Patricianaug07 2

Victoria Flying Club

August 2007

Seattle, seen on departure from Boeing Field following a very successful Canada Day flyout.

Photographed from MEK by Don Devenney, Doug Marin at the controls, Nancy Durocher in

Inside

the right seat. See story page 9.

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Short Final

Letters to the Editor

Bears Air

Alcock & Brown

In My Travels

Canada Day in Seattle

2500 Mile Voyage

Flight Itinerary

Eleanor’s

The

Patrician

S hort F inal

Newsletter of the Victoria Flying Club

AUGUST 2007 Editor:

Eleanor Eastick PatricianEditor@shaw.ca Advertising inquiries: Bob Mace (250) 361-6996 or bmace@shaw.ca Publisher: Seaside Designs seasidedesigns@shaw.ca (250) 383-7777 Published monthly.

Unsolicited articles welcome.

The deadline for submissions is Thursday, August 23, 2007.

Board of Directors President Vice President Treasurer Secretary Directors

Paul Levie Doug Marin Lloyd Toope Jeremy Prpich Colin Dormuth Don Goodeve Eleanor Eastick Dennis Arnsdorf

General Manager Gerry Mants Chief Flying Instructor Graham Palmer 1852 Canso Road Victoria, BC V8L 5V5

Phone: Fax: Email: Web:

(250) 656-4321 (250) 656-2833 (250) 655-0910 info@flyvfc.com www.flyvfc.com

Opinions expressed are those of the authors alone. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced in any format without the written authorization from the publisher or author.

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communications solutions for YOUR business

SEASIDE designs & photography 250.383.7777 seasidedesigns@shaw.ca seasidedesigns.net

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The Good, the Bad and the Downright Ugly – that would describe Victoria’s weather for the month of July. We went from record-breaking heat (over 30C) to seven straight days of rain and fog. It was like November, hearing that non-stop drizzle and the foghorns night and day. Let’s hope that’s the end of all the lousy days and true summer skies will remain for the rest of the – er - summer.

Starting in July, Island Blue began printing 25 colour copies of the Patrician for distribution from the dispatch counter. I must say, I thought it looked pretty spiffy and very professional, many thanks to our publisher, Nancy Dolan and to all who contribute to it. Thanks also to Rob Shemilt of Island Blue for the great printing job. If you’d like a ‘portable’ copy of your newsletter, drop into the Club and pick one up.

Flyouts The Canada day flyout to Boeing Field went off without a hitch, I hear. I was unable to go, but I certainly received lots of photographs from several of the participants and found it difficult to select just a few for the Pat. Too bad the Blue Jays lost to the Mariners.

Speaking of flyouts – BC Day, Monday, August 6th is the day of the next one.

The destination is Vernon, BC, more than a two hour flight away. Since this is a mountain flight, the weather has to be perfect. If Mother Nature lets us down, we can consider Pemberton or perhaps some Island airport. Be sure to phone Dispatch to book your plane – you can’t book online. See you at the Flyout!

Flight Adventures Once again, Don Devenney organized an interesting afternoon for pilots old and new to get to know one another. Aside from the great food, there were video images and talks about mountain flying, float flying and night flying by the people who had been there done that and had the pictures to prove it. There were lots of prizes handed out, including a one-hour advanced training flight by the Club. Other goodies were hats, T-shirts, pens, and lanyards from VIH and Viking, plus as always, a $25 GC from Mary’s. Many thanks to all for supporting VFC and adding to the fun.

Remembering...

In the last two months, we have said goodbye to V.C. (Victor) Dawson, and Robert Langtry, both VFC members in the long past. This August also marks the fourth anniversary of the untimely death of Jeff Bowles, much missed by all who knew him....

Pilot Shortage Now is the time to learn to fly. There is a tremendous shortage of pilots world-wide, including right here in Canada. Check this interesting photo from the Times-Colonist of June 30.

Photo shows idle aircraft in Detroit. Northwest Airlines cancelled over 825 flights since June 22 because of pilot shortage.

Short Final cont’d p. 4

Letters to the Editor Hi Eleanor It’s a BAE146, a.k.a. the Fisher Price plane (if you have ever seen the toy plane, you’d see the resemblance!)

The weird noises were the air rushing past partial flaps.

Usually the flight crew warned the passengers that they could hear unusual noises before starting the descent.

