The Patrician, January & February 2024

JAN-FEB 2024

The Patrician

The Victoria Flying Club ~ Aviation Excellence Since 1946

FORCED LANDINGS

TIPS FROM THE PROFESSIONAL PILOT

A LSO INSIDE:

THE VFC'S COMMERCIAL AIR SERVICE

EXPANDING ENVELOPE

EXERCISES AT THE VFC

THE LOVE STORY BEHIND THE AVRO ARROW AND MORE!

The Patrician

PRESIDENT Don

VICE

SECRETARY Glen Rippon

TREASURER Cal Mjolsnes

DIRECTORS Angie Johnson

Mike Vossen

Graham Palmer

Laurie Ingalls

GENERAL

Mike Schlievert

1852

P:

Editor:

NEWS Around the Club

WELCOME TO 2024!

It's wild to think we're already in 2024 and, by the time this issue comes out, Spring is right around the corner! We hope that this year has brought you safe skies, great company, and, for all of our students, renewed energy to pursue your aviation career path!

SOCIAL SATURDAYS

If you haven't been attending our Social Saturdays, you're missing out. Barring holiday weekends, the first Saturday of every month is the place for club fun and aviation-based socializing at the VFC! The event usually begins at 9 AM and always offers free coffee, free donuts, and something interesting or valuable to attendees. We've had guest lectures, contests, and more! So be sure to come by for next Social Saturday and bring any other future aviators or aviation fans in your family along with you. Let's put the "club" back in the Victoria Flying Club!

WRITE FOR US

We need you. Look, I know you have a story to share, and this is the perfect place for it! That's why the 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!

Reach out to vfcpatrician@gmail.com today!

EVENTS & HOLIDAYS

FEB 29 LEAP DAY

MAR 2 SOCIAL SATURDAY AT THE VFC

MAR 29 GOOD FRIDAY

APR 1 EASTER MONDAY

MAY 20 VICTORIA DAY

MAY 27 BRITISH COLUMBIA AVIATION

COUNCIL ANNUAL CONFERENCE

JULY 1 CANADA DAY

AUG 5 BC DAY

AUG 9 ABBOTSFORD AIRSHOW

Know of an aviation-related event that's not listed? Let us know at vfcpatrician@gmail.com!

“Sometimes, flying feels too God-like to be attained by man. Sometimes, the world from above seems too beautiful, too wonderful, too distant for human eyes to see.”

—Charles A. Lindberg

GROUND SCHOOL SCHEDULE

PRIVATE PILOT LICENCE GROUND SCHOOL

PPL #24-03: MAR 03/2024 TO MAY 05/2024

Sundays (09:00 - 16:00)

COMMERCIAL PILOT LICENCE GROUND SCHOOL

CPL #24-XX: AS REQUESTED

Saturdays (09:00 - 16:00) with Instructor Ken Kosvik

MOUNTAIN AWARENESS TRAINING GROUND SCHOOL

MTA #24-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

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 2024 only!

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. 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!

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."

