2013june

THE PATRICIAN JUNE 2013

The Victoria Flying Club ~ Aviation Excellence Since 1946

Preparing for Flight

Fly-Out News and Updates Page 3 in this issue Photo: Dan Waldie GROUNDSCHOOL SCHEDULES | CLUB NEWS | FIRST SOLOS | PHOTO CONTEST

THE PATRICIAN JUNE 2013

Monthly Newsletter of The Victoria Flying Club - Aviation Excellence Since 1946

“To promote flying and aviation in general, and to teach and train persons in the art and science of flying and navigating and operating all manner of heavier-than-air aircraft.�

(Victoria Flying Club Incorporation Bylaws, 1946) Board of Directors President.........................................Don Devenney Vice President...........................Ramona Reynolds Secretary......................................Colin Williamson Treasurer...........................................Wayne Clifton Directors..........................................Dave Gagliardi Steve Demy Dave Gustafson Cal Mjolsness General Manager.................................Gerry Mants Chief Flying Instructor....................Graham Palmer

In This Issue

3

CYGB Fly-Out - Eleanor Eastick/Dan Waldie

5

Cadors Corner - Graham Palmer

High Life in France

9

13

The DC-3: Conclustion

1852 Canso Road Sidney, BC V8L 5V5

www.flyvfc.com info@flyvfc.com Phone: 250-656-2833 Fax: 250-655-0910 Editor: Christie Hall thepatrician@shaw.ca Midnight Design & Communication info@midnightdesign.ca

June 2013

The Patrician accepts unsolicited submissions.

This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, with prior permission of the publisher or author.

The opinions expressed are strictly those of the authors.

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News from VFC

VFC News

Summer Booking Policy Please take a moment to read the following 2013 Summer Aircraft Booking Policies.

Beginning July 2nd to August 16th inclusive, the following policies will apply Monday through Friday to Recreational Flying/Time Building (not Dual Training): 1. The minimum daily flying requirement for multiple day bookings is 3.5 hours.

Example: A five day trip will require a minimum of 17.5 hours of flight time (5 x 3.5). Any un-flown time will be billed at full rate.

2. Peak Time (10:00-17:00) weekday bookings when made in excess of a two-hour booking block, requires thata minimum Flight Time of 50% of the total booking time be flown.

Examples: 1. A four-hour booking requires a minimum of two hour of flight time. For a 1.5 hour flight within a 4 hour booking block, the member will be charged an extra 1/2 hour at the regular rate.

2. A six-hour booking requires a minimum of three hours of flight time. For a 2.0 hour flight within a 6-hour booking block, the member will be charged an extra 1 hour at the regular rate.

Quiet Hour Pricing Victoria Flying Club Quiet Hour Pricing – in effect June 1st to Sept 30th Day and Time

Discount Available (Choose One)

Victoria Flying Club Quiet Hour Pricing – in effect June 1st to Sept 30th Monday to Friday 1700-0800

Day and Time

$10/hr rental discount

0.2 simulator time credit per hour of flight (approx value $20)

Discount Available (Choose One)

Monday Friday Saturdayto and Sunday 1700-0800

$15/hr $10/hr rental rental discount discount

0.3 0.2 simulator simulator time time credit credit per per hour of flight (approx value hour of flight (approx value $30) $20)

Saturday and Sunday

$15/hr rental discount

0.3 simulator time credit per hour of flight (approx value $30)

Aviation Excellence Since 1946

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June 2013

Fly-Out Updates

CYGB Flyout –

Strange Day, Strong Turnout By: Eleanor Eastick May 20 was one of those days. It started out sunny and then in came the cloud. By departure time from VFC, Nanaimo was down to 1300’, too low to get under but from 3500’ up there was open sky to 20,000’. The layer of cloud extended over the east coast of V.I. and most of the way across the strait but was broken enough for everyone to get to Gillies Bay, flying direct out of YYJ or from mainland airports.

Regrettably, I elected to follow the east coast to Qualicum before cutting across the strait to Lasqueti . We were above a pretty solid layer of cloud and were unable to see Texada Island. Being an old, but not bold pilot, I turned around, found a hole in the clouds and landed at YCD for lunch with my passengers.

The good people at the Texada Island Inn had to make two trips to the airport in their 14 passenger mini van, picking up 20 or more people. Wish I’d been there! I hear the food was excellent and a great time was had by all. Three cheers for the Texada Island Inn. Photos: Dan Waldie

For more information about future fly-out opportunities, please email: flyoutbug@gmail.com June 2013

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Mystery Aircraft

JUNE MYSTERY AIRCRAFT Can you identify the aircraft shown below?

