The Patrician OCTOBER 2021
The Victoria Flying Club ~ Aviation Excellence Since 1946
NIGHT WITCHES
The history of the elite female bombers who rained terror from the black skies of WWII
NEED HANGAR SPACE?
The Patrician
Contact Marcel at the Club to see if a hangar spot is a good spot for your plane and to get on the waitlist.
“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
TABLE OF CONTENTS 3
News around the Club
PRESIDENT Tony Allen
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Member Achievements & First Solos
VICE PRESIDENT Adam Johnston
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General Manager's Article
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Feature Article: Night Witches
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VFC Open House: A Soaring Success
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Ground School Schedule
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Thanks for the Share
SECRETARY Glen Rippon TREASURER Colin Williamson DIRECTORS John Ainsworth Graham Palmer Iain Barnes Don Devenney GENERAL MANAGER Greg Matte CHIEF FLYING Mike Schlievert INSTRUCTOR
CONTACT 1852 Canso Road Sidney, BC V8L 5V5
www.flyvfc.com P: 250-656-2833 info@flyvfc.com F: 250-655-0910
staining and
ifetime mem
15% discount on Cessna rental rates and purchases in the Litt e Pi ot Shop; 10% discount for everyone who pays fully in advance for their annua aircraft parking fees for 2021 only!
PARKING AVAILABLE! Editor: Kelly J. Clark vfcpatrician@gmail.com 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.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Interested in prime paved parking spaces for your aircraft? Good News: there are spots available! Secure, pull-in/pull-out, easy access. Call Dispatch at 250-656-2833 to arrange a spot or to get on the waitlist for hangar spaces!
vfcpatrician@gmail.com http://flyvfc.com/subscribe-to-the-patrician
PHOTO CREDITS Front cover photo by Katrina McGie.
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ers
VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946
EVENTS & HOLIDAYS OCT 12 OCT 31 NOV 7 NOV 11 NOV 16
THANKSGIVING HALLOWEEN DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME REMEMBRANCE DAY VFC 75TH ANNIVERSARY
Know of an aviation-related event that's not listed? Let us know at vfcpatrician@gmail.com!
The VFC will be returning to winter operating hours following the return to Standard Time on Sunday, 07 November. With the reduced hours, Dispatch services will only be available from 0800 to 1700 daily. Otherwise, Line Services will remain available into the evening, unless weather prevents flying operations, and flight training can still be arranged with your Flight Instructor (depending on their availability) into the evening.
UPDATE – 75TH ANNIVERSARY GALA
Due to the increase and continued applicability of the COVID-19 restrictions that were introduced by the Provincial Health Authority in early September, and the significance of their impact on attendance/ activities at indoor events, we’ve regrettably come to the decision to post-pone this gala event until such time the COVID-19 restrictions are more permissive. Please stay tuned!
www.flyvfc.com
Around the Club THE PATRICIAN NEEDS YOU
The Patrician is looking for any stories or history that could help us celebrate the VFC's legacy! Our 75th Anniversary issue is coming up in less than a month and there's still time to contribute! If you have anything to share, please contact the editor ASAP at: vfcpatrician@gmail.com!
HANDYMAN NEEDED
Are you good with your hands? The VFC is looking for a volunteer handyman to help craft award frames for our upcoming events. If you'd like to help and have the tools and know-how, we can handle the supplies.
News and Events
WINTER OPERATIONS
News
Contact Marcel at the club or by email at marceppopand^flyvfc8com8
HAVE ANY NEWS?
We're always looking for news, events, stories, and more! If you know of anything that should be here, let us know at vfcpatrician^gmaip8com !
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OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE! Two 400-square foot rooms are available* on the 2nd floor of the VFC building! Contact Marcel Poland at marceppopand^flyvfc8 com for more information! News and Events
*All prospective businesses must be Victoria Airport zoning compliant
VFC CHARTER SERVICE Be there in minutes!
