Porter Airlines Sponsors Mentorship Program

Ontario’s Porter Airlines is addressing the pilot shortage situation by sponsoring an initiative by the Northern Lights Aero Foundation to attract and retain women in aviation and aerospace careers.

The Northern Lights Mentorship Program is designed to connect aspiring industry professionals with experienced ones already working in the industry. Both female and male mentors will form a network to inspire, support and guide women in their pursuit of a career in the aviation/aerospace sector.

“Women are generally underrepresented in aviation and aerospace. The Northern Lights Mentorship Program helps break down barriers by connecting women with mentors who know the industry and generally have a passion for what they do and want to share it with other aviation enthusiasts,” said Porter Airlines president and CEO Robert Deluce. “There are many opportunities within aviation, from being a pilot to a maintenance engineer or dispatcher. Having someone to help navigate the path forward is invaluable.”

Adds Joy Parker Blackwood, President, Northern Lights Aero Foundation, “It is so important, in the pursuit of bringing in and retaining more women in this industry, to have a tool whereby they can have mentors suited to their needs, whether it is in simply considering a career, the struggles in training or discovering new pathways.” Blackwood continued, ‘The new mentorship program supports our mission to create career opportunities in aviation and aerospace for Canadian women.”

The program was launched at the annual Northern Lights Awards Gala held September 29.

Bolingbroke Restoration Project Alters Course

The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum announced this week that work to restore to airworthy status a World War Two-era Bristol Fairchild Bolingbroke has ceased and instead the project team will work towards restoring the aircraft for ground operations only.

Citing difficulty in sourcing usable parts and the complicated nature of a project that has already lasted 30 years, a committee comprising museum staff and the project’s volunteers came to the conclusion that their goal was unrealistic. The museum is now aiming to present to their members and the community an aircraft that will be capable of ground operations only during the Mount Hope, Ont. museum’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2022.

Bolingbrokes served the RCAF as a maritime patrol aircraft and twin-engine trainer during the Second World War. They were built in Longueuil, Quebec by Fairchild Canada under licence from Britain’s Bristol Aircraft. The design was based on the Bristol Blenheim bomber. A total of 626 Bolingbrokes were produced.

Most of the 151 Mk IVs built served in their intended role as patrol bombers on Canada’s east and west coast between 1940 and 1944. Two squadrons of these aircraft also served in Alaska during the Aleutians campaign against Japanese invaders. The 457 Mk IVT trainers that were produced saw extensive use in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.

Foreign Students Flock To Gander

When Gander is mentioned to pretty well anyone, something linked to aviation will invariably come to mind. However, it’s usually related to military themes or airline stopovers. And if you were told that Gander is home to an internationally renowned flight training school that has been attracting foreign students by the hundreds over the last 10 years, you would probably be surprised, perhaps even skeptical. But there it is, Gander Flight Training (GFT), and it is attracting students from Thailand, India, Turkey, Africa and South America.

When contacted by eFlight with the question, “Why Gander?”, GFT Aerospace’s general manager Darlene Colbourne cited what she’s heard from the students, “If you can fly in Gander, you can fly anywhere in the world.”

Kenyen native Charles Onyango says, “Once you get experience from here, you really won’t have any kind of problems flying anywhere else.” Onyango original had a South African school in his sights, but friends convinced him of the benefits training in Canada offers.

Said Indian student Mohammed Fazal in an interview with CBC, “The weather is really challenging, so you can become a really good pilot.”

Above: Thai student Banyawat Chomkan celebrates his first solo.

GFT Aerospace currently has over 60 fulltime students, with almost half of them coming from Thailand. GFT has been under contract since 2007 to provide flight training to Rangsit University’s aviation diploma program. There are also five students from India and two from Colombia. Colbourne also mentions that about half of their students come from Canada.

On the flight line at GFT are 12 Cessna 150/152s, five 172s (two of which are IFR-certified), one Piper PA-44 Seminole (IFR-certified) and 5 Beechcraft 1900Ds. The latter aircraft form the core of sister company EVAS Air Tier III Air Canada Express fleet.

Exploits Valley Air Services (EVAS) was formed in 1992 when co-founder and current CEO Patrick White purchased a Cessna 150 and offered flight training at Botwood airport (CCP2) in Newfoundland. The following year White moved the operation to Gander (CYQX), where he completed the school’s first Air Cadet Flying Scholarship program. Growth has been steadily increasing since.