Cayden Brune

Nick Robertson

Gene Fedderly

Carter Cochrane

Jose Pablo Sandez

Felix Schnur

First Solo: Gene Fedderly Instructor Darren Rich

MEMBER ACHIEVEMENTS

CPL FLIGHT TEST

Ryan Lalonde

Melissa Lacharity

CPL WRITTEN TEST

Tristan Bacon

Reece Liuzzo

PPL FLIGHT TEST

Sydney Trepanier

Courtney Riach

Wraithe HarrisonHagman

Ethan Kerr Beens

John Buffey

Caroline Soles

Alexander Dillon

Fred Doucette

Ryland Marshall

Ryan Masingale

Isaac McConachie

Christopher Meglic

Saoirse Rizo Alvarez

Sahibjot Singh

Thomas Smyth

Yifan Bu

Marco Joly

Tobyn Burton

Grant Gladych

Kc Fedun

Tyler Commandeur

PPL WRITTEN TEST

Emily Whitelaw

Juan Pablo Cobo

Gentoku Takahashi

Sydney Trepanier

NEW MEMBERS

Joanne Cowan

Benjamin Ham

Chuta Tokumura

Robert Hooper

Krishna Sumesh

Davis Erickson

Laine Armstrong

Katelynn McCall

Andre Therrien

Rob Sabyan

Benjamin Cole

Roger Zala

Vishal Saini

Luke Dolven

Nicolas Prieto

Nathan Hoff

Kevin Transchel

Ilya Pavlovic

MULTI ENGINE TEST

Keiichiro Komiya

GROUP 1 IFR

Tanner Davis

Robert Innes

Hayden Lafrance

Xenon Calwell

Joshua Cull

Harmanjot Malhi

Jakob Fallis

Claire Evans

Evan McKinnon

Anthony Boston

Liam Pritchard Lange

Riyanshi Deshwal

Amritpal Singh

Bill Shao

Liam Ross

Victoria Flying Club COMMERCIAL

The Victoria Flying Club operates a charter service under Canadian Aviation Regulations Part VII commercial air service. This charter operations consists of two parts –CARS Part VII, Subpart 2 (702) and CARS Part VII, Subpart 3 (703).

Our charter service is operated in accordance with the rules laid out by Transport Canada (TC) and the business requirements overseen by the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA).

Our commercially-

licensed charter pilots are required to complete annual ground school training and annual training and pilot competency checks in our aircraft. Training includes areas such as: recognition of dangerous goods (which we do not carry), aircraft surface contamination (no flying with ice on the aircraft), crew resource management, fatigue management (no flying more than 8 hobbs hours in a day) and how to operate our GPS equipment. Training records are kept for all pilot training

and manifests (weight and balance, fuel requirements, airtime and hobbs time) for every flight are maintained for Transport Canada review. Requirements for training and record keeping are outlined in the charter Company Operations Manual (COM).

702 is also known as Aerial Work and includes air photography flights and forest fire management flights. Forest fire management flights are being operated under a contract with the Capital Regional District. These

Club Part VII: AIR SERVICE

flights are known at the club and also in the control tower as ‘fire patrols’ and they fly around the Sooke Reservoir and associated watershed. In 2023, there were 200 fire patrols flown by VFC charter pilots and spotters. And if you like bumpy flying, try flying around the Sooke Reservoir at 3pm on a July day. The combination of thermals and mechanical turbulence make the flight quite an adventure.

VFC also operated a number of fire patrols for a forestry management company, MOSAIC.

by Ted Krasowski

These flights required our pilot to pick up a spotter from MOSAIC in Nanaimo and continue the flight from there – up to the Nanaimo Lakes area then to the western end of Lake Cowichan and then southbound along the south side of Lake Cowichan. Lots of orbits and checking out a number of logging sites and then back to Nanaimo to drop off the spotter and then back home to VFC. Very likely these flights could last up to 3 hours (better use the washroom before you leave – or bring along an empty bottle).

703 flights consist of sightseeing flights and destination charters. In 2023, a total of 176 hours were flown in this category. These flights included daily flights to Port Alberni for LifeLabs when Highway 4 was closed due to the rockslide problem. Other destinations included Boundary Bay, Sechelt, Port McNeil, Port hardy, Abbottsford, Tofino, Squamish, Powell River, Nanaimo and even Vancouver International. In past years, these flights have ventured as far as Revelstoke and Kelowna.

703 charters are a cost and time efficient manner of travel. Consider – we can have people to Tofino in under an hour and a half. How long does it take to drive there?

Combine this convenience with the what passengers can see on the flights –

the coastal mountains, the Olympic Peninsula, Mt. Baker up close. Many times on these flights the charter pilots are surprised at how quiet passengers are. The reason is they are usually just gobsmacked at the beauty all around them. And, just like their

pilot, the moment they land the first thing they want to do is go right back up and do it all over again.

Sightseeing flights consist mostly of City Tours and Gulf Island Tours (check out our website for info on these flights) but this year there were a

couple longer sightseeing flights up the west coast of the island to Nitnat Lake. We also offer a Lighthouse Tour, flying over the many lighthouses in the Victoria area with the pilot passing on interesting historical information.

Check out the VFC website (www.flyvfc. com) and click on the Sightseeing & Charters tab to see what a sightseeing flight looks like.

Work on expansion of our charter services is currently underway. Plans and paperwork have been submitted to allow our charters to go into airports in Washington State –e.g. Friday Harbour, Port Angeles, Bellingham, Boeing Field.

Changes have also been completed to our COM with details about flying into Washington S tate and describing the training our pilots receive to competently operate these flights. Changes were also required to our Air Operator Certificate (AOC) and these changes required approval from Transport Canada, which has been received. The Canadian Transportation Agency requires that we maintain a tariff manual

outlining the fares we charge for flights in Canada. A separate tariff is also required for international flights. Approval is also needed from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration, with required paperwork submitted about our CTA license, description of aircraft to be flown and proof of insurance.