The aircraft are now retired from Air Canada Jazz. I believe I spotted the whole fleet parked in Calgary.

Andrew Woodsworth Hi! It’s a BAe 146. Jazz and (Air BC before them) had a bunch of them in their fleet and used them for routes like YVR-YXS and YYJ-YYC for quite a while. They were put out to pasture about 5-6 years ago when AC transferred most of the CRJs into Jazz. In Europe they’re quite popular for routes into the alps with short runways, and as they have very short takeoff and landing requirements. For a long time were the only jet certified to fly the steep approach into LCY (London City).

Last year when I was in Calgary, I noticed that there are a lot of 146s parked just south of the threshold of Rwy 28.

(Microsoft’s live maps show them, google’s didn’t so maybe they’re not there anymore http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=51.113259~114.010143&style=a&lvl=17&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&encType=1)

Scott Brynan Hi Eleanor, The Mystery plane is a British Aerospace BAe 146-200( I think). I thought I saw one a few years ago at CYYJ, but I’m not sure.

Thanks Liam Hi Eleanor, A quick hi to you and everyone at the club. I hope all is going well and everyone is getting plenty of airtime. The mystery of the month would be in Canadian terms and Avro RJ. However, on this side of the pond it’s a BAe 146. Still a large part of regional airlines, though due to their age, they will be gradually phased out. It’s also known as the “Whisper Jet” and I’ve heard that it’s one of only a few jets allowed in to John Wayne regional airport - wherever that is!

I have now just started the long hard slog of a six month ATPL in the UK which I am actually looking forward to, though my little brain box doesn’t really know what’s in store for it!

If you’re over this way anytime next year - then I might see you up there! Keep the dirty side up!

Alex Thanks! Eleanor Another “well done”..a Bravo Zulu for sure! Great cover photo! I flew that route in the ‘90’s..on a beautiful crystal clear day! A nice review of the Mars and the Alberni flyin.

And on another note, I thought you would like to read the remarks I received from Marv&Ruth regarding our story in the Pat about their 4 seat Coupe.

Cheers! Al “We sure enjoyed the article, the pictures you chose and the very kind words. We made some copies for our kids and will take a copy to NATIONALS. We plan on leaving next Wednesday for Wayne, Nebraska (weather permitting) with the two place Coupe. Some things came up that were unforeseen since Fred Weick did not get this far on the 4-place—a re-design issue....Thank you again for the kind words in the article.”

EDITORIAL OOOPS Hi Eleanor, May I compliment Liam Aloni on his article about the aviation exploits of Amelia Earhart. However, may I point out that although Charles Linbergh was the first person to make a solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927, he was not the first person to fly the pond. That feat was accomplished by Alcock and Brown in 1919 when they took off from St John’s Newfoundland and landed in a bog in Connemara Ireland 16 hours 27 minutes later. Although Brown lived until a ripe old age, sadly Alcock was killed the same year as his Altlantic triumph whilst ferrying an aircraft between London and Paris.

Considering the publicity that has surrounded the Lindbergh flight and subsequent personal events in his life, the first successful crossing is often overlooked.

Regards, Alistair Crooks Thanks, Alistair, for checking me up on that. It was my mistake. I doubt if many people remember Alcock and Brown, or any of the other early Atlantic flyers. We have been overwhelmed by Lindbergh publicity. I have included a brief account of the real first non-stop aerial Atlantic crossing – see page 6.

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Letters to the Editor cont’d from p 3

Short Final cont’d from p 2

News from a former student....

Of Interest

Hey Eleanor, I don’t know if you remember me, but my name is Ian Malcolm, and I was a student with the club back in 2004. My instructor was Doug Bonfield and I had received my Private Pilots License with him. I am now a pilot in my 3rd year of training with the Canadian Air Force. Currently I am training on the Grob 120A in Portage La Prairie. It is a beautiful airplane and a lot of fun to fly. With a cruise speed of 120kts, it has just a little more power then the ol’ Cessna 152, so it takes some getting used to. It even has air conditioning and built in GPS :)

Good news from Brian Burger: “I’ve just set up a VFC group on the Flickr photo-sharing site - I’ve only just gotten into the whole Flickr thing, but Tristan Nano who has had his photos on lots of Patrician covers - has been active there for a while, with lots of great pictures, and there are other VFC pilots & members active on Flickr too. The address is http://www.flickr.com/groups/victoriaflyingclub/ - it’s a public group, so all you need to do is have an existing Flickr account.”

