Vargas Island Details

I've had several inquiries about Vargas Island so I'll try to sum it up here.


★ Meeting aroud 11:00.
☆ Bring your own lunch.
★If you want to talk to someone on the beach for a wind report we have a couple of handhelds that will be monitoring 123.45
☆Land on the damp sand.
★avoid the dry sand as you will probably owe a couple slices of pie to the who will push you out.
☆ Best to top up your fuel in Qualicum because Tofino is very expensive.
★Have fun and fly safe.

》》》》Note: In honor of our dear friend who tragically lost his life today doing what he was passionate about.  We will observe a moment of silence at noon, as he would have been with us on this trip.  RIP My friend.

Vargas Island Trip

Greetings Pacific Pilot Group,

This Saturday looks to be a great day to visit Vagas Island.  

Anyone one interested in going please email me at dcbianchi12@gmail.com.

Low tide is at 11:15 so I would like to arrive around 11:00 hang out, have a picnic lunch and relax to take in the scenery and sea air.

Hope to see a good turnout.

cheers,

David Bianchi

A Quick Trip Over to Qualicum Beach

Here's a little shameless plug for an airport that you may not have been to in a while, and for me it had been easily 12 years since my last visit by air. Oh, what airport you ask? Why I'm talking about Qualicum Beach Airport (CAT4), over on Vancouver Island. With a modest cruise speed of approximately 100 knots, we made it across in about 55 minutes air time.

Conveniently David Bianchi's parents live close to Qualicum Beach Airport, so we planned to meet up with them for lunch. In recent months I had actually been told that the restaurant in the airport terminal was very good, so who was I to turn down an opportunity to fly to an airport that I hadn't visited in ages? I'm glad I went.

The plan was for David Bianchi to fly his Tornado over from King George Air Park and meet me at Delta. It's easier that way, since getting the Jodel into King George would likely require a rebuild before taking off back out of there. That's right, the Jodel isn't the best airplane for short strips, but it does well enough for the type of flying we've been doing of late. David's wife Jen was also going to meet us at Delta, and I would be flying her over to Qualicum in the Jodel, 'cus hey, who doesn't love visiting their in-laws?

Before David or Jen arrived, I was pleasantly surprised by the arrival of Len and Lee in their nearly identical Piper Vagabonds. They are both immaculately maintained and their standard Piper yellow paint schemes glistened in the morning sunlight. I'm pretty sure yellow with a black stripe was the only colour scheme available when those planes left the factory. It probably had to do with marketing. Just like how John Deere products are all green and yellow, Pipers were painted yellow with a black strip to easily differentiate them from their competition at a glance. Sorry Leon, I can feel myself going out on a bit of a tangent... I'll get back to the story right away.

As it turns out, Len and Lee were going to be headed up to Merritt for a little day trip. Never having flown up to Merritt, I was kind of intrigued, but I had already made plans, and I'm sure David B wouldn't have liked me taking off in the opposite direction with his wife.

Since we were going to be flying from Delta to Qualicum Beach in a "Plus One" formation, we called Kamloops Flight Service for two transponder codes, and asked if two codes were necessary for our flight arrangement, or if one code would be fine to cover the both of us. Our flight service specialist wasn't completely sure, so he issued us two codes, but as soon as we departed Delta and talked to Boundary Bay tower, we quickly learned their preference. The lead plane would carry a specific squak code, while the second airplane in the group would carry the regular 1200 code.

Shortly after Len and Lee departed towards the east, the Double Davids and Jen departed north, towards the Alex Fraser Bridge. From there we continued north towards Burnaby Mountain, and then turned westbound to fly through Vancouver Harbour at 2000' along the north shore. Once past Point Atkinson (and for any non-pilots out there, it's also known as Lighthouse Park),

we were released from their control and we were into the uncontrolled airspace known as Sechelt Traffic. Funny enough, Sechelt Traffic shares the same frequency as King George Air Park, so as we made a position report over Gower Point, near Gibsons, we got a call from Stumpy and James who were just departing King George in Stumpy's fancy and fast European Tecnaam. As it turns out, they were headed to Qualicum Beach Airport for Lunch, without knowing that it was our plan as well.

So, along the sunshine coast we cruised, then as we approached Lasqueti Island we made our climb up to 4500' so that we could have a hope of gliding back to shore in the event of an emergency. Practically as soon as we got up to our cruise altitude, it was time to come back down.

Qualicum Beach Airport's circuit pattern has both circuits on the west side of the airport, so just like in Chilliwack, you cross over midfield from the east, and turn left or right depending on what the winds are doing. That certainly makes it easy! David B led the way into the airport and was able to land ahead of a KD Air Navajo that was arriving on a scheduled flight, but I didn't have visual on the Navajo, so I let him go ahead of me, which was probably wise, considering his much faster approach speed.

