Victoria Flying Club
September 2006
Down the runway and into the air in a New Standard D-25 biplane. The 2006 Arlington Air Show featured rides in this rare aircraft. See story, page 8.
Inside
Kate Beckett photo
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3
5
6
7
Short Final
Letters to the Editor
Mother Nature’s Designs
Flight In My Itinerary Travels
8
10
15
Arlington Air Show
Aboard USS John C Stannis
Looking Back
Eleanor’s
The
Patrician
S hort F inal
Newsletter of the Victoria Flying Club
SEPTEMBER 2006 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 Wednesday, September 20, 2006.
Board of Directors President Vice President Treasurer Secretary Directors
Sean Steele Bob Mace Lloyd Toope Colin Dormuth Dennis Arnsdorf Jeremy Prpich Doug Marin Don Goodeve
General Manager Chief Flying Instructor
Gerry Mants 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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SEASIDE designs & photography 250.383.7777
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This has been one of the greatest summers I can remember and it provided perfect weather for the three days of the Webster Memorial Trophy Competition. The regional finalists began arriving from their respective parts of the country for familiarization flights a few days ahead of the actual contest. This gave them a nice chance to get to know one another and to enjoy our Club and the famous Vancouver Island scenery! Written tests were held on Wednesday August 23 with flight tests and cross-countries taking place on the Thursday and Friday. The name of the winner was kept a secret until the banquet held at Royal Roads on Saturday evening. Francis Yannuzzi from the Brampton Flight College in Western Ontario was the over all winner with VFC’s own Etienne White as First Runner-Up. Last year’s grand winner was Yorgo Roumanis of VFC. We have quite a history of Webster winners in the Club, including CFI Graham Palmer, First Runner-Up a few years ago.
Pye and Others in the Sky Last month we offered congratulations to Michelle Philp and Jim Pye, recent graduates of NCTI. Michelle is now in Fort St. John FSS and Jim, a VFR Tower grad is stationed in Sudbury, Ontario. Graduating just ahead of them was VFC’s Aaron Pearson, also VFR Tower. Aaron, who won the 2003 Claude Butler Award, is in Winnipeg. Another former VFC member, Cory Lee is also in FSS at Fort St. John. The aviation world is particularly small and one meets old friends everywhere; Janice Stephani formerly of VFC Dispatch is now in Yellowknife where a new Jazz base is being set up. There she ran into a few ex VFC-ers: Ry Forest, Treena King & Andrew Donogh.”
Five Years Ago It seems almost impossible that five years have passed since the perpetration of the worst act of terrorism in North America – 9/11, as it has been known from the start. We in Canada and the US were glued to our televisions watching in horror and disbelief. All civil aviation was suspended for two days, and here at CYYJ, an eerie silence prevailed. All planes were hangared and ramps were cleared to make space for aircraft ordered to land as the aprons and taxiways of larger airports filled up with airliners. Two of VFC’s former instructors were flying for Jazz out of Halifax at the time, and sent photos of the huge overflow of planes parked there. The rules were changed forever that day. Short Final cont’d p.4
Letters to the Editor Thanks to all who took a guess at the August Mystery plane, and especially to Adrian Round for including a short history of the aircraft We have an easier one for September, an aircraft flown by a famous flyer in the earlier days of aviation Ed HI! Eleanor My “guess” [along with some research. of course]... for this month’s Mystery aircraft is the Northrop YA 13! Cheers, Al This beautiful aircraft is a Northrop Gamma from the 1930’s. Obscure aircraft lover, Larry.
