The Patrician MAY 2020
The Victoria Flying Club ~ Aviation Excellence Since 1946
Maintaining our connections, at a distance "Plane buddies." Photo credit: Adam Johnston https://www.instagram.com/p/B_ IsrjGBZPU/ www.flyvfc.com
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The Patrician
HANGAR SPACE
“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)
Contact Marcel at the Club to see if a hangar spot is a good spot for your plane and to get on the waitlist.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PRESIDENT Colin Williamson VICE PRESIDENT Don Devenney SECRETARY Jennifer Zadorozniak TREASURER DIRECTORS Iain Barnes John Ainsworth GENERAL MANAGER Greg Matte CHIEF FLYING Mike Schlievert INSTRUCTOR
CONTACT 1852 Canso Road Sidney, BC V8L 5V5
www.flyvfc.com info@flyvfc.com
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News Around the Club
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Flight Schedule Pro
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Maintaining Currency Contributed by Greg Matte, GM
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Twin Rebuild Project Update
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Supporting the VFC Legacy Flying During the Pandemic First Solos and Achievements
P: 250-656-2833 F: 250-655-0910
Editor: Katy Earl flyvfcmarketing@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 flyvfcmarketing@gmail.com http://flyvfc.com/subscribe-to-the-patrician
PHOTO CREDITS Front cover photo: "Plane buddies." Photo credit:. Adam Johnston. https://www.instagram.com/p/B_IsrjGBZPU/ Photo upper right: Hearts in the Dakota Cafe window.
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PARKING Several parking spaces are available! If you’re interested in prime paved parking spaces for your aircraft, we want to hear from you! Secure, pull-in/pull-out, easy access. Please call Dispatch to arrange a spot, or to see if your plane might fit a hangar spaces at 250-656-2833
VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946
News Around the Club
NEWS and EVENTS ON HOLD
COPA Flight 6 meeting and social
ON HOLD
IFR / IMC Round Table
Life as we know it has changed, and the Club is experiencing these changes:
1. The B-25 Mitchell bomber visit has been canceled for 2020.
PrepAIR YYJ at VFC
2. The VFC open house that had been scheduled for Saturday, 20 June 2020, has been postponed indefinitely.
Flight Schedule Pro goes into live use at VFC for flight bookings
3. Daily open hours 09:00-17:00, with self-dispatch after hours (on a pre-arranged basis).
Is your aviation-related event not listed?
4. All PPL and School District 61 ground school has been suspended.
POSTPONED MAY 4
Let us know at flyvfcmarketing@gmail.com
NEWS and EVENTS
CHANGES AT CLUB DUE TO COVID-19
5. All ab initio training has been suspended.
March 12th, Jennifer Z, provided inspiration to the next generation of potential aviators in Mrs. O'Connor's grade 1 and 2 class at Campus View Elementary. The kids enjoyed reading "Angela's Airplane," fun aviation videos & photos, and letting plastic propellors whizz through the air.
www.flyvfc.com
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6. All Redbird simulator training has been suspended. 7. All dual multi-engine/IFR training has been suspended. 8. AMO maintenance operations continues. NEWS and EVENTS
9. AMO will undertake a rebuild project of a Beechcraft Travel Air 95 during the lull in operations. 10. Recreational rentals continues. 11. Sightseeing flights have been discontinued. 12. Solo advanced training / rentals on the Cessnas (i.e. to build CPL hours) continues. 13. Support to VFC members (parking, towing, refueling, etc.) continues. 14. Dispatch services (09:00-17:00 daily) continues. 15. Take-out services with the Dakota CafÊ restaurant continues (Monday – Friday, 09:00-14:30).
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DISCOUNT: LIFE MEMBERSHIPS
significant amount of slightly used carpet for free that we used to recarpet most of the Flying Club. We were unable to fully complete the project at that time, but we held on to the remaining carpet and even sold quite a few rolls to cover the cost of installation.
