The Patrician The Victoria Flying Club ~ Aviation Excellence Since 1946 JULY-AUG 2022 FLYING BOTSWANAIN DEREK MELTON'S AVIATION ADVENTURES IN AFRICA ALSO INSIDE A SHORT HOP: RABBIT RESCUE AND MEET MIKE CHEPSIUK VFC FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR
VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946JULY & AUGUST 20222 The Patrician “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 Colin Williamson SECRETARY Glen Rippon TREASURER Cal Mjolsnes DIRECTORS Iain Barnes Graham Palmer Adam Johnston Laurie Ingalls MANAGERGENERAL Mike Schlievert 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. 1852 Canso Road Sidney, BC V8L 5V5 www.flyvfc.cominfo@flyvfc.com P: 250-656-2833 F: 250-655-0910SUBSCRIPTIONSCONTACT http://flyvfc.com/subscribevfcpatrician@gmail.com-to-the-patrician Front cover photo provided by Derek Melton. PHOTO CREDITS NEED HANGAR SPACE? Contact Marcel at the Club to see if a hangar spot is a good spot for your plane and to get on the waitlist. TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 News around the Club 5 Member Achievements & First Solos 6 A Short Hop by Katrina McGie 10 Staff Profile: Mike Chepsiuk, VFC Flight Instructor 15 Ground School Schedule 16 Ga Gona Mathata: Flying in Botswana by Derek Melton 24 Thanks for the Share! VFC MENTOR PROGRAM There's no better gift than knowledge. 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. Contact details are on each mentor's resume or you can email mentors@flyvfc.com for more information. Interested in becoming a mentor? There's always room for more experienced pilots! Send an email to mentors@flyvfc.com for more information on how to join up!
CAN YOU COVER US? The Patrician is looking for photos to use on upcoming covers! Are you a high-flying shutterbug? Send your pictures to the editor at vfcpatrician@gmail.com and get featured!
The VFC needs a people skilled in trades to help us make some upgrades and improvements to the Flying Club. Are If you have these skills, don't hesitate! Send an email to gm@flyvfc.com today!
AUG 21 CHILLIWACK FLIGHT TEST 2022 SEPT 5 LABOUR DAY SEPT 20 AERIAL FIREFIGHTING CONF. 2022 SEPT 23-24 INTERNATIONAL CONF. ON AVIATION MANAGEMENT AND FLIGHT (ICAMF) SEPT 30 NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION Do you know about any aviation-related events that we didn't mention? Let us know at vfcpatrician@gmail.com! the Club
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3 SILVER WINGS INDUSTRY AWARD NOMINATIONS OPEN Do you know someone in the aviation industry who deserves to be celebrated? Nominations for 2022 BC Aviation Council Industry Awards can be submitted year round but must be into our office no later than August 31st, 2022, in order to be considered for the current year. Awards will be presented at the annual Silver Wings Awards event October 20, 2022, at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
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THE VFC IS HIRING! Are you or someone you know looking to break into the world of aviation? The VFC is presently hiring Flight School Line Crew! This critical role ensures that aircraft are fueled, cleaned, and ready for takeoff, as well as other important duties. This is a fantastic summer job for students with opportunities that could extend into fall. http://flyvfc.com/jobs
The Patrician thrives when we have stories to share with our readers. If you have a story about aviation adventures or something you think the VFC would enjoy, don't hesitate: contact us today at vfcpatrician@gmail.com and get featured! We're happy to accept written materials and do interviews!
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The VFC still needs members to join the Social Committee and the Marketing Committee! Please email gm@flyvfc.com.
BOLDLY GO MEET THE STARS Capital City Comic Con is coming to the Victoria Convention Centre September 2325. Pop culture has long influenced young pilots to take to the skies, so this is might be the perfect place for you. Plus, if you're a fan of Star Trek you're in luck! Both Denise Crosby (Lt. Tasha Yar from Star Trek: The Next Generation) Garret Wang (Harry Kim from Star Trek: Voyager) will be in attendance!