After we landed and were clear of the active (preferred) runway, it was time to find some parking. Thankfully David B had already parked, and his Tornado was easy to spot, so Jen and I headed towards where he was. As we taxied along, we came to a very tight squeeze between a poorly parked Piper Comanche, and a Nanchang CJ-6. I took a look, and made the prediction that I would be able to make it through without donating any paint to either plane, and with some wriggling and tippy-toe taxiing, we made it through with about 6 inches to a foot clearance on their side.

With both planes parked, we were immediately greeted by David B's parents, Frank and Silvanna, and we headed to the terminal building.

We decided to wait for Stumpy and James to join us for lunch, so we made a reservation for 7 and waited for our friends. As we waited, a KD Air pilot came through the terminal doors and David B asked him if he was flying the Navajo that had just landed, and before saying yes or no, he asked whether we thought he had done something wrong, but of course we were just hoping to put a face to the voice of the pilot we had worked together with in the uncontrolled airspace around Qualicum. We had a good laugh and then he went to take care of some of his post-flight paperwork.

Soon after, the Tecnaam showed up with James and Stumpy aboard and we sat down for what was indeed a very nice lunch.

And, just like identical twins, David B and David M both ordered the exact same meal, without planning to do so. In fact, it's become such a game, that David B whispered into his wife's ear what he was going to have before he asked me what I was having. Yup, it was the California Chicken Club Wrap for the both of us!

After lunch Stumpy and James departed for home in the Tecnaam, while the Double David's and Jen went off with David B's parents to do a little bit of exploring. We ended up being taken Morningstar Farm, which was hardly a 10 minute car ride from the airport.

 This is an amazing little family farm where they produce the successful and delicious Little Qualicum Cheese, which you may recognize in the specialty cheese section in your local grocery stores.

The farm was open to visitors and you could see the actual cows that produce the milk for their cheese, as well as rabbits, chicks (woah pilots, I mean the  little baby chickens), pigs, donkeys, a goat, and a bunch of friendly sheep.

After hanging out with the animals it was time to try samples of the cheeses, as well as the fruit wines that they produce. The farm has a little bit of a giftshop/store where this all went down, and I gotta say, they've got some nice cheeses!

With our tummies full of  cheese, it was time to head back to the airport and then blast off back to the mainland. Instead of trying to taxi between the two offending airplanes, we both elected to bushwhack through the grass and avoid the situation all together. Bushwhack is a bit of an embellishment, it was flat and entirely safe for taxiing.

Out of Qualicum we climbed, across the Salish Sea and over Lasqueti Island, and then past Sechelt and Gibsons. Over Bowen Island we called up Vancouver Harbour and they cleared us through their zone via Third Beach and the south shore.

 We cleared Harbour's airspace at the Second Narrows Bridge and once we reached Burnaby Lake, we went our separate ways, David B heading back to King George, and David M and Jen going back to Delta. We caught the Boundary Bay ATIS, then contacted Boundary Bay Outer Tower at the Pattullo Bridge, where they informed us that there was no traffic between us and Delta Air Park, so we could switch to Delta Air Park traffic at our convenience.

After an uneventful landing into Delta, we put the Jodel away, Jen went to King George to pick up her husband and take him home, and I trundled back home to Vancouver.

Written By: The Author (David McIntosh)

Gun Lake visit

Gun Lake Airstrip.

A little soft, but wide and long with lots of room.  Takeoff video - notice the caboose doing new duty as a lakefront cabin as I cross the shoreline.

Couple more pics on the way in:

A flat top mountain called "The Table" that I used to play on with helicopters in days past.  It is just north of  Brohm ridge, where we saw a couple dozen snowmobilers taking advantage of late spring packed snow.

Black Tusk, seen from the "easy" side.  Climbed it a few years back.

Water is pretty low in Downton Lake on our left.  That's Gun Lake just in front of the spinner.

Short walk down to the lake.  Snow-capped mountains in every quadrant.

Blackcomb Helicopters has a small shed on the strip, along with a pad and probably jetfuel.  The tiedown area is gravel and hard.

Aviation News Journal Magazine for May/June 2015...enjoy!

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Aerobatics Day at Squamish Airport (CYSE)

So, the day after our visit to Rowena, it was time to head to Squamish for a day of aerobatics. Jodi Rueger was running a little introduction to aerobatics course, hosted by Glacier Air, who operates a wonderful little machine called a Super Decathlon.

Because the Super Decathlon was down for maintenance since December, it was also a day for Jodi to get a recurrent on her favourite airplane.

