I first started planning/worrying about my 300nm X-Country flight last September. My original plan was to make the trip to Sherbrooke (CYSC), which is 341nm from Buttonville. My reasoning was as follows: 1. I get to overfly my (now ex) cottage near Magog, Quebec. 2. I get to fly in some American airspace. 3. Get…
Aviatrix over at Cockpit Conversation has a great idea for IFR students. She speculates states that most examiners have a set routing/plan when they give IFR rides to students or pilots whose IFR currency has lapsed. Her idea is to set up a database of possible flights that you will be tested on so that…
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….
I get asked quite a few questions about my training. So I decided to put together a time line that outlines specific milestones/events over the course of learning how to fly. The time line extends into the future, with goals/plans for the future. You can access it from this link, or on the left of…
This news is a little late. However, AIC 21/08 fills us in: TORONTO/BUTTONVILLE, ONTARIO REDUCTION IN THE CONTROL TOWER HOURS OF OPERATIONS NAV CANADA, the country’s provider of civil air navigation services, recently conducted an aeronautical study that reviewed the hours of operation of the control tower at the Toronto/Buttonville airport. Taking into consideration the…
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 Original Author: wallypilot (spelling and links/html cleaned up a bit) 1.Did you have to move for your…
I was able to get in two x-country flights this week. The first flight was to Owen Sound. During my flight planning, I noticed the NavCanada website was down. I thought to my self.. great, I’m going to be on hold for ever when I call up London FIC. Had to wait maybe 10 seconds…
One thing you need to do that wasn’t really taught (to me) was how to calculate when you’re flying at night (or Legal Night as us pilots like to call it). This is important for a few reasons: – If you don’t have a night rating, you need to know when you need to be…
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,…
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…