Patriciandec08 2

The Patrician Victoria Flying Club

December 2008

Inside

Merry Christmas • Happy New Year

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3

5

7

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10

12

Short Final

Letters to the Editor

Bears Air

In My Travels

To Brazil with N54CC

100 Years of Cdn Aviation

The Chopper Challenge

Eleanor’s

The

Patrician

S hort F inal

Newsletter of the Victoria Flying Club

DECEMBER 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 Monday, December 22, 2008.

Board of Directors President Vice President Treasurer Secretary Directors

Paul Levie Doug Marin Lloyd Toope Colin Dormuth Eleanor Eastick Ellen Wood Sean Steele Jim Sutherland

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

Phone:

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

Fax: Email: Web:

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.

creative communications solutions for YOUR business

250.383.7777 seasidedesigns@shaw.ca seasidedesigns.net

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SEASIDE designs & photography

Looks like the hohoho season is almost upon us again! 2008 has been a pretty good year for the Club with lots of flying hours. The spring was long, wet and miserable, worse than the winter, in my opinion, but the rest of the year yielded some splendid days and a fantastic autumn. So far.

It’s getting darker ever earlier but it all turns around on December 21 at 12:04 Z when the winter solstice occurs and the days begin to stretch.

The December solstice occurs when the sun reaches its most southerly declination of 23.5 degrees. In other words, it is when the North Pole is tilted 23.5 degrees away from the sun. The sun is directly overhead on the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern February 3rd, 2008, the ramp at CYAZ. hemisphere during the December solstice. Check that clear blue sky!

Bet you already knew that!

A Year of Celebration 2009 will be a year of aviation celebration across Canada. On February 23, the first powered flight in Canada took place when the Silver Dart lifted off a frozen lake surface at Baddeck, NS. There will be many celebratory events taking place nationally and here at VFC we will kick off the Centennial Celebration with an Open House on Monday, 23 February, 2009. There’ll be coffee and cake all day long and special certificates given to all who fly that day, whether pilot or passenger, whether a Club plane or a Club member’s plane. Pilots will also receive a sticker for their logbooks.

If all this sounds familiar to some readers, it’s because it’s a repeat of the highly successful Open House VFC hosted in December 2003 for the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ epic flight. The 17th was also a weekday, Wednesday, but the Club was filled with members, their families and friends and anyone else who wanted to be part of a historic event. Dispatch and lineman were kept busy as more than 50 flights were made that day. The morning had started out rainy and cloudy, but suddenly the sun broke through and we had a warm winter’s day for the celebration.

If February 23rd isn’t a good day for VFR flying, the Club will give “Rain Checks” and the certificate and sticker will be issued on your next flight.

But let’s hope we can all get airborne on that historic day!

Happy Holidays!

Well, that’s it for 2008. Next year may bring some changes in the Pat, but in the meantime, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.

Blue Skies and Safe Flights!

Eleanor

Letters to the Editor Hi Eleanor, That would be The De Havilland mosquito. Beautiful aeroplane!

Any flights lately or are you buttoning down for winter. Winter is usually my time to start practicing on my simulator.

Blue skies (for a couple of weeks more at least!)

Liam Hi! It is a Mosquito Bomber made out of plywood.

Ronald W. Salome Hi Eleanor, No mystery - that’s a Mosquito!

Don Devenney Hi Eleanor That’s an easy one! It is a de Havilland Mosquito. I’m not 100% certain but I believe it is the XVI variant which is a bomber versioned by a pair of Rolls Royce Merlin 72 V12 engines each producing 1680HP. The Mosquito served in many capacities including unarmed photo reconnaisance, unarmed bomber, and fighter bommber, and night fighter. These aicraft were extremely fast and agile for their day which was why they could get away with being unarmed. The early versions would do better than 350MPH, later versions were well over 400MPH. Perhaps the flying club could get us one? :-) I’m sure they would be great fun so long as somebody else was paying the bills!

Cheers Colin Williamson

Image courtesy of Dan Alex.

Hi Eleanor, The November mystery of the month is the de Havilland Mosquito.