Besides an update of my flying career, I wanted to let you know I still enjoy reading the Patrician you and your team put out each month. It is nice to know what is happening around the club.

Window Art

Anyway, I hope all is well with you and everyone at the club. Hopefully, assuming my training goes well, I will be back in Victoria this September. I will be sure to come in and say hi to you all.

Happy Flying, Ian Malcolm

Great photos! Check it out!

The stained glass art that people might have noticed in the VFC office - in the window behind CFI Graham’s desk - is actually for sale, and it’s by one of our own; VFC instructor Emily Harvey does the aviation-themed glasswork and it is beautiful!

Blue skies, CAVOK and happy flying to all… ……Eleanor

This letter is the explanation of the July Mystery Plane.

Hi guys, This mystery plane’s the BAe 146 nick names are ”Jumbolino” or ”Whisperjet”.

This BAe 146 is a medium-sized commercial aircraft, which was manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace (which later became part of BAE Systems). Production ran from 1983 until 2002, switching to an improved version known as the Avro RJ in 1992. A further-improved version, the Avro RJX – with new engines – was announced in 1997, but only three prototypes were built before production ceased in late 2001. With 387 aircraft produced, the Avro RJ/BAe 146 program is the second most successful British civil jet to date.

The BAe 146/Avro RJ carries its four turbofan jet engines on a high wing above the fuselage (not below, or at mid-fuselage, as on most conventional civilian aircraft) and has a T-tail. The aircraft has STOL capabilities and very quiet operation; it has been marketed under the name Whisperjet. It sees wide usage at small city-based airports. In its primary role it serves as a regional jet, short-haul airline or feederliner. The BAe 146/Avro RJ is in wide use among European airlines, such as Lufthansa and Brussels Airlines.

The BAe 146 comes in -100, -200 and -300 models. The equivalent Avro RJ versions are designated RJ70, RJ85, and RJ100.

With best regards, Herb Mueller

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You Lear n Something New Ever y Day “

And there I was, with my fuel gauges on empty, the cloud below me, the mountains below the clouds, and I was lost.” The old pilot looked around the group for a reaction. No one spoke. No one believed him, or had already been there and done that. Just another story at the hangar-flying session.

I can’t begin to count the near death experiences I hear from pilots. I’ve told a few myself! We’ve have had engine failures over water, electrical failures at night ... in IMC, hit other aircraft in flight, got lost in cloud, forced down in snow, departed from a 900 foot strip with twice the legal weight on board, barely cleared 3 foot trees at the end of the runway .... the stories go on and on. All in good fun, the stories are embellished each time they’re repeated. Makes you wonder what really happened.

BEAR’S AIR Barry Meek

your own little mistakes, like taking off with the carb heat selected to ON, dialling up a wrong frequency, forgetting to put the transponder on ALT, failing to lock a cowling lever down, leaving a flight plan open .... and there are countless others. Every little oversight doesn’t necessarily lead to an accident. It’s only when they’re not dealt with properly that things can go wrong. A door unlatched for instance, shouldn’t cause the aircraft to crash on takeoff. But we know that it has happened.

Using an incorrect frequency is in itself, not a cause for a mid-air collision. But again, it has been know to happen.

Any pilot’s wife could tell you the real story. Or something very close to it. She heard the first account, and by the time the husband has told it to five or ten more people, she must wonder if it was the same incident he was talking about. Ever notice that?

There are several publications that carry these “first person” accounts of accidents, incidents and close calls.

They’re actually quite valuable in that the reader probably learns something from the mistakes of the pilots who write them. Statistically, there’s a very high percentage of human error involved in the total number of accidents that occur. It’s funny how so many of these published stories allude to the “other” factors of the author’s particular incident. Sometimes though, the writer will face up to the fact that he made a mistake. A guy who does that should be admired. He’s man enough to let his rear hang out for all to see and criticize. Many readers, privately or with their buddies, gloat over the fact that nothing like that would ever happen to them. But some pilots, and I count myself in this group, appreciate the honesty, and will admit to learning from the experience of others. So let’s encourage the continuation of submissions from these people.

Most pilots will never experience a close call or an incident which warrants a discussion with Transport Canada. They go through their entire careers with nothing worthy of contributing to a magazine. Think of

The longer we fly without bad things happening to us, the more complacent we become. Checklists can become so routine as to be irrelevant. So much gets taken for granted, that one day, it will all bite you. Your airplane is nothing more than a cannibal in that regard.

