Patricianjan08 3

Victoria Flying Club

January 2008

Ha

ar e Y w e N y p p

Inside

The Snowbirds will perform in the skies over Victoria in September, and the team's leader, Major Robert Mitchell is thrilled to be returning to his hometown.

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Short Final

Letters to the Editor

Bears Air

In My Travels

Our Own Aviation Day

Down but not Out

A Visit to an Airplane Museum

Eleanor’s

The

Patrician

S hort F inal

Newsletter of the Victoria Flying Club

JANUARY 2008 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, January 24, 2008.

Board of Directors President Vice President Treasurer Secretary Directors

Paul Levie Doug Marin Lloyd Toope Colin Dormuth Jim Sutherland 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.

the right marketing solutions for YOUR business.

Call today.

250.383.7777 seasidedesigns@shaw.ca seasidedesigns.net

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SEASIDE designs & photography

Happy New Year to Everyone and lots of great flying for 2008! What happened to 2007? Wow! It was a busy year for the Club with many students coming from India to learn to fly. We revived the old flyouts with all the success Mother Nature allowed and I think we should definitely try for a few more excursions this coming season.

2008 Flyouts, Anyone?

A mini-flyout to the new Port Townsend Aero Museum would be a good start.

Kate and Glenn were kind enough to share their photos and information on the PTAM. The number and variety of exhibits needed a two-part article just to give us a glimpse of the treasures in the neat white hangars at Jeffco (Dec 07 & Jan 08 Pats.) Jerry Thuotte, Director of the museum wrote to say, “You can find out much about us at our website, and you are certainly welcome to come visit. Our hours are 9 to 4, every day of the week except Monday and Tuesday. We are closed those days because we are open during the weekend. Website www.ptaeromuseum.com

100 Years Don’t forget we have our own fascinating Aviation museum right here at CYYJ and this year of 2008 marks 100 years of aviation in Canada with the actual centennial being in February 2009. There are many organizations working on ideas for special celebrations and I believe VFC will be hosting a day such as we had in 2003 for the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ first flight. That was a fantastic day of dozens of flights, certificates to all who took to the air and cake and coffee for everyone. The Club was packed! It was great to see so many old friends. Let’s have another celebration like that.

Our Snowbirds The Snowbirds will perform in the skies over Victoria this year, and the team’s leader is thrilled to be returning to his hometown. The Canadian Forces aerobatic team will be on Vancouver Island for an air show Sept. 20-21, part of a busy 2008 season of 65 air shows in 43 locations.

“There’s something special about doing an air show over the town where you have so many memories,” said Maj. Robert Mitchell, the Snowbirds’ commanding officer. “Even in the air, as focused and concentrated as we are, I could feel the energy level in my performance just knowing there were so many family and friends and childhood memories…. Mitchell recalled seeing “the parks I used to play in, where I used to go to school and everything else — it was an interesting perspective.”

During his last tour with the Snowbirds in 2002, Mitchell flew with the team over Beacon Hill Park on a perfect, cloudless early evening in summer. I was there and so was all of Victoria, it seemed; the park was “wall-to-wall” people, kids and dogs. Everyone was in a jubilant mood and a state of high excitement! I can hardly wait to see them again!

Short Final cont’d p. 4

Letters to the Editor Hi Eleanor, Just finished reading your Dec. issue. A very well done job.

Thanks for your efforts.

Jim Sutherland Good to see the write up with your Dad’s photo Eleanor. You will have to make sure he gets a printed copy of the Pat. (He did – as well as one for his last remaining squadron mate- ed) Loved the painting on the cover. Talk about ..’tis the Season!

Santa was good to someone that Christmas morning :>) Al W. Thanks to all who wrote to identify the beautiful and ill-fated Avro Arrow – see write-up page 3.

Hello Oh how I am saddened every time I see a picture of that revolutionary plane. That would be the Avro Arrow, made and developed here in Canada. The plane was designed for intercepting high flying Soviet bombers that would have probably flown over the Arctic if the cold war had ever escalated. The project was canceled for numerous reasons, but the sad part was all plans, parts, and aircraft were destroyed.

Mike Ketler Hi Eleanor, That is an Avro Arrow. A Canadian Built aircraft but never was officially entered into service.

Blue Skies, Liam Hi Eleanor Nice to meet you in person at the Search and Rescue seminar.