The Mosquito was known affectionately as the “Mossie” to its crews and was also known as “The Wooden Wonder” or “The Timber Terror” as the bulk of the aircraft was made of laminated plywood.

The Mosquito inspired a conceptually similar German aircraft, the Focke Wulf Ta 154 Moskito, which like its namesake, was constructed of wood.

Rob Shemilt An incredibly powerful aircraft in its time! I never flew in one but as an air cadet in the UK spent many camps at RAF bases where they were being used for target towing. The sound of those engines is unforgettable!

Harold, Vancouver

By the way...the mystery aircraft is of course is the Mosquito bomber!! –Al W Hi Eleanor I haven’t had a chance these last few months to participate in the mystery aircraft. Well, I’m back in the saddle, and of course, this month’s aircraft is that fantastically beautiful Mosquito.

Two stories immediately come to mind, and that is that it was a wooden aircraft built from the huge stands of Sitka Spruce from the old growth forests of the Queen Charlottes. Unfortunately today, even though the islands are very remote, there are precious few such stands left, although there’s a lovely tree easily 15’ across that still stands on the Yakoun River on southern Graham Island. The other wonderful story is that of “The Sheppard”, that all time classic heard every Christmas eve on CBC Radio, read by Alan Maitland describing a lost Vampire jet being led home by a ghost Mosquito aircraft. I never tire of listening to that classic! (Yes, I love it too – who doesn’t!-Ed).

One interesting note about the Mosquito: Although extremely popular and successful in Canadian and British use, it was a real failure with the USAAF. A relatively small number were used by the USAAF during World War Two, but from appears to be poor training did not perform well, and were withdrawn from service fairly quickly. I read an interesting article about their use in the USAAF last year in a scholarly American aviation historical journal (available at the UVic library).

Walt Salmaniw, MD, CAME Ah, you’re all too clever – it’s the famous Mosquito of course!

-Ed This just in: WASHINGTON – Saying that Santa “is going green,” U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters today certified the first-ever hydrogen powered sleigh as safe to operate in U.S. airspace this holiday season. The eco-friendly sleigh is also certified by Transport Canada. “Santa’s new sleigh is a hybrid vehicle that can fly using either the traditional eight tiny reindeer or modern hydrogen fuel cells. The hydrogen sleigh is quieter, so Santa can make his deliveries without waking children and disturbing the visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads,” Secretary Peters said. Secretary Peters and members of the Department’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration Holiday Team inspected Santa’s sleigh, including the hydrogen fuel cell that powers the sleigh, new TCAS technology, and the GPS unit that will get Santa to all the houses on his list. After the inspection, the Secretary signed a “Hydrogen Prototype Vehicle Waiver” that authorizes Santa, a.k.a. Kris Kringle, Saint Nicholas, to operate the vehicle in U.S. airspace and on rooftops. TC co-signed all documents to guarantee on-time delivery of toys to millions of good girls and boys this holiday season.

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Filming History at VFC. CBC/Radio Canada is producing an exciting four part documentary series celebrating the 100th anniversary of flight in Canada.

It will air in both languages some time in 2009.

“First Flight” will explore the wonder of flight by telling the stories of some of Canada's “firsts” and one of these firsts started right here at VFC when 9-year-old Emma Houlston soared into the history books as the youngest pilot to cross Canada. With her dad Paul, Emma flew from Victoria to Nfld in 1988. Twenty years later, Emma and her father re-enacted the flight’s beginning from a rather rainy ramp at VFC. Emma is now married and has a baby son.

DECEMBER Mystery of the Month What is and where is this ugly duckling that will soon grace the skies as a beautiful swan with real leather upholstery?

Extra points for giving its call sign!

Send your educated guesses to

patricianeditor@shaw.ca 4

Organizing the Cockpit

T

here’s always something to learn about flying, whether in your student pilot days or sitting there with several thousand hours in the log book. At this point in time, I’m somewhere between the student and the guy with all the hours, and probably half way to knowing enough about flying to keep me safe.