As with flights in Canada, aircraft paperwork such as certificate of registration and airworthiness (and other documents) are required for flights into the United States. Adherence to requirements of the U.S. Electronic Advance Passenger Information System (eAPIS) and the Canadian CANPASS system is also required when we fly to and from the U.S.

by David Gagliardi

by David Gagliardi

“‘Professionalism’ is commonly understood as an individual’s adherence to a set of standards, code of conduct or collection of qualities that characterize accepted practice within a particular area of activity.” -Universities UK et

al. 2004

THE PROFESSIONAL PILOT FORCED LANDINGS

Professional pilots embody the attributes in the definition above. Being a professional pilot has nothing to do with what license you hold it is ultimately about the attitude with which you approach flying. This article is the sixth in a series that will examine aspects of piloting light aircraft to a professional standard.

Today’s topic is engine failures and forced landings. Every Private Pilot student is familiar with the Forced Landing Exercise. The airplane is out in the practice

area and the instructor reaches over and pulls the throttle to idle and tells you the engine just failed. You then frantically look around for a field to land in, quickly mumble the engine failure checks and concentrate on flying a gliding approach that will hopefully set you up for a landing on the field. The first few times you probably missed the field by a country mile but with a bit of practice you get better at flying an approach that would actually result in a survivable forced landing. However, this type engine failure scenario

should be the least likely to actually occur in the real world. This is because the professional pilot will have done a full walk around inspection including draining the fuel sumps and checking the fuel and oil levels, performed all the runup checks, verified the correct static RPM at the beginning of the takeoff roll, and while in cruise flight monitored engine gauge indications for normal indications. So, the chance they will experience a sudden and complete engine failure with no warning is very low.

The unfortunate reality is that the accident statistics shows that at least 60 % of the engine failures are a direct result of the actions or inactions of the pilot. Carb ice and fuel exhaustion/ mismanagement figure most frequently in the cause of the failure and both of course are entirely preventable by the pilot. Sadly, all but one of the actual engine failure accidents I personally know of were in my opinion, preventable. The most egregious had the airplane end up in

a ditch just outside the airport fence. Nobody was hurt but the aircraft sustained enough damage that it was scrapped. About a quart of water was drained from the selected fuel tank after the accident.

There was another forced landing report I read about in a flying magazine. The aircraft lost all power and the pilot executed a difficult but successful forced landing into a very small field, the only available flat-ish area within gliding range. The airplane was totalled

but nobody was hurt. The pilot attributed his success to surviving the engine failure on the fact that he regularly practiced forced landings. The cause of the accident, carb ice. It would seem to me that if this pilot spent more effort on developing an effective instrument scan and regularly checked for carb ice on a day that was particularly conducive to carb icing, he would not have had to use all that forced landing practice for real, and there would be one more GA airplane still flying

The last “engine failure” I personally have experienced did not start out as an engine failure. The first hint that my day was about to be ruined was the RPM starting hunting 100 revs up and done. All of the appropriate troubleshooting was inconclusive. The situation progressed to intermittent burps where it momentarily lost power to a total loss of power just out of gliding range of the runway. Fortunately for me I was

able to restore engine power in a few seconds and made an uneventful landing with the engine stopping again when I pulled the power off in the flare.

Despite over 40 years of flying experience, I found the situation very difficult to deal with because it wasn’t obvious what was wrong and if I could get home if/when the engine failed. In the end all I could do was assume the engine could fail at any time and arrange a flight

path that gave me a landable option. The incident records show that for every total engine failure there are at least two incidences where a significant but not total power loss occurred, yet this scenario is seldom covered in training or I would suggest, given a lot of thought by licensed pilots.

The problem is the traditional one for flight safety. You ace the forced landing and you are a hero. However, if you do

all the boring unsexy stuff like good walk arounds, make the effort to learn your airplane systems so you know what to look for during the run-up and in flight, don’t “live with” aircraft defects, and have good checklist discipline; then your chance of having an engine failure is greatly reduced. But you don’t get any credit for something that didn’t happen.