Now there is no doubt as what that aircraft in the photo is...one of the greatest aircraft ever built, The CF-105 Avro Arrow. CBC has some online video clips of this great machine. Go to: http://archives.cbc.ca/IDD-1-75275/science_technology/avro_arrow/

Once the video starts playing double click on the image and it will expand to fill your screen. (This is a very full history of the Arrow in film, recordings and print.-ed) During the summer of 1976 I worked in the factory where Orenda had built the engines in the 1950’s. The old hands assured me that one of the engines and a number of assorted other Arrow parts had been squirrelled away just in the nick of time!

Cheers & Merry Christmas Colin Ahh the beautiful and ill fated Avro Arrow...what a shame our fearless leaders at the time were such bone heads.

Peter Giles Avro Arrow, of course. Who could miss the large intakes or the delta wings.

Allen By the way..That’s the Avro Arrow mystery aircraft!

I was stationed at Downsview airport ‘56-’58 when they were conducting test flights out of Malton...just a few miles away!

However; I never did get to see her fly?

Our neighbour was working on the production and was involved too ...with the Orenda engine that was to be installed later..but never was!

Cheers.........Al W. Hi Eleanor You were right about the quality. That person who prints the Pat does an absolutely amazing job. And the layout is really first class too!

All in all, a very impressive newsletter. Thank you, Barry Thanks for the compliment. Nancy Dolan of Seaside Designs, Rob Shemilt of Island Blue and I, your humble editor will all take a bow!

Short Final cont’d from p 2

$3000 in Bursaries If you are furthering your aviation studies at any level from RPP to Private Pilot to ME/IFR, get your application in for one of the six bursaries available from VFC. There is $3000 to be given away thanks to the generosity of some thoughtful people.

Through the Smile Card program, Thrifty’s has donated three awards of $500 for students.

Pilots Betty Wadsworth, Claude Butler and Mike Cooper-Slipper are all gone now, but their memories and achievements live on through their bequests to VFC, which provide yearly $500 awards to up-and-coming aviation students.

Ask your instructor for an application form for the bursaries, or get one from Dispatch. Six lucky people will get a $500 credit on their accounts with VFC. The winners will be announced at the Wings Banquet, to be held on Saturday, February 2, 2008.

"The late Mike Cooper-Slipper receives an honorary Life Membership in VFC. Following his death, his wife, Rita with their son, Chris made a bequest to the Club to provide a yearly award for aviation students. Mike was a WW II fighter pilot ace and recipient of the DFC."

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Here is the explanation of the December Mystery Aircraft -

The Avro Arrow

n spite of much research there are still mysteries surrounding the cancellation of and the destruction of all traces of the Arrow and its Iroquois engine. As time goes by, more and more information surfaces: politicians of the Diefenbaker era have written their memoirs; the thirty year time limit on the disclosure of Cabinet documents of the late fifties and early sixties has expired and the freedom of information rules are providing more documentation.

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There are many stories of parts for the Arrow being squirreled away and a persistent belief that one Arrow was rescued from the destruction, flown to England and is still hidden there somewhere.

The Arrow aircraft and the Iroquois engine represented advanced technology, probably better than anything in the world at that time.

Several open attempts were made by Western nations to acquire this technology, but the Canadian government blocked each attempt. The speculation is that international aerospace organizations would not give up so easily and that clandestine attempts to “acquire” this technology were a distinct possibility.

In the early fifties Avro Canada was given the job of creating a replacement for the CF100. The target was to have it in service in the early sixties to meet the postulated threat of supersonic bombers coming in from the Arctic.

The requirements were very stiff. The airborne weapon system was to operate either independently or as part of an integrated defense system. The aircraft was to cruise and combat at Mach 1.5 at an altitude of 50,000 feet and be capable of pulling 2g in manoeuvers with no loss of speed or altitude. The high speed mission radius was to be at least 200 nautical miles. The time from a signal to start the engines to the aircraft’s reaching an altitude of 50,000 feet and a speed of Mach 1.5 was to be less than five minutes. The turn around time on the ground was to be less than ten minutes. This included re- arming, refuelling and replenishing stores. The Arrow, along with a Canadian engine, the Iroquois, developed by Orenda Engines, was designed to more than meet these requirements. In flight tests with a lower powered American engine, the aircraft reached a speed in level flight of Mach 1.96.