Email: thepatrician@shaw.ca

May Mystery Identified From Tim: This month it’s the Douglas C-133 Cargomaster of which 50 were produced between 1956 and 1961. Designated a strategic freighter on account of it being capable of carrying ICBMs, it had a short life-span due to vibration induced stress fatigue. No doubt caused by the P&W T34 engines which were so loud they used to rattle the windows from 25000 ft. when I was a lad in the UK. Correctly identified by: Sam Fisher, Daryl Williams

The strength of the turbulence is directly proportional to the temperature of your coffee.

Bonus points for Sam Fisher, Daryl Williams, and Marie Woodruff for also correctly identifying the small plane in the foreground as the Ercoupe.

Very thorough plane spotters, all of you!

Aviation Excellence Since 1946

— Gunter's Second Law of Air Travel 4

June 2013

Flight Training

CADORS CORNER By: Graham Palmer, CFI With the intent to enhance awareness, and to continue to develop and encourage Best Practices amongst our Pilots, CADORS Corner continues for the month of June with a compilation of the past months Civil Aviation Daily Occurrence Reporting System Reports. Where applicable, CADORs Corner provides strategies in an effort to assist Club Pilots in avoiding similar occurrences themselves.

For the month of June, we will be focussing on Airspace, and Traffic Considerations. While it’s important to note that the majority of VFC’s CADORs reports result from Airspace violations, the two CADORs reports involving VFC aircraft during the month of May did not result in contraventions of the CARs. However these reports highlight the reality that Victoria is located within one of Canada’s most complex Airspace structures due to our richly diverse and dense traffic environment. From Airliners to Cargo Freighters, Seaplanes to Helicopters, Military Aircraft to Corporate Jets, Medevac to Charter Flights, General Aviation to Flight Training, we find ourselves flying in an airspace amongst all ‘Power driven Heavier-than-air Aircraft’.

In order to ensure the safe and efficient movement of all of this Air Traffic, NAV CANADA over June 2013

time, has structured above us a variegated three-dimensional airspace with texture and definition tailored to meet geographical features and a diverse traffic climate. Understanding the subtle nuances within this airspace can be akin to learning to communicate in a new language while immersed in their cultural environment. This is why it is paramount prior to any flight around Victoria to carefully study the VFR Terminal Area Chart prior to venturing out on a local or cross country flight.

Those who know me have probably heard me say: “Learning to fly is easy…

Learning who to talk to, what to say; and when to say it is the hard part!”

You’ll hear stories from airport ‘Ole Timers echoing in the corners of hangars and coffee shops: “When I learned to fly, I soloed in 5 hours…” amusingly enough these stories usually always end with: “And when I 5

got my Licence, the Government gave me $175 back!” Interestingly enough these stories are true, however back in the day there were far more accidents and a far less complicated Airspace structure and virtually non-existent procedures. Sadly though, most of these ‘Ole Timers gave up flying because the Airspace and associate procedures became so complicated or confusing that their joy of what they remembered about flying evaporated.

Today Tower & Terminal Airspace procedures exist out of necessity to keep us all safe.

Besides several responsibilities, Air traffic Controllers are there to assist in guiding us safely and expeditiously (commensurate with safety) through this complex airspace. Rather than propagating the philosophy that Tower and Terminal are a ‘Monstrous Evil’; attempt to embrace the reality that they are a valuable resource to be used as a facet of your personal flight safety. www.flyvfc.com

Flight Training The two CADORs reports detailed below involved VFC aircraft which generated a Proximity Concern, or a Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) Resolution Advisory (RA) with Transport Category Aircraft.

Had these VFC Aircraft not been in contact with the appropriate Air Traffic Control unit, beyond obvious safety considerations, a violation of airspace cold have resulted, and a monetary penalty could have been imposed by Transport Canada Enforcement.

2013P0547 - Proximity / TCAS Alert / Loss of Separation / Near-Midair Collision A Pacific Coastal Airlines SAAB 340 (PCO340T) was on a vector from Nanaimo, BC (CYCD) to Vancouver, BC (CYVR) at 3000 feet. A Victoria flying club Cessna 152 (C-GUZR) on a VFR local flight from Victoria, BC (CYYJ) crossed traffic indicating 2500 feet was passed 2 times to PCO340T. After PCO340T appeared to have passed the VFR traffic PCO340T reported in a TCAS climb to 3500 feet. No impact on any other traffic and PCO340T descended back to 3000 feet.

