November 2010

The Patrician VICTORIA FLYING CLUB

NOVEMBER 2010

WWW.FLYVFC.COM

The Patrician Monthly newsletter of the Victoria Flying Club

NOVEMBER 2010

In this issue:

The Victoria Flying Club est. 1946

5 Lest We Forget

“To promote flying and aviation in general, and to teach and train persons in the art and science of flying and navigating and operating all manner of heavier-than-air aircraft.”

(Victoria Flying Club Incorporation Bylaws, 1946)

7 Chopper Challenge Re-Match 9 “Weather to Fly”

Board of Directors President………………………………….….Lloyd Toope Vice President…………………………..Colin Dormuth Treasurer……………………………………….Ellen Wood Secretary……………………………………….Rob Shemilt Directors………………………………………..Sean Steele Colin Williamson Don Devenney Steve Demy General Manager………………………….Gerry Mants Chief Flying Instructor……………..Graham Palmer

Editor/Publisher: Christie Hall thepatrician@shaw.ca Midnight Design and Communication midnightdc@shaw.ca

1852 Canso Road Sidney, BC V8L 5V5

www.flyvfc.com

The Patrician accepts unsolicited submissions.

This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, only with prior permission of the publisher or author. The opinions expressed are strictly those of the authors.

Phone: 250-656-2833 Fax: 250-655-0910 Email: info@flyvfc.com

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This month’s issue of the Patrician is an anniversary edition of sorts. It’s been exactly one year since I took over the task of editing and publishing the Victoria Flying Club’s monthly newsletter.

Looking back on the past twelve issues, there are dozens of people who deserve a huge thank-you. To everyone who has contributed to the Patrician in some way over the past year: your stories, photos, ideas, emails, comments, and encouragement have been invaluable. A special thanks to Tim Martin for his monthly Mystery Aircraft photos, Rob Shemilt of Island Blueprint for the printed editions, Shannon Nielsen for emailing me the necessary information each month, Gerry Mants for finding mistakes and keeping me out of trouble, and Jeff Lightheart for his almost daily assistance in answer to the question, “How do I say this in pilot language?”

Last but certainly not least, a big thank-you to all of you for reading each month, forgiving errors and typos, and sharing with me in the next year in life of the Victoria Flying Club!

Christie

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Hello VFC, Thought I would send along some pics I took while flying out of Springbank Calgary in a Diamond 21. They are quite the little roadster. Two seater with a stick and lots of bells and whistles. Quite daunting for a student like moi!! Beautiful day, had to de-ice first then off to the mountains.

Unforgettable experience, flying over the ridge with foothills on one side and nothing but mountains on the other. Looking forward to more while I am here in Calgary.

Cheers to #1 instructor Yasuhiro and the VFC gang Peter Massicotte

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To Identify the aircraft above, please email: thepatrician@shaw.ca Thanks to Dan Waldie for providing this month’s mystery.

Last Month’s Mystery This is the Grumman Gulfstream that started it all. Retrospectively called the Gulfstream I, after the jet-powered Gulfstream II etc came out, this executive aircraft was a product of the 1960s and was powered by two RollsRoyce Dart turboprops.

Correctly identified by: Alan Johnston, Aditya Sharma, Daryl Williams, and Rolf Hopkinson

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Lest we Forget….

The Victoria Flying Club has always had close ties to Canada’s military.

CYYJ sits on the former RCAF Station Patricia Bay, and the Victoria Flying Club occupies the location used by the RAF during WWII. But the military legacy did not end with the war. It lives on, in the members and activities of the Victoria Flying Club. There are a number of WWII veterans who belong to the club, several of whom still hold a pilot’s licence. The Victoria Flying Club is involved in Cadet training, supporting our future air-force pilots, and we have a strong connection and relationship with 443 Squadron located across the airfield. A significant number of our club members are also Navy personnel, or civilians employed at CFB Esquimalt. This month the Patrician and the Victoria Flying Club honour all military personnel; past, present, and future.

Thank-you for serving our country at home and overseas. We will not forget.

Remembrance Day Ceremonies and Events Victoria: 11am at the Cenotaph on the grounds of the BC Legislative Building 614 Government St. Sidney: 10:45 am at the Cenotaph in front of Town Hall. Support our veterans, current military personnel, and cadets as they march down Beacon Ave before the ceremony, beginning at 10:15.

