The Patrician NOV-DEC 2023
The Victoria Flying Club ~ Aviation Excellence Since 1946
F LY I N G AC R O S S C A N A DA (AND BACK!)
THE ADVENTURES OF JANINE CROSS AND DAVID BLACK
ALSO INSIDE:
AIRCRAFT CLEANING TIPS from Plane Perfect Detailing TRACKING SANTA: The Story of Santa Claus and NORAD AND MORE!
The Patrician
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.
“To “T o 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)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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News around the Club
PRESIDENT Don Devenney
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Ground School Schedule
VICE PRESIDENT Colin Williamson
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2024 Member Rate Adjustment
SECRETARY Glen Rippon TREASURER Cal Mjolsnes DIRECTORS Angie Johnson Mike Vossen Graham Palmer Laurie Ingalls
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First Solos
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Member Achievements
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New Members
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Making Cleaning Easier: Three Important Tips from
GENERAL Mike Schlievert MANAGER
CONTACT 1852 Canso Road Sidney, BC V8L 5V5
www.flyvfc.com P: 250-656-2833 info@flyvfc.com F: 250-655-0910
Nick of Plane Perfect Detailing 14
Tracking Santa: The Story of Santa Claus and NORAD
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Lady-Pilot Flies Across Canada (and back!)
Editor: Kelly J Clark vfcpatrician@gmail.com
By Janine Cross and David Black 24
Thanks for the Share!
T HE PATRIC IAN ACC EP T S UNSOLI CI TED SUBMISSIO NS . 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 vfcpatrician@gmail.com http://flyvfc.com/subscribe-to-the-patrician
PHOTO CREDITS Cover photo by Janine Cross and David Black.
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NOV & DEC 2023
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!
VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946
NEWS
Around the Club WRITE FOR US
The Victoria Flying Club wishes you the merriest Christmas and happiest holidays as we close out 2023. This has been an incredible year full of both highs and lows, and we're incredibly thankful for our membership.
Have a story to share? Patrician is always accepting stories for upcoming issues! We're interested in all kinds of stories about our members, aviation, or any combination therein. Not much of a writer? We can help!
So enjoy yourself this holiday season, fly safe, and we'll see you in 2024!
LOVE IS IN THE AIR Hello aviators! The Patrician is looking for stories of love and romance for our upcoming Valentine's issue! Do you have a heartwarming story of a midair proposal? A dashing war story with displaced lovers? Or maybe just a cute anecdote of flying to see your sweetie? Let us know and we'd be happy to share your story of love with the rest of the club. Reach out to vfcpatrician@gmail.com today!
THE VFC IS HIRING Are you or someone you know looking to break into the world of aviation? The VFC is still looking for a qualified individual to join our ranks as Flight School Line Crew! This critical role ensures that aircraft are fueled, cleaned, and ready for takeoff, as well as other important duties. Do you know someone looking to get their start in aviation? Send them the full details of the job, found here:
News and Events
HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE VFC
Reach out to vfcpatrician@gmail.com today!
"A superior pilot uses his superior judgement to avoid situations which require the use of his superior skill." —Frank Borman, pilot, astronaut, and commander of the Gemini 7 and Apollo 8 space missions
EVENTS & HOLIDAYS DEC 25 CHRISTMAS DAY DEC 26 BOXING DAY DEC 31 NEW YEAR'S EVE JAN 1 NEW YEAR'S DAY JAN 6 SOCIAL SATURDAY AT THE VFC FEB 14 VALENTINE'S DAY FEB 19 FAMILY DAY FEB 29 LEAP DAY
Know of an aviation-related event that's not listed? Let us know at vfcpatrician@gmail.com!
https://flyvfc.com/jobs 3
News and News and Events Events
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
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NOV & DEC 2023
VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946
GROUND SCHOOL SCHEDULE PPL #23-13: DEC 03/2023 TO FEB 18/2024
Sundays (09:00 - 16:00) (excluding December 24 & 31)
PPL #24-01: BEGINS FEB 25/2024 Sundays (09:00 - 16:00)
COMMERCIAL PILOT LICENCE GROUND SCHOOL CPL #23-XX: AS REQUESTED
Ground School Schedule
PRIVATE PILOT LICENCE GROUND SCHOOL
Saturdays (09:00 - 16:00)
MOUNTAIN AWARENESS TRAINING GROUND SCHOOL MTA #23-XX DATES AS REQUIRED OR REQUESTED.
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
VFC MENTOR PROGRAM
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 2023 only!