Jodi hitched a ride with James Shephard in his gorgeous RANS S-6S Coyote up to Squamish via Point Atkinson and Howe Sound, arriving at approximately 10:00am with the expectation of Jodi going up shortly after that with Michael for her recurrency flight. As it turns out, that flight was delayed and didn't leave the ground until shortly after the two Davids arrived at Squamish Airport in David B's Titan Tornado.

Speaking of the two Davids, we departed King George Airpark in the speedy little Tornado and took the Indian Arm route up to CYSE (Squamish). It's practically a straight line from King George to Squamish and with a ground speed of +100kts, we were able to get up there in approximately 30 minutes.

As we taxied in to the Glacier Air apron, we saw Jodi and Michael taxiing out for departure on their flight.

Once we shut down, we were greeted by our friends James, Frank, and Heidi who had all come up to Squamish to take part in the fun. We socialized as pilots very often do, while Jodi and Michael rolled, looped, and flipped in the skies above us.

Once back on terra firma, Jodi led us through an aerobatics ground briefing. She introduced us to the ballistic roll (aileron roll), the basic loop, and the stall turn (Hammerhead), including all the entry speeds, control inputs, and common errors associated with each manoeuvre. These manoeuvres are the primary building blocks for more advanced aerobatic manoeuvres, so it was the perfect place for us to start. Jodi finished the briefing by providing us with a demonstration on the proper fitting and use of the parachutes we would be wearing during our lessons. Though not required by law in Canada, we would be operating Glacier Air's Super Decathlon with each person on board wearing a parachute.

 

After the briefing, Jodi took her first student up, Ali, a young man very keen on competing at aerobatics competitions. He also had a tight schedule to stick to, so we were more than happy to let him go first.

While they were up, David B took Frank up for a ride in the Tornado. Frank was crowbarred into the back seat, and they departed for a local flight up past Garibaldi Mountain, Daisy Lake, and the beautiful Brandywine Falls.

When they returned Frank was just buzzing. He clearly had an enjoyable time and you could see in his eyes a look that told you he was doing the math and budgeting to determine if buying an ultralight of his own was a feasible option! David B is clearly a good ambassador for the ultralight community.

Not wanting to be left out, Michael offered to take Heidi up in the Decathlon, which he had flown up from Vancouver in for the day. Yes, a Decathlon, not a Super Decathlon.

 

Now, some of you may be wondering to yourself "What's the difference between a Decathlon and a Super Decathlon?" Well, both have inverted fuel and oil systems which make them both ideal for aerobatics, but the older Decathlon is fitted with a wooden wing spar, while the Super Decathlon has an all-metal spar. Also, the Decathlon has a 150hp Lycoming O-320 engine, and the Super Decathlon improved upon that by using a 180hp Lycoming 0-360 engine. That extra 30hp gives the Super Decathlon improved climb performance, which is very handy when partaking in aerobatics. I'm sure there are other minor differences between the two, but it would take a very keen eye to pick them out.

Anyways, Michael and Heidi had, what from the ground appeared to be, a wonderful aerobatics flight, and soon after that Jodi and Ali came back in the Super D, signalling that it was time for lunch.

As we learned through story, and not through personal experience, it is important to eat before doing aerobatics. Low blood sugar and dehydration will lead to a person getting sick quicker. It is best to eat 1-2 hours before aerobatics. Everyone has their own motion sickness threshold, and what is most important is to monitor how your body is feeling and to cease unusual attitudes before a technicolor yawn in the airplane becomes unavoidable. Most of us were hungry at this point, so we headed into town to find a place to eat.

Heidi and Frank had both driven up from Vancouver and became the taxi service for the people that had flown up. None of us had a clue where to eat, so we googled a couple places, and then headed into town. We ended up settling with a restaurant called the Watershed Grill. 

 

From the road it looked kinda shabby, like a house converted into a restaurant, but once we were inside and onto their patio, it felt like we were in a completely different world. The view from the patio was simply stunning, with the Squamish River flowing literally meters away, and the majestic coastal mountains rising up to the skies above. 

 The food was great too, but since we were all going to be aviating after lunch none of us had a beer, which would have really completed the scene. Talk about will power, right? Or perhaps it was easy for us because of our overpowering obsession with flying, which easily trumps all other temptations.

After lunch we headed back to the airport and James was quickly made ready for his first ever aerobatics lesson.

Judging by the spring in his step as he exited the Super Decathlon, he had an amazing experience under the watchful eye of Judi Rueger. It also seems that James is quite eager to do it again!

After James, it was Frank's turn in the Super D.