Every flight is still a learning experience. Flying the right seat with much more experienced pilots can be a great learning tool, if I keep my mind open to it. Some guys will point out little tricks they’ve learned over the years while others go about the business of flying the plane.

From those fellows, I learn about their hobbies, investments, medical problems, girlfriends, holidays, and fishing vests.

I mention fishing vests, because early on in my career when keeping the airplane on track, right side up close to the altitude I was supposed to be at, took a lot of concentration. Throw in other things that tested my organizational skills and the workload went way off the scale. My home, office and my car are usually tidy. But in the airplane, it was a constant battle for me to store tools and items where they were easily accessible and always there. As a pilot, you have to know what I’m talking about. Pens, sunglasses, notepads, calculators, and whatever else you’ve collected as mandatory items never seem to have a place all their own. Pens fall off the panel, or roll up against the windshield out of reach.

Glasses get crushed by the seatbelt while tucked in a shirt pocket. The camera, cell phone and snacks end up under a seat. Spare batteries, because they roll around can only be found when you land. Anything in pockets in your jeans is unavailable anyway, given the problems of moving out of the seat in a small airplane.

That’s where the fishing vest comes in. A pilot I was flying with once, a fellow with several thousand hours who could simultaneously fly and talk about other

BEAR’S AIR Barry Meek

things, told me about them. They’re full of pockets, compartments and little spaces that can handle anything a pilot stuffs in. Mine has been modified a bit for personal requirements and yours can be too.

The vest works well when you fly any airplane, but their true value shines in an open-cockpit biplane and in ultralights. Everything is safely and neatly stored, yet easily accessible.

It’s really such a simple solution to a universal problem, I don’t know why it hasn’t been used by more pilots. In a quick internet search I was unable to find a pilots vest, however fishing and photography outlets sell them.

As a working pilot, my vest is the answer to my clutter in the cockpit. Check out this list and see if there’s a better answer. Cell phone, digital camera, two pens, a pencil, glasses, sun glasses, notebook, calculator, a couple of work-related checklists, glass cleaner cloth, aspirins, lip chapstick, several spare AA batteries (for GPS, AFF transmitter & digital camera), granola bars and a trash pocket. There was even room for a sandwich. This was all stuff I used daily on every flight. Another advantage of using a vest is that everything stays in one place when you’re finished for the day and is right there when required in the morning. Just put the vest back on.

Most pilots have a system that works for them to keep things organized in the cockpit. But it doesn’t hurt to be open to new ideas. A fishing vest will cost anywhere from $40 to $100. Similar vests are available for photographers, and I’ve seen much higher prices.

I’d suggest you assemble everything you utilize while flying your aircraft, lay it all out, then shop for an appropriate vest.

You could also put it on your Christmas or birthday wish list.

Barry Meek bcflyer@propilots.net

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VFC Pilot VFC PILOT SHOP Shop

Got a pilot on your Got a pilot on list? your Christmas

Christmas list?

• Headsets - including David Clarke's NEW • Great stuff for pilots X11 • Headsets, flight computers and • Flight Computers And Other Pilot other gadgets Gadgets • Books and more books!

• •Books and More Books!

Air Force style leather flight jackets • •Air Force-style leather and flightjackets jackets Shirts, sweatshirts Heritage Brand DeHavilland • Shirts, sweat shirtsCessna, and jackets & RCAF logos Heritage Brand Cessna, DeHavilland & • VFC’s own t-shirts, golf shirts and RCAF logos fleece vests • VFC's own t-shirts, golf shirts and fleece vests

Victoria VFCFlying PILOT SHOP Club Pilot Shop

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In My Travels

by Larry Dibnah

T he Vick ers M o del 757 Visc oun t On April 1, 1955 Trans Canada Airlines became the first airline in North America to bring turbine driven aircraft into service.

It was during the 1940’s that the Vickers Armstrong aircraft company and the Rolls Royce company, producers of fine auto and aircraft engines, got together and developed the world class Vickers Model 757 Viscount airliner. Powered by four Rolls Royce Dart turbo prop engines the Viscount was the first such powered aircraft in the world and blazed the way for the future of commercial aircraft development. Moreover, the Viscount was the first transport type to upset the United States’ monopoly on the commercial aircraft market.