In light of a sharp decline in revenue due to COVID-19, the Board of Directors recently approved a 20% discount for eligible members interested in applying for a lifetime membership. The new cost (including tax) is $1,218.00. This is a savings Recently, with the help of Mike of $309.50 off the previous cost Schlievert who in past careers was a (including tax) of $1,527.50. carpet layer, we were able to bring in a carpet installer and complete the dispatch area. FAREWELL TO INH Our insurance underwriter put the 'remains' of INH up for auction after Using the used carpet saved the VFC a significant amount of money, and it was determined to be a write-off. although there was a slight cost to A company in Kelowna purchased have it installed, it was well worth it, so we said our farewells as it was it to give the old club a little fresher taken away to its new existence on look for when we return. May 5th.
REVAMPING AT THE CLUB
During this downtime, we are taking time to do some long-awaited refreshes. The ramp parking and taxi lines and vehicle parking lines have been repainted, and new carpet has been lain down. From our Operations Manager, Marcel: "A few years ago, as some of you may remember, I was able to acquire a
Thanks to Cody the line guy for moving heavy filing cabinets and Mike for prepping the floor. Hope to see you soon at the Club!" Have news or a story to tell? Email us at flyvfcmarketing@gmail.com for a chance to have your news or story published in The Patrician.
VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946
Flight Schedule Pro Simple to Use
News from Dispatch
At its most basic, Flight Schedule Pro is a schedule for VFC’s resources (aircraft, simulator, and Instructors). Beyond that, it features statistical reports, flight history, upcoming reservations, a mobile friendly interface, an optional iOS app, and more. More importantly, it’s simple to use, has a modern look, and offers flexibility to add expansions in the future for more features.
NEWS and EVENTS
At its most basic, Flight Schedule Pro is a schedule for VFC’s resources (aircraft, simulator, and Instructors). Beyond that it features statistical reports, flight history, upcoming reservations, it’s mobile friendly, has an optional iOS app, and more. More importantly, it’s simple to use, has a modern interface, and offers flexibility to add expansions in the future for more features.
Flight Schedule Pro will fully replace GFO on Monday, May 4th. We will be migrating bookings from GFO to FSP for all bookings on or after May 4th. Once that is complete you can expect an announcement on our VFC Facebook site, website, and via email, including a link to sign up for an FSP account. A how-to guide for FSP which may answer some of your questions will be shared along with the announcements. Anyone with bookings currently scheduled in GFO will be sent a direct email invitation to sign up as your bookings are added to FSP. Access to creating new reservations will be restricted until the migration is complete. We are doing everything we can to ensure a smooth transition, but if you have any concerns please contact us.
www.flyvfc.com
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Maintaining Currency
GM Corner
VFC Manager BGen (Ret’d) Gregory C.P. Matte, CD, PhD
As the COVID-19 implications continue to curtail our daily lives, routines and pastimes, the Victoria Flying Club has witnessed a sharp decline in flying activities. In addition to the suspension of all flight training, this has also impacted flying currency for numerous students, Flight Instructors and recreational pilots alike. While there are specific regulations and guidelines pertaining to the maintenance of currency, there is an underlying component that links back to airmanship and safety. Currency can be highly subjective and individualized, based on one’s depth of aviation experience as well as a realistic self-assessment. It can also relate to a variety of aviation skills beyond the obvious ones such as night flying and instrument flying, how current one might be in practicing a forced landing, incipient spin recoveries, cross-wind landings or other specific aviator skills. The bottom line is that in the aviation business, our flying skills are perishable, meaning that with less practice, our proficiency declines.