White’s wife and EVAS Air/GFT co-owner Florence cites tangible financial benefits to the local economy as well as students rent, eat, work and spend money in Gander.

Canada’s immigration and employment laws allow some foreign students to stay on as flight instructors, and some are able to fly right seat in EVAS Air’s charter fleet. At least one foreign student has decided to set down roots, buying a house in Gander.

Low-Time Edmontonian Competes In China Cup Race

Full time chemical production engineer and part time air race pilot Scott Holmes placed seventh in the first Air Race 1 event to be held in China. The November 16-18 event, dubbed the China Cup, saw 13 pilots and four countries represented in the Wuhan City event.

Entrants race around a three-mile course at altitudes as low as 33 feet at speeds in excess of 216 knots. Race rules limit engine size to 200 cubic inches.

Holmes, at 29, was the youngest participant in the China Cup. And at 350 total hours in the air, he figures he’s the least experienced as well, citing fellow competitors with 20,000 hours of airline flight time. Holmes competed in the 2017 National Formula One Air Racing Championships in Reno, Nevada, his first professional race.

Holmes told the CBC in an interview, “In Asia it’s a bit like the Wild West of Aviation. They don’t have a lot of the typical rules and laws and best practices that we’ve built in North America over the years. So we have to kind of use our best judgment in a lot of situations.” He cites smog, trees and adjacent restricted military airspace as challenges not present in the desert environment of Nevada.

The aircraft Holmes flies is a single-seat Cassutt, a purpose-built racing airplane that he has nick-named ‘Outlaw’. Built with tubular steel, plywood wings and a spruce spar, the ‘amateur-constructed’ aircraft was designed by former TWA captain Thomas Cassutt in 1951. An updated version of the racer features a taper-wing design.

Click here for a video recording of an interview with Scott Holmes.

Courtenay Airpark Tenant Finally Secures Lease

Secure tenancies are beginning to return to Courtenay Airpark (CAH3) after a summer filled with apprehension and protests on the part of the small airport’s stakeholders.

eFlight readers may recall our reports last August of the City of Courtenay’s proposal to effectively destroy the airport by running a roadway and bridge across the northern end of the 1800-foot runway, a measure that would also prevent use of the airpark’s floatplane ramp.

Larry Jangula, the mayor at that time, proposed a motion that the proposal be killed and it was carried. However, a number of tenants had been placed on month-to-month leases instead of normal extensions as per previous policy and consequently tenant tenure remained an unresolved issue.

In a positive development, city council announced on Monday that Park Café has been granted a five-year lease extension with an option to renew for an additional five years. Café owner Donna MacLean told local digital news site mycomoxvalleynow.com that she felt “awesome” about the news.

The Courtenay Airpark Association (CAA), the not-for-profit leaseholder and operator of the airport, will also have the airport’s aging floatplane ramp incorporated into their lease, paving the way for its replacement as it approaches the end of its useful life. The ramp replacement has already been approved by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and its replacement and ongoing maintenance will be the responsibility of the CAA.

Former city councillor and newly elected Courtenay mayor Bob Wells said, “Going forward, I want to make sure we have a great Airpark that is well supported, and is there long into the future.”

Crash Victim Relatives File Wrongful Death Lawsuits in U.S.

Lawsuits were filed in a Pennsylvania court two years after the October, 2016 crash of a PA-28 Cherokee in the U.S. state which claimed the lives of three young men from the Niagara, Ontario area.

Flight instructor Rifat Tawfig, 25, was killed in the crash, along with flight training students Corey Mijac, 18, and Ben Jeffries, 19. All three were from the Niagara region, and were part of the St. Catharines Flying Club ab initio flight training program.

The Cherokee was one of five aircraft from the flying club that flew down to the southern U.S. for several days of flying. After taking off on their final leg from Richmond airport (KRIC), bound for St. Catharines/Niagara airport (CYSN), the Cherokee entered IMC on an IFR flight plan, subsequently lost control of the aircraft and crashed. A post-crash investigation determined that the aircraft experienced a vacuum pump failure.

The family of victim Mijac is suing the St. Catharines Flying Club and Aero Accessories of North Carolina, the latter being the manufacturer of the vacuum pump that failed on the PA-28. In a statement of claim, the lawsuit alleges that “Defendants Aero Accessories manufactured parts and components on the accident aircraft that failed during the flight contributing to the aircraft to crash into the ground. The vacuum pump designed, overhauled, manufactured, and provided by defendants Aero Accessories failed in flight. As a result of the failure of the vacuum pump, a number of the instruments in the mishap aircraft were inoperative or providing false information which contributed to the crash.”