The Viscount saw service throughout the world on both passenger and freight services and although the majority had been withdrawn by the start of the 21st century, a few have remained active in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Several examples of the Vickers Viscount have been preserved or are under restoration by aviation museums and other dedicated groups around the world.

The first of Trans Canada Airlines’ Vickers Viscount airliners flew on the Montreal – Toronto – Fort William – Winnipeg route. The TCA company (later to become Air Canada) eventually acquired 51 brand new Viscounts from VickersArmstrong. The Viscounts were kept in service on all of TCA’s short-haul routes across Canada and were soon appreciated for their speed, quietness and smooth operating characteristics.

If you can call it such, the Viscount presented one physical challenge – its tail was higher than most hangar doors at the time. Not to be deterred, innovative TCA staff designed a special jack which raised the aircraft’s nose thus tilting its tail low enough to clear the hangar doors allowing movement in and out.

In 1974 Air Canada finally retired its fleet of Viscounts after nineteen years of excellent service. A few of these Viscounts have fortunately ended up in Aviation Museums where they are being cared for.

After its retirement, Vickers Viscount #625, CF-THG, was operated by Harrison Airways in Vancouver between January 21, 1977 and June 10, 1980. When its flying days were finished, #625 was donated to the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) Sea Island Campus at Vancouver International Airport. There, the Viscount was used as a training aid for future Aviation Maintenance Engineers. Later the school used the aircraft for firefighting drills where, selflessly, #625 gave up most of her Air Canada paint scheme so that student firefighters could hone their skills during the unceremonious dowsing of the Viscount with fire retardant foam. Mercifully, Viscount #625 was replaced at BCIT by a Boeing 737 in September 1995.

Age, weather and chemicals had all taken their toll on poor old #625’s airframe so in 2005 the Viscount was rescued by the British Columbia Aviation Museum for the price of one dollar and barged over from the mainland to its property at the Victoria International Airport.

Restoration work on Viscount #625 began in earnest during the spring of 2007.

What remained of the Air Canada paint scheme was removed to reveal her original Trans Canada Airlines colours. Carefully and oh so lovingly, the Museum restoration crew led by Mr. Al Catterall has restored the old TCA scheme with new paint and has begun polishing all the natural aluminum surfaces to a mirror-like finish.

Interior work is also underway and will include a rebuild of the flooring, new carpeting, re-covering some of the more worn out passenger seats and new paint for the headliners. The cockpit and galley

story cont’d on p 15

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a z i l with N r B 54CC To

Bob has decided to slow down for a couple of days. He

has friends from Kelowna staying in their cottage here for a few weeks, Carl and Angelique who have luckily found us somewhere to stay for it is the Easter weekend and all the Panamanians who have holiday homes here are in residence and there is not a room to be had. We have been given a 2 bedroom summer house overlooking the airstrip which is just perfect; we can do our aeroplane watching from our balcony with cold beer in hand. Carl and Bob spend some time talking about chemical engineering, I start scribbling this account of our trip and Angelique plans our evenings. Fish is the best option on any menu here; it is all caught in the morning and cooked for supper.

As Easter Monday rolls around, the people start to leave; a procession of Twin Otters and Caravans arrive to take them back to Panama City, half an hour away. 21 people in a double Otter?? Maybe they leave the seats out for this weekend and provide strap handles. Hey, regulation is one thing, enforcement is quite another.

M ar c h 5th We are ready for a 6:20 am departure (official daylight) but on start-up find there is no ignition. With great foresight I had put a spare Igniter plug in our tool kit but not the required spanner! No ignition is one thing but no tools to change the wretched thing is quite another. Why do I just get blank stares when asking for a 13/16th ring spanner? An hour later we are on our way having managed to change the igniter with the help of a borrowed crescent wrench. A quick stop in Panama City to top off the tanks and pay some more fees then we are off to Tapachula Mexico, our compulsory

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5 Part the final instalment

airport of entry. Lots of Cumulus on the Caribbean side and over the mountains but once we cross the isthmus to the Pacific coast we run by Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala without any more weather.