My guess is that it’s a Northrop YA-13 Bruce Wardhaugh Hello, I’m holding that picture in my hand right now, it’s on a box that contains a “Wings of Texaco” airplane (actually a fancy “die-cast metal locking coin bank”). It is second in the series of Texaco airplanes, and is a 1932 Northrop Gamma. Sam Roland
That’s where I got the picture – I have one of those fancy banks too! Ed
The painting depicts the Northrop Gamma 2A. A short summary of the aircraft: One of the first products of the new Northrop Corporation was the Gamma special-purpose and mail-carrying aircraft. The first two examples built were known as the Gamma 2A and Gamma 2B. The Gamma 2A was built for the well known pilot Frank Hawks and the Gamma 2B was built for the Lincoln Ellsworth Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Each plane had an enclosed cockpit set on top of the fuselage aft of the wings. The two planes were completed in August of 1932. The Gamma 2A was a low-winged, cantilever monoplane powered by a 785 hp geared Wright GR-1510 Whirlwind fourteen-cylinder air-cooled radial driving a three-bladed propeller. It was initially registered X12265 and was a single seater with the pilot’s cockpit located aft of the wing and enclosed by a streamlined canopy. The wings were of multispar construction with the center section built integrally with the fuselage and the outer panels being bolted to the center section. The main landing gear was fixed and enclosed in large streamlined trousers. The tailwheel was spatted. Initially, the Gamma 2A was fitted with a set of full-span flaps and “park bench” ailerons which were mounted above the wing trailing edge. However, more conventional ailerons were later installed and flaps of reduced length and area were adopted. A large compartment was provided in the fuselage forward of the cockpit, but this was not normally used. The Gamma 2A was purchased by Texaco on December 6, 1932 and was put at the disposal of Frank Hawks for recordbreaking and advertising purposes. It was given the civilian registration NR12265, and flew with the Texaco Sky Chief logo prominently displayed. It set a number of records, including a nonstop flight between Los Angeles and New York in 13 hours 27 minutes at an average speed of 181 mph on June 2, 1933. In 1934, Texaco sold the Gamma 2A to industrialist Gar Woods, who entered the plane in the 1936 Bendix Trophy Race from New York to Los Angeles. Unfortunately, during this flight the plane caught fire in the air and the pilot, Joseph P. Jacobson, was forced to parachute to safety. The Gamma 2A crashed near Stafford, Kansas, and was completely destroyed. Cheers, Adrian
August Mystery of the Month Here is a painting of a beautiful but somewhat obscure aircraft from the 1930s. It was advanced for its day with many aerodynamic innovations.
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Short Final cont’d from p 2
Sixty Years Ago
BCAM Open House
Six decades ago, the Victoria Flying Club came into being, having its roots in the Victoria Aero Club. Just as the Aero Club was kick-started by returning WW I pilots, VFC was set into being by pilots returning from WW II. These guys were all enthusiasts who wanted to keep on flying as civilians and pass on the glory of flight to others. In honour of our heritage, VFC is holding a Celebration and Hangar Dance on Saturday, September 9th. Get your tickets now and come and see the riotously entertaining Timebenders.
VFC did a brisk business selling sight-seeing flights on August 5th at the BCAM Open House. Lots of people stopped by our display with its fantastic new background screen of a C172 in flight. In addition to the usual brochures, we had a continuously playing video promoting flying at the Club and an interesting display of old photos taken in and around CYYJ over the last 60 years. Many thanks go to Rob Shemilt of Island Blue for donating the reprographics and to Elwood White for permission to use his photos. It was a beautiful summer’s day. Lots of people, lots of planes and lots of fun for all!
“Rarely does a group of performers come along who can transform an evening into an unforgettable experience. With more than 20 incredible costume changes and the music from the 40’s to the 90’s, the Timebenders take you on a “Rock down Memory Lane” with an explosive and hilarious dance show that focuses on high energy, audience participation and lots of fun. In addition to the great music of the last 60 years, the Timebenders pay tribute to the biggest stars of each era with hilarious often exaggerated impersonations. With these special tributes, the Timebenders are famous for bringing members of the audience on the stage or having fun right at their table.” Don’t miss this chance to see the Timebenders, have a load of fun and reconnect with VFC!
September is here and clear blue skies are expected to continue for some time yet - a perfect time to be flying and building memories for those dark winter nights ahead.
September Mystery of the Month What is this famous aeroplane, flown by a famous aviator who was not as good a flyer as many believe.
Send your educated guess(es) to PatricianEditor@shaw.ca.
