Month: November 2009

  • Owning an Airplane

    I’m trying to find some resources on things to think, worry, know about when it comes to owning an airplane. Specifically I want to calculate the total cost of ownership when it comes to having an airplane. I know you’d have to factor in insurance, fuel, oil, and hangar space. However, are there formulas or…

  • 5W-FAY

    While I was vacationing in Samoa, I hade the opportunity to take a quick flight from Savai’i to ‘Upolu on a Polynesian Airways twin otter. I arrived at Maota airport to find only two other people on my flight: A father and son who were on their way back to American Samoa via Apia (where…

  • The Last METAR

    Terrace Bay, Ontario used to have an airport. However in 2005 the city council voted to close the airport to save the community approx $40,000 a year. It’s a shame whenever an airport in Canada closes, especially for the people who work there. I came across the final METAR for CYTJ, it reads: CYTJ 242100Z…

  • BLO Job

    Starting in December, NavCanada is changing the abbreviation used for the term “below”. Currently it is “BLO”, but the new one will be “BLW”. AIC 27/09 has the details: Beginning 17 December 2009, the Canada Flight Supplement (CFS) will print the abbreviation “BLW” for “below” in all text and charting instances. The abbreviation “BLO,” currently…

  • Ice Pilots

    I’m back from vacation! I do have a vacation specific post to talk about, but in the mean time check this out. Ice Pilots NWT is a 13-episode real-life docu series about an unorthodox airline in the Canadian North. Yellowknife-based Buffalo Airways flies WWII-era propeller planes – big old aircraft built by “Rosie the Riveter”…

  • Laser Strikes

    Here are some statistics I gathered from CADORs regarding airplanes getting hit by lasers (for 2009): May: 7 June: 4 July: 7 August: 26 September: 18 One particular report I read noted that the copilot was injured by the laser: From CADORS 2009O1962: UPDATE Supplemental information received from Canadian Helicopters Ltd. [2009/09/09]: The operator voluntarily…