Just waiting, patiently watching for that little mistake, oversight or lazy procedure. Read the TSB reports that are available to all each month. Keep on talking, and listening at your local “hangar-flying” sessions. Heed the lessons offered by those with enough courage to write about their dumb mistakes and oversights in those “first person” accounts. Don’t laugh at them. We can all learn something. A bad day is the day we fail to make a new discovery. Or, as is more commonly stated .... you learn something new every day. But only if your mind is open to it.

Barry Meek bcflyer@propilots.net

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By way of righting an editorial wrong, I offer a brief account of the two men who made the first non-stop crossing, by air, of the Atlantic. The first aerial crossing was accomplished 19 days before Alcock and Brown’s feat by Commander Albert Read and crew, in their fuel laden Curtiss NC-4 “flying boat,” which lifted off the waters of the Newfoundland coast on May 16, 1919. The NC-4 was one of three four-engine Navy planes attempting the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Two of the planes were damaged in forced landings at sea but the NC-4 reached Lisbon, Portugal, on May 27, completing the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by an airplane in 27 hours’ flight time.

Dense fog and heavy rains caused Commander Read to land in the Azores to wait out the weather, thus the flight was not non-stop.

Charles Lindburgh was the first to make the non-stop flight solo.

Alcock and Brown First non-stop Atlantic Crossing by Air Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown, took off in a Vickers Vimy from Lester’s Field, near St. Johns, Newfoundland on June 14,1919, and landed June 15,1919, at Clifden in Ireland. The time for the crossing was sixteen hours, twenty-seven minutes.

The sky was overcast, even though the latest meteorological report from United States had forecast good weather conditions. It was 1:40 p.m. as the Vimy, with the throttle wide open, and both engines at full power, taxied over the bumpy ground at Lester’s Field. Alcock headed his aircraft into the west wind. “Depressingly slowly the Vimy taxied toward a dark pine forest at the end of the airfield,” Brown reported.

“The echo of the roaring motors must have struck quite hard against the hills around St. John’s. Almost at the last second Alcock gained height. We were only inches above the top of the trees.” Alcock’s recollections were rather more brief: “At 1:45 p.m. we were airborne,” he said.

1,890 nautical miles of open sea and sixteen hours of flying time lay ahead of the Englishmen. Only fifteen and a half years after the Wright Brothers powered flight, they had now set off on what turned out to be one of the most breathtaking flights in the history of aviation.

It was not Galway, for which they had been heading, yet Brown knew that the land ahead must be Ireland. Then he saw the top of Connemara, identified the town of Clifden, and scribbled his observations into the log book which he held up for Alcock to read.

After 1,890 miles of difficult and often treacherous flying, the heroes had landed in a bog. They had to remain seated, held fast by their safety belts. The men who had watched the Vimy land, rushed toward the plane, jumping from one grass tuft to another through the swamp.

Alcock and Brown were unhurt, although the plane had ploughed nose first into thick mud.

After the fliers received Lord Northcliffe’s £10,000. prize from Winston Churchill, they insisted that the Vickers and Rolls-Royce mechanics who had helped them should receive a £2,000 share of it.

Official recognition of their pioneering achievement came a few days later from King George V. Captain Alcock and Lieutenant Whitten-Brown were received at Buckingham Palace. They left the Palace as Sir John and Sir Arthur.

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In My Travels B EECHCRAFT M ODEL 18

by Larry Dibnah

Although best remembered for its service with allied air forces during and after World War Two, the Beechcraft Model 18 made a great contribution to civil aviation as a reliable workhorse for small airline and charter operators throughout the world. The versatile Model 18 can be operated on wheels, snow skis or pontoons.

On January 15, 1937, the Beechcraft Model 18 (or Beech 18) made its first demonstration flight at the factory in Wichita, Kansas.

This aircraft continued in production for thirty-two years. The Beech 18 is a low-wing, all-metal, twin-engine monoplane and was originally intended as a six-to-eight-passenger executive or feeder airline transport. As the years passed, however, the Model 18 was adapted to many uses and eventually thirty-two different versions were produced.

Production of the Beech 18 began later in 1937 but there was not as much demand for smaller twin engine aircraft as there was for the larger ‘trunk line’ aircraft such as the DC-3. However, because of its respectable range, the Beech 18 was readily accepted by foreign airline operators and domestic charter lines.