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Mother Nature’s Designs T
o a pilot, bad weather is not something he likes to wake up to. It’s even worse when he flies into it. But if he’s a working pilot, it can offer an unexpected day off. A chance to catch up on other things, like doing his laundry, writing letters, cleaning his living quarters, his airplane, shopping for his groceries, or even writing articles such as this one. A delay of a few hours would sometimes mean I’d be sitting in a pilot lounge at some little airport on the prairies. Lounge is a generous description of many of those places. More often it meant a little building with a bathroom, a phone, a pilot registration book, sometimes a coffee pot, a broken down lumpy couch and inevitably, a stack of old flying magazines. The reading material is generally donations from the local flying club members, who quite rightly assumed there would be a more useful afterlife for the magazines than simply sending them to the landfill. Some articles are relevant and important to pilots everywhere. Mostly, they help to pass the time, waiting for the weather to break. One afternoon, I was delayed at the Hanna, Alberta airport, browsing through a Flying magazine dated 1995. Apparently back then, airliner manufacturers were considering building larger jets, capable of carrying up to a thousand seats. I came across a report that researchers in Germany were suggesting manufacturers look at geese for some guidance. By flying in echelon formation, geese use less energy than they would flying alone. So rather than building a super jumbo behemoth, designers reasoned that in a formation of two smaller planes, the one flying about five wingspans aft and laterally offset, would use about 10 percent less fuel than the leader.
BEAR’S AIR Barry Meek
the crew of the lead aircraft could be transmitted automatically to the number two ship. I wonder why the Snowbirds haven’t thought of that yet. Unless this has all been a hushed up, top secret developing program, I don’t think it’s gone anywhere past the idea stage. Not that I’ve heard anyway. Again, this was a 1995 magazine report. There’s no doubt that nature does most things much better than man, another example found in AOPA PILOT magazine that same afternoon. In a 2005 issue, an article reports that scientists have windtunnel tested models of the pectoral flippers of a humpback whale and found them more efficient with better stall characteristics than anything currently in aviation. The flippers produced 8 percent more lift than a modern airplane wing, 32 percent less drag and stalled at a 40 percent steeper angle. Just when you think you have it all figured out something better comes along, and sometimes from way out in left field. Back to the geese for a moment. The formation flying that they have adopted, would seem to suggest they’ve made the best of aerodynamic advantages. Everyone in Canada is familiar with the familiar “V” they form in their migratory flights. There was one question however, that remained unanswered about their formations Have you ever wondered why one side of the “V” is often longer than the other? My father offered his reasoning. There are more geese on that side. Simple as that.
The next obvious consideration surrounds the danger of flying in formation taken to a new extreme with airliners packed with people. No problem, the article continued. Fly-by-wire commands input by Barry Meek bcflyer@propilots.net
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DATE
PLACE
EVENT
CONTACT
Sept 9
Victoria, BC
Victoria Flying Club 60th Anniversary Victoria Flying Club (250) 656-2833 Hangar Dance with live band music
Sept. 22-24
Oliver, BC
Seventh Annual Yak ‘Discovery’ Fly-in at CAU3 Oliver Airport
Paul Dumoret (250) 535-0395 email: 3bar@telus.net
Seen on computer screens in Japan. These are for real! The Web site you seek cannot be located, but countless more exist. Chaos reigns within. Reflect, repent, and reboot. Order shall return. Program aborting: Close all that you have worked on.You ask far too much. Windows NT crashed. I am the Blue Screen of Death. No one hears your screams. Yesterday it worked.Today it is not working.Windows is like that. Your file was so big. It might be very useful. But now it is gone. Stay the patient course. Of little worth is your ire.The network is down. A crash reduces your expensive computer to a simple stone. Three things are certain: Death, taxes and lost data. Guess which has occurred? You step in the stream, but the water has moved on.This page is not here. Out of memory.We wish to hold the whole sky, But we never will. Having been erased, the document you're seeking must now be retyped. Serious error. All shortcuts have disappeared. Screen......Mind..........Both are blank.