Sounds impressive, whipping by all those countries in a light single-engine aircraft!

Tapachula is a novel experience. We land and taxi toward the turn-off to the terminal but are told to backtrack and proceed to another seemingly deserted hangar. On arrival there, a platoon of heavily armed naval marine commandos emerges and jogs towards us in formation complete with balaclavas and huge automatic weapons.

They fan out to encircle the aircraft, 17 of them. Dog handlers then arrive and quickly explore every crevice the aircraft has to offer. I think they were hoping for a larger aircraft to search. Anyway, as soon as the dogs leave, looking disappointed, the marines form up into some sort of military formation and trot off again. There are no photos of these folks. I thought Bob, myself and the aeroplane would have been shot full of holes had I pulled a camera from my pocket. We find ourselves alone on this now deserted ramp so taxi up to the terminal, refuel and depart for Mexico City. Obviously the Mexicans feel that genuine tourists do not enter Mexico from the South. I am really glad there is no mud on the aircraft having arrived from Panama and Columbia.

We select Toluca in Mexico City hoping it will be less crowded than Benito Juรกrez. It has been open for 2 years and is certainly a much better choice for GA aircraft. I am going to take the aircraft on from here to Santa Rosa for another 100 inspection and Bob will commercial

directly back to Vancouver. I expect the flight time tomorrow will be close to 12 hours so plan for an early start. The smog is such that in the 6am darkness I cannot tell if I am IMC or VMC so shuttle up towards the MEA until I can see my way clear to proceed enroute towards Guaymas. Once clear of the Mexico City area the weather clears and I am treated to a beautiful flight along the coast.

Into Guaymas, refuel and out again in 50 minutes heading for Brown Municipal. Being back in Mexico again, ATC insist I stick to the airways. I expect I could have flown VFR at 16.5 but elected to stay IFR at FL180. The winds are gently increasing and by the time I reach the northern end of the Gulf of California I have a 45 knot headwind component. Brown field is fun - the Tower Controller asks if I want to orbit to wait for a military Hercules. Orbit ??? Silly controller !!! I fly the approach in echelon port, staying just above his wingtip vortex; he lands on the 8000’ 26R leaving me with the 3000’ 26L. Just like 28 Left and Right in San Francisco except the runways here are closer together and this time I’m in the smaller aircraft.

This airport appears to be populated by Customs and Border Control people so seems a good place to stop. In any event it is very quiet; Customs wave some sort of wand around the aircraft “looking for Jimmy Hoffa” he said, then I am fuelled and off again within the hour. Now I am back in more familiar territory having spent the last couple of years shuttling between SFO and LAX in a Japanese jumbo jet. Out over the sea to Santa Catalina then Ventura to keep away from the LAX traffic then direct San Carlos. I had decided to overnight here and visit with some airline friends as PropJet in Santa Rosa would be closed by now. San Carlos is my first GPS approach in anger as I cannot see the airport until about 3 miles from the runway. It is certainly a very accurate approach; I’m impressed.

Departing in the morning I rise to the challenge of flying VFR from the airport with the distinction of having more airspace violations than any other in the US. Just ask for a transponder code from Ground control and take off with the instruction to follow Highway 101 at 2000’. This I do until overhead SFO from which point I am cleared direct to Santa Rosa. I stay at 2000’ so I can rubberneck at the fancy houses in Marin county. If only my wife Maggi would buy the right lottery ticket…….

This trip was a remarkable experience for us. Wonderful flying in areas we’ve not seen before. From a professional point of view there were occasions daily which could have proven troublesome were it not for reasonably decent planning, common sense and sound basics. Blood pressure never varied from a placid 120/70 except for Bob’s which shot up whenever I attempted a landing; if the gear oleos were 30 feet longer it would be a snap.

88.9 hours in the air covering 14,390nm.

Bob Gunderson has been a member of VFC since the early ‘70s when he completed his Commercial multi engine IFR. On April 3rd 1974 I gave him his First Solo check, then his Private Flight Test on August 7th, his Commercial Flight Test on March 26th 1975 and his multi on Christmas Eve 1975.

