Take a look at some of the things I find interesting. You just might be amazed!
You can buy aviation specific gps units for $500 and up. These can include features such as terrain alerts, weather radar overlay, and a database of air space, way points, intersections, etc.. There is an alternative though. You can spend $100 on a “cheaper” gps unit and pre-program it with your way points on a…
(This is all from memory, so apologies if I get anything wrong) The tour of the Toronto ACC was awesome. Our tour guide was great, he was able to answer all of my questions. He’s a controller as well as a pilot, so he knows both sides of the story. We started off with a…
Environment Canada has updated their Radar page to include more information on their maps. You can now add roads, rivers, and smaller towns on the radar map. They have also updated their Radar help pages too. My next Instrument Procedures class is going to talk about Radar in detail and how ATC uses it to…
I got the next version of the CFS in the mail today and decided to take a look at the changes. There was only one change from the last version: New lighting system in use at Toronto/City Centre, Ontario Visual Azimuth Guidance. The VAGS (Visual Alignment Guidance System) provides a combined signal of approach azimuth…
Just a funny clip that got passed to me… enjoy! Press Play
I was chatting to one of my friends from Australia about the PPL test I had written on Friday. One of the questions I had got wrong was “No person shall drop anything from an aircraft in flight” (or similar). Here is the conversation we had: Me: I said you’re not allowed to drop anything…
I wont be flying at all this week and my flight on Sunday was canceled because of poor weather. So this means that it’s study week. I have a mid-term in my Basic Aircraft Systems class on Thursday. Plus I need to get ready for the pre-flight test with my FI on Monday. I want…
Last nights class was interesting. We had some extra time left over so the teacher pulled out his training CD-ROMs for the 747-400 and we went through the hydraulic and landing gear systems. The first thing that I noticed was the “user interface” with the plane systems. It was a mix of digital (EICAS) and…
I came across this clip at liveatc.net. It is from the Toronto Centre (CZYZ) feed. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the controllers misfourtune. Listen to the clip!
“We then hit a brick wall. I hit my head on the ceiling even though I was strapped in firmly. The airplane shook violently, so much so that the instrument panel became a blur….I could see that we were climbing at 6,000′ per minute. I called Air Traffic Control and said “We are unable to…