SKYBOLT SHARE FOR SALE $15,000. 250 h.p. Lycoming 540, built in 1994, approx 300 hrs TT, based in CYYJ, always hangared, great aerobatic aircraft, priced far below market value, two-place, canopy, intercom, a beautiful bird guaranteed to put a smile on your face!
photo Gillian Reece
Call Cary Rodin at 403-441-9110 (home) or 403-216-0969 (work) or email at akromaniac@hotmail.com or crodin@rodinlawfirm.com 6
In My Travels by Larry Dibnah
Fleet Model 80 Canuck Since September 2006 marks the 60th anniversary of the Victoria Flying Club I thought it would be fitting to write about an aircraft which, although not the first employed by the newly formed Club, became one of the more substantial types on the Club’s roster soon after 1946. The Fleet Canuck was based on an airframe designed by Bob Noury of the Ottawa Flying Club in 1939. In 1942, he formed Noury Aircraft Ltd. in Stoney Creek, Ontario. The model N-75 which featured side-by-side seating and a 75 hp Continental engine was test flown in late 1945 at Hamilton Airport by T. Borden Fawcett, Noury’s test pilot. Noury had only built three aircraft before selling the prototype and design rights to Fleet Aircraft Company in 1945. The Fleet Company had been looking for a post-war sport plane/trainer design and saw the merits in Noury’s sideby-side cockpit feature which they correctly felt would enhance flight instruction. The prototype was shipped to the Fleet Aircraft facility in Fort Erie and test flown by their chief test pilot, Tommy Williams on June 4, 1945. Williams reported many deficiencies in the aircraft’s design and flight characteristics, not the least of which was a vertical stabilizer and rudder that was too small and set to starboard instead of to port. Williams had to apply full right rudder to control the aircraft throughout the flight. Fleet’s engineers brought the aircraft into the shop for the needed improvements and modifications to meet the company’s specifications. The modifications included an improvement of the vertical stabilizer and rudder, and a replacement of the Continental C-75 with the more powerful fuel injected C-85 engine. The new engine was lowered and moved forward to increase frontal visibility. This meant that the fuel tank could now be relocated from the wing centre section to the forward fuselage thus allowing for the installation of a clear skylight in the cabin roof. The new, improved prototype aircraft was rolled out of Fleet’s workshop as the Fleet Model 80 Canuck and first flown for retesting on September 26, 1945. Apparently, company manager Walter Deisher named the aircraft in honour of the Canadian-built Curtis Jenny that he flew after the First World War. A spartan but pleasant-looking aircraft, the Fleet Model 80 Canuck can be described as a rugged high wing monoplane with a tail wheel configuration, steel tube and fabric fuselage, and wings made of extended duralumin ribs with fabric covering. Wood components were all but eliminated in the design. A few Canucks were fitted with Fleet-designed floats or skis which were easy to switch to from wheels. Canucks were also capable of aerobatic performance since the design was stressed to withstand a minimum load factor of 7G. Production of the Canuck began in earnest in 1946 and soon began to appear in flying Clubs and flight schools across Canada. Total number of Canucks built was 225 including the Noury prototype. In 2002 the Canadian Aircraft Register still listed 79 Canucks. During the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s thousands of Canadians including some of Victoria Flying Club’s more (ahem) senior members received their flight training on Canucks. I can recall seeing, as a kid on one of my many visits to Pat Bay airport, flight students sending VFC’s yellow and blue Canucks through their paces during taxi practice and circuits.
Happy 60th Birthday Victoria Flying Club! 7
Kate Beckett and Glenn Matthews attended the Arlington Air Show this July and came back with good stories and great pictures. Enjoy a different and charming view of things as Kate takes up the story:
Arlington - Biplane Ride and More The weather was looking better than expected. We wandered down the street in Mukilteo, watched a long train pass under the road that came down the hill to the ferry dock and then decided we might as well head up to Arlington. Entrance fee at the fly-in was about $15 each. We had thought that I might go up for a biplane ride - one that you pay for, so Glenn brought along his helmet and goggles. Had hoped for a Stearman but it turned out that the outfit wasn’t bringing that plane.