I think the first step to breaking the engine failures caused by the pilot problem, is to be honest about the

fact that humans are imperfect and will make mistakes. This starts with owning the problem. Hope is not a plan and so hoping that you have enough fuel or hoping that the abnormal engine indication is going to resolve itself is setting yourself up for failure. Personally, I like the DODAR model for organizing a response to a problem. It stands for Diagnose (the problem) Options (think about the options you have) Decide (proactively pick an option) Act (

don’t dither take action) Review (evaluate the effectiveness of your actions)

Ideally, proactively using the DODAR model will stop the error chain before the engine fails. Yes engines do fail, however the DODAR model is just as effective after the engine failure. What I see often missed in actual engine failures is the Diagnose part. So, if the engine fails after pointing the airplane at a suitable landing area, it is vital that if time permits, a full and effective cause

check is completed. This will catch any pilot error inducted engine failures and often restore power. The DODAR model is also very useful in the case of a partial failure. In that case the options analysis is critical as the pilot must quickly decide what is possible. If it is a partial failure with enough power to maintain level flight,the options available will be different than the case of one with power but

not enough to maintain level flight.

Engine mechanical failures almost always give some warning, so I think it is very important to get a feel for where the engine gauges normally sit. Significant changes from normal should result in action by the pilot. However, that only works if pilots develop the habit of regularly scanning the instruments.

Finally,if the engine fails and power can’t be quickly and positively restored, the insurance company just bought the airplane. The only consideration is the safety of the occupants. If the airplane can be saved that’s nice but should never be a consideration, your job as the pilot is to fly the airplane to survivable landing areas and arrive with the airplane fully under your control.

CUPID'S AVRO

The Love Story Behind the Avro Arrow

In the annals of aviation history, the Avro Arrow stands as a symbol of Canadian innovation and ingenuity. Yet, amidst the ground-breaking technological advancements and the intense secrecy surrounding the project, a lesser-known tale of romance emerged: one that inject a touch of humanity into the high-stakes world of aerospace engineering. This is the story of the Avro Arrow love letter — a clandestine declaration of love that defied the constraints of a strictly regimented workplace environment.

The Avro Arrow project began in the late 1950s and aimed to develop a cutting-edge supersonic interceptor aircraft. If successful, this feat would propel Canada to the forefront of global aerospace technology. This was, of course, a top priority for Canada, and Avro Canada's facilities in Malton, Ontario went into overdrive to make it a reality. However, unbeknownst to the project leaders, the Avro wasn't the only thing being built: behind the scenes, a romance quietly began to blossom amidst the engineers and technicians who worked working tirelessly on the project.

Among these engineers was James, a talented young man with a passion for aviation and a keen eye for detail. For a long time, James had harbored romantic feelings for his colleague, Sarah, who worked in a different department within the Avro Arrow program. However, these feelings

were stifled by the rigid workplace structure and Avro's strict regulations that governed interactions between employees. If James wanted to make his move and openly confess his feelings, he had his work cut out for him.

But like any romantic hero, he was undeterred by the constraints of protocol. James devised a daring plan to convey his feelings to Sarah — a plan that would blend his love for her with his expertise in aerospace engineering! In a stroke of genius, he decided to craft a love letter disguised as technical notes related to the Avro Arrow project. This way, he could ensure that it would pass through the hands of their mutual supervisors unnoticed.

With meticulous attention to detail befitting his engineering background, James drafted the letter and wove his feelings into the fabric of technical jargon and engineering terminology. On those papers, he poured out his heart to Sarah, expressing his admiration for her intelligence, grace, and beauty — all amidst the complex equations and diagrams that filled the pages!

Imagine Sarah's surprise when she received the letter, disguised as routine project documentation. Obviously, her immediate reaction to its contents were puzzlement. But as she delved deeper into the intricacies of the technical notes, she began to unravel the confessions hidden within

the message. With each line of text, Sarah's heart skipped a beat, her cheeks flushing with a mixture of surprise and delight.

Lucky for James, Sarah found that her own feelings mirrors his carefully crafted words and discovered that they shared a connection that transcended the boundaries of their professional roles. She was touched by the

sincerity and creativity of his gesture and realized the depth of his affection for her.

This clandestine romance continued in the shadow of Canada's most ambitious aerospace endeavor, a love story that intertwined with ground-breaking advancements and the relentless pursuit of excellence that defined the Avro Arrow program.

In the quiet moments between meetings and calculations, James and Sarah found solace in each other's company, and their bond was strengthened by their shared passion for aviation and dreams for the future.