In the process of meeting the requirements, a number of innovations such as a removable armament pack, were included in the design. This pack was within the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft, meaning that the type of armament carried had no effect on the aircraft speed.

Mike Cooper-Slipper

A new approach was used with the design of the Arrow: there was no prototype.

The first plane was built on production tooling. Before the aircraft flew, there was extensive testing of structures, systems and models along with detailed analyses using analog and digital computers. Some seventy hours of early flight testing on five aircraft proved the success of both the design and this procedure.

The legend of the Arrow is the story of a near perfect machine, a supersonic aeroplane created by Canadian engineers, technicians and skilled workers only to be willfully destroyed by Canadian politicians in 1959. This destruction included not only the cancellation of the project, but also the destruction of all visible evidence that the aircraft had ever existed.

Mike Cooper-Slipper, who was given an honorary Life Membership in the Victoria Flying Club not long before his death, was a test pilot for Avro. He was a WW II ace and received the DFC. After coming to Canada he went to work for Avro and flight-tested the Orenda Iroquois engines that were to be used on the Arrow. VFC is honoured to have a bursary fund donated by his family.

The information and photos were taken from the internet – ed.

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Too Much Information

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BEAR’S AIR Barry Meek

n airport is an intriguing place to spend time.

Any airport, big or small. The big ones, like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and so on, offer some of the most fascinating ‘people scenery’ you’ll find. Unlike a shopping mall, the clientele at an airport offers more diversity, mystery, wonder. People from all over the world arrive, and locals depart. Most appear to be in a hurry, stressed. So stressed in fact, that statistically, you’re more likely to have a heart attack while you’re at an airport than any other place outside of a hospital.

And incidentally, the third most likely place is on a golf course.

fed meals catered by a 5-star hotel, while the guards ate their tuna sandwiches from brown paper bags.

Flying into and out of a major airport affords pilots a look at some of the inside workings and secrets other members of the public rarely see. I always enjoy a good stroll through the terminals, just watching the people.

But I was even more fortunate to be stationed as a firstresponse paramedic at Vancouver (YVR) for a period of six years. The people-watching became somewhat routine within the first twelve months.

However, there is always lots more to see. U.S. Customs and Border Protection was always a good spot. Their officers have a reputation for being hardnosed, particularly since 9-11.

Their security is at high levels, and they don’t fool around.

Sometimes their own citizens are refused entry and find themselves unable to get back home. I wondered where these people went after being bounced out the door back into the Canadian side. But I had little sympathy ... they knew the rules.

Deep in the bowels of the terminal, down in the baggage handlers area, a secret corner at one time housed a lounge area, complete with a pool table brought in by some enterprising ramp workers. It lasted until it was discovered by management, then dismantled.

Canadian Customs and Immigration on the other hand, is quite the opposite. They seem to welcome new arrivals to this country with open arms, including refugee claimants and illegals. We’re known as an easy mark for almost anyone wanting to get in. The joke around the airport was “US agents carried guns on their belts. Canadians carried rubber stamps”. There are holding cells for the questionable ones, where they were

There is no shortage of surprises at Canada Customs secondary line, when the suitcases are opened and inspected. Once I saw them pull out a car radiator from a passengers bag!

Our level of security clearance allowed us access everywhere except outside on the ramp. A special drivers license is required to be there. It was a funny regulation given that with my pilots license, I could taxi an airliner around, but wasn’t allowed to drive on in a golf cart.

In one of the staff parking lots, several campers and vans were set up along an out-of-theway fence. Due to the nature of shift work, some employees, from ticket agents to pilots, used their own facilities for sleep and rest periods. That came to an end with a memo one day, which stated that motorhomes, campers and similar vehicles would not be allowed to park long-term out there. The reason was that a cook stove in one had started a fire, and burned up the camper along with vehicles parked on both sides of it.

The R.C.M.P. always keep a visible presence at international airports. At YVR, there were plain-clothes members too, on the lookout for shoplifters, pickpockets, and smugglers. From the police I learned the scams these undesirables utilized. The thefts went down mostly in the international arrivals area where Asians were targeted, mainly because they always carried large amounts of cash. One or two bad guys would distract the ‘mark’ while their accomplices made off with hand luggage. They were slick, and rarely caught. story cont’d on p 6

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Bears Air cont’d from p 5 In the movie “Terminal”, actor Tom Hanks plays a man from a fictional country, Krakozhia, who arrives in New York to discover that during his flight, his government has been overthrown by rebels, invalidating his passport.