Kate and Glenn
The fly-in was way bigger than I expected. It was hard to get a sense on the ground of just how many planes were there. We finally found the biplane ride stand almost at the entire other end of the field. It was a long walk especially with the temperature heating up. We didn’t know if they’d be fully booked so we were pleased to find that there was no line-up at all and we were next to go. Better still, the plane was a 4-5 seater, which meant Glenn and I could go together. Apparently there are only five of these New Standard D-25 biplanes in the world (or five flying, I don’t know which). The flight was only a couple of circuits, maybe 10 minutes long. The rate of $60 was cheaper than usual because in this plane they could fit more than one person per flight. One fellow, an acquaintance of the pilot’s, came along and sat behind us.
On Approach
Fly-in After the flight, we wandered the grounds looking at planes. There weren’t as many antique aircraft as I’d expected but a lot of crazy-looking ultralites flying around. The fly-in website mentioned balloons but we didn’t see any, and we didn’t get over to the splash-in of float planes at a lake eight miles away. Glenn was surprised to come upon the original Fly Baby, designed and built by the late Peter Bowers. We were told that this original was donated to the Experimental Aircraft Association after Peter passed away. Over the years there were hundreds of Fly Babies built in basements and garages and Glenn had fun flying two of these great home-builts.
After the airshow
AS7-ChristenEagle
I’d been out in the sun a lot, trekking for what seemed like miles to the car and back, and back and forth to get hamburgers and ice cream while Glenn sat in the shade of an airplane wing (I made him sit there), and kind of forgot that the weather wasn’t like Victoria’s so I got quite a sunburn. After noon, we checked the motorhome section on the fly-in grounds to look for Terry, Glenn’s oldest son, who is a captain with Air Canada. Terry gave us Henry Weinhard’s root beer, which we saved until we got home. I thought it might be stronger, more ‘rooty’ than regular root beer, but it’s not. It’s very mild and smooth and is it ever good!! Even the foam is nice and it stays stuck to the glass after the liquid goes down. Like the Dom Perignon of root beers. We drove to a restaurant and had supper, then dropped Terry off back at the grounds where there was to be a nighttime airshow (which he reported later was quite spectacular), and we went back to our inn in Mukilteo, which by now was starting to feel like home. We’d be heading back to Victoria, though, the next day. We also heard later that Bud Granley flew a “Jug”, P-47 Thunderbolt, part of Paul Allen’s collection.
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Fly Baby
PRIVATE PILOT Groundschool Classes held Monday and Wednesday, 1900-2200 DATE
TOPIC
INSTRUCTOR
Achievements First Solo Brian Spahn Austin Mayo Tomo Kaji Gurman Sahota
Aug
30
CARS
Jason Ware
Sept
06
CARS
Jason Ware
11
Meteorology
Bryon Thompson
13
Meteorology
Bryon Thompson
18
Meteorology
Bryon Thompson
20
Meteorology
Bryon Thompson
25
Meteorology
Bryon Thompson
PPL Flight Test
27
Human Factors
Jason Stewart
02
Flight Operations
James Zacks
Geoff Steeves Chris Morin
04
Flight Operations
James Zacks
11
Navigation
Jason Stewart
16
Navigation
Jason Stewart
18
Navigation
Jason Stewart
23
Radio and Electronic Theory
Jason Stewart
25
Review (Tower Seminar/Written Seminar) Marcel Poland
CPL Flight Test
30
Review (Tower Seminar)
Marcel Poland
Jeff Sargent
01
Theory of Flight & Licensing Requirements
Jason Ware
06
Aerodynamics
Jason Ware
08
Airframes and Engines
Steve Mais
13
Systems & Flight Instruments
Steve Mais
15
CARS
Jason Ware
20
CARS
Jason Ware
22
Meteorology
Bryon Thompson
27
Meteorology
Bryon Thompson
29
Meteorology
Bryon Thompson
Oct
Nov
at the
Pilot Shop Great September Reading adventure - fiction - biography
Come in and br o wse the selection!