Yet, love is never without its challenges and James and Sarah's was no exception. The pressures of the Avro Arrow project

weighed heavily on their shoulders as deadlines loomed and expectations ran high. And even worse: there was always the constant threat of cancelation that stalked the Avro Arrow program like a lurking specter. Such a cancelation would not only kill the Avro program, but also scatter its engineers to the winds and onto other projects. The fate of the Avro Arrow

program and James and Sarah's relationship were intertwined.

As the future of the Avro Arrow hung in the balance, James and Sarah clung to each other admist the chaos and uncertainty. Their love became a source of strength—a beacon of hope that illuminated the project's darkest days.

The Avro Arrow love letter remains a

poignant reminder of the human dimension of the aerospace industry — a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Though the Avro Arrow project may have faded into history, the love story it inspired endures — a testament to the power of love to help us take flight even amidst the darkest skies.

EXPANDED ENVELOPE

AT THE VICTORIA FLYING

by David Gagliardi

In the commercial aviation sector Upset Recognition and Recovery Training (UPRT) is the answer to the recognition that airline and corporate pilots were often not well prepared for safely flying the aircraft out of abnormal and extreme pitch and bank attitudes. Several high-profile airline accidents have spurred the development of mandatory programs to prepare pilots to deal with aircraft upset events.

These programs are using upgraded level D simulators and high performance piston and jet aircraft to teach pilots the techniques that will help them regain control when the aircraft has departed controlled flight or is far outside its normal operating envelope. European regulators are now

requiring approved UPRT as part of the commercial pilot training programs for students that are almost exclusively going straight to airline or corporate turbine aircraft.

The problem is that these programs are usually not very accessible for GA pilots and include scenarios like upsets in the flight levels that are not very relevant to GA aircraft.

The traditional entry for GA pilots seeking UPRT has been a basic aerobatic course as recovery from botched maneuvers is an integral part of initial aerobatic training. This is still a great way to go and will build skills and confidence that will benefit every flight. Many aerobatic instructors are now offering just the UPRT

portion of the aerobatic course which is also very useful.

The problem is that the availability of aerobatic aircraft and instruction is limited, and that aerobatic aircraft have handling and

EXERCISES FLYING CLUB

performance capabilities that will be different than the GA aircraft they regularly fly.

This conundrum has resulted in the development of what is now being called “Expanded Envelope

Exercises”. It is intended to provide much of the benefit of a formal UPRT but without actually conducting aerobatic maneuvers, so that it can be flown in an owner or rental pilots’ own aircraft.

“Expanded Envelope” is a term intended to address the fact that pilots normally endeavor to fly in the centre of the their aircraft’s maneuvering envelope. That is they never get anywhere near the positive

and negative G limits or the maximum and minimum speeds. This fine until the day they experience either a self generated or externally generated situation that pushes them to the edge or over the edge of the envelope.

Therefore, Expanded Envelope Exercises (E3) is intended to be a way to expose pilots to flight away from the middle of the envelope in a safe and controlled manner and recover including, if required, using all of the controls to their maximum. However, all E3 maneuvers are with 2 G and 30 deg pitch and 60-degree bank

so they are classified as non-aerobatic.

So, for example, an E3 exercise is to at a speed safely below maximum maneuvering speed, roll into a 60-degree banked turn through a 90 degree heading change, and then reverse the turn with full aileron deflection for a turn of 90 degrees in the other direction. This will likely be the first time the pilot has utilized the full extend of the roll authority available to them.

Other exercises include experiencing turning stalls with recovery in the turn, deliberate base to final turn overshoots, spiral

dive recovery and other situations which have contributed to loss of controlled flight accidents.

The Victoria Flying Club will be offering a program of Expanded Envelope Exercises in the clubs C 172 taught by an experienced instructor.

I would suggest that a recreational pilot that is looking at expanding their skill set, or prospective commercial pilots wanting to prepare for airline UPRT program, consider this training and talk to one of the senior instructors.

SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO TAGGED US ON INSTAGRAM!

From top, left to right: @mooney_wp: Quick local flight in before winter arrives this week; @emberphotography_official: so cute we had to feature them twice!; @hermanojomono and @oceanesther. la: " We followed the black tusk home yesterday for almost 100 miles."; @steve.neil6: "Christmas Eve present to me!"; @heatherthepilot: The Making of a Passenger Princess featuring @pilotrussel. // Thanks for the share!