Now, Frank can be a fairly excitable guy, but doing his flight training has taught him to contain himself when airborne, and to wait until the airplane has come to a complete stop and to ensure that he is well clear of the airplane before reacting to how awesome his flight was. His training came in handy here, as you could see that he was ready to burst with excitement as they taxied back to the apron after his flight. Pop goes the harness, open swings the door and Frank hops out of the plane and proceeded to communicate how amazing his flight was by doing what might be considered interpretive dance combined with loud non-descript vocalizations. It very well could have been the coolest thing he'd ever done, but you'd have to ask him yourself to be certain. One thing is for sure, he definitely thought his ride was well worth the price of admission.

By this time the sun was getting closer and closer to the horizon. Being cradled in the mountains meant that sunlight would soon be lost in the Squamish Valley. With night looming and a flight home to an unlit airfield still to come, we knew we had little time to waste on getting home.

The only problem was that I, David M, still had to do my aerobatics flight with Jodi. The Super D was already warmed up so once strapped in, we blasted off. I immediately fell in love with the Super Decathlon. It was a complete package of an airplane. Compared to the lovely little Jodel F11, it felt more solid, and understandably more powerful. As I have a decent amount of taildragger time, Jodi trusted me with the take-off, which was straight forward and enjoyable. After the immediate 30 degree right turn after take-off from Runway 15 for noise abatement, we continued our turn north up the Squamish River valley to the aerobatics training area. Once we got to a safe altitude we did our HASEL Check: Height, Area, Security, Engine, and Lookout. Then Jodi demonstrated a ballistic roll (aileron roll), followed by me doing one myself. Lower the nose to attain 132mph, momentarily return to straight and level, pitch to approximately 30 degrees nose up, stick fully to the left, and around she goes, rolling 360 degrees around the longitudinal axis of the plane, stop the roll, and ease out of the dive. Satisfied with the roll, we moved to loops, with Jodi demonstrating, and me duplicating the example as best I could. Lower the nose to gain 140mph, return to straight and level, check stick back and maintain constant back pressure throughout the manoeuvre. As you lose the horizon behind the cowling, look out to the left wingtip and watch as the horizon spins past vertical, and when over the top of the loop, and with the horizon coming down from the top of the windscreen, return to looking forward and keep the back pressure in until you return to a normal straight and level attitude. Piece of cake! The last manoeuvre was the stall turn (Hammerhead) and like the previous two manoeuvres, Jodi demonstrated first, and then I tried to duplicated, but I'll admit that my stall turn was rather poorly executed. Let's just say that I'll be requiring more tutelage with that manoeuvre. The way you begin a stall turn is the same as entering a loop. Lower the nose to gain 140mph, check level, pull back and do a quarter loop and use forward/back pressure as necessary to maintain a perfectly vertical climb, while travelling upwards you'll need to apply rudder to counteract the adverse yaw, and just as the airplane runs out of upwards momentum, you kick the rudder in the direction the nose naturally wants to go, and use aileron inputs to eliminate any rolling motion that may occur. Once pointed straight at the planet, ease out of the dive just like the last quarter of a basic loop.

Because Jodi and I both had a time crunch we quickly headed back to the airport. On our way Jodi asked what my favourite maneuver was, I said "Roll," and she said "Okay, do another one!" So, I did. What a fun new skill (only to be done in airplanes approved for doing so)! Then, it was time to descend for the circuit back into Squamish. The circuit is interesting on base and final as there is rising terrain and tall trees. In fact, it's not unusual to lose site of the touchdown point when you're on downwind and about to turn base. So I slipped the Super D onto final and went on to land it too. Despite a slight breeze blowing from 30 degrees from the left, the Super D made my landing look good-ish. It was a bit of a rushed lesson, but all the manoeuvres were completed and I was ecstatic to have had such an enjoyable flight with the always classy, Jodi Rueger. Can you believe my entire flight in the Super D was only 0.3hrs? That's right, from engine start to engine shut-down, only 18 minutes!

As we taxied in, I could see David B in his Tornado with the engine running. He was warming it up, so that we could take off as soon as I got myself strapped in. James was also sitting in his Coyote waiting for Jodi. We both ran up to the front desk at Glacier Air, filled out some paperwork, paid for my flight, and I swiftly made my way back down to the apron. With few words said, I hopped into the back of the Titan, strapped in, and we were off.

We took off from runway 15, abated the noise with a swift right turn, and climbed up towards the Chief (Stawamus Chief). The very next day a chunk of the Chief had broken free and fell to the valley floor, and apparently, it was not, and I repeat, not the sound of David B's Tornado that caused it.

Through Indian Arm we cruised, 

 popping out at Burnaby Mountain, then over the big Canada flag in north Surrey, and into King George Airpark via the Panorama Ridge approach. We landed with plenty of time before night fall, but of course, it is better to be safe than sorry.

 

It wasn't long after the Tornado was put away that James and Jodi arrived in the Coyote and since we hadn't gotten completely sick of each other yet