PPL Written Exam Devin Miller Ingrid Walker Simon Dennis
Private Pilot License Evan Peel
CPL Written Exam Tina Kotthaus
Welcome New Members! Rory Nield Lowell Hinrichs Mannela Hegenaner Elmar Hegenaner Doug Sims Chris Pratt Michael Volk Christina Thomas Gary Pichert William Newsome Tibor Kesztyus Keichi Hirono Donald Barker Robert Masters Timothy Paulson Gregory Victoria Nagle Daragh
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Aboar d USS John C. Stennis , August 6 and 7
by Don Devenney ddevenney@shaw.ca
VFC Member Don Devenney, an ex-naval reserve officer, was one of a lucky number of 20 or so who were offered the chance to go to sea aboard USS John C. Stennis for the overnight voyage from Bremerton to Esquimalt. What follows here is a quick synopsis in Don’s own words: Lt Perkins sure knows how to lay on a welcome - he greets us all, has our bags tagged and taken to our cabins while he escorts us aboard, makes a quick stop to take a group photo, and then right to the Captain’s cabin for cold refreshments (non-alcoholic - US ships are dry) and fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. We headed off to Sick Bay first - they’ve got a fully functional operating room, a four or five bed ICU and about 50 or so “ward beds” in addition to physiotherapy services, psychologists, etc - a busy place. Next it was off to the bakery...with a full complement they bake 3,000 loaves of bread per day and I can’t remember how many thousand cinnamon buns or chocolate chip cookies.
The Island
Next stop was the Flight Deck where we got an excellent explanation of the LSO’s (Landing Signal Officer) platform and how the ship recovers aircraft. Next was a quick freshen-up stop in our cabins. When we got to our cabins not only were our bags there but a set of towels, a robe, sandals and a toiletries kit - all supplied! Talk about a welcome! I just realised that I haven’t given you any idea as to just how big this ship is. Okay, first here’s some facts: 1092 feet long 257 feet wide 4.5 acres of flight deck 6,200 crew (when the Air Wing is aboard USS John C. Stennis
about 3,000 when we were aboard) Weighs 97,000 tons
Captain Bradley Johanson gave us a very warm welcome and apologised for not being able to greet us the previous night. He presented us each with a ships hat and souvenir coin and then it was time for one more photo - this time with the Captain. Big thanks go to Jamie Webb for arranging for me to get on this trip. Even bigger thanks go to Lt John Perkins, his amazing staff and those he shanghaied to help him - the supply / disbursement officers, tour guides etc. They were very patient with our steady barrage of questions and went out of their way to be helpful. Their pride in their ship, their trade / classification and their navy was obvious and well-deserved. My only negative comment is self-directed: I wish I’d
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story cont’d p.11
story & pics cont’d from p.10 Aboard U.S.S. John C. Stanis
been smart enough to record the names of those who’d been so helpful so they could be properly and formally thanked.
To the officers and crew of USS John C. Stennis - Welcome to Victoria! I only hope Victoria can equal your standard of hospitality.
Just to get the Stennis in perspective, long time VFC member Al Whalley while serving with NavalAir, sent this photo of aircraft carrier “Bonaventure”! The flight deck from bow to stern 600ft ! With the angled deck ...400 ft to launch and land!! “Our pilots were second to none!“
Bonaventure
the only jet on board
looking down the catapult
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TICKETS are now available for
HANGAR DANCE from Dispatch. $25. Don't forget to pick up your tickets and some for your friends too.
Call today
Tickets 250.656.2833
250.656.2833
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Photo Competition for the cover of the new Learn to Fly booklet. The most dynamic and fun aviation photo submission will win a discovery flight gift certificate for a friend. Good quality JPEGs would be the best. Please send submissions to joscelyn.barnard@flyvfc.com
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.
Just Imagine! If 100 members spend $100 per month at Thriftys, VFC could award $6000 per year in 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!