VFC Charter offers inexpensive, on-demand, and direct transportation to places not serviced by other commercial carriers in the lower BC area. The charter service is operational in day VFR conditions. Contact us for more information on destinations and costs or to book a flight at: Email: tedk^flyvfc8com Call: 1-778-350-3213
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OCTOBER 2021
VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946
MEMBER ACHIEVEMENTS New Members
First irst Solos Mike Anderson Dylan Hollingsworth Ivan Li
CPL Flight Test James Clare
CPL Licence Greg Matte
PPL Written Test Glenn Barkman
PPL Flight Test John Madigan Doug Pirie Skylar Diamond-Burchuk
John Bargh
Member Achievements & First Solos
Cameron Yoneda Kimberley Chovanak Brenton Gibson Eric James John Jesseau Trevor Birrell Noah Letourneau Eric Anderson David Erikson Daylian Rousseau Vikram Dua Isaac Brajcich Mo'Ath Shannag
Graeme Duddy Jadyn Pizzingrilli Imogen Burr Devon Dinsdale Erika Lehner Darren Hart
Group 1 IFR Grant Diamond
VFC MENTOR PROGRAM Do you want other pilots to fly with, split flight cost, share knowledge, or get help getting to a new airport for the first time? Find potential mentors and their resumes posted on the Mentors bulletin board beside the Dispatch counter. You can find contact details on each mentor's resume or you can email mentors^flyvfc8com for more information. Interested in becoming a mentor? There's always room for more experienced pilots! Email mentors^flyvfc8com for more information on how to join up!
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 skillful individuals did safely land said flying machines at Victoria International Airport, incurring no significant damage to self or machine, thus completing first solo flights."
Ivan Li Instructor: Michael Chepesiuk www.flyvfc.com
Mike Anderson Instructor: Stephen Allan
Dylan Hollingsworth Instructor: Caleb Daniel
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I Learned About Flying From That General Manager's Article
VFC Manager BGen (Ret’d) Gregory C.P. Matte, CD, PhD
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General Manager's Article
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viate6navigate6 communicate8f
These were the watch words of wisdom that guided my training from my initial military flight training in Portage la Prairie, MB, through my “wings” training in Moosejaw, SK, and onwards through my extensive fighter pilot training in Cold Lake, AB. Admittedly, there were times whilst I was a student that these same watch words seemed to be a rhetorical diversion from the rational and detailed explanation I commonly sought from my post-flight debriefs as a means to inadequately sidestep my obvious shortcomings, or to detract from the central points raised by my instructor. Hubris and arrogance are coping mechanisms, but I’m certain that most if not all of my flight instructors saw through my tactics. It would be fair to imagine that once I had completed the nearly two and a half years of unrelenting training and the associated pressures that culminated with my graduation from the basic CF-18 course in December of 1987, that I should have been justified in my accomplishments and confidence in flying the CF-18 Hornet as a newly minted, limited combat ready fighter pilot assigned to the newly re-activated 433 Escadron Tactique a Chasse (ETAC), the same squadron my father had been part of while I was still a boy. What I failed to realize at
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that moment of exhalation, was how little I knew about flying such a formidable aircraft replete with 4th generation fly-by-wire controls, glass-cockpit avionics and a highly advanced weapons control system.
West Germany, we were required to successfully pass a tactical evaluation (TACEVAL) of our combat readiness at the level of qualification we held in Canada (wingman, 2-plane lead, 4-plane lead or mass attack lead). When I first arrived During the ensuing, early months in the former West Germany on a front-line fighter squadron, during an intensive month-long I grew increasingly comfortable deployment with 433 ETAC, in the recurring low-level (100’ I found myself overwhelmed AGL) training environment that by the magnitude of the task, we conducted in the remote given the comprehensiveness and largely unpopulated training of the Standard Operating areas in and around our main Procedures (SOPs) as well as operating base at 3 Wing the incredible complexity and Bagotville, QC. However, I was density of activity within their yet to fully appreciate the basics European airspace. Having of airmanship, namely the simple conducted my wingman training priorities of “aviate, navigate, in the relative wilderness, where communicate”. As a “rapid reactor a bridge, cabin or dam were squadron”, 433 ETAC was one of seen as high-value navigation two Canadian fighter squadrons features in a land dominated that was charged with the by lakes, streams and a boreal unique, dual roles of supporting forest, West Germany’s highly the domestic NORAD continental populated and industrialized defence mission, as well as landscape could not have been a being adequately prepared greater antithesis to the natural to join and support our sister landscape that I was accustomed squadrons based in the former to in Canada. West Germany in their extremely important mission of ensuring My first training mission in West a credible “fist” within the Germany was that of a bright“velvet glove” of deterrence that eyed but highly inexperienced successfully prevented a nuclear wingman. The mission was meant holocaust in the challenging to provide familiarization through decades following WWII. a multi-disciplined “exposure” flight that included low-level In order to fulfill the demanding navigation, high-level airrequirements of being intercept and air combat training, recognized as “combat ready” as well as IFR approaches into for our NATO rapid reactor CFB Baden-Baden and CFB responsibilities in the former Lahr.As one might expect, the
VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946
Within 10 minutes of takeoff and en route to our “hack”, the starting point for the low level navigation portion of our mission, it became apparent to me that my lead was at least 30 degrees off course, and that we we’re about to overfly one of many nuclear reactors in Bavaria, something that was taboo for obvious safety reasons. No sooner had I expressed my observation regarding to our heading to my lead than I heard the terrifying reply, “GCP, you have the lead!” Great. My first “exposure” flight in West Germany, and now I had to lead my lead through the complex low-level airspace towards our target in the customary “marginal VFR” weather conditions that were characteristic of the smog in the Rhine Valley and Bavaria at that time. As the mission unfolded, the old adage of “aviate, navigate, communicate” came back to me with incredible wisdom, solitude and comfort. I focused on safely avoiding the ground, wires and endless towers will dutifully keeping an eye on my heading, map and the endless repetitiveness of manmade features that passed below me at nearly 500 miles per hour. www.flyvfc.com
Having successfully found our way to our simulated target, and connected with our “adversary” 2-ship of CF-18s awaiting us high above, my lead suddenly proclaimed that his INS had completed its in-flight realignment, and that he was re-taking the lead. What a relief! However, the relief was short lived…no sooner had we declared “fight’s on” and commenced the 40 Nm intercept profile when my lead announced that his radar was unserviceable and that he was “cludo” (yes, it is what it appears to describe). As I once again resumed the lead, I conducted the intercept, concluding with a VID (visual identification) of the opposing aircraft, at which time we were “BINGO”, and had to “terminate” the upper air work, and contact ATC for the complicated arrival procedures and approach in minimal conditions (the weather had worsened with the late afternoon cooling and setting sun). My lead was still struggling with his radar, and had also discovered that his INS was still severely adrift…I would need to lead him home for a formation approach and landing…my first in IFR conditions at CFB Lahr! Again, the watchwords “aviate, navigate, communicate” echoed through my thoughts as I struggled to find the correct approach plate for the runway in use, as well as the many different ATC agencies that I would be dealing with as I descended through the layers of busy controlled airspace (which included a portion in French airspace, given that Lahr was in close proximity with the
border with France). At his point, I was mentally and physically exhausted, and simply wanted to be on the ground…but I had a wingman that depended on me. As the clouds thickened and the skies darkened during the long descent, I focused on my instrument cross-check and landing checklist. Although I missed a few calls from ATC, I was able to keep my priorities straight. ATC seemed to intuitively recognize my struggle through my R/T, and patiently worked me through to “final”. When I finally caught sight of the PAPI and approach lights at nearminimums, it was a huge relief to recognize that I had safely brought us into a position for a successful landing on our first attempt, and wouldn’t have to go around.
General Manager's Article
briefing for this initial “exposure” flight, a briefing that integrated these various components of training, was like “drinking from a firehose”. The final words from my experienced lead before we “walked” to our jets was something along the lines of “don’t worry, just stay on my wing, and you’ll be fine.” The words would prove prophetic and highly fallacious…
The debrief was short and to the point…my lead was proud of me, and underlined the fact that I had “done good” for my first exposure flight to West Germany and the “front line” demands of the highly trained “Cold War warrior” squadrons who worked full-time in that environment. For me, I finally came to terms with the words of wisdom that my instructors had repeatedly infused in me in the previous years of training…”aviate, navigate, communicate…in that order of priority!”
"Aviate , navigate, communicate." 7
NIGHT WITCHES
Terrors Of the Sky
Feature Article: Night Witches
By Kelly J Clark
T
he night is as silent as it can ever be behind enemy lines. The hushed voices of comrades laugh and joke in an attempt to ignore the barely hidden cocktail of terror and excitement bubbling in their veins. Then in the darkness someone asks, “Do you hear that?” The world goes as cold as the Russian autumn and conversation dies beneath sharp hisses for silence. At first, nothing. And then everyone hears it: a whispering, shuffling sound from above, like the swishing of a broom across a hearth. Eyes reflect like saucers in the dark as someone tries to raise the alarm, but it’s too late. The Night Witches are here. Aviation history is full of tales of heroism, courage, and bravado from around the world. But few are as inspiring as the Soviet Air Force’s 588th Night Bomber Regiment, better known by the nickname used by their German targets: the “Night Witches.” With Halloween around the corner, it seemed fitting to celebrate the women who terrorized so many Nazis.