It was the Model 18A which proved profitable with small charter and community air operations throughout Canada performing A beautifully restored Beech 18 at Arlington Fly-in 2007 such tasks as air mail carrier, mining, fishing and lumber camp supply and aerial surveying. Several businesses in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico had also discovered the Beech 18’s value as an executive transport.

In 1939 the Beechcraft Company won a contract with the US government to produce a military version of the Beech 18 for photo reconnaissance work. This new type was designated as the Type F-2 and therein began a very successful relationship between Beechcraft and the military.

Initially, fourteen of the F-2 aircraft were built. Soon after that, Beechcraft signed another contract to supply Larry with an Expeditor at Camp Penhold, 1966. eleven C-45 personal transport aircraft to the US military. The C-45 also became an ideal multi engine and instrument trainer for the military known as the AT-7, AT-11 in Army Air Corps service or SNB-2 and JRB-1 in US Navy service. The AT-11 was an armed bomber trainer version of the Model 18 which featured a glazed A Beech 18 on floats nose section, machine gun turret and an internal bomb bay.

After the end of WW2 military orders for the Beech 18/C-45 were dropped. Aircraft acquired up until then remained in service with the military for many years. Late in 1945, Beechcraft resumed full production of the civilian Model 18. The new version was designated the D18S and featured several improvements including structural modifications to allow an increase in load, better landing gear and two 450-hp Pratt & Whiney Wasp Junior engines with Hamilton Standard constant speed propellers.

From 1941 to 1968 the Royal Canadian Air Force operated 390 Beech18 Expeditors (mostly D18S types) as trainers and light utility transport aircraft throughout the country. I can also recall the Royal Canadian Navy VU-33 Squadron operating at least two of these types out at ‘Pat Bay’ airport during the late ‘50’s and early ‘60’s. The very first aircraft that I flew was an RCAF Beech Expeditor at Camp Penhold, Alberta in 1966 during the first of my flying familiarization flights with the Air Cadets. story cont’d on p 12

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In My Travels cont’d from p 7 The Super 18, which was the final version of the Model 18, made its first flight in 1953 and remained in production until 1969.

A total of 9,000 Model 18’s of all versions were produced. More than 1000 of them are still flying in the US and Canada alone.

There are also a few Beech Model 18’s being used in float operations in some areas of North America including right here on Vancouver Island.

The Beechcraft Model 18 was and still is very popular as a private, personal transportation aircraft. The few remaining examples are much sought after by restoration enthusiasts and people looking for a reliable, long range twin with vintage appeal.

References:

Sixty Years, the RCAF and CF Air Command 1924-1984 Larry Milberry, General Editor

Photos:

RCAF website and by Larry Dibnah

Club Flyout to Vernon Monday, August 6th, BC Day. Book your plane now by phoning Dispatch

R O YA L PA C I F I C MAINTENANCE LTD.

CALL

Mitchell Holme Cessna Parts, Sales, Service and Aircraft Maintenance General Aviation Services Victoria International Airport 9552 Canora Rd T: 250 656-7322 E: service@royalpacificmaintenance.com Toll free Parts line: 1-877-2CESSNA (1-877-223-7762)

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1910 Norseman Road Sidney, BC Canada,V8L 5V5 Tel (250) 655-3300 Fax (250) 655-1611 email: bcam@bcam.net

THE BRITISH COLUMBIA AVIATION MUSEUM is dedicated to preserving aircraft and aviation artifacts.

We collect, restore and display aircraft and artifacts related to the history of aviation in Canada, with emphasis on British Columbia.

The Museum is open daily!

Summer Hours May 1 - Sept. 30 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Winter Hours Oct. 1 - April 30 11:00 am to 3:00 pm

Heading for the Toronto Bluejays vs Seattle Mariners game at Safeco Field.

"Canada puts the C in Seattle."

Canada Day in Seattle

Don D concentrating in the cockpit

On the ramp at Galvin Flying Services, amongst the jetsetters.

Seattle straight ahead, Protection Island in foreground as MEK enters American airspace.

Coming in for a landing, runway 13 Left at Boeing Field. Next stop, Customs

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more Canada Day in Seattle…

Safeco Field, a reporting point for KBFI, it looks more interesting from the air.