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During my time on the multi-role CF-18 Hornet, we had to maintain currency and qualifications in a number of closely tracked regimes. Quite often, it felt like running on a treadmill that never stopped; no sooner was a requalification achieved than the clock began ticking down to the next looming expiry date. Although some of the currency requirements would be common across the world of aviation, many others related to the highly specialized world in which we operated. In some cases, currency related to safety training for the ejection seat, in other cases it related to the use of weapons on a controlled range, whereas in other cases it related to the rather vital skill of in-flight air-air refuelling on a variety of tanker platforms. The list was seemingly endless... Given that we had to remain current and qualified in a variety of combat skills sets, including everything from dog fighting to aerial gunnery, to ground attack missions as well as a number of other missions involving air intercepts in VFR, IFR and night conditions, we had to rotate our
training schedule accordingly. It was for this same reason that on operational deployments abroad, such as the air patrol missions we conducted over Bosnia-Herzegovina following the Dayton Agreement of 1995, that we would rotate our pilots through the mission for only 6 weeks. The problem was that the nature of the recurring air patrol mission caused a gradual decline in their other fighter-bomber skill sets. As such, we needed to bring them back to Canada for currency training in these other areas so avoid them losing their important “combat readiness” status required for NORAD and NATO operations. As for myself, despite my many years of experience on the CF-18 as well as my Fighter Weapons “Top Gun” Instructor rating, it was with sadness yet pragmatic realism that my final period of flying on the CF-18, whilst I was the Wing Commander of 4 Wing Cold Lake, was also a period in which I had to come to terms with the impact of limited currency and my declining fighter pilot skills. While I still knew what I needed to do in the cockpit to
VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946
However, given the extent of my command duties and responsibilities, I was only able to fly once a week at most. Although I was very proud
to have once again gained partial combat readiness as a Colonel in my earlier forties, it was limited to flying as a wingman and to domestic NORAD duties only. As such, I was careful in choosing the complexity of training missions that I participated in. Furthermore, in recognition of my diminished skills, I took every opportunity to jump into the simulator to practice my “red page” emergencies and instrument flying skills, which were of high priority in remaining safe and competent in the basics of flying the mighty CF-18. In summary, while there exist regulations and guidelines pertaining to the minimum currency requirements required to fly as a PIC, the bottom line is that our flying
skills are perishable and need to be practiced regularly, otherwise they quickly decline. While many of our VFC members have been actively preserving their currency through regular flights, for others such as our students and Flight Instructors, the return to flight training will need to consider the state of their individual flying skills. It will also require a realistic assessment of what should be reviewed and practiced before progressing on to new levels of training, teaching and flying. At the end of the day, as PICs we are all responsible for realistically assessing our own skills, proficiency and currency each time we take to the skies to ensure we are fully prepared, safe and competent for the flight we’ve undertaken.
GM Corner
maneuver into a weapons solution in a mock dogfighting scenario, the precise “hands and feet” skills that had been so intuitive and automatic in my previous flying tours had become mechanical and marginally competent. In my prime, I had the EM diagrams of other fighter aircraft committed to memory, and knew how to exploit their weaknesses. Similarly, I was able to clearly see and deftly execute the complex 3D acrobatics required to effectively maneuver into a position of lethal advantage against most aircraft and fighter pilots I dueled with.
Dakota Cafe's Menu - take out and delivery available
www.flyvfc.com
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Twin Rebuild Project Update Contributed by General Manager BGen (Ret’d) Greg Matte, CD, PhD
VFC News
Last month our President, Colin Williamson, announced that the VFC Board of Directors had carefully examined a number of proposals pertaining to fleet renewal, focusing on the provision of a reliable twinengine, multi-IFR solution to the beleaguered problems we’ve experienced with our Piper Twin Seminole over the last 18 months. The unanimous decision was to proceed with an in-house rebuild of a Beechcraft Travel Air 95 under the expert supervision of our PRM and his AME team. By way of an update, we have secured WCB from a private Canadian owner, and are having the plane shipped to us from Penhold, AB. It will have arrived at the VFC by the time you read this article. Coincidentally, our PRM (Murray Palmer) actually flew WCB many times whilst he was employed with Buffalo Airways out of Yellowknife and Hay River, NWT. As such, he knows the plane well. We’ve also secured a couple used sea containers that will assist in storing parts of the aircraft as the rebuild project gets under way, and also purchased an old metal lathe that will be instrumental in fabricating some of the nuts, bolts, fasteners and other items that