swiftly changed. Leningrad was under siege and Moscow was in the cross hairs; to survive, the Soviets needed all the help they could get. They needed women like Major Marina Raskova. Known by many as the “Soviet Amelia Earhart,” Raskova was the first female navigator of the Soviet Air Force and had set many long-distance flight records. For months, she had received letters from women across the Soviet Union; each wrote of the rage, zeal, and loss caused by the deaths of lovers, family, and friends. They wanted to help. They wanted to fight. Raskova petitioned Joseph Stalin and received permission to form female combat units. On October 8th, 1941, the 558th became one of three female air force units created for the war effort, which made the Soviet Union the first nation to officially allow women to engage in combat.
members in ranks of the 588th. Their training was compressed, brutal, and diverse. Each recruit needed to be a competent pilot and navigator, and also able to serve as both maintenance and ground crew. On top of the harsh training, the recruits also faced constant harassment from their male counterparts. A mix of sexism and the Soviet military’s lack of supplies further hampered the unit. They were provided illfitting hand-me-down uniforms and boots, poor equipment, and no end of grief. Accounts say that they had to stuff their boots with torn bedding to make them fit; that instead of radios or radar, they were given rulers, pencils, and stopwatches; that guns were considered a luxury reserved for the men. But none of that would come close to what would define the unit in history: their aircraft. The 588th was equipped with a fleet of Polikarpov U-2 biplanes. These were not wartime aircraft: they were crop dusters and training planes. Already outdated by the 1920s, the Polikarpov was
From 2,000 applicants, Raskova narrowed the pool down to 400 women, most of whom were students in their teens When World War II began, and early Russian women were barred from twenties. Of combat, but when Operation these, sources Barbarosa thrust the Nazi war put 261 final machine into Soviet territory, that 8
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VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946
little more than plywood with canvas stretched over and two seats in an open cockpit. In the chilly Russian sky, the plane’s surface was cold enough to tear off bare skin on contact. The planes were obsolete, slow, and could carry only 350kg of bombs.
The Polikarpovs could only carry two bombs at a time—one beneath each wing. This weight kept the planes low enough that a soldier with a sidearm could be a deadly threat, so the 588th was restricted to night operations only. The weight also prevented them from carrying any additional equipment, such as parachutes. And so every night, the 588th deployed forty two-person teams, with each executing between eight and eighteen missions, refueling and restocking their bombs between each one. The only thing more terrifying than being targeted by the Night Witches was their attack strategy. To keep the element of surprise, the 588th would kill their engines and glide or dive toward their targets and drop their payloads silently in the black of night. However the Polikarpovs’ bomb release mechanisms were hastily www.flyvfc.com
of the 588th were something at once simpler and far greater than any fantastical story: heroes who possessed impossible courage, skill, and determination.
In all, the Night Witches flew a combined total of more than 30,000 missions during the war—more than 800 per pilot Without engine noise to give and navigator pair. Of its 261 away their positions, the only members, only 32 died during the sound these the Polikarpovs made war from a combination of crashes was a soft whooshing caused by and other causes, such as combat air rushing across the canvas. deaths and tuberculosis. In all, To the soldiers on the ground, only 28 aircraft were written off. the noise was akin to the sound The 588th was the most highly of brooms sweeping and thus decorated female air unit in the the Germans began to fear the Soviet Air Forces, one of the most Nachthexen, or “Night Witches” decorated in the war, and three who rained down death from the of its members would receive the back of their brooms. title Hero of the Soviet Union. But perhaps the greatest honor was In darker nights, a lead plane that the Night Witches became so would keep its engines alive to feared by the Nazi high command draw enemy fire. The enemy that any soldier able to shoot one searchlights cut the darkness down was automatically awarded and granted all the illumination an Iron Cross. that the silent bombers behind needed to hit their targets. There So this Halloween, when you are stories that besides bombs, look up to the dark, autumnal the Night Witches would drop skies think of the death-defying anything and everything from heroines who rained down terror leaflets to bricks and railroad from their flying coffins. And be ties—all to psychologically glad that you can’t hear the sound terrorize the sleeping Nazis. And of approaching brooms. terrorize them they did. Their air raids were so successful that the Photos courtesy of the Wikimedia Commons. Nazis began to theorize that the Night Witches were master criminals, sent to the front lines as punishment for their crimes, or female super soldiers who had been given special injections that allowed them to see in the dark. In reality, the women
Feature Article: Night Witches
But the Polikarpov’s limitations also provided an unexpected advantage: they were so slow that their maximum speed was lower than the stall speed of Nazi aircraft, which allowed incredible maneuverability compared to contemporary planes. However their wooden construction also made them incredibly vulnerable. To avoid enemy fire, the pilots would have to nosedive, lest they be torn apart by bullets or hit by tracer rounds that would ignite their wooden frames.
installed and often prone to malfunctions that required the crew to climb out onto the wings and release the bombs manually— all while gliding or diving over enemy airspace. When the bombs finally fell, the pilots would restart their engines and flee as quickly as they could manage.