Back when Bob started, the Club had 3 150s, a 172 and an elderly Apache. Since then Bob has accumulated in excess of 10,000 hours flying just about everything under 12,500 lbs all over North America in all weather conditions during the course of his various business ventures. As CEO of Whitefox Technologies, Bob now has interests on all 5

continents and with that in mind I hope he gives me another call one day…………….

An explanation of the November Mystery Plane One of the most aesthetic aircraft ever to grace the skies was the de Havilland Mosquito, used in various guises from unarmed bomber to heavily armed anti-shipping fighter-bomber. There is a wealth of information on the internet, providing all kinds of technical details, but equally fascinating is the rationale behind the Wooden Wonder.

De Havilland noted that except in torsion, wood’s strength for weight was as great as that of duralumin or steel. He further suggested that should war break out without warning, the adequate supplies of suitable timber and a capable workforce in the form of labour from the furniture, coach building and other woodworking trades would aid in having the new aircraft in service rapidly. Just as Goering said, every piano factory in England knocks together a beautiful wooden aircraft.

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O ne Hu n d r e d Ye a r s of Can i an Aviat ion ad Catherine Tobenas, President, International Air Rally, Aviation Connection Event Co-ordinator (whew!) sent this breathless email: Avgas is at its lowest, USA pilots, welcome with the low Canadian dollar, no landing fees, no parking fees! No more excuses! Pilots of all categories, experience and origins: from low time to multitalented world travelled pilots, from Cessna 172 to jet type aircraft: A melting pot of Aviation fanatics.

In 2009 Canada is celebrating Aviation and Pilots during the Canadian Centennial of Powered Flight, (1909-2009).

The City of Montreal is rolling out the red carpet for you! Whether you come for the launch of the Air Rally, the finals, or as a true adventure flyer to enter the challenge, we promise you the best time ever!

Major exhibitions and spectacular shows will be announced soon. Large numbers of pilots from Canada, USA and Europe are expected.

Please make your reservations now!

PREPARE TO CELEBRATE WITH US! CANADA IN 14 DAYS GOVERNOR GENERAL’S CUP CANADIAN CENTENNIAL OF FLIGHT CELEBRATIONS Presented By AVIATION CONNECTION August 1 – August 16 Covering ALL Canadian Provinces and Territories Please visit www.airrally.com and www.aviationconnection.org See also the John Lovelace Cross Canada Century Flight 2009 (November Pat) which celebrates the 100th anniversary. This flight takes place from July 17 to 27, beginning at Boundary Bay and ending in Baddeck, NS. -Ed.

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The Flight before Christmas 'Twas the flight before Christmas, and out on the ramp, Not an airplane was stirring, not even a Champ.

The aircraft were fastened to their tiedowns with care, In hopes that come morning, they all would be there.

The fuel trucks were nestled, all snug in their spots, With gusts from two-forty at 39 knots.

I slumped at the fuel desk, now finally caught up, And settled down comfortably, resting my butt.

When the radio lit up with noise and with chatter, I turned up the scanner to see what was the matter.

A voice clearly heard over static and snow, Called for clearance to land at the airport below.

He barked his transmission so lively and quick, I'd have sworn that the call sign he used was 'St. Nick'; I ran to the panel to turn up the lights, The better to welcome this magical flight.

He called his position, no room for denial, 'St. Nicholas One, turnin' left onto final.'

And what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a Rutan-built sleigh, with eight Rotax Reindeer!

With vectors to final, down the glideslope he came, As he passed all the fixes, he called them by name: 'Now Ringo! Now Tolga! Now Trini and Bacun!

On Comet! On Cupid!' What pills was he takin'?

While controllers were sittin', and scratchin' their head, They phoned to my office, and I heard it with dread, The message they left was both urgent and dour: 'When Santa pulls in, have him please call the tower.'

He landed like silk, with the sled runners sparking, Then I heard 'Left at Charlie,' and 'Taxi to parking.'

He slowed to a taxi, turned off of three-oh And stopped on the ramp with a 'Ho, ho-ho- ho...'