A perfect day for a baseball game.

A home run for the Bluejays. They later lost the game to the Mariners.

After the game the flyouters gather to wait for the bus back to KBFI

On the ramp getting ready to return to Victoria. Another perfect flyout, thanks to Marcel and Peter and all participants.

Wouldn’t you rather be flying?

• Tax and financial planning • Rapid refunds (electronic filing) • Personal, corporate and estate tax

VIEW…AND AIR PLA ITH A W NE M ST O O R OO A !

Owner Evelyn J. Andrews-Greene, CA Sustaining Member of VFC since 1983

Open 8am 4pm daily

in the Victoria Flying Club

386-4466 #202-31 Bastion Square Victoria BC V8W 1J1

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Join us for breakfast or lunch…inside & patio seating 101-1852 Canso Rd

LICENSED

250.655.9395

The 2500 mile voyage in my RV9A by Peter Liem

Part One

Peter learned to fly at the Victoria Flying Club in 1995. Prior to his home-built RV9A, he owned a PA-28-151 and a C172. He holds a private licence with Night, Mountain, VOT and IFR ratings. His family of 4 shares his passion in flying.

Here is part one of Peter’s very interesting account of a recent flight to Albuquerque NM. Part two will appear in the September Patrician.

In May I received an invitation to attend a seminar related to my job in Albuquerque, NM. A grin formed on my lips, since this was the excuse I needed to test my newly built Van’s Aircraft RV9A on a long journey.

C-FGXA, was conceived in a double garage over a period of 14 months and made her maiden flight in July 2006.

Two days would have been great to do this 1000+-miler voyage, but I had only one day available to get to our destination. The weather forecast for New Mexico wasn’t favourable and there were reports of thunder boomers in eastern New Mexico. The Pacific North West weather looked gloomy too. Obscuring stratus clouds were sitting between Victoria and Oregon for almost a week. The chances of getting there on time were becoming questionable. My golden rule of flying is: Whenever I fly myself, there should be no pressure to get to my destination. If I NEED to be there, I will fly commercially.

We departed the Victoria Airport at 7 am in clear sky and calm air. Our rendezvous with the US Customs was set at 8:30 am at the Portland International airport. When we came to the Puget Sound area at 2500 ft it became clear that we could not proceed under the clouds to Portland International Airport (PDX) and that we had to go over top.The stratus layer topped at 8000 feet and we climbed to 11500 ft with the blessing of ATC and arrived at the US Customs with 15 minutes delay, because of our earlier escapades to ascend and stay VFR. The officer at PDX was friendly and courteous and bade us a good flight after the formalities were done. We asked the FBO to top our tanks and strolled to the terminal for breakfast.

My wife liked FBOs. At the Portland International, we stopped at Flightcraft. The general aviation people, but more specifically the small business jets use this facility. The employees were very nice, professional and friendly. The facility was first class. Nice clean bathrooms, mouth wash and tooth brushes provided, nice lounge with complimentary coffee, courtesy car. Good place to be when you are tired and want to stretch your legs.

Mountain Home (U76), Idaho, was our destination for the next segment and was 329NM away. The weather as promised was great and the clouds were scattered far apart. Portland tower handed us over to Cascade Departure and we were granted our request of “Flight Following”. This is an invaluable service by ATC, especially if you fly over inhospitable terrain.

The Controllers will keep you informed of traffic and local altimeter settings. Climbing to “one three thousand five hundred” we donned the oxygen and enjoyed the unfolding scenery. The green Northwest started to change in to brown and sand of arid rock as we progressed eastward. The tales of good tailwinds going east materialized with a ground speed of 180 kts on a true airspeed of 150 kts. We will pay later homeward bound, I guess.

Why Mountain Home? The answer is, because we found it has cheap Avgas.

While PDX was $5.25 a gal, Mountain Home Municipality airport boast a low of $3.99 for the same quantity. A very helpful web site is www.airnav.com. It also suggests different routing to diverse airports for cheap refuelling. Good website to remember.