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will be necessary as the rebuild progresses. As Colin mentioned last month, the end-result of this rebuild project is that the VFC will witness the transformation of a non-airworthy 1960 aircraft into a fully airworthy, Transport Canada certified training aircraft with a zerotime airframe, engine and propeller hours. In addition to a half-glass cockpit, the plan includes adding a longer, more aerodynamic nose as well as anti-icing features (wing boots, propeller deicing, and windshield de-icing). All in all, this rebuild project will transform an initial $30k investment into an aircraft that will likely be worth over $450k. Given the significant reduction in normal flying operations due to COVID-19, the timing for this rebuild project couldn’t be better. We’re very fortunate to have a team of 4 licenced AMEs (with a 5th on the cusp of getting his AME licence), as well as a fully certified, in-house, engine overhaul capability on the Lycoming 360 (which we’ll install on the Beechcraft, and which exists on our Cessna fleet). Given that we’ve reduced the fleet to only 4 Cessnas being fully insured for flight
(to save in our insurance costs), this also greatly reduces the amount of time that our AME’s will need to spend on repairs and inspections on the Cessnas for the next while. Furthermore, over the course of the past eight months, our PRM undertook a comprehensive inspection on the entire Cessna fleet so as to baseline their individual conditions, while also proactively addressing previously undetected maintenance issues. Consequently, the AMO team will be able to focus on this rebuild so as to complete it with minimal delays over the coming months. Furthermore, our PRM is concurrently undertaking the necessary steps to update our MCM and MPM documents as a major step towards bringing the plane into airworthiness status and ensuring it’s certified for flight training operations. The end result will be a shiny “new” and reliable training platform for our members. We’ll keep you posted on the progress of the rebuild each month via the Patrician.
VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946
Supporting The VFC Legacy Contributed by VFC President and Accountable Executive Colin Williamson
As such, we’d like to remind you that while the ab initio training (including ground school) and all dual flight training have been suspended. The good news is that licensed and current pilots are still able to rent VFC airplanes. We continue to practice the many precautions required to minimize risk of exposure to COVID-19, both in the building as well as in the cockpit, to ensure that we provide a safe environment for you and anyone else you’d like
www.flyvfc.com
to take flying (that you reside with). Here are a few things to consider as to why you might want to drop by for a flight: • Availability – for recreational flyers, the VFC has returned to its “roots” as a club. With the suspension of training flights, availability of rental aircraft has rarely been so good. • Rental cost – as the fuel price at the gas stations has gone down, so have our fuel prices for AVGAS. This has allowed us to eliminate the fuel surcharge reducing your cost to fly. • Currency – although Transport Canada has permitted extensions to aviation medicals, this doesn’t apply to currency, so to avoid having to go up for a dual flight (which is now suspended) to regain your currency, why not simply retain it by flying at least once every 30 days? Similarly, although the VFC closes at 17:00 daily, selfdispatching for evening and night flights are permitted. • Paying forward – with the severe reduction in commercial flights, our ATC friends in the YYJ
President Corner
As most of you are aware, despite the significant adjustments that were required to deal with COVID-19, the Victoria Flying Club (VFC) is still open….albeit, just barely. From a historical perspective, the VFC has faced several financially challenging periods in its past, and almost closed in the early 1980s when interests rates had risen to an unprecedented high. However, there is no doubt that the current circumstances are probably the greatest challenge that the VFC has encountered over its nearly 74 years of uninterrupted operations. We are determined to stay in business, to continue to serve our Club Members, and celebrate the VFC’s 75th anniversary on 16 November 2021!
tower have never been so dependent on the VFC to maintain their own currency and allow new controllers to complete their checkout. The circuit has never been more open to circuit training! So despite the significant restrictions to our normal operations, we are doing our best to keep the VFC alive. If we were to close during the pandemic, there is a serious risk that we would not be able to reopen given the recurring financial costs we’d have to continue paying even whilst closed. Support your club, come by for a flight, and let’s find our way together through this rough patch so that we can celebrate the VFC’s 75th anniversary!
