so anything that can be done to keep your costs down makes sense. We have asked flight line to only fill our aircraft to a maximum of 3/4 tanks. This will help prevent the loss of fuel through the fuel vents as the fuel expands during the warmer weather. That's a great way of saving fuel. There have been many times I've had to make sure I walk "around" the fuel vents during my walk around to avoid having drips of fuel land on me. However, they are going one step further by mandating we use a specific type of fuel tester: Next we are instituting a policy where a specific fuel tester is to be used. This tester is called the GATS jar and is large enough that you can accumulate fuel from all the fuel drains during the walk around. The best part is it has a special screen that is capable of separating water and debris from the fuel, and the fuel can be poured back into the aircraft fuel tanks. This will allow you to recoup the fuel by being able to pour it back in the tanks. At first I thought there is no way that this can provide any significant savings. But then I crunched a few numbers: Size of Fleet: 40 aircraft 40 aircraft x 8 flights per day x 175ml = 56 009ml or 56L per day. At a cost of $1.75/L of 100LL (as of April 22nd, 2008), works out to be a savings of $98 per day. This is a best case scenario since not all 40 aircraft are booked all day. Previously, fuel that was tested was to be placed in jerry cans that were available on the ramp. Over the past two years, myself (and the school) have noticed that these cans have gone missing. As a result, people were just throwing the fuel on the ground after it was tested. The new system that will be in effect eliminates the need to use these jerry cans. Now anything that will ever be thrown on the ground is the water in the GATS jar, if any. For comparison sake. Here is the "old" ASA sample cup that I use, and the new GATS jar that I need to pick up. 
Comments (3) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - 15:11:40 ET
Does anyone have any information about the airport that used to be in King City? I heard someone make a position report "over the old king city airport" the other day and did a quick google search. The only thing that I can find was this wikimapia.org entry. Does anyone know the identifier, when it closed, or any other details? I've already got Dave to add it to ourairports.com but we would like more information about it. Comments (3) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Sunday, April 13, 2008 - 18:57:12 ET
What do you use your expired CFSs for?  I think I'm going to use it to start my camp fires this summer.. Comments (6) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Sunday, April 13, 2008 - 18:06:09 ET
Comments (0) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Tuesday, April 8, 2008 - 10:53:28 ET
I attended the "ground school" at Toronto Airways for their latest aircraft that has the G1000 avionics installed. This course is mandatory if you would like to get checked out in the aircraft. I would really like to take this new airplane on my commercial cross country to Sherbrooke, QC. Over the next coming weeks, I'm going to see if I can get checked out. I keep two log books. One electronic and one paper. I decided to audit my paper log book for errors and found a few. Most of them were due to time calculation errors (since the excel spreadsheet I use for the electronic version has better math skills than me.) Here are two errors that I discovered: 1. I forgot to add time under the cross country column for a flight last August. The total number of hours missing is about 2.3. These log entries appear about 4 or 5 pages back from the current entry in the book. How would you correct these errors? Strike out all entries for the past 6-8 months or so and start over? As far as I understand you aren't allowed to use things like "white-out" to correct entries, and you must show all errors. (BTW, for the user who commented about "updating my hours" it's been done. As well, there is a date stamp to let you know when the last time it was updated) Comments (8) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 21:09:02 ET
Does anyone know what the suffix "H" means to a runway name? C means Center But what about H?  Click for larger UPDATE: I've confirmed that this does mean "helicopter" as this airport is a helicopter only airport. See my thread in the avcanada forums for more info Comments (4) | Permalink | Category: Interesting Things, Training
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 13:26:25 ET
A friend of mine mentioned that it would be cool to have "a million dollars" to have his own airport. I told him that all you need is space to land an airplane and you can do just that, legally. Without referencing anything, I told him that you are allowed to land on private property as long as you have permission. If you own the land, then there should be no question as to the legal ramifications of landing an airplane on your parcel of land. The conversation ended there but I decided to look further into things like getting your "airport" listed in the CFS. Let's start with the most basic of aerodromes. A grass strip on your farmland. It's literally just a 3000 foot by 50 foot strip of mowed grass. Just enough to get your 172 airborne and land safely. Since the winds in Canada are primarily from the west, your strip is orientated in an east/west direction. Runway 27/09. You own the land. Therefore you have the right to land and take off your aircraft from that grass strip. Your friend asks you if he can use it to, you say "yes". He is now legally allowed to land on your grass strip. After a summer of take-offs and landings at your grass strip, your neighbour starts complaining that what you're doing is illegal. CAR 602.14(2) states that you are allowed to fly "low" and close to people or property as long as you are conducting a take-off or landing. As long as you're not buzzing your neighbours house, what you are doing is totally legal. Yes, your grass strip is technically an "Aerodrome". The following year you've added a windsock so that you can tell which direction the wind is coming from. You also would like to add your aerodrome to the CFS so that fellow pilots can find information about your grass strip. Since there is a windsock now, the minimum requirement for registering an aerodrome, you put your request i |
Boeing 727-200 For Sale 
Title: So You Want To Be A Pilot, Eh?