2013P0542 - Proximity / TCAS Alert / Loss of Separation / Near-Midair Collision A Jazz Aviation de Havilland (JZA8080) from CYYJ to Vancouver, BC (CYVR) reported a TCAS RA from a Victoria Flying Club Cessna 172 (C-GJZB) who was visual with JZA8080 and passing behind. No operational impact.

Aviation Excellence Since 1946

Strategies to avoid Airspace Violations: 1.

Study your VFR Terminal Area Chart prior to embarking on your flight; anticipate who you must talk to and where you must talk to them. Note every Control Zone, Airspace Terminal Control Area Boundary, and Castellated Frequency Change-Over line prior to your departure.

2.

If necessary, prior to flight ask someone who knows. Ask a Flight Instructor, another Pilot, or if necessary advise ATC that you are unfamiliar with their Airspace.

3.

Use the opportunity of your Annual Check Flight to discuss the Airspace structure or any changes to it with your Instructor.

4.

Avoid ‘Free Styling’ (flying with reckless abandon) through airspace that you have never flown in, and or are unfamiliar with.

5.

When in doubt make a call to ATC; if it’s the wrong agency, any Terminal Controller will provide you with the correct frequency for whom you must contact.

6.

Plan a ‘Reconnaissance Flight’ by yourself or with another pilot prior to embarking on a sightseeing flight with friends and family, or use only standard routes of flight that you are familiar with.

7.

Keep in mind passengers will be naturally excited about everything they are experiencing on their flight with you, be careful not to get caught up in the conversation at the expense of violating airspace. Use the ‘Pilot Isolate’ switch to remove yourself from the conversation.

8.

Though less fun for everyone, consider operating with a ‘Sterile Cockpit’, this means that everyone in the aircraft refrains from engaging in nonessential conversations while you are operating within a Control Zone or Terminal Airspace in an attempt to avoid distractions and missed radio calls.

Always Remember: You must establish two-way contact prior to entering the dimensions of any Control Zone, or Controlled Airspace depicted on the chart. If you don’t, you will generate a CADORs Report.

Mix ignorance with arrogance at low altitude and the results are almost guaranteed to be spectacular.

— Bruce Landsberg, Executive Director of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation.

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June 2013

Groundschool

PRIVATE PILOT GROUNDSCHOOL Monday and Wednesday 1900-2200 Victoria Flying Club Classroom

DATE TOPIC

INSTRUCTOR

June 03

Flight Operations

Kale

05

Navigation

Brendan

10

Navigation

Brendan

12

Navigation

Brendan

17

ATC

Jason

19 Review Colin

To Register for Groundschool, or to purchase a Groundschool Kit, please contact the Victoria Flying Club office at info@flyvfc.com or 250-656-2833.

MOUNTAIN GROUNDSCHOOL SATURDAY JUNE 22 9-1 $75 Call dispatch to register: 250-656-2833

June 2013

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Photo of the Month Thanks to Doug Neal for submitting this month’s winning photo (above).

Cowichan Lake from the edge of the practice area, 6500ft, May 3, 2013, GTDK. Send your best aviation photo to thepatrician@shaw.ca for your chance to win great Pilot Shop prizes. Every submission is entered into a yearly draw for a $100 VFC Gift Certficate. Keep your camera in your flight bag!

Submission Request Email: thepatrician@shaw.ca

Photos, stories, letters, adventures, articles, ads all accepted.

Join VFC Online!

Find out more about what’s going on at your favourite flying club, read interesting aviation articles, and keep up to date with news from the world of aviation. Send interesting links, post photos, tweet comments.

Aviation Excellence Since 1946

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June 2013

Feature Article

High life in France

by: a member of the club

In many ways, flying in France is the same as anywhere else. The laws of physics are the same, the rules of the air are similar, air masses have the same varying properties, and we live by checklists. And because conditions vary unpredictably in this country just as in any other, flying requires same continuous, conscious and subconscious awareness of the situation and subtle changes in it.

Yet there are several differences in practice. Anyone with a Canadian licence who has taken the conversion test to the FAA can fly an N-registered aircraft in France; but not many of them are readily available.