He finds himself trapped in a lost dimension of absurd bureaucratic entanglement. Unable to enter the United States, or return to his home country, he is forced to live in the JFK airport terminal. Essentially a man without a country, who spoke no English, he befriends employees at the airport, including the ever-present construction workers, who are suitably impressed with his work.

The movie is based on a true story, although one which involved an Iranian man trapped in the airport in Paris.

Having seen first hand the workings and intricacies of a large international airport, I have no trouble believing that a story like this could actually happen. Although

the movies embellish the actual facts, there remains a certain element of truth. Several times during my stay at YVR, I ran across homeless individuals who came in out of the cold, and made themselves quite comfortable.

Their stays were generally of short duration however, due to the diligent duty managers and police presence running interference on their activities. Usually a bus token back to the downtown east side got rid of them.

There’s a story behind every passenger, some good, some bad, some happy and others very sad. Just when you think you’ve seen and heard them all, another new one comes along. After six years, there are still surprises, and after a lifetime, there will be more. A major airport supports not only the infrastructure, but it’s own culture, society, and community.

Barry Meek bcflyer@propilots.net

JANUARY Mystery of the Month This aircraft was considered, during its time, to be the premier executive aircraft flying, much as the Gulfstream executive jets are considered today. It's still pretty spiffy! What is it?

Send your educated guesses to

PatricianEditor@shaw.ca

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In My Travels

by Larry Dibnah

T HE G IBSON T WIN P LANE Next year, 2009, will mark the 100th anniversary of powered flight in Canada. Eleanor and I thought that a great way for the Flying Club to celebrate the build up to this event would be a series of stories in the Patrician this year about the BC Aviation Museum and its collection of aircraft.

The history of Canadian aviation all began with the well documented first flight of the Silver Dart in Baddeck, Nova Scotia on February 23, 1909 with J.A.D. McCurdy at the controls. The aircraft was designed in the USA and built by Alexander Graham Bell’s Aerial Experiment Association. The Silver Dart went on to make the first passenger flight in Canada later in 1909.

More significant to British Columbia is the fact that the second aircraft to achieve powered sustained flight in Canada, and the first to be designed in Canada as well, was the Gibson Twin Plane. Designed and flown by William Wallace Gibson, the Twin Plane first took flight right here in Victoria, British Columbia on September 8, 1910. Gibson also designed and built the 6cylinder engine for his aircraft.

After making a fortune in the mining industry, William Wallace Gibson moved from the prairies to Victoria in 1906 and began to raise money for the development of an aircraft engine. His first 4-cylinder engine was completed by 1908 but was a failure due to severe vibration. His next engine design was in 1910 and featured 6-cylinders. The new engine ran very well and produced 60 hp. This actual engine is presently on display at the National Air Museum in Ottawa.

That same year, Gibson decided to design and build an aircraft that could be powered by his new engine and so he quickly went to work on the Twin Plane. The design included two 20 ft. wings, one behind the other, and each covered with silk. The wing positions could be moved by means of adjustable fittings. The elevator was located in the front of the plane and could be operated by a control stick.

The rudders were located at the rear of the plane and were controlled by two stirrups which, in turn, were fitted to Gibson’s shoulders and moved as he twisted his upper body. Lateral control was accomplished by moving the control stick side-to-side thus warping the wing shape – much the same system as employed in the earlier Wright Brothers Flyer and in the Silver Dart. The Gibson Twin Plane was built within a few months and first took flight on September 8, 1910. This first distance was a meager 25 feet but after Gibson had made a few modifications to the airframe he flew the aircraft again on November 24, 1910 for a distance of 200 feet!

Gibson re-designed the Twin Plane soon after his first successes. The new aircraft featured a series of long, narrow wings of solid spruce mounted vertically like a Venetian blind. Bad weather in Victoria forced him to move first to Kamloops, BC then to Calgary where his assistant made several long flights in August of 1911. The last flight covered a distance of about one mile but crashed on landing. By this time, William Wallace Gibson had exhausted his resources and could not afford to continue his aerial pursuits.