On the same day, the family of victim Tawfig filed a lawsuit against the St. Catharines Flying Club, Transport Canada and the FAA, alleging the named defendants were negligent in deeming the aircraft was operational and allowing it to fly.

Où voler en fin de semaine : Montebello 2019

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Seulement quelques jours à attendre! L’hotel est complet, mais des billets pour le banquet sont toujours disponibles en cliquant ici.[/vc_column_text][vc_tta_tabs shape=”round” color=”blue” active_section=”1″ title=”Agenda”][vc_tta_section title=”Vendredi” tab_id=”1547762724571-e42a8b9a-c1f5″][vc_column_text]17h00         Enregistrement

18h00         Cocktail hivernal[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Samedi” tab_id=”1547762724638-63806964-9192″][vc_column_text]8h00          Arrivée des aéronefs sur la piste sur la rivière, piste déneigée 40′ X 2 500′

8h30          Enregistrement

9h00           Session du groupe de travail des ultra-légers de la Campagne de sécurité pour l’aviation générale (CSAG) – la même session est présentée à 15h00

  • Ludovic Masson, Inspecteur en application, normes générales de vol (Co-porte-parole du groupe de travail des ultra-légers)
  • Claude Roy, Challenge Aviation (membre du groupe de travail des ultra-légers)
  • Simon Garrett, Inspecteur en application, normes générales de vol (Codirigeant de la CSAG et supervision du groupe de travail des ultra-légers)

10h30         Pause réseautage

10h45         Challenger 35th Anniversary Fly-in

  • Kevin Brown, Steve Bell et Claude Roy

11h45         Dîner                                                                              À votre convenance

13h00         Mise à jour Rotax

  • John Baker, RotacRepair

14h00         L’assurance aviation au Canada

  • Belinda Bryce, Magnes Insurance Group
  • Norm White, McLarens

15h00         Session du groupe de travail des ultra-légers de la Campagne de sécurité pour l’aviation générale (CSAG)

  • Ludovic Masson, Inspecteur en application, normes générales de vol (Co-porte-parole du groupe de travail des ultra-légers)
  • Claude Roy, Challenge Aviation (membre du groupe de travail des ultra-légers)
  • Simon Garrett, Inspecteur en application, normes générales de vol (Codirigeant de la CSAG et supervision du groupe de travail des ultra-légers)

18h30         Souper banquet
Conférencier d’honneur: Pierre Ruel; Chef, normes d’opérations aériennes, Transports Canada

20h00         Soirée au coin du feu[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Dimanche” tab_id=”1547762896399-d8a6efb4-c960″][vc_column_text]8h00           Déjeuner                                                                        À votre convenance

8h00           Départ des aéronefs depuis la rivière

12h00         Check-out / Fin du rendez-vous aérien[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_tabs][vc_column_text]Plus grand chalet en bois rond au monde, le Château Montebello de Fairmont est situé en plein cœur du pittoresque village de Montebello sur les rives de la rivière des Outaouais. Le RVA se déroulant au milieu de l’hiver, la rivière sera bien gelée pour vous permettre de rouler et de vous arrêter devant l’hôtel. Pour un vol d’hiver, la destination ne pourrait guère être plus attrayante ! Les automobilistes et les motoneigistes sont également les bienvenus.