The wind was howling straight down of runway 10. Field elevation of 3164 feet and 38C temperature gave us a density altitude of 6500 feet. Taxiing gingerly to the active, we had to execute the correct aileron-rudder-elevator deflection, so not cont’d P.11

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The 2500 mile voyage… cont’d

to flip the plane. Aided by the wind the plane lifted up after only a short run on the tarmac. The RV power weight ratio made the density altitude a non-issue. The straight out departure was easy, though very bumpy because of the convective air at that time of the day. Contacting the Mountain Home Departure we were alerted, not to stray in to the MOA, which we almost did. The bumps finally eased when we passed 11000 feet. Settling at 15500 and sipping on our oxygen, we went zigzag around the 6 MOA’s in this region. My co-pilot decided to take a travel pill and slept till we approached Page Municipal Airport in Arizona, 421 miles and 3 hrs later. Denver Centre okayed the frequency change to the Page Traffic frequency and we were surprised how busy the airport was. Page, situated on a mesa in extreme northcentral Arizona, is the gateway to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Lake Powell. This means lots of commercial flights in and out of Page (PGA). Biz Jets, Turbo prop commuters were coming in on a very regular base. When we entered the traffic pattern, which was 5100 ft, we had to be watchful and merged safely with the fast incoming traffic. I bounced the plane on landing, because of the cross wind, high sink rate in an 8000 ft density altitude and all the pressure surrounding it. Taxiing to the FBO we felt the intense heat of the desert. It was 44 C in the shade.

We waited a couple of hours in the coolness of the Terminal building for heat of the day to dissipate before we departed to our final destination Albuquerque, more accurately, Double eagle II (AEG). We successfully took off from runway 33 that was exposed to a wicked crosswind from 070 and climbed very slowly to 13500 ft. Slowly, because all my avionics and my engine didn’t like the heat. With an outside air temperature of 44C and a decline of 2 degrees every 1000 feet, it took a long time for the temperature to come down. At our final altitude of 13500 the air was still 18C but the avionics and engine were able to function normally again. The last 250 miles was flown slower at 130 kts. TAS with a ground speed of 150 kts.

We arrived at AEG at 9PM in the evening. Since we entered the Mountain Standard Time, we lost 1 hr. Double Eagle II is a nice private airport, again where all the jetsetters land. Bode Aviation FBO greeted us cordially, gave us a parking spot for our plane and rented us a Herz car with the AOPA/COPA discount. And we were on our way to our hotel in the big city of ABQ in no time.

After a pleasant day at the seminar in ABQ we decided to make a side trip to Las Vegas on our way home. Instead of one loooong trek home, it will be one short and one medium long and besides, my wife likes the glitter of Vegas and it is only 415nm or 3hrs away. Why not?

See Part Two in September Patrician.

B.C. Aviation Museum's 17th Annual Open House Saturday, Aug. 4th 9 - 5 pm.

Admission by donation

VFC will be there offering disco flights and club information.

Fly-ins,Torque Masters & Old English Car Club line-up, Displays, Hourly draws for free flights and prizes - kids' stuff - food kiosk.

Call 655-3300 or www.bcam.net

Annual Hangar Dance Saturday, Aug. 11th 8 pm.

Swing to the Swiftsure Big Band Tickets $20 (Advance ticket purchase only) Call 655-3300.

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Aug 10, 2007

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Aug 11, 2007

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Aug 12, 2007

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Aug 17, 2007

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Brad Fraser

13

Navigation

Emily Harvey

15

Navigation

Emily Harvey

20

Navigation

Emily Harvey

22

Radio and Electronic Theory

Emily Harvey

27

Review (Tower Tour/Written Seminar)

John MacConnachie

29

Review

Brad Fraser

Congratulations to all these achievers whose names were accidentally missed in the July Patrician.

First Solo Nick Oakley Tom Eng Melanie Rosling Dawn Nicklin Alan Crandall Private Flight Test Chris Barton Erik Deutscher PPL Written Test Chris Barton Safaraz Nawaz

Aug 10-12, 17-19 2007

Aug

Achievements

First Solo Mike Ketler Sumit Sharma Karan Nain Vikas Sahrawat Marshall Hayward PPL Written Test Baltej Nanda Multi Engine Ryan Scott Private Flight Test Baltej Nanda Rob Watson Safaraz Nawaz Karan Ahuja Cosmo Lauzon

CPL Written Test Sean Tyrell Ben Aitken Cat IV Flight Instructor Cam Soderberg ATPL Steven Mais

Welcome New Members!