To fly an F-registered aircraft, a Canadian licence has to be validated by the DirectionGénérale de l’Aviation Civile (DGAC), the French licensing authority, by producing an ‘aviation letter’ from Transport Canada to attest the validity of the Canadian license and medical, which is quickly forthcoming on request. Validation requires a test of linguistic competence on the same 6-point scale as for English, but in practice a higher level of ability is needed to cope with the full range of things to be discussed on the ground and in the air. A visitor would June 2013

also need to join a club to have insurance cover.

Computerized systems have penetrated wide and deep in France, and flights can be planned in detail on the internet at sites that provide WX and NOTAM along the route, and also a satellite view of an unfamiliar airport. The Publication d’information aéronautique (AIP), similar to the CFS, gives up-to-date airport charts and information on line. France is covered by a network of low-level routes about 10 nautical miles wide and from 800 to 2,500 ft AGL for low-flying military jets. The days and times these routes are active are published on line, and cannot be ignored.

One welcome difference is that French VFR charts are more clear than Canadian ones.

Whilst in parts of France there are visual references such as the long coastline and mountains, large parts of the country are covered by a kaleidoscope of small fields, and accurate navigation by heading and time is essential. As the charts show wooded areas accurately it is possible to use their configuration as aids to visual navigation, much as the configuration of lakes and islands in Canada.

Airspace is structured in much the same way, but is better delineated and the relevant altitudes and frequencies are more clearly indicated. Airport control zones are class D, equivalent to Canadian class C. G airspace is similar to Canada. Class A is prohibited to VFR. Reporting points are indicated by the let9

ters of compass points in bold, and are easier to read and to pronounce than some of the names in North America; French airspace is divided into several large SIV (Service d’Information en Vol) regions for in-flight information, somewhat similar to FIR in Canada. One takes off squawking 7000, and in the air receives a discrete code from the en-route information service. Whilst one can file a flight plan, it is common practice to call each SIV en route to give the information that would otherwise have appeared on a flight plan, i.e. the aircraft identification, provenance and destination, number on board, fuel autonomy, position and altitude, and intentions.

RT procedures are more economical in France. The pilot takes the initiative to abbreviate the call to three letters: the first, F to indicate France, and then the fourth and fifth letters of the registration. The full five letters of the registration are used only to give a complete identification when initiating contact. One must also be thoroughly familiar with some key differences in the phraseology. ATIS exists at only a few large airports, but the same information is given by the tower at other controlled airports. At the larger airports the controllers speak English, so flying into them is similar to flying into YVR; but at small and uncontrolled airports RT is in French, so familiarity with the language and typical phraseology is essential.

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Feature Article by a few qualified members.

A computer system is used to reserve an aircraft, record details of the flight, and pay at the end of a flight. Once a member has been checked out on type and has been given ‘la prise en main’ there is no formal daily check-out procedure: the pilot is responsible for everything.

The cost of flying is very roughly on a par with rental costs in Canada when one takes into account current exchange rates, economical management, and no loss of time taxiing at a large airport and waiting clearance to take-off or land.

A DR 400, with a 120 hp engine and a cruising speed of 115 KTS The standard joining procedure at uncontrolled airports is to fly over midfield at 500ft or more above circuit height for a good look at the field and the traffic, announce that one is ‘à la vertical,’ and then join the circuit at the start of the downwind leg.

Airports, including the larger ones, often have grass strips adjacent to the hard runway for use by ultra-light aircraft and gliders, using separate lower circuits. The space above might be used for aerobatics or parachute jumping.

At a few large regional airports, such as Nantes or Toulouse, a club might have several aircraft, including an occasional Cessna, but most of the smaller ones throughout the country tend to be operated by a club with only a small fleet. The one where I fly has an APM 20 and an APM

Aviation Excellence Since 1946

30, lightweight aircraft built here of composite materials, and powered by ROTAX engines with an rpm about twice as fast as the Lycomings, and a reduction gear that brings the propeller speed to about half. The club also has three Robin DR400s which are common in this country. They have a marked dihedral on the outer half of the wing, which makes them very stable.

The smaller clubs are typically operated by the members, who have to open up the hangars, pull out the aircraft, top up fuel and oil, fly them, put them away afterwards, write up the logs, and then make their own coffee.

Local clubs arrange a variety of cross country flights in the summer, to various places within France and Europe, and to more remote places such as the Middle East or West Africa.

Since one of the attractions of France is its cuisine, a pleasant excursion can be to fly to another town for lunch. Even better, one can fly late one afternoon to a town with a fine restaurant, relax over a good dinner and a bottle of superb wine, and fly back the next morning. For centuries France has been known as “le pays de Cocagne” – the good life!