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The VFC Open House: A Soaring Success
THE VFC OPEN HOUSE A Soaring Success
T
he threat of rain loomed in the air as the VFC prepared to host its annual open house community event for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The wind briskly strafed the runways and before long, the skies burst into a steady drizzle—the bane of outdoor events. But as if by miracle, within moments the rain passed; the clouds parted, and the VFC was bathed in the light of one of the last days of summer. It was a great day for an open house. While the board of directors checked vaccine passports at the door for hundreds of eager attendees, the rest of the VFC was hard at work setting up discovery flights, greeting interested community members and prospective pilots, and even cooking burgers for a BBQ-style lunch. Among the assembled guests from our partner organizations were representatives from the BC Air Museum, Angel Flight, and so many more. There was also a special appearance by the PBY-5A Canso 1102, known as the "Shady Lady" (left), and her
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pilot, Oliver Evans. The RCAF came and brought their CH148 Cyclone helicopter, the crash-fire-response fire truck from the Victoria International Airport made an appearance, and rescue services like the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRRC) were on site too, along with the VFC's own Captain Sebastien Lemire! This hometown hero was featured in the Patrician back in the December 2015 issue and after an exciting career as a pilot across Canada, he's back in Victoria coordinating the efforts that save lives (more about that in an upcoming issue!) There were also some oneof-a-kind aircraft including a hand-built RV-7 (the gorgeous red one to the left), and what may perhaps be the world's only flying yacht, a lovingly modified Grumman! In all, the open house hosted nearly 350 members of the community. Attendance like that during a global pandemic and with event restrictions is a major accomplishment for the club. As we move forward toward a return to normal, it's vital that we take time to celebrate our successes in the face of adversity—and this year's open house was an absolute win. VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946
GROUND SCHOOL SCHEDULES PRIVATE PILOT LICENCE GROUND SCHOOL
PPL #21-13: August 27 – Oct 15/2021: Mondays Tuesdays & Fridays (18:00 - 21:30) PPL #21-14: Oct 18 – Dec 03/2021: Mondays Tuesdays & Fridays (18:00 - 21:30) PPL #21-15: Dec 06 /2021– Feb 06/2022: Mondays Tuesdays & Fridays (18:00 - 21:30)
COMMERCIAL PILOT LICENCE GROUND SCHOOL
Individual scheduling requests are available for Private Pilot Licence, Commercial Pilot Licence, Mountain Awareness Training (MTA), Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (Drone) Courses (RPAS) by request. Individual tutoring is also available for PPL and CPL upon request. Confirm your attendance with Neil Keating (204) 291-9667 and Brenda Miller (250) 656-2833.
Ground School Schedules
CPL #21-12B: Sept 11 – Nov 12 2021: Saturdays & Sundays 09:00-12:00 & Wednesdays 18:00-21:30 CPL #21-12C: Nov 14 – Jan 26 2022: Saturdays & Sundays 09:00-12:00 & Wednesdays 18:00-21:30
[PICTURE YOUR AD HERE] What's better than free advertising? Not much! The Patrician is giving away free spaces in each issue during 2021 to support our community businesses! Just email vfcpatrician@gmail.com with your ad and we'll set you up with a free businesscard sized ad space in a future issue!
HALLOWEEN HIRE Meet Gourdy, the VFC's new seasonal hire! Here are some pictures of him getting to know dispatch and maintenance! Be sure to stop by the dispatch desk and say hi to him before the Halloween season ends! (Photos by Kat McGie)
www.flyvfc.com
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THANKS FOR THE SCARE!
Pics from the spooktactular folks on Instagram who used the #flyvfc or #victoriaflyingclub tags! From top, left to right: @mostlylisa She wants to be a pilot — and we can't wait to see her up there!; @pilot_laura feels good to be back in the cockpit after a busy summer of nursing and helping with the pandemic response! Our hero!; @the8jet shows us how it started; @elizebross shows a pupper doing a cheese'; @mr.awara.musafir wants to remind us to never stop growing; ; angelmrdz shows off for Flying 101!
Tag us on Instagram & get featured!
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