Joseph Wakeman Phil Harris Erin Waller Dave Thompson Ben Reichart Brent Sipos Taylor Williams Christopher Brennan Jackie Wheaton Dennis Asbury Harling Park Lisa Hand Ian Gummeson Reid Logan Al Johnston Alanna Jackson Digvijay Lamba Arvind Kumar Amit Nagar Christopher Staples William Dornan Joni Warnock Jack Worthington Larry Buczolits

13

ved a few pa spaces lable! i a v a e r a A number of outside tie-down spaces are now available.

Phone Dispatch at 656-2833 for details.

VFC

Smile Cards The Victoria Flying Club is very excited to partner with Thrifty Foods in their successful

Smile Card Program.

Pick up your Smile Card today and 5% of all your Thriftys grocery purchases will go towards creating scholarships and awards for VFC members.

To date, we have been able to create three new bursaries!

Pick up cards for your family and friends too.

This is a great opportunity for VFC members.

We thank you for your support!

L indair Ser vices Ltd

Smile Card total to date $4808

IslandBlue R E P R O G R A P H I C S A N D A R T S U P P LY C E N T R E

Specializing in Cessna, Piper, Beaver float and wheel equipped aircraft.

A high quality Service Department that is ready to complete any inspection or repair requirement you may have.

• QUALITY • DEPENDABILITY • SERVICE •

5180 Airport Road South, Richmomd, BC Tel: 1-800-663-5829 Fax: 1-800-667-5643

Tel: 250.385.9786 Toll free: 1.800.661.3332 E: repro@islandblue.com FTP: ftp.islandblue.com Web: www.islandblue.com

PRINT WHAT YOU NEED WHEN YOU NEED IT! 905 Fort St (at Quadra)

www.lindairservices.com 14

DATE

PLACE

EVENT

CONTACT

August 04

Victoria, BC

BC Aviation Museum Annual Open House Fly-in, Pancake breakfast and aircraft displays

BCAM @ 250-655-3300 or e-mail: bcam@bcam.net

August 6

VFC Flyout

Destination Vernon, BC

pliem50@hotmail.com or patricianeditor@shaw.ca

August 11

Victoria, BC

August 11-12

Pitt Meadows, BC

August 18

Oliver, BC (CAU3)

August 31

Oliver, BC

September 9

A

OM RO

Kamloops, BC

HA WI T

BC Aviation Museum Hangar Dance Featuring big band music 92nd anniversary of the Aero Club of BC

BCAM @ 250-655-3300 or e-mail: bcam@bcam.net

Fly-in and camping under wing

or visit http://aeroclubofbc.ca

Fly-in and pancake breakfast 8th annual Yak ”Discovery” Fly-in

Paul Dumoret @ 250-535-0395

Including Yaks, CJ’s, RV’s

or e-mail: 3bar@telus.net

COPA Flight 82/Kamloops Flying Club

Blake Farren @ 250-314-9876

Fly-in and breakfast

or e-mail: cj4me@shaw.ca

VIEW…AND AIR PLA NE ST

Open 8am 4pm daily

—

OO !

in the Victoria Flying Club

Join us for breakfast or lunch…inside & patio seating 101-1852 Canso Rd

Aero Club @ 604-465-8817

LICENSED

250.655.9395

AUGUST Mystery of the Month From left to right, name this famous line-up.

Brownie points if you can say where it was taken, and which one of the series is missing and why.

Send your educated guesses to

patricianeditor@shaw.ca

15

This interesting aircraft is a Lockheed YO-3A Quiet Star surveillance aircraft used by the US Army in Viet Nam. The Quiet Star was mostly flown at night and could not be heard until it was directly overhead. Even at that, the aircraft was only faintly audible. They were equipped with conventional cameras plus an infrared camera to scope out any activity on the ground. Their long, slender-chord wings provided good lift with a minimum of power setting, something like a glider.

The Quiet Star in the photograph (serial number 18005) has been at the Skagit Regional Airport for 15 years.

$3.30 Volume 2 Number 5 July/August 2007

Va a nn c o uu vv ee rr I s l aa n d d Pets Enriching the lives of pets and their families

VIP

a splendid little magazine for pet lovers! Well written, informative, easy reading.

Cheaper than a greeting card, it also makes a great gift for your animal-loving friends. Buy it in selected pet stores or have it delivered to your door.

Perceive the Bunny

Check out the website -

Purebred Purchase

www.vippets.ca.

Reality or Perception

Choosing A Well-bred Cat

Scorpion Tales

Love in an Exoskeleton

16

subscribe online and save a bundle.