Pour ceux qui arrive par avion, quelque choses a noter:[/vc_column_text][vc_tta_accordion][vc_tta_section title=”Essence” tab_id=”1547759528708-a7d4166f-efca”][vc_column_text]Tout le monde s’envolant vers ou en revenant de l’événement Montebello 2019 (25-27 janvier) est invité à s’arrêter à Lachute (CSE4) pour les prix d’essence les plus bas de la région. Pour cet événement seulement, profitez d’un rabais de 6¢ du litre![/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Piste” tab_id=”1547759528773-3521d709-99cd”][vc_column_text]Montebello est une hydrobase publiée dans le CFS sous CSB6 à l’ouest du Château. La piste est à peu près orientée 06-24, entre CSB6 et le Château, sur glace et neige. La décision d’atterrir est entièrement celle des pilotes. Si les conditions le permettent, la piste sera déneigée pour des opérations sur roues. Les dimensions seront publiées sur notre site et les médias sociaux vendredi et samedi matin. Visitez flymontebello.com/fr-ca/home.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Radio” tab_id=”1547759560546-e95b911a-8d0c”][vc_column_text]Tel qu’indiqué dans le CFS, les pilotes doivent écouter et diffuser leurs intentions sur l’ATF publiée de 123.20. Du personnel sur les lieux aura des radios pour donner des avis seulement. Les pilotes sont entièrement responsables d’éviter les autres aéronefs ainsi que la décision d’atterrir ou non.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Stationnement” tab_id=”1547759570788-7bdbb975-824a”][vc_column_text]Des signaleurs seront sur les lieux pour aider au stationnement dans les espaces de la marina. Des adaptateurs (voir ci-dessous) seront disponibles pour alimenter les chauffe-moteurs. Les pilotes sont avisés d’apporter leurs attaches, couvertures et cales.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Prises pour chauffe-moteurs” tab_id=”1547759582000-a64ea37e-2bce”][vc_column_text]Des adaptateurs seront à louer (25$, tous les profits allant au Fonds de défense du droit de voler) pour ceux qui le désirent – disponibles à la réception. Les pilotes doivent apporter leur propre rallonge.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”22090″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Banquet” tab_id=”1547759606662-f4eeb373-1eff”][vc_column_text]Un nombre très limité de billets seront disponibles sur place pour le banquet. Pour vous assurer de participer à cette superbe soirée, veuillez vous procurer vos billets à l’avance ici.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Where To Fly: Montebello 2019

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Only a few days to go! Canada’s premiere winter fly in kicks off this weekend.

While the Fairmont Chateau Montebello is completely sold out, banquet tickets are still available.[/vc_column_text][vc_tta_tabs style=”modern” shape=”round” color=”blue” active_section=”1″ title=”Agenda”][vc_tta_section title=”Friday” tab_id=”1547762337465-f3a5a814-2487″][vc_column_text]1700           Registration

1800           Winter Rendezvous

1830           Dinner[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Saturday” tab_id=”1547762337522-60bb7ce9-f2c6″][vc_column_text]0800           Airplane Arrival on Winter Runway, plowed 40′ X 2,500′

0830           Registration

0900           General Aviation Safety Campaign (GASC) Ultra-light Working Group Safety Seminar –the same session is given at 1500

  • Ludovic Masson, General Flight Standards Inspector (Co‑Lead of the Ultra-light Working Group)
  • Claude Roy, Challenge Aviation (member of the Ultra-light Working Group)
  • Simon Garrett, General Flight Standards (GASC Co-lead and Oversight of the Ultra-light Working Group)

1030           Networking Break

1045           Challenger 35th Anniversary Fly-in

  • Kevin Brown, Steve Bell and Claude Roy

1145           Lunch                                                                                    At your leisure

1300           Rotax Refresher

  • John Baker, RotacRepair

1400           Aviation Insurance in Canada

  • Belinda Bryce, Magnes Insurance Group
  • Norm White, McLarens

1500           GASC Ultra-light Working Group Safety Seminar

  • Ludovic Masson, General Flight Standards Inspector (Co‑Lead of the Ultra-light Working Group)
  • Claude Roy, Challenge Aviation (member of the Ultra-light Working Group)
  • Simon Garrett, General Flight Standards (GASC Co-lead and Oversight of the Ultra-light Working Group)

1830           Banquet Dinner
Keynote Speaker: Pierre Ruel; Chief of Flight Standards, Transport Canada

2000           Fireside Social[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Sunday” tab_id=”1547762417686-ce6c476f-b642″][vc_column_text]0800           Breakfast                                                                               At your leisure

0800           Airplane departures from Winter Runway

1200           Check-out / end of Fly-In[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_tabs][vc_column_text]The world’s largest log cabin, Fairmont’s Chateau Montebello is located right in the heart of the scenic village of Montebello, Quebec, on the banks of the Ottawa River. Being situated in Quebec and happening in mid-winter, we know the river will be frozen over, providing attendees the opportunity to land right in front of the hotel. In the world of cold-weather aviation, it doesn’t get much better than that. Drive-in attendees and sledders are welcome too, of course.