BC Aviation Museum: 1910 Norseman Rd. North Saanich A year-round Memorial Room serves to honour Canadians who served in various wars, through the display of an extensive collection of artefacts. www.bcam.net Sidney Museum and Archives: Corner of Beacon and Fourth St in Sidney November features a month long tribute to the military. www.sidneymuseum.ca

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In 1918, a young school teacher named Miss Moira Bell Michael was so impressed with Lt Col John McRae’s “In Flander’s Fields,” that she wrote the following poem. She made the decision to always wear a poppy, as a sign of “keeping the faith.” This gesture was eventually adopted by the British Legion in 1919, and has led to the recognition of the poppy as a universally worn symbol of remembrance.

"We Shall Keep The Faith" Oh! You who sleep in Flanders’ fields, Sleep sweet – to rise anew; We caught the torch you threw; And holding high we kept The faith with those who died.

We cherish, too, the Poppy red That grows on fields where valour led.

It seems to signal to the skies That blood of heroes never dies, But lends a lustre to the red Of the flower that blooms above the dead In Flanders’ Fields.

And now the torch and poppy red Wear in honour of our dead Fear not that ye have died for naught We’ve learned the lesson that ye taught In Flanders’ Fields.

Moira Michael, 1918 (photos taken at the BC Aviation Museum)

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On Saturday October 16th, hosted by 443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron, the boys of VFC took part once again in the Chopper Challenge, a fundraiser for the United Way. Two years ago, Team VFC won the challenge against a handful of other teams, by being the fastest crew to pull a 21,000 lb CH-124 Sea King Helicopter for a distance of 75 ft. This year, pitted against 5 other teams, Team VFC geared up to defend their title. However, after a devastating fall by VFC instructor Jeff Lightheart, the first place honours went to the crew from 443 Squadron, the ASO Air Pullers, by a slim margin of about 6 tenths of a second. Team VFC graciously accepted the second place trophy and instructor Brad Fraser is already strategizing for next year’s comeback win. Thanks to 443 Squadron and the United Way for providing such a fun opportunity for us to give back to our community!

Photo Credit: Jen Knapp ~ visionphotographyvictoria@gmail.com

Top Photo...Back Row (l to r): Dirk Pritchard, Matt Carlow, Brad Fraser, Sean Brenton, Jeff Lightheart, Skyler Plotnikoff, Gerry Mants.

Front Row (l to r): Jeremy Walz, Marcel Poland, Yasuhiro Koide, Kevin Melling

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NOVEMBER 2010 8

W ith

winter’s imminent approach, it’s time once again to give some consideration to the changing weather and the unique challenges it presents for pilots.

Already this fall we have experienced some incredible fog and rapidly changing visibility. In the chart below you will find the Victoria Flying Club minimums for forecast weather, and a few other tips for cold weather flying. On the following page are some useful resources to help you feel prepared and informed. We are fortunate to live in an area where year round flight training and recreational flying are possible, but preparation and awareness are still key to staying safe in the skies at any time of year.

“If I have to think for more than a couple minutes about whether or not to fly, then I know I need to make the decision not to fly in those conditions.”

(Experienced pilot overheard in the VFC office. Some good advice!)

Day (Min. Ceiling and Visibility)

Dual

Solo

Night (Min. Ceiling and Visibility) X-Wind Temperature IFR

Ice or Frost

Dual or Solo

Circuits Local X-Country Circuits Local X-Country Circuits Local X-Country

1000’ agl 1000’ agl 1500’ agl 1500’ agl 2500’ agl 2500’ agl 1500’ agl 2000’ agl 2500’ agl

3 sm 3 sm 6 sm 3 sm 6 sm 6 sm 3 sm 6 sm 6 sm

C-152 Take-off: 12 kts Landing: 12 kts C-172 Take-off: 12 kts Landing: 15 kts - Flight operations at VFC shall cease when the surface temperature is below -20 C. - Take-off not to be commenced if the ceiling and visibility are below the landing minima for the airport of departure.

- Cruise legs will not be less than 500’ below the freezing level.

- Landing minima as published in CAP. - If you suspect frost or ice on the aircraft surface, the line crew will be happy to take care of it for you.

- Do NOT scrape the windshield with a credit card or anything else.

Ask the line crew to clear it.

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Published in pdf format by Nav Canada, this manual is an incredibly useful tool for understanding local weather. It describes weather patterns at individual aerodromes and explains various meteorological occurrences, including why YYJ typically has westerly winds in the morning, and then easterly in the afternoon. These manuals are also available for other regions of Canada. The publications can be found online at the Nav Canada website, under Publications.