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4 VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946JULY & AUGUST 2022 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@flyvfc.com Call: 1-778-350-3213 PARKING AVAILABLE! 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! Sustaining and Lifetime members: 15% discount on Cessna rental rates and purchases in the Little Pilot Shop. 10% discount for everyone who pays fully in advance for their annual aircraft parking fees for 2022 only! EventsandNews
5 Michael Szaulis Toby William Edward TimothyJeffreyCunninghamPiperWoodwardSarahColynMasonWrightAtommKimViktorMelnykovManveerSinghManveerSinghGaryLunnGuyBedfordLaneKillick Shannon Woodward Mike Fleming Remy Lassner David Lassner Tyler MaxNicholasMartinJamesCommandeurWilsonAdamJessingPrihodaLarryWheelerBardonvandenDriesscheThomasHeinanMarkBenslerZakiAli MEMBER ACHIEVEMENTS FIRST BrockBrendanPatrickSOLOSFarkasYantaCampbell PPL FLIGHT TEST Trevor Birrell Mark DaytonaStevensRobertsMikeAnderson PPL EXAM Nico Reindl CPL FLIGHT TEST Alex Dempsey AchievementsMemberSolosFirst&NEW MEMBERS
A HOPSHORT
6 VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946JULY & AUGUST 2022
by Katrina McGie
F lying to rescue an animal isn't a new thing. People have been doing it for ages! Since I started working the Dispatch desk, I've seen cats, dogs, and even — not a word of a lie —150 turkeys. You try packing 150 turkeys into a Cessna 172 and tell me how that goes for you. But that's not what this is about. Something I hadn't seen come through the doors of the Flying Club is much more exotic, much stranger, and you've seen them absolutely everywhere. Bunnies. Weird, unique, bunnies. Bunny owners are like pilots. You'll always know when you're in the room with one because they'll inevitably tell you that they have a bunny. Or two. I volunteer with a local rabbit rescue: Amy's Bunny Barn. The person who runs it is completely devoted to bunnies and her entire house is jam packed with them. She rescues them, nurses them to health, and raises the babies when the inevitably pregnant females get surrendered. She wants to help every-bun, but sometimes even the most powerful heroes need a helping hand. That brings us to Poppy, a beautiful little Netherland Dwarf bunny that had a traumatic upbringing in Comox. She was raised in a tiny cage not even big enough for a hamster. She had been put up for free online — effectively abandoned. A nice person saw her online and scooped her up, contacting Amy about her.
You try packing 150 turkeys into a Cessna 172 and tell me how that goes for you.
HopShortA McGieKatrinaby
The call went out: Poppy the bun needed transport from Comox to Sooke. A tall order for most, with 6 hours of driving round trip with today's gas prices. I had done a few rescues for Amy before, and everyone knows I have a major soft spot for these weird creatures, and even have one particularly moody and antisocial example of a rabbit that I adopted from Amy myself. I had a plane booked for a Sunday flight to see my brother in Qualicum already. I wanted to have lunch with him and take him for his first ever flight with me! I hadn't heard anything from Amy or the person with the bunny, but planned a flight to Courtenay anyways. Once we were in Qualicum, I got the call. The bun was ready. I asked them if they could meet me at the Airpark. They questioned it a little, asking if I wanted to meet somewhere more convenient instead. They asked where I was coming from and I said 'Qualicum. If you're able to meet me at the airport, I'll see you in 20 minutes.' Again the question of meeting up and a reminder of the time it takes to drive from Qualicum to Courtenay. 'Don't worry,' I said. 'I'm flying in.' I told them the identity of the plane that would be pulling onto the ramp, and asked them to meet by the airside gate. My brother and I hopped into the plane and off we went. After a quick trip at 2,500ft up the coast and a smooth landing on runway 31, we taxied in and parked in front of the lounge.Theywere waiting with the bun in their van. We had quickly discussed how to transport the little angel while on the ramp in Qualicum, and settled on a cardboard box as the enclosure she had been put in after being rescued was too big for the little Cessna. With a few tears, Poppy was released into our custody for the flight to her new home. We popped her into the backseat and buckled her box in tight. We made a quick stop back in Qualicum to drop my brother off after his very
MEET POPPY inBuckledtight HopShortAMcGieKatrinaby
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8 VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946JULY & AUGUST 2022 successful first flight, and had a quick check in on Poppy. She was alert, but visibly nervous. I'm not sure how much she really enjoyed flying, to be honest. Rabbits can't communicate like a dog or cat when they're upset or stressed, and body language is important. But she would be home a lot safer and quicker this way. All told, the trip to Qualicum, up to Courtenay, back to Qualicum, and then home to Victoria took less airtime than driving from Victoria to Qualicum would have taken one way. And then Poppy was in Victoria! After talking with Amy, we both figured that it'd be easiest for everyone if I took her in for the night at my house, then brought her to Sooke the following day when I was doing another bunny transport anyways. My own bunny, Vincent, was less than excited to have another rabbit in the house, but was nonetheless curious about her. She was safe in my home and I gave her free roam of the house while Vincent was kept separate. Her body language loudly exclaimed that she was happy, and free. She never had to see a little cage ever again, and her adorable little happy jumps, called binkies, showed it. The next day, she went off to the Bunny Barn to get a vet checkup and find a forever home. I don't think she'll have any troubles winning someone over. She already has my heart. One afternoon was all it took to save an animals life. I know other people have rescued animals with Club planes before, but I think this was the first rescue bun we've had come through the Club doors. I want to talk to other people who have done rescues, as I would love to do more. As I write this, I have a little bunny on my lap that desperately wants a banana, so I should probably attend to that. HopShortA McGieKatrinaby
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FLIGHTCHEPESIUKMICHAELPROFILEINSTRUCTOR
Profile:Staff ChepesiukMichael
The VFC wouldn't be where were are without amazing flight instructors. With that in mind, let us introduce one of the best in the business: our own Michael Chepesiuk! In this profile, we get to know him a bit better.