A full scale replica of the early Gibson Twin Plane is on display at the BC Aviation Museum here at the Victoria International Airport.

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W i n l g a s u B n a n n A q ue e will be held on h t T Saturday, February 2, 2008 cocktails at 6:30, dinner at 7:30 at the

CFB Esquimalt Wardroom Come and enjoy a great dinner and an exciting evening!

Free Admission to Wings Graduates.

Friends, Family and Club members Please call Dispatch for details.

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t dian Centennia h a g n i l of Fl Ca our own

National Aviation Day An effort has been set underway to create a nationally recognized aviation day. Starting at the grass roots level, ‘National Aviation Day’ as we hope to call it, will be a day to reflect on what effect the history of aviation has had, what value it presents, and what effect it continues to have on Canadian Society.

On February 23, 1909, off the ice at Baddeck Bay, John AD McCurdy successfully flew the Silver Dart, making it the first flight of an aircraft in Canada. Forty years later, Mr. McCurdy, then Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia was asked if he realized at the time the historical significance. His reply during that Broadcast was “No, I think not”.

We cannot make the same mistake. As aviators and/or individuals with any interest in aviation, we can’t take the fast approaching centennial of that first flight for granted.

Government, and specifically our Department of Heritage has been approached along with COPA (the Canadian Owners ad Pilots Association) to declare/proclaim a day of Recognition. Sent from various sources, we are asking only for the basic declaration. At this point it is too early to comment on their involvement in either the positive or negative.

Promotional funding would be a blessing but even without, there is nothing to say that the various flying clubs, COPA flights, flight schools and airport authorities across Canada couldn’t promote their own day of recognition. Get on the band wagon! Many Museums across the country are already gearing up! What’s stopping local flying clubs etc, from promoting aviation in some way?

Currently, discussion groups in aviation.ca have suggested a number of days that would be suitable.

February 23 is an obvious choice due to the fact that it is the centennial of that first flight. Another is September 30, as this is the centennial for the creation of the Ariel Experimentation Association. And still others feel mid summer dates would be easier to work with. Personally, I am in favor of Sept 30 as it gives us the opportunity to approach schools etc. at a time where class schedules are more accepting, and the date hasn’t seen aprons covered with snow. To make it even more acceptable, the last Saturday of September each year would be perfect.

T h e National Aviation Day website has been prepared to offer assistance, share ideas, and create camaraderie between interested groups or individuals. Please take advantage of it by promoting your event and above all… Let Canadians know what plans are taking shape!

– Daryl Lowey

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Waiting for the talks to begin

The lounge ready for action

Down but not Out The Safety S eminar held at the Club on December 1st was one of the biggest gatherings of the year. Once again Don Devenney got it all together, coordinating the speakers, the food, the prizes, the snacks and drinks and the publicity necessary to get VFC members to sit up and take notice. A big thanks to Don and his able assistants for a job well done.

A happy crowd of about 50 people attended the interesting and informative session, not deterred by the rather dismal weather that afternoon – yecchh! Wind and wet, soggy snow.

Major Leenders was the first speaker, explaining just how the SAR system works from the first “hit” on a passing satellite to the phone call at his headquarters when the actual rescue begins. Sgt. Condly of the Victoria Joint Rescue Coordination Centre took over from there, beginning with the crash and what you can do to save yourself and your passengers while you await rescue.

I hope we will be able to get Major Leenders and Sgt. Condly back to the Club again. Their presentations were fascinating and the down-to-earth tips for surviving a crash in a remote area could save your life. If you missed this rewarding seminar, keep your fingers crossed that we can persuade them to come back and do it again.

Admission was by donation to the Sidney Food Bank and Santa’s Anonymous. Quite a lot of stuff was collected for both worthy causes. Thanks are also due to a number of businesses for donating prizes to add to the afternoon enjoyment:

These businesses are RPM, Viking Air, Island Outfitters and VIH. Check the prize table!

Sgt Condly holds forth

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Break time and a snack of wings, mild and hot

First Solos as of Dec 15

Keegan Rink (Ian Watt)

Liam Shaw (Mike Chow)

Howard Peng (Emily Harvey)

Wouldn’t you rather be flying?