If you have flown an interesting aircraft in an interesting location, we want to hear At night, members also have to about it! Send your stories start a generator, turn on the air- and photos to thepatrician@ field lights, and then shut down shaw.ca to be included in the later. Maintenance is contracted next issue. out, and managed voluntarily

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June 2013

First Solos “Without disruption of air traffic, these fearless, forthright, indomitable and courageous individuals did venture into the wild blue yonder in flying machines.

Furthermore, these skilful ndividuals did safely land said flying machines at Victoria International Airport, incurring no significant damage to self or machine, thus completing first solo flights.”

Jeffrey Currie Instructor:Jeff Bujas

Calem Brassard Instructor: Sean Tyrell

Victoria Flying Club CHARTER SERVICE

TRAVEL BETWEEN VICTORIA AND BOUNDARY BAY NO FERRIES NO WAITING BE THERE IN 30 MINUTES Email tedk@flyvfc.om or Call 250-474-0213

June 2013

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Achievements

VFC MEMBER ACHIEVEMENTS New Members

John Birinyi Jirawat Dendandome Jonathan Contreras Armijo Joshua Sandford David Black Peter Bain David Owen William Toogood Dan Webb Oscar Sheperd Silvia Zilker Kent Setzer

First Solos

Jeff Currie Calem Brassard

PPL Flight Test Richard Holman David Babin Mitch Hewson

PPL Written Liam Aloni Mitch Hewson Keegan Allen

PPL License Liam Aloni Mitch Hewson

Congratulations from The Victoria Flying Club!

VFC SMILE CARDS

Pick up your smile card today at the VFC office, and 5% of your grocery purchase will go towards creating scholarships and awards for VFC members. Thank-you Thrifty Foods! To date, the Victoria Flying Club has received over $12,000 from

the Thrifty Foods Smile Card program. These funds have been appreciated by all members of the club. Thank-you Thrifty Foods!

Aviation Excellence Since 1946

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June 2013

Feature Article

The DC-3: World Famous Warbirds Conclusion: Continued from last month. Our thanks to Leon LeChasseur for passing this article on to The Patrician.

The DC-3 played a major role in the invasion of Sicily , the DDay landings, the Berlin Airlift, and the Korean & Vietnam wars, performing astonishing feats along the way.

When General Eisenhower was asked what he believed were the foundation stones for America’s success in World War II, he named the bulldozer, the jeep, the half-ton truck, and the Dakota.

When the Burma Road was captured by the Japanese, and the only way to send supplies into China was over the mountains at 19,000 ft, the Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek said: ‘Give me 50 DC-3s, and the Japs can have the Burma Road .’

In 1945, a Dakota broke the world record for a flight with an engine out of action, travelling for 1,100 miles from Pearl Harbor to San Diego, with just one- propeller working.

Another in RNZAF service lost a wing after colliding mid-air with a Lockheed bomber.

Defying all the rules of aerodynamics, and with only a stub remaining, the plane landed, literally, on a wing and a June 2013

prayer at Whenuapai Airbase.

Once, a Dakota pilot carrying paratroops across the Channel to France heard an enormous bang. He went aft to find that half the plane had been blown away, including part of the rudder. With engines still turning, he managed to skim the wavetops before finally making it to safety.

Another wartime Dakota was rammed by a Japanese fighter that fell to earth, while the American crew returned home in their severely damaged --but still airborne --- plane, and were given the distinction of ‘downing an enemy aircraft’.

Another DC-3 was peppered with 3,000 bullets in the wings and fuselage by Japanese fighters. It made it back to base, was repaired with canvas patches and glue, and then sent back into the air.

During the evacuation of Saigon in 1975, a Dakota crew managed to cram aboard 98 Vietnamese orphans, although the plane was supposed to carry no more than 30 passengers. In addition to its rugged military service, it was the DC-3 which transformed commercial -passenger flying in the post-war years.

Easily converted to a passenger plane, it introduced the idea of affordable air travel to a world which had previously seen it as exclusively for the rich.

Flights across America could be completed in about 15 13

hours (with three stops for refuelling), compared with the previous reliance on short hops in commuter aircraft during the day and train- travel overnight. It made the world a smaller place, gave people the opportunity for the first time to see previously inaccessible destinations , and became a romantic symbol of travel.

