Photo Collage from the Pacific Pilots Flying Trip from Surrey BC to Yellowknife, NWT

It was a spectacular adventure!  Full descriptive details in Aviation News Journal Sept/Oct 2014 issue. Also check out the Face Book Videos by David Bianchi and Joel Ellis.
Stay tuned for QUESNEL SKYFEST 2015 flying adventure!!
For more details: info@aviationnewsjournal.com

Fraser River Sandbars

Getting to be sandbar season with the water levels in the Fraser dropping.  Flying by one and got invited down on "Sesame Street" (that's what pilots call 123.45 radio frequency used for chat - despite what the AIP advises).

A couple of really big-tired airplanes were already there, making my 8:50x6 look like skateboard wheels.  One was a Carbon Cub, the other a trick looking Murphy Rebel that had  already had a flight on the end of a helicopter long-line after landing where he shouldn't have.

I  asked if they were the fabled "Sandbar Cowboys".  They sneered and said those are the cougar hunters on Granville Island, and that I probably meant the "Gravel Bar Cowboys" out of Langley and no they weren't those guys either, (greenhorn).

Then the three of us squirrel-caged around landing on different sandbars, what a hoot!

On the way back I checked out this year's corn maze near Cloverdale.  Must be a soccer fan.

Grand Forks Fly in

Don't put your camping gear away yet! The Grand Forks Fly-In is on Aug 24th - with overnight camping welcome on the 23rd. Hosted potluck (5pm) for anyone camping under the wing. Breakfast, Farmers Market and a whole lot more (from 7am - 11am). The weather (so far) looks real good. Full description in the August COPA paper, or, contact James Traynor at 250-442-5646 Anyone interested in coming with us?

Nimpkish River Sandbar

Spent a couple days kiteboarding at Nimpkish Lake on Vancouver Island, and had a good opportunity to carefully walk the sandbars at the nearby mouth of the Nimpkish River.  Came back with the Citabria  a few days later and landed - reliable  headwind made it easy (that's why it is a kiteboarding/windsurfing mecca).  Took the tires (8:50x6) down to 12 psi for the landing, also dumped all my gear and passenger at Woss airstrip to get as light as possible.  Landable length was about 500'.

Close to the water seemed better...

Going past Victoria Peak on the way home

My SPOT track showing the location of Nimpkish River (near the highway, between Campbell River and Port Hardy)