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!
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2024 Membership Rate Adjustment
2024 Member Rate Adjustment
Dear Members, The Victoria Flying Club is committed to providing our membership with exceptional aviation experiences, both educational and recreational, and in maintaining the highest standards of safety, training, and service. In line with our dedication to continuous improvement, we wish to inform our membership about upcoming adjustments to our rates. After careful consideration and a thorough evaluation of our operational costs, it has become necessary to make slight adjustments to our membership rates. These changes are essential to ensure that the VFC can continue to offer the outstanding flight training, aircraft maintenance, and member services that our community has come to expect. The decision to revise our rates was not made lightly and we have strived to make these increases as minimal as possible while still keeping up with the rising cost doing business. While we would love to keep our costs as low as possible, there are certain things we cannot sacrifice while providing the excellence in aviation that our membership both requires and deserves. These changes will support the sustainability and growth of the VFC, help our staff maintain market wages along with the rising costof-living, maintain our fleet of aircraft to the highest standards, and enhance overall member experiences. Effective January 2024, the following new rates will be implemented with detailed information on the revised fee structure available on our website. We’re committed to transparency, and our team is available to address any inquiries or concerns you may have during this transition period. The Victoria Flying Club remains dedicated to serving our community of passionate pilots and providing exceptional training and aviation opportunities. We appreciate the ongoing support of our members and are confident that these adjustments will contribute to the long-term success of our club. Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to continuing to serve you with the highest level of professionalism and excellence. For further information, please contact: Mike Schlievert General Manager of the Victoria Flying Club gm@flyvfc.com
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VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946
FIRST SOLOS "Without disruption of air traffic, these fearless, forthright, indomitable and courageous individuals did venture into the wild blue yonder in flying machines.
THIS ISSUE WE CELEBRATE THE FIRST SOLOS OF THESE PILOTS: Cameron Anderson
Nathan Limpus
Jordan Edwards
Paras Jindal
Melih Gencer
Dominic Neilson
Emily Wilkes
Kevin Transchel
First Solos
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."
Jordan Edwards Instructor Darren Rich
WANT YOUR FIRST SOLO PICTURE IN THE PATRICIAN? SEND IT TO VFCPATRICIAN@GMAIL.COM OR TAG US ON INSTAGRAM! 7
MEMBER ACHIEVEMENTS CPL FLIGHT TEST
PPL WRITTEN TEST
PPL FLIGHT TEST
MULTI ENGINE TEST
Member Achievements
Ryan Lalonde
Brayden Kells Lily Russell
Sydney Trepanier
GROUP 1 IFR Tanner Davis
Robin Stubbs Gavin Vales
Congratulations to the Victoria Flying Club's own Dane Campbell, who's now living the dream as one of WestJet's newest pilots! Check out this shot of his first day flying the 737— looking good, Dane! 8
NOV & DEC 2023
VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946
NEW MEMBERS Dawson Murphy Jesse Donahue Kung Ching (Paul) Ip Ian Middleton Samantha Sais Sarabia Matthew Salmon Ethan Marquez Sahibjot Singh Marwan Abujafer Fred Doucette Saoirse Rizo Alvarez
Ryland Marshall Isaac McConachie Christopher Meglic Ryan Masingale Ryan Sutton Elijah Friesen Leah Mesay John St Cyr Julian Stacey Dylan Ferguson
New Members
Benjamin DiLalla Rohun Purewal Manuel Monteiro Gael Cruz-Martinez Ryan Jackson Clayton Isbister Darryl Aason Cole Morris Kaiya Henderson Alejandro Gonzalez Perez Sui Shing (Ronnie) Chung
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MAKING CLEANING EASIER
Three Cleaning Tips from Nick of Plane Perfect Detaili
In my last article I wrote for the March & April 2023 edition, I spoke to the benefits of having a clean, and detailed aircraft. Namely the benefits included 1) Safety, 2) Ease of Maintenance, 3) Resale value, and 4) overall experience. That’s all well and good, but how can you make cleaning your airplane easier, with the least amount of aesthetic damage? Luckily, in this article (and future ones), I’ll outline my top tips to help improve your cleaning.
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NOV & DEC 2023
VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946
Making Cleaning Easier
ing TIP #1: CLEAN REGULARLY
TIP #2 MANAGE YOUR RAGS
Put simply, cleaning your aircraft on a regular basis (say, once every 3 flights) is going to make your life so much easier, because much less elbow grease is going to be required to remove pesky contaminants such as bugs, or oil on the belly that have had time to set. In addition, you are going to use less cleaning solutions too, such as degreaser, or bug remover making the process cheaper.