He stepped out of the sleigh, but before he could talk, I ran out to meet him with my best set of chocks.

His red helmet and goggles were covered with frost And his beard was all blackened from Reindeer exhaust.

His breath smelled like peppermint, gone slightly stale, And he puffed on a pipe, but he didn't inhale.

His cheeks were all rosy and jiggled like jelly, His boots were as black as a crop duster's belly.

He was chubby and plump, in his suit of bright red, And he asked me to 'fill it, with hundred low- lead.'

He came dashing in fast from the snow-covered pump, I knew he was anxious for drainin' the sump.

I spoke not a word, but went straight to my work, And I filled up the sleigh, but I spilled like a jerk.

He came out of the restroom, and sighed in relief, Then he picked up the phone for a Flight Service brief.

And I thought as he silently scribed in his log, These reindeer could land in a one- eighth mile fog.

He completed his pre-flight, from the front to the rear, Then he put on his headset, and I heard him yell, 'Clear!'

And laying a finger on his push-to-talk, He called up the tower for clearance and squawk.

'Take taxiway Charlie, the southbound direction, Turn right three-two-zero at pilot's discretion.'

He sped down the runway, the best of the best, 'Your traffic's a Grumman, inbound from the west.'

Then I heard him proclaim, as he climbed through the night, 'Merry Christmas to all! I have traffic in sight.'

The Flight before Christmas 11

The

Chopper Challenge

Saturday, November 22 was a bright, if cool day at YYJ when the First Annual Chopper Challenge took place at the 443 Squadron. The event was a fundraiser for the United Way, backed by the VAA. Thrifty's generously supplied all the barbecue food; there was coffee courtesy of Serious Coffee and local businesses provided various draw prizes. There was a big table of delicious baked goodies for sale with all proceeds going to the United Way. The challenge was to pull a SeaKing helicopter 75 feet

from a static start - no mean accomplishment considering the size of the machine - almost 55 feet long, nearly 17 feet tall and weighing in empty at about 12000 pounds with the "brakeman" aboard. The five teams of ten pullers all made a great show, but the big winner was our very own VFC team, looking very smart in their red jackets.

Next year, we hope the 443 will host the second annual chopper pull and that the word will get out in time for more people to attend a fun and worthwhile event.

So Long Simon - Good Luck VFC has had one of its long time students/staff move on; Simon Dennis has moved to New Zealand. From the Archives came a photo of Graham handing him his First Solo certificate. The Club reenacted this historic event last week in front of the same aircraft, handing Simon his last pay cheque instead of his first solo certificate. Note the feet! The CFI said it was important to show them!

Simon has moved on to the Auckland Aero Club and will be converting his license as well as getting his multi IFR rating and instructing there. Maybe we will be lucky and see him here at the Wings Banquet. Time will tell!

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Ashley Greenly (Trevor Mann)

Jordan Byng (Tim Parfitt)

First Solo as of November 25 • 08

Steve Kachanoski (Simon Dennis)

Terry Doody (Simon Dennis)

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!

SMILE CARD TOTAL TO DATE

$7334

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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

Dec

Jan 09

Feb

Mar

The Annual

DATE

TOPIC

INSTRUCTOR

01

Navigation

Jeff Lightheart

s Banque Wing t

03

Navigation

Jeff Lightheart

will be held on

08

Radio and Electronic Theory

Mike Chow

10

Review (Tower Tour/Written Seminar)

John MacConnachie

Saturday, Jan 31, 2009

15

Review

Brad Fraser

05

Theory of Flight & Licensing Requirements

cocktails 6:30, dinner 7:30 at the

Ian Watt

07

Aerodynamics

Ian Watt

12

Airframes and Engines

Mike Chow

14

Systems & Flight Instruments

Mike Chow

19

CARS

Yasuhiro Koide

21

CARS

Yasuhiro Koide

26

Meteorology

Bryon Thompson

28

Meteorology

Bryon Thompson

02

Meteorology

Bryon Thompson

Friends, Family and Club members welcome

04

Meteorology

Bryon Thompson

Call Dispatch for details.