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Smile Card total to date $2183
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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y K eep the D i r t S i d e U p III – To Cuba and Back… So here we are again, talking aerobatics … or rather, my attempts to assimilate some basic aerobatic skills. Glad you could make it - let’s get going! Weather was cool...almost cold actually – high-ish broken cloud and no wind. A quick briefing and we headed out. We got out to the run-up area and through the run-up without much difficulty. Then it was take-off time.... I managed to get us up in the air...er, sort of. A couple things need some attention next time I try to fly JTM: a) I need to get the nose lower. I got the stick forward fine, but not far enough. b) It’s probably best that I remember that the rudder is operated with the rudder pedals, not the brake pedals. Pushing on the brake pedals, especially when airborne, will do nothing to alter the yawing of the aircraft. Anyway… We were going to be working over Discovery Islands but when we got there the ceiling was just a bit low. It did make for a great photo, but because of other traffic we had to move east. I did a loop as we approached San Juan Islands and we got to see the sun between clouds and horizon but upside down - it was amazing. We did a couple of warm-up loops and rolls to review last week’s efforts and then it was time to get on with what we were out there to do - 1/2 Cuban 8s and Reverse 1/2 Cuban 8s.
Don Devenney
to a reasonable ? Cuban. I needed to a) get established on a down line before rolling upright b) not over-rotate when rolling upright c) watch the angle of the down line. That being said, after a few attempts and Alex’s coaching I became comfortable with these - they are a lot of fun! You come off the top, you’re upside down hanging by the straps, a quick movement of the stick and you’re still upside down just headed at the ground at a different angle. You put the stick over once more and bring the world right side up again. It’s a real rush I can assure you! After a few 1/2 Cubans and a couple of full Cubans it was time for the 1/2 Reverse Cuban 8. Basically the same, just you pull up, roll inverted and then finish off with a roll. I found these even more challenging, both all that’s going on and the “G” forces. You do feel the “G” forces on these – we were around 3 to 3.5 Gs – but it wasn’t that bad. After a few of these I found that the points I had to remember include: a) set a 45 degree up angle. I was pulling up past 45 degrees. b) neutralise controls after rolling inverted and then gently add some back pressure before relaxing to float over the top. I actually think I prefer the Reverse 1/2 Cuban – the roll to inverted that puts you at the top of a loop is kinda neat - ”airspeed 145...neutral controls…pull up to 45 degrees…neutral controls…roll inverted and oh….cool! Look at the sailboat down there! Oh, sorry…yes, gently pull back over the top and finish the loop. Yes I’m watching my airspeed...” We finished up with Alex demonstrating a “saw tooth” (gulp) and a little fighter pilot style cloud dodging before heading home. Seems Kangaroo Airlines (my “airline” - a story for another day) has added a Citabria to its fleet. Of my 3 landings, this was the worst. Everything was fine until the flare....I think Alex actually grabbed the stick at one point. Sad to say, this was my last flight with Alex. Immigration policies and bureaucracy being what they are Alex had to head back to the UK for a while. Alex – thanks for all your help and enthusiasm. I truly look forward to our next flight!
Upside down sunset
A half Cuban 8 starts like a loop, but after you go “over the top” and start the way back down, you “break” the loop so you’re on a 45 degree down line...yes, you’re still upside down. Once established on the down line you roll right side up. Sounds like fun, eh? There’s a lot going on in this movement…everything’s happening at once… and it took me a couple of tries to get
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And now it’s Graham Palmer’s turn to try and make me into an aerobatic pilot. Next month I come under the watchful eye of our inimitable CFI as I try to master not only aerobatics, but the fine art of landing a tail dragger. I’ll see you at briefing – until then, Keep the Dirty Side Up!
Don Devenney ddevenney@shaw.ca
LOOKING BACK Al Whalley Looks Back. Here's an interesting item sent to Al Whalley by a friend - ed Here it is Al: Not much of a picture as I would have rather seen it on the ground, for more details, such as interplane struts, etc. It is interesting, though. From the information in the book I mentioned, there were also "Sea Hurricanes" on an Illustrious-class carrier and some in Canada fitted with skis. The Hurricane first flew in 1935, with a two-bladed fixed pitch, wooden propeller.
e n a l p i B e A Hurrican
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