As you ease yourself into a regular cleaning schedule, you will quickly find the frustrations with rags, namely how many you use, how expensive they are. Here are a few tips to make your rags last, and cleaning easier:
Cleaning on a regular basis will also help you become more in tune with your aircraft, and in many cases you will find unnoticed damage or corrosion that was covered and hidden in layers of oil. Your life can be made even easier by applying a sealant, such as a ceramic coating, but more on this in another article!
1. Use Microfiber Towels Only! They are soft, and won’t scratch. They will also clean and absorb more efficiently rather than wiping the contaminants across the surface. There are different styles of microfibres that I won’t go into for this article, but feel free to reach out and I can get you set up!
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2. Fold Them Using This Technique The technique commonly used in the detailing world is to fold them in half once, and then once again. This leaves you with 8 squares of surface that you can switch to when one section gets full of contamination, ensuring you always have a clean section of towel to work with!
3. If It Hits the Floor — It’s Done We’ve all done it at one point - the clean, hardly used rag hits the ground and you give it a quick slap against the knee to knock the dirt off. Unfortunately, that’s not good enough. The rag has picked up particulates that will scratch your paint. It needs to be either tossed away, or thrown in the wash.
4. Wash Your Microfibres The great part about buying high quality microfibre towels is that they can be washed and reused (to a certain degree). What’s really important is that you don’t wash all the
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VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946
Making Cleaning Easier
microfibres together - for example if they want to stay away from those for fears of are used for oil / belly cleaning, wash them corrosion. completely separately to those that are just If you’d like a list of products that I use on a handling bugs! daily basis to clean your airplane, reach out There is a fantastic cleaning product to me at planeperfectdetailing@gmail.com called “Rags to Riches” that I use. or visit my website: https://www.planeperfectdetailing.ca/
TIP #3: USE THE RIGHT PRODUCTS
The right cleaning products are going to make a night in day difference in your aircraft cleaning experience. However, it is so easy to walk into Canadian Tire, or log onto amazon and get bombarded with detailing products that could work for you. There’s no easy way to do it except to do your research, and try it out. One thing to note is that certain products are not aviation certified or safe; you may
Final Thoughts I hope that these three quick tips will save you a bit of frustration, time, and money next time you clean your aircraft. Of course, the easiest way to make your airplane look the best it has since factory, is hiring a professional. That’s why I started Plane Perfect Detailing - to help owners like you. For more detailing tips, check out our Instagram page @planeperfectdetailing.
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TRACKING SANTA The Sto ry of Sa nt a Cla u s and N O R A D
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VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946
But do you know what's harder than that? Being a kid who has to wait until morning. Luckily, kids around the world can rest easier knowing that Santa is making good time thanks to the efforts of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Using cutting-edge technology, NORAD makes sure that Santa's sleigh remains on track and that his whereabouts are known to the entire world. It's a holiday tradition that's served the kids of the world since for generations, but how did it begin? Let us tell you!
The History of Santa Tracking The first instance of Santa being tracked can be tracked back to 1948, when the United States Air Force announced that "one unidentified sleigh, powered by eight reindeer, at 14,000 feet, heading 180 degrees" had been detected by early-warning radar networks in the north. This was the first time that the USAF tracked Santa, and it remained a one-off event.
NORAD enters the picture in 1955, technically even before it was founded, through rather amusing circumstances. A Sears department store in Colorado Springs, Colorado, ran an advertisement in their local paper that invited children to call Santa directly. However, due to a misprint in the telephone number provided in the ad, the call was not routed to the store's on-hand Santa, but instead the Colorado Springs' Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD), Center NORAD's predecessor.
Tracking Santa
Santa Claus has a tough gig: in just one night, he has to single-handedly deliver toys and cheer to more than 2 billion children across the entire world. I think we can all agree that his sleigh must be packing a lot of horse—or rather reindeer—power to get the job done. It's a tough job, but he's just the man for it!
Lucky for the kids of Colorado Springs, Colonel Harry Shoup, the director of operations at CONAD, was on shift that night. In some versions of the story, it was Colonel Shoup himself who answered that first call and, recognizing the confusion and not wanting to disappoint the children, he instructed his staff to provide updates on Santa's location using the military radar system. Colonel Shoup had not intended to repeat the event the following year, but when he was told that both the Associated Press and United Press International were expecting reports on Santa's location, he knew what had to be done. And just like that, due to a simple mistake and a little Christmas magic, a heartwarming tradition was born.