09

Meteorology

Bryon Thompson

11

Human Factors & PDM

Brad Fraser

16

Flight Operations

Trevor Mann

18

Flight Operations

Trevor Mann

23

Navigation

Jeff Lightheart

25

Navigation

Jeff Lightheart

02

Navigation

Jeff Lightheart

04

Radio and Electronic Theory

Tristan Nano

09

Review (Tower Tour/Written Seminar)

John MacConnachie

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

Free Admission to Wings Graduates.

Note: No Ground School on Stat Holidays

Sustaining Member of Victoria Flying Club If you are a VFC member in good standing for two consecutive years, you can apply to become a Sustaining Member. The annual membership fee is only $10 more and entitles you to 10% off flying and pilot shop purchases. You also get voting privileges at the AGM and you can run for the Board of Directors.

APPLICATION FORMS AVAILABLE AT DISPATCH

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L indair Ser vices Ltd 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.

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

www.lindairservices.com

Ted Krasowski took these photos of the Canadair/Convair parked at Shell Aerocentre recently. He and Peter Liem even got inside for a look at the Fed's plane. I heard it called a Convair by many, but the definitive word comes from Larry Dibnah: -ed The aircraft is a Canadair CL-66 transport, formerly a CC-109 Cosmopolitan (Cosmo) of the Canadian Armed Forces. It appears that it is still in Government of Canada employ. The ŒCosmo‚ was based on the old Convair CV440 airframe. In the late 1950’s, Convair and Canadair were both owned by the parent company called General Dynamics. Canadair purchased the production jigs from Convair along with some uncompleted airframes. The original Pratt & Whitney radial engines were replaced with 3,500 shp Napier Eland turboprop engines. The RCAF was the main customer for this new aircraft. In 1966 the RCAF ŒCosmos‚ were upgraded with Allison T-56 turboprops and modern avionics. All Canadian Forces ŒCosmos‚ were retired in 1995 and were bought up by small air carriers and other government agencies. The aircraft designation has reverted back to CL-66.

In My Travels cont’d from p 7 have been completely restored and work on the lavatory is in progress. It is interesting to note that Al and some of his crew were once pilots for TCA and Air Canada and have flown Viscount #625 in its glory days.

Work continues on Viscount #625 and it is hoped that it will eventually be on display in the Museum’s new hangar where visitors will be able to climb the stairway up into the aircraft for a closer look.

Stay tuned!

Lots of Christmas stuff in stock at the

Pilot Shop

Wouldn’t you rather be flying?

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

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

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

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Silver Dart – Canada’s 100 Years

Come to VFC on Monday, February 23, 2009 Help us celebrate the 100th Anniversary of

Powered Flight in Canada May your hearts be filled with peace, love and joy as you celebrate this Christmas. And may you remember that every smile, every visit and every expression of thoughtfulness will make a difference to someone’s life.

I hope each of you is able to share with family and friends the true wonder of Christmas. All of us here at the Club wish you and your families, a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year.

Gerry Mants VFC

A

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

O!

VFC members – book a flight on this historic day and get a special certificate & stamp in your logbook.

Coffee and cake all day!

Everyone welcome!

Achievements First Solo

Victoria Gort

Ashley Greenly

Liam Shaw

Jordan Byng

Private Pilot License

Terry Doody

Raj Negi

Steve Kachanoski

CPL Written Test

PPL Written Test

Kristen Ursel

Raj Negi

IFR Flight Test

PPL Flight Test

Karim Gharios

Hans Raj

CPL Flight Test

Uwe Schiek

Sanu Krishnan

Sonja Futehally

Chris Barton

Danny Poirier

Mohamed Motala

Allan Crandall

Ken Wiseman

Ron Spencer

Welcome New Members!

Open 8am 4pm daily

in the Victoria Flying Club

Join us for breakfast or lunch…inside & patio seating 101-1852 Canso Rd 16

250.655.9395

Keith Cooper Oscar Lancaster Taylor Robson Uwe Schiek James Collett

Patrick Spearing Ken Wiseman Todd Chivese Utkarsh Agarwal Mark Weston