Local Area Weather Manuals

The “Weather to Fly” two CD set, published by Transport Canada, contains a series of 26, two minute video vignettes aimed at general aviation pilots and the general public. The aim of these vignettes is to promote safe flying and explain how weather affects flight conditions and is a factor in every flight. These are excellent short videos which accurately portray situations that every pilot might face at some point in their flying career. The videos can be purchased from Transport Canada, or viewed online. You can find “Weather to Fly” on the Transport Canada website. Look for: Aviation Safety > Operations and Services > Publications and Videos.

Weather to Fly Thanks to Alan Johnston for the links and information.

Wouldn’t you rather be flying?

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

Open 8am4pm daily

OWNER

Victoria Flying Club

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

250-386-4466

Join us for breakfast or lunch...inside or patio

101—1852 Canso Rd

#202-31 Bastion Square

250-655-9395 CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT

NOVEMBER 2010 10

Images courtesy of: Allen Lynch

Mark Niehe Instructor: Dave Kupchenko

Takeshi Shimodaira Instructor: Yasuhiro Koide

Len Hollingsworth Instructor: Dave Kupchenko

Gregor Murphy Instructor: Sean Brenton

“Without disruption of air traffic, these fearless, forthright, indomitable and courageous individuals did venture into the wild blue yonder in flying machines. Furthermore, these skilful individuals did safely land said flying machines at Victoria International Airport, incurring no significant damage to self or machine, thus completing first solo flights.�

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New Members

Achievements

Malcolm Fletcher

First Solo

Curt Beattie

Gregor Murphy

Kevin Larocque

Mark Niehe

John Edgar

Len Hollingsworth

Michael Mohr

Takeshi Shimodaira

Kevin Hartley Matthew Charette

PPL Written

Nicholas Sneider

Riley Bennett

Skyler Plotnikoff

Gabriel Knight

Ben Correlje Naoyuki Takai

PPL Flight Test

Brian Crossley

Peter Massicotte

Olivier Girardeaux

Ken Wodlinger

Adrien Tennent

Dustin Thompson

Cody Rush

Andrew Harton

Lindair Services Ltd

CPL Written Kevin Stokes

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.

CPL Licence John Verbeeten Loren Brajovic

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

www.lindairservices.com

NOVEMBER 2010 12

Monday and Wednesday Evenings 1900—2200 Date

Topic

Instructor

Nov 1 Nov 2 Nov 3 Nov 4 Nov 8 Nov 9 Nov 10 Nov 11 Nov 15 Nov 16 Nov 17 Nov 18

Navigation Navigation Navigation Navigation Navigation Navigation Human Factors and Pilot Decision Making Remembrance Day—No groundschool Review (written seminar) Review (written seminar) Review Review and Human Factors

Jeff Lightheart Jeff Lightheart Jeff Lightheart Jeff Lightheart Jeff Lightheart Jeff Lightheart Brad Fraser John MacConnachie John MacConnachie Brad Fraser Brad Fraser

Note: For the remainder of this session of groundschool, students should attend either Monday and Wednesday classes OR Tuesday and Thursday classes. As of November 22nd, we will return to the usual Monday and Wednesday only schedule.

Nov 05 06 07 07

1700-2100 0830-1700 0830-1300 1300-1700

Flight Operations Navigation Navigation GPS

Jeff Lightheart Jeff Lightheart Jeff Lightheart Graham Palmer

To sign up for Groundschool, or to purchase your Groundschool Kit, please contact the Victoria Flying Club Office at 250-656-2833.

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NOVEMBER 2010 14

Aircraft - Accommodation - Aviation Books and Gear - Help Wanted - Miscellaneous To meet the deadline for next month’s issue, email your FREE ad by the 15th of each month to: thepatrician@shaw.ca

Notice: Fall and Winter Office Hours Beginning November 1st, the VFC office will be open from 8-5.

Remembrance Day office hours are 8-5 although our Instructors will not be available that day. Also please note the time change taking place at 2am on Sunday, November 7th.

Don’t forget to “fall back” and set your clocks back by an hour.

The

Victoria Flying Club is very excited to partner with Thrifty Foods in their successful Smile Card program. Pick up your smile card today at the VFC office, and 5% of your grocery purchases will go towards creating scholarships and awards for VFC members.

Thank-you to Thrifty Foods for their support!

WWW.FLYVFC.COM

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