The DC-3’s record has not always been perfect. After the war, military-surplus Dakotas were cheap, often poorly maintained, and pushed to the limit by their owners. Accidents were frequent. One of the most tragic happened in 1962, when Zulu Bravo, a Channel Airways flight from Jersey, slammed into a hillside on the Isle of Wight in thick fog. All three crew and nine of the 14 passengers died, but the accident changed the course of aviation history. The local radar, incredibly, had been switched off because it was a Sunday. The national air safety rules were changed to ensure it never happened again.

‘The DC-3 was, and is, unique,’ wrote the novelist and aviation writer Ernest Gann, ‘since no other flying machine has cruised every sky known to mankind, been so admired, cherished, glamorized, known the touch of so many pilots and sparked so many tributes..

“It was without question the most successful aircraft ever built, and even in this jet- age, it seems likely that the www.flyvfc.com

Feature Article surviving DC-3s may fly about their business forever.”

This may be no exaggeration.

But after their retirement, there will still be Dakotas flying in the farthest corners of the world, kept going with love, dedication and sheer ingenuity. Nearly three-quarters of a century after they first entered service, it’s still possible to get a Dakota ride somewhere in the world.

I recently took a DC-3 into the heart of the Venezuelan jungle --- to the “Lost World” made famous in the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is one of the most remote regions on the planet --- where the venerable old planes have long been used because they can be manoeuvred like birds in the wild terrain.

It’s a scary experience being strapped into a torn canvas chair, raked back at an alarming angle (walking along the aisle of a stationary Dakota is like climbing a steep hill) as you wait for take-off.

The engines spew smoke and oil as they shudder into life with what DC-3 fans describe as ‘music’, but to me sounded like the hammering of a thousand pneumatic - drills. But soon you are skimming the legendary flattopped mountains protruding from the jungle below, purring over wild rivers and the Angel Falls , the world’s highest rapids.

Suddenly the ancient plane drops like a stone to a tiny landing strip just visible in the trees.

The pilot dodges bits of dismanAviation Excellence Since 1946

tled DC-3 engines scattered on the ground and avoids a stray dog as he touches down with scarcely a bump.

a Dakota alongside him on the climb away from the runway.

So what is the enduring secret of the DC-3?

How did he do it without air traffic control and the minimum of navigational aids?

David Egerton, professor of the history of science and technology at Imperial College , London , says we should rid our minds of the idea that the most recent inventions are always the best.

‘The very fact that the DC-3 is still around and performing a useful role in the world is a powerful reminder that the latest and most expensive technology is not always the one that changes history,’ he says.

‘’C’est facile --- it’s easy,” he shrugged.

Today, many DC-3s live-on throughout the world as cropsprayers, surveillance patrols, air freighters in forgotten African states, and even luxury executive transports.

One, owned by a Houston lumber company, had mink-covered door- knobs, while another belonging to a Texas rancher had sofas and reclining chairs upholstered with the skins of unborn calves..

In Jaipur , India , a Dakota is licensed for flying wedding ceremonies . ven when they have ended their aerial lives, old Dakotas have become mobile homes, hamburger stands and hen houses. One even serves as a football team changing room.

Clark Gable’s private DC-3, which once ferried chums such as John and Bobby Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra and Ronald Reagan, is in a theme park in San Marino .

But don’t assume it won’t run again. Some of the oldest hulks have been put back in the skies.

The ancient piston- engines are replaced by modern turboprops, and many a pilot of a modern jet has been astonished to find E

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It’s long been an aviation axiom that ‘the only replacement for the DC-3 is another DC-3’. So it’s fortunate that at least one seems likely to be around for a very long time to come.

In 1946, a DC-3 on a flight from Vienna to Pisa crashed into the top of the Rosenlaui Glacier in the Swiss Alps. The aircraft was not damaged and all the passengers were rescued, but it quickly began to disappear as a blinding snowstorm raged.

Swiss engineers have calculated that it will take 600 years for it to slide- down inside the glacier and emerge at the bottom.

June 2013

VFC Classifieds Aircraft - Accomodation - Aviation Books and Gear - Help Wanted - Miscellaneous Email the details of your FREE Ad to: thepatrician@shaw.ca

711 A Broughton Street

(street level, by Victoria Public Library)

Victoria BC V8W 1E2

Discover the Beauty of Flight

learn to fly gliders in the Alberni Valley

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transitioning to gliders is simple with previous flying experience

Alberni Valley Soaring Association

www.avsa.ca Photo: Patrick Pelletier

June 2013

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