For those planning to fly in, there are some key things to note:[/vc_column_text][vc_tta_accordion][vc_tta_section title=”Fuel” tab_id=”1547758844903-fc47b014-8661″][vc_column_text]Our friends at Lachute Airport (CSE4) are offering all 2019 Montebello fly-in participants a 6¢ discount per litre off the price of some of the cheapest fuel prices in the region! We encourage pilots to visit on your way to or from Montebello.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Runway” tab_id=”1547758844969-96416bd7-7775″][vc_column_text]The Montebello Seaplane Base (CSB6) is situated approx 1.2nm west of the Château. The runway is somewhat of a 06-24 orientation, between CSB6 and the Château, on ice and snow. The decision to land is solely the responsibility of the pilot. If conditions permit, the runway will be plowed for wheel operations. Length available and conditions will be updated on our website and social media on Friday and Saturday mornings. Visit flymontebello.ca for updates.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Radio” tab_id=”1547758990551-ffd648d3-05b5″][vc_column_text]Per the CFS, pilots are requested to monitor and broadcast intentions on the published Aerodrome Traffic Frequency (ATF) 123.20. Staff onsite will have radios to provide advisories only. Pilots are responsible for all traffic avoidance as well as their decision to land.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Parking” tab_id=”1547759000978-360cf581-bb5a”][vc_column_text]Marshallers will be onsite to assist with parking operations in the marina. Adapter plugs (see below) will be available for those who require engine heating. Pilots are reminded to bring suitable tie downs as well as any covers and wheel chocks.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Engine Heating” tab_id=”1547759013970-5ddc46e9-37d4″][vc_column_text]Adapter plugs are available to rent for the weekend – available at registration for those requiring engine heating. The cost is $25, with all profits going to the Freedom to Fly Fund. Pilots should bring their own extension cords.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”22090″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Banquet” tab_id=”1547759030918-c45aebe5-7851″][vc_column_text]Extremely limited tickets for the banquet will be available onsite. To secure your seat at the always-popular Saturday night dinner, please purchase your tickets in advance here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The Little Airport That Could

As an airport that bills itself as “the little airport that could”, Red Deer airport (CYQF), located near the central Alberta city of the same name, is slowly building its credentials as the region’s best kept secret.

Growth has been such that Nav Canada has announced the implementation of a ground advisory frequency (GND ADV) to alleviate the congestion present in the existing mandatory frequency (MF). The GND ADV frequency (121.9) is to be used for traffic information services, pre-taxi clearances and other advisory services. After dealing with GND ADV, pilots will be handed off to Red Deer Radio on 118.5.

See below for the Nav Canada Notice.

The airport, like many around the prairies, started out as a training base in support of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan during World War Two. It eventually became CFB Penhold, which hosted a number of small military utility and training units over the years, but was better known for its hosting of Air Cadets from across Western Canada. The base was officially disbanded in May of 1992.

In 1965, the city of Red Deer took over operational aspects of the airfield and in 1980 oversaw the extension of runway 16/34 to 5500 feet. In September of 1999, Red Deer city and county took over ownership of the facility, continuing the growth of what was essentially an industrial airport. In 2017 the airport saw its runway again extended, this time by 2000 feet, for a total length of 7500 feet. The airport operators are hoping to attract scheduled airline services.

letter-red-deer-fss-ground-advisory-november-24-2018

Rare Messerschmitt Bf 109 Under Restoration

In the suburbs of Saskatoon, Dan Bradshaw is hard at work restoring a vintage German fighter aircraft. Already into the project for five years, the former civil aviation safety inspector for Transport Canada has plenty of experience in restoring machines, “I sort of went through my second childhood and did collector cars and things like that.”

Designed and built in the late 1930s, the Bf 109G-6 saw its first combat missions in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. The aircraft continued in active service in the Luftwaffe and allied forces until the end of World War Two. Considered to be one of the most advanced fighters in its day, it was powered by a Daimler-Benz DB 605A-1 liquid-cooled inverted V-12 engine. Maximum speed was 398 mph, and maximum cruise was 365 mph at 20,000 feet. Service ceiling was 39,000 feet.

The Bf-109 is the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with almost 34,000 produced from 1936 to mid-1945. However, says Bradshaw, “There’s only a couple of original [Bf] 109s flying in the world right now.” He spends a considerable amount of time on the internet hunting down hard-to-find parts, finding most success in Germany and Austria. Bradshaw also fabricates parts that he is unable to find. “This is a real labour of love, and technically demanding”, says Bradshaw, “The engine and its overhaul is a big task, and that will…probably be done in California,” says Bradshaw. “There’s some speciality shops there where that’s what they do.”

Backing the project is noted American aircraft collector Kermit Weeks, founder of the Fantasy of Flight museum located in Polk City, about 20 kilometres northeast of Lakeland, Florida.

“It’s horrendously expensive, but that’s where Mr. Weeks comes in,” adds Bradshaw, who expects his warbird to take flight in another year or two.