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A V isit to an Airplane Museum

part 2

by Kate and Glenn

art One of the visit appeared in the December 07. Kate says, “ Of course our trip would involve airplanes. We’d planned to visit the Port Townsend Aero Museum even though this wasn’t the best time to go as it is in transition from small hangars to a larger new building. Glenn thought he would know some of the airplanes here.”

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The airport at Port Townsend is a marvelous and peaceful place; a long paved runway surrounded by grassy fields and neat white hangars. One can lunch on the deck of the Spruce Goose Cafe and admire the view before visiting the Museum.

Jeffco, or K0S9 is also a port of entry.-ed

Piper Cub

Glenn continues…

Piper Cub This Cub is being restored for a private owner. Apparently the fabric and the paint are of poor quality (even though it looks good) and will be torn off and replaced with longer lasting material.

Tiger Moth Queen Bee I stared at this framework and thought, “Somehow it looks familiar.”

And I ventured the opinion that it had to be a Tiger Moth fuselage.

Absolutely, but this was a very unique Tiger Moth in that it never carried a pilot. It is one of approximately 350 that were built for a specific purpose, namely as a target for fighter pilot practice.

Controlled remotely by radio some of these Moths would tow a target drogue (a device looking like a long wind sock) while others were sadly to end their existence by being SHOT DOWN FOR THE PRACTICE. What a waste of a good airplane.

Tiger Moth cockpit

Tiger Moth Queen Bee

RAF Piper Cub “Flitfire” Another Cub that represents a part of history. Flitfire was a wordplay on the RAF’s famed Supermarine Spitfire fighter. 49 Cubs were painted in a special silver color scheme with RAF insignia, but they never flew for the RAF. Piper built them as raffle prizes to raise funds throughout the United States for disabled Royal Air Force pilots.

Cessna Airmaster Ah, yes…the Airmaster. This is a Cessna design that never appealed to me. It looks a bit ungainly for a Cessna product. I am partial to radial engines but here the engine and the heavy looking fuselage removes any suggestion of a graceful airplane. Our friend, Jim Moss, owned one of these.

RAF Piper Cub

Ryan PT22 Now here is an airplane! When I was a kid I would spend hours with my nose in the flying magazines, studying the advertisements for the Ryan School of Aeronautics. The ads always depicted sun story cont’d P.13

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Cessna Airmaster

A Visit to an Airplane Museum cont’d from P.12

washed southern California tarmacs with eager looking, clean-cut student pilots gathered around highly polished open cockpit Ryan STs (the inline version). The degree of my yearning to be among those lucky guys is beyond describing. But I was just a kid at the tail end of the depression, not a hope in hell of ever getting enough money together to be part of that picture. Most Ryans were fitted with inline engines, making them very sleek looking. The radial engined versions, like this PT22, weren’t as numerous in the beginning but became very popular because of the dependability of the “round engine” versus the inverted inline engines. The radials cooled better while the spark plugs on the inlines tended to foul more readily. Mark Hoskins, our buddy from Lacy, Washington, owned a number of Ryans over the years, a couple of which were PT 22’s like this one. This is another airplane that I would dearly love to fly.

Ryan PT22

Curtis Pusher Here would be a real fun one to fly! Open cockpit, of course, but sitting out ahead of the engine with an unrestricted view. What a blast!

Curtis Pusher

Travelaire 4000 What a coincidence… I owned a radio controlled model of this very airplane. Even the same colour scheme. This is another example of what flying is all about… open cockpit, biplane wings (where the flying wires sing in the wind) and the deep throated snarl of a radial engine. Helmet and goggles (I got ‘em and I’m ready to fly out of farmers’ fields or carry the mail across country) - it doesn’t get any better than that.

Stinson Detroiter This is a real classic and so beautifully restored. In its day a luxury airplane that was the envy of all the hungry pilots hanging around the airports.

Travelaire 4000

New museum building We look forward to returning to Port Townsend airport when this new museum opens. It certainly looks beautiful from the outside and I have no doubt the folks in charge will make the interior a joy to behold.