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Evolution of Santa Tracking Technology Over the years, as technology advanced, so did NORAD's methods of tracking Santa. What began as a simple phone line transformed into a high-tech operation that combines radar, satellites, and even fighter jets. Today, NORAD uses its stateof-the-art systems to pinpoint Santa's location with remarkable precision, ensuring that children everywhere can follow his journey in real-time.
The NORAD Tracks Santa Program: NORAD's commitment to spreading holiday cheer led to the official establishment of the NORAD Tracks Santa program. Since 1958, when NORAD was officially formed, the organization has continued the tradition of tracking Santa's sleigh every
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NOV & DEC 2023
Christmas Eve. The program has become a global phenomenon, with millions of people eagerly awaiting updates on Santa's progress through various media channels. NORAD Tracks Santa is not just about monitoring Santa's route; it's also an educational initiative. The program provides insights into geography, weather patterns, and even offers glimpses into the various cultures and traditions celebrated around the world during the holiday season. In doing so, NORAD fosters a sense of global unity and understanding among the diverse communities that participate in the festivities.
How NORAD Tracks Santa Works: The process of tracking Santa involves a combination of advanced technology, skilled personnel, and
a touch of holiday magic. NORAD's sophisticated radar systems, satellites, and high-tech equipment are deployed to monitor Santa's journey. The organization collaborates with various partners, including telecommunications companies and volunteers, to ensure that real-time updates are available to the public. Volunteers play a crucial role in the success of the NORAD Tracks Santa program. Each year, individuals from around the world join forces at NORAD's headquarters to answer phone calls and emails from children curious about Santa's whereabouts. The volunteers, often military personnel and their families, add a personal touch to the experience by sharing stories and spreading holiday joy.
VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946
Global Impact and Community Engagement
The NORAD Tracks Santa website and app provide an interactive experience, allowing users to explore Santa's Village, play games, and learn more about the various locations he visits. This engagement not only entertains but also educates, making the program a valuable resource for families during the holiday season.
As technology continues to evolve, NORAD Tracks Santa has adapted to keep up with the times. Social media platforms, streaming services, and mobile apps have become integral parts of the program, ensuring that people of all ages can access Santa's journey from various devices. This adaptability reflects NORAD's commitment to staying relevant and accessible in an ever-changing digital landscape.
In Conclusion The magical partnership between Santa Claus and NORAD is a testament to the power of tradition and innovation coming together. What began as a serendipitous event in 1955 has blossomed into a global phenomenon that
captures the hearts and imaginations of millions each year. NORAD's commitment to spreading joy, fostering global unity, and embracing technological advancements has solidified its place as a key player in the holiday narrative.
Tracking Santa
The impact of NORAD Tracks Santa extends beyond just tracking a mythical figure's journey. It has become a unifying force that transcends borders, bringing people together in the spirit of joy and goodwill. Families and communities worldwide gather around screens, eagerly awaiting updates and sharing the excitement of Santa's progress.
Adaptation to Changing Times
As we eagerly await the next Christmas Eve, the NORAD Tracks Santa program continues to remind us of the enduring magic of the holiday season and the joy that comes from sharing in the wonder of Santa's journey with the world. In the spirit of collaboration, tradition, and innovation, Santa and NORAD inspire us to believe in the extraordinary and to celebrate the magic that unites us all during this special time of year.
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LADY-PILOT ACROSS CA
In June of 2023, Janine Cross and her husband David Black flew a Cessna 172, Day-VFR, across the continent and back again. Janine was the lead-pilot for the trek, which took them from Pitt Meadows to Prince Edward Island and back again. The couple chronicled the entire adventure in a 20-part streaming video series that is open to the public and completely ad and sponsorship-free. It's a great insight into what it's like to fly big cross-country trips in a GA airplane. Watch it now available right now at: ht t p s : // fl ys ea 2 s ea.ca In the meanwhile, look at some amazing shots of their trip!
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VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946
T FLIES ANADA
(and back)
Fueling up at Minot North Dakota - at an All-Female FBO 19
Canada's Largest Canada Goose - Wawa, Ontario
First view of the Shores of Prince Edward Island 20
NOV & DEC 2023
VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946
Janine on North Island Beach - PEI
At Riveire Du-Loup in Quebec 21
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VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946
To Rocky Mountains - Eastbound 23
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