10 VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946JULY & AUGUST 2022
Hey Mike! Let's get into it. How long have you been flying for? Have any early memories of flying? I have been flying since 2018. One of my fondest memories of flying is of climbing out Billy Bishop Toronto Island airport above the all the skyscrapers and the CN Tower, and just feeling so relaxed and happy. It was at that moment, when I felt so happy, that I knew I truly found my passion in life. What made you want to become a pilot? For the sheer love of adventure and the love of flying! What licences have you earned? What was your training like? My flight training was the most challenging and rewarding thing I've ever done in my life in general. It is important not to be discouraged when learning something new seems difficult, and it is just as important to take pride in and celebrate the milestones along the way. When you look back you will see how far you've come, and how much more you can accomplish! I have earned my Commercial Licence, with a Class Three Instructor Rating, a Group 1 (multiengine) Instrument Rating, and my Seaplane Rating. The most challenging was the upgrade to the Class Three Instructor Rating because it takes STAFF
Fictional: The Millennium Real:Falcon.Supermarine Spitfire Good choices. So you already fly for a living, but is that the ultimate goal? Do you want to stay in the air? Flying as a Flight Instructor at VFC is my full time gig. I have ambitions to one day be an Airline Captain. That's fantastic. In your opinion, what's the most important thing for a pilot to possess? Other than a plane, of course: a growth mindset and a positive attitude! Knowledge can be learned by spending more time reading and studying. Skills can be learned by spending more time with an instructor and practicing. However only with a mental attitude geared towards a growth mindset can anyone really become a superior pilot. This means embracing challenges, developing new habits, knowingcomfortablegettingwithnoteverything, taking ownership of mistakes you've made, learning from criticism and feedback, not being complacent, strong situational awareness, being prepared, open minded, finding inspiration in others, and persevering in the face of setbacks.
What's your favourite flying animal? Fictional: the mythological Real:Gryphon.thePeregrine Falcon. Runner Up: the Dragonfly. What's your favourite movie about flying? Dunkirk. Or Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope .
Profile:StaffChepesiukMichael
What about becoming a pilot was the most surprising, challenging, or rewarding for you? The most rewarding and challenging thing thus far has been my upgrade to a Class Three Instructor, with a close second being my Private Pilot's Licence. Being an Instructor requires not only an theirhelpingasandischallenging,effectively.typeswithabilityPilotPrivateexerciseunderstandingintricateofeveryintheboththeandCommercialsyllabus,butalsothetocommunicatethatallsortsofdifferentofpersonalitiesThiscanbebuttherewardbothenormouspersonalprofessionalgrowth,wellassatisfactioninothersachievedreams.
11 not only manual handling proficiency but also the ability communicate well, sometimes in critical phases of flight. It requires you to not only fly at the Commercial Pilot level, but also to have important soft skills, like getting along with others and adapting to situations.
What's your favourite plane / flying vehicle) of all time?
Tell me a joke. How do you make a million dollars in aviation? Start with two million. Why do you think people become pilots? What draws us to the skies? So many great reasons, however number one that comes to mind: To do something the best of humanity could only dream of for millennia. Also for the beauty, the fun, and the adventure. How do you feel that being a pilot changes a person? What unique skills or perspectives does it provide? Being a pilot can change a person in a lot of positive ways. From just learning to appreciate and cherish the beauty of the world from thousands of feet off the ground, to learning to take control of your life to accomplish your ambitions just like you take control of the aircraft when you're training. What do you enjoy most about flying? And is there anything you don't love about it or that gives you trouble? I enjoy most the total feeling of aviating, that is just being in control of an aeroplane flying through the air. Close second are the views. Third being making a butter-to-bread landing. I don't love when the weather does not cooperate with my flight plans. Then again though, what can anyone do about the weather? What is your favourite place to fly / aerodrome to visit and why?
12 VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946JULY & AUGUST 2022
Profile:Staff ChepesiukMichael
How has flying changed your life? Flying has made me a more positive person, more optimistic, and also much more pragmatic.
Favourite place is flying around CYYJ! The views around CYYJ stand second to none in Canada from my experience. Other than that, I enjoyed flying into Port Alberni a lot. I love the valleys and mountains here on Vancouver Island, along with the views of the Pacific AlsoOcean.being a history buff, I love putting aviation in perspective of the early explorers and fur traders who explored Vancouver Island hundreds of years ago - both Victoria and Port Alberni being the among earliest trading posts on the island. If you could fly or visit anywhere (and I mean anywhere) where would it be? And what makes that place so special? I would fly to Asgard to meet Odin and Thor... kidding! Honestly, nothing would make me happier than flying a trans-Atlantic crossing to London Heathrow. That is iconic. I love the history and culture of London and Europe, and to be a Captain of such an endeavour would be a highlight of my career. A close second would be Sydney, Australia. What is your favourite club aeroplane? GTLF — the plane I took my parents and brother for a flight around Victoria which I will always remember. My Dad said it was the best landing in an airplane he'd ever been in. What is your go to in-flight snack? Water. Also, Excel gum. What was the hardest thing about becoming a pilot? Is there anything that you don't like about it? The hardest thing about becoming a pilot is believing in yourself when there can seem to be so many obstacles. You can accomplish your dreams if you work for it! It will pay off! As Henry Ford said, "When everything seems to be going against you, remember an airplane takes off against the wind, not with it."
Profile:StaffChepesiukMichael
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Do you have any advice you’d pass along to other pilots? Share your wisdom with us! Your attitude determines your altitude!The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty, while the pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity. What's a truly memorable flight or experience you've had as a pilot or passenger? I was once described as "a hell of a pilot" by a student, and a "great instructor" by another. It is memorable feeling appreciated and respected for something I take a lot of pride in doing.
more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly. Last and most importantly, flying in civilizationWesternhasnever been more egalitarian, anyone regardless of skin colour, ethnicity, or gender can learn to fly, or travel to just about anywhere on the planet given the desire.
Where do you think aviation is headed? Aviation is changing for the better, while at times it may not seem like it. When we recover from difficulties we become stronger and wiser. That is true for the gettingaircraftAsairports.flightsespeciallyspace,personalrespectinghygienearoundmindfulnessisthinkindustry.aviationItheremoreandonandinwell,are
It will be important to have another Seminole after PMH is through its life
ChepesiukMichael
The demand for a multi-IFR program is certainly here, we can look forward to PMH coming back online.
What are you passionate about? Surprise us! Aviation is my passion of course! Other than that I love outdoor activities, with sailing and tennis among my favourites. As well, I'm into watching films and I'm a bit of a history buff. Something that may surprise people? I won the Ontario Provincial History Fair when I was 12 for a film I made about George Washington and Benedict Arnold. Any other stories or anecdotes you'd like to share with us? Not an anecdote, but we should all respect birds and Birdswildlife!have been flying long before us, and gave humanity the inspiration to fly! They have just as much right to enjoy the freedom to fly as we do. Is there anything else you want to share with the readers and VFC? Look after your health! You will only be able to fly as long as you have a medical, so don't neglect regular cardio-vascular exercise, hitting the gym, and a proper, balanced diet! What's your favourite part about being in the VFC? Flying around one of the most beautiful parts of the country! Is there anything you think would improve the VFC? How can the Club better serve its membership?
Profile:Staff
Itcycle.would be cool to have a real aerobatic plane too, as I'm sure there could be demand for that as well! Thanks for helping us get to know you better, Mike!
#22-08 SD 61:
- 16:00) PPL #22-07: SEPTEMBER 11/2022 TO DECEMBER 11/2022 Sundays (09:00 - 16:00)
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12/2022 TO NOVEMBER 15/2022 Mondays & Tuesdays (09:00 - 15:30) COMMERCIAL PILOT LICENCE GROUND SCHOOL CPL #22-12C: APRIL 29/2022 TO AUGUST 28/2022 Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays (18:00 - 21:00) MOUNTAIN AWARENESS TRAINING COURSE MTA 22-05G: AUGUST 21/2022 Sunday (09:00 - 17:00) 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 by contacting: Neil Keating: (204) 291-9667 Brenda Miller: (250) 656-2833 SchoolGroundSchedule
JULY & AUGUST 202216 Carol and I had spent almost a year carrying out baboon research in the Okavango Swamp of northern Botswana for a university in the USA. As we were leaving I was given an application to consider for the post of government wildlife biologist. Back in California I read it over and found that although there was no paid flying work, there was a plane that could be used for fieldwork if one had a PPL. I had experience as an aerial observer in Africa, albeit with a weak stomach especially when in those days the pilot might be smoking, which combined with steep turns and avgas fumes made for an unpleasant hot cockpit environment. However, I decided to give it a go. I mailed off my application and enrolled in a Cessna Flight Training School. I soloed in June that year after thirteen hours dual instruction and luckily found that if I was flying myself, I did not get airsick. GA byFLYINGMATHATAGONAINBOTSWANADerekMelton,SustainingMember.
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research priority was the continuation of aerial wildlife surveys in the sparsely populated northern half of the country. My logbook shows that I arrived in Botswana with 48.2 hrs total piloting time accrued in a 110 HP Cessna 152 with a maximum take-off weight of 1670 lbs. The plane available for me to fly was a high performance 300 HP 6 seater Cessna 210, with retractable undercarriage, variable pitch propeller, and a maximum take-off weight of 3,800 lbs. A first visit was made to the airport (FBGR at the time; 3300 ft elevation), where to my relief I found a flight instructor. I explained my situation and we agreed to a series of dual instruction flights in the C210, A2 ABJ. The instructor was very competent and included loading the C210 to maximum gross weight using sand bags, so I could explore the plane’s flight characteristics fully loaded in hot weather. My logbook shows seven dual flights and two solo flights completed over two weeks, after which an aircraft rating / certificate of test was issued. During this time I made a point of visiting staff in the control tower to get to know people and procedures. This meant that at least one controller understood the practice I was undergoing and my general lack of experience. When conducting solo touch and goes, each time I was on short final he would add a helpful questioning phrase after
I soon received a letter from Botswana informing me that my application had been successful. The pressure was on. I passed the written test and in late August after solo cross country practice I passed the flight test. The next weekend Carol& I flew via London to Johannesburg and on to Gaborone with a fresh pilot’s PPL in my
wallet.Amain
MathataGonaGaBotswanainFlying
18 VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946JULY & AUGUST 2022
19 giving my landing clearance: wheels down and locked? The C210 had a Global Navigation System (GNS); this was well before GPS. The GNS was not common in small general aviation aircraft. It operated using a global system of very low frequency stations that gave long-range coverage. Using it one could fly in remote areas and usually know one’s location to within a kilometre or less. So now I would fly ABJ to Kasane(FBKE) near Chobe National Park in the north of Botswana, which would become my base for the next two years. Navigation was easy going north, as I would just follow the road straight for 900km and just over 3 hrs of flying. At the time FBKE was a 3000ft gravel strip, with bends of the Chobe River at either end. It was also next to the borders of South Africa (Caprivi, now Namibia), Zambia and Zimbabwe. Airspace over the north of Chobe National Park was restricted owing to tension between the DefenceBotswanaForce (BDF) and South African troops in the Caprivi Strip, with all flights needing approval.military Operating from a small gravel airstrip in the tropics at latitude 17 degrees south with no hangar or other buildings was a bit aof MathataGonaGaBotswanainFlying
challenge. I arranged to have barrels of avgas brought to the strip from Francistown (FBFT)450 km away using a 7 ton truck. I needed to learn about using a funnel, filter and earth wires for refueling, plus checking partially used opened drums for water contamination by using a wooden stick with an indicator chemical stuck on the end. Servicing was ably done by Kalahari Air Services in Gaborone.Apartfrom near the few larger airports, there was no ATC or weather briefing available and I was on a steep learning curve with weather. After encountering dry season dust devils up to 1000 ft AGL, I learned to try to avoid them, but if entered to concentrate on maintaining attitude and letting altitude go where it wanted, which was quickly up and then swiftly down. I became careful to well avoid wet season storms developing from towering cumulus in the afternoons and learnt to pass them to the left, to avoid headwinds from the clockwise spinning low pressure air of the southern hemisphere. I was very fortunate to have two keen game guards join me as research technicians, Matelepula Macheme and Obed Gwapela. During the early months Carol also assisted with aerial work, helping to train staff while I concentrated on the flying. My logbook shows about 400hrs of flying with ABJ. ABJ had been donated to the Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks by the Frankfurt Zoological Society and was sporting the society’s nifty gorilla logo on the tail. Pre-flight inspection included looking for any damage from wildlife rubbing the plane, plus checking pitot and static openings for the mud of wasp nests. These
MathataGonaGa BotswanainFlying
20 VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946JULY & AUGUST 2022
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21 habits were actually learned by observation years earlier when I flew with pilot Dr. Keith Eltringham for the Uganda Institute of Ecology. Most flying with ABJ was for multi-species aerial surveys which were conducted using a slow speed at 250’AGL which was maintained with the help of a radio altimeter.
ABJ also had a role in elephant studies in northern Botswana. Information on seasonal distribution and abundance would come from the multi-species aerial surveys. In addition I marked four elephants with radio collars, which I could then track from the air. The technicians at Kalahari Air Services were able to install a Yagi antenna in one wing tip of ABJ using an approved modification, plus cabling to a receiver in the cockpit.
Observers used markers on the windows to search an approximately 250m width of ground either side of the plane. The generally flat terrain of northern Botswana aided such flying, although smaller antelope were especially undercounted. The GNS allowed for flying east-west transects using a grid pattern with observers noting numbers and locations of animals seen. Results were fed into a national land-use planning system and also assisted in quota planning for various types of wildlife harvesting.
22 VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946JULY & AUGUST 2022
While various animals crossed the Kasane strip, one hazardous runway encounter with wildlife occurred in the cockpit during take-off. As usual I had a clipboard on my lap with checklists and a map. I advanced the throttle for the take-off run and within seconds felt an intense pain high on my thigh. I retarded the throttle and braked hard while simultaneously throwing the clipboard sideways and slapping my legs. That resulted in a second bout of pain in the same area and on my hand. I stopped and jumped out onto the strip shaking my shorts, which let loose a large scorpion. I had a bit of a shock reaction and so no more flying that day. Arrivals home after a survey trip followed a standard “bush pilot” pattern. I would retard the throttle and start a quiet glide towards my house at the entrance to Chobe National Park, where I would level off 500’ overhead and apply full throttle to announce I was back and in need of pickup from the strip. On one occasion I had seen nothing on the runways I joined overhead and started to circle for an easterly landing when I noticed a SADF helicopter gunship ahead of me hovering 500’over the river at the east end of the airstrip which marked the border with Caprivi. I did not know what frequency they might be on, but called on the Botswana common frequency noting I had them in sight and stating my intentions. No reply. OK, I completed my circuit and was on short final to the east when I saw the impala herd mid-strip. Full throttle go around, low at first to scatter the animals, then flaps up to 10, wheels up, speed increasing, start climbing and there right ahead of me the gun-metal grey helicopter. I banked left ahead of it and to remain within Botswana airspace.
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Uhh, SADF helicopter at Kasane, this is A2 ABJ again, I am not playing silly buggers there were impala on the strip, going around again. The helicopter remained impassive and silent. ABJ generally behaved well for me in spite of the harsh conditions and lack of a hangar, no doubt helped
by good regular maintenance from Noel Fitzgerald and his team at Kalahari Air Services. The few in-flight problems I had could be handled efficiently using emergency procedures, which I found good to have memorized as well as on a checklist. These included smoldering wiring, loss of one magneto, and radio failure while in controlled airspace in South Africa. Avionics issues were the most frequent and time-consuming to fix, including with the GNS which had componentscomplexintherear of the plane. It was a experiencegreatfor Carol and me to live and work in northern Botswana. Having a house in a National Park with wildlife at the bottom of the garden was special. Being able to fly for fieldwork was the cherry on the fruitcake and having so much varied flying soon after obtaining a PPL provided valuable experience. I obviously learned a lot about flying while in Botswana and was helped greatly by various pilots, aircraft mechanics and ATC staff who readily shared their knowledge of local conditions. One broad lesson was exemplified by a Maunbased bush pilot who flew a Cherokee six. Even when coming into or leaving Gaborone’s long tarred runway, I would see him regularly use short or soft field technique to good effect. The lesson was that as pilots we always need to practice... and there is always something new to learn.
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Derek Melton has flown in Botswana, South Africa, the USA and France, in addition to Canada. He wrote about Flying in France in the January - February 2022 edition of the Patrician. Ga Gona Mathata means “no problem!” in Setswana.
MathataGonaGa
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