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Flying During The Pandemic President Corner
Contributed by VFC President and Accountable Executive Colin Williamson
As you likely have seen elsewhere, VFC is open for Club Members who are licenced and current to rent airplanes during the pandemic. I did this with my wife, Kim, on April 16 and thought I would share the experience. With the COVID-19 pandemic Kim and I have been staying close to home, but I was definitely missing my flying, especially given the gorgeous weather we have been having. Kim loves flying too so we decided to go for a flight. I fly the plane, she does the photography. Booking the plane was exactly the same as usual. You can either book online or phone Dispatch and book a plane. We booked our flight for April 16 at 11:00AM. In the morning I got up and checked the weather with all the usual tools found on the NavCanada website. I also like to use Windy.com. It has the best presentation of winds that I know of. If you haven’t seen it, do give it a try. We then hopped in the car and drove up to VFC. As soon as you walk in the building you will notice that things are different. The gate to the Dispatch area is closed and the open link metal fencing above the counter is pulled across just like it is after hours. The Dispatcher will cheerfully greet you and can answer any questions you have. What is different is that you will not be filling out the Dispatch sheet. Transport Canada does not require this step. Instead you will find the Journey Log, keys and headset(s) inside the plane that Dispatch assigns to you.
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Next up was filing a Flight Plan. Nothing unusual with this step, you even get the “You are first in line for the next available…” message from the phone system in Kamloops. The person on the other end of the line seemed pleased to have someone to talk to and provided another weather briefing confirming skies clear everywhere! We checked NOTAMs and got our squawk code. Pre-flight checking the plane (JZB) was completely normal except for the book, keys and headset already being in the plane. JZB was super nice and clean. Our line people carefully wipe down the plane, book and headset(s) before each flight. Taxiing out, run-up and take-off went smoothly but it’s definitely much quieter than usual with only one other recreational flyer in the vicinity. I also noticed that one Air Traffic Controller was doing all four of Clearance Delivery, Ground, Inner and Outer Tower. We then had ourselves an absolutely beautiful 1.5 hour flight. We flew down the length of Lake Cowichan right to the far end and then continued on the same heading until we reached the Alberni Inlet. We made a right turn there until we intercepted Mt. Arrowsmith, and then flew back to Lake Cowichan enjoying a flight over the snow covered hills at 7,500’. From up there we could easily see the Pacific Ocean off to our right, the Olympic Mountains in front and the BC Coastal range to our left. We do live in an awesome place!
As we came back down the Cowichan Valley I decided I would ask Tower if I could practice a Simulated ILS. The answer was “yes” with the usual "maintain VFR at all times. I was given vectors right away; 140 degrees to start and a bit later 120 degrees to give me a nice intercept onto the ILS for Runway 09. I am a VFR pilot but I find its good to try more stuff than strictly required. Evidently I need to practice the Simulated ILS a bit more. Both the vertical and horizontal needles steadfastly refused to stay neatly pinned in place and wandered about one dot either side of where they should be. And I can’t even blame it on the weather since it was such a beautiful day! Back on the ground you just fill in the logbook and leave it in the plane along with the keys and headset(s). You then come back into the building and verbally provide times up and down, and Hobbs numbers to the Dispatcher who will fill in the Dispatch sheet and then pay in the usual way. We ended our day of flying by getting a tasty take-out lunch from Dakota’s. As always, it hit the spot!
VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946
First Solos and Member Achievements (from February and March, before flight training suspended)
Bryan Garner Instructor: Jesse Bertucci
First Solo Bryan Garner Marko Sathler-Vojnov
Achievements
New Members Ahmad Foda Alexandra Dick Andrew MacSween Casey Benner Cayden Brune Christopher Punnet Daragh Nagle Derek Stoll Ilia Kuldoshin James Mcgregor II Jeremy Couturier Jin Di Yue Jing Zhuo Zhang Keith Toone
Li Jie Zhao Liam Nish Matthew Byrnell Matthew Hart Mick Egan Mike Humble Nathan Forbes Reid Maltman Sean Reyes Shane Slothauber
PPL Flight Test Herb Lainchbury CPL Flight Test James Taylor Instructor Rating Flight Test Stephen Allan
Marko Sathler-Vojnov Instructor: Ryan Greenwood
"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."
www.flyvfc.com
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VFC | Aviation Excellence Since 1946