Stinson Detroiter

Photos by Kate Beckett

New Museum

Stinson Detroiter 2

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P R I VAT E P I L O T G r o u n d s c h o o l Classes held Monday and Wednesday, 1900-2200

Jan

Feb

Achievements First Solo Liam Shaw Keegan Rink Howard Peng

DATE

TOPIC

INSTRUCTOR

02

Meteorology

B. Thompson

07

Meteorology

B. Thompson

09

Human Factors

Brad Fraser

Graham Arts Arvind Kumar Robert Cole

14

Flight Operations

Brad Fraser

PPL Flight Test

16

Flight Operations

Brad Fraser

21

Navigation

Emily Harvey

23

Navigation

Emily Harvey

28

Navigation

Emily Harvey

CPL Flight Test

30

Radio and Electronic Theory

Mike Chow

04

Review (Tower Tour/Written Seminar)

John MacConnachie

Safaraz Nawaz Brian Burger

06

Review

Brad Fraser

PPL Written Test

Kirsten Ursel Aubrey Morrow Digvigjay Lamba Manish Jha Jordon Lott

Flight Instructor IV Written Jeff Lightheart

Welcome New Members!

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Aviation experience an asset.

Apply at Reception at VFC with resume.

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John Verbneeten Jared Sutfin Donald Hinz Michelle Jeffery-McPetrie Phil Stoker

2008

Commercial Groundschool Feb 8

1700-2100

CARS

Koide

Feb 9

0830-1700

Navigation

Emily Harvey

Feb 10

0830-1700

Flight Operations

Brad Fraser

Feb 15

1700-2100

Human Factors PDM

Brad Fraser

Feb 16

0830-1700

Crew Resource Management

Brad Fraser

Feb 17

0830-1700

Crew Resource Management

Brad Fraser

Feb 22

1700-2100

Airframes & Engines

M. Chow

Feb 23

0830-1030

Airframes & Engines Licensing Requirements

M. Chow

1030-1700

Theory of Flight & Aerodynamics

I. Watt

0830-1130

Systems & Instruments

M. Chow

11:30-1700

Radio & Electronic Theory

M. Chow

Feb 29

1700-2100

Meteorology

B. Thompson

Mar 1

0830-1700

Meteorology

B. Thompson

Mar 2

0830-1700

Meteorology

B.Thompson

Feb 24

Feb 8-10, 15-17, 22-24, 29-02, 2008 Part time dispatchers and line crew now needed.

Good news from VFC and Galvin Flying Services

Tristan Nano has set up a account at Galvin Flying Services in Boeing Field for the club.

Next time you are there, just mention the account (Victoria Flying Club) and you'll get a discount on the fuel. It works out to be about 8 USD per 10 gallons (which is the minimum amount to waive the ramp fee of course).

Aviation experience an asset.

Apply at Reception at VFC with resume.

15

The City of Whitehorse, a community of over 24000 people, nestled in the Yukon River Valley, is the capital city of the beautiful Yukon Territory and its airport is home to Canada’s – maybe even the world’s – largest wind vane.

The airport’s parking lot is graced by a Douglas DC-3 on a pedestal where it serves as a weathercock. The largely intact aircraft is delicately balanced to turn freely with wind. That particular plane first served for the United States Army Air Force in Southeast Asia during World War II, before being sold after the war for commercial airline service. It is the actual aircraft flown by retired airline pilot and VFC member, Danny Bereza in his early career as a pilot up North. This aircraft features largely in Danny’s book, The Big Dipper Route, a highly readable and entertaining tale of the experiences of a young pilot in Canada’s North in the late 60s. (It’s available in the VFC Pilot Shop.)

BIG, REALLY

BIG

Whitehorse Airport is a busy place. In addition to scheduled commercial service, it is used by small charter operators and bush pilots. It’s a major base for water bombers used in forest firefighting operations and also controls a float plane base on Schwatka Lake.

During the 9/11 attacks, two aircraft approaching the United States from Asia were diverted to Whitehorse as part of Operation Yellow Ribbon. They were two Korean Air 747s, one of which was feared hijacked but this was not the case — the plane was low on fuel. Many of the buildings in the downtown area below the airport were evacuated. Those who witnessed the planes landing saw the Royal Canadian Mounted Police order the crew out at gunpoint!

Captain Bereza and his wife made a sentimental journey to the “Big Dipper” country in the summer of 2006, flying from place to place in their Mooney. One important stopover was the Whitehorse Airport to see again the old Douglas DC-3 in which Danny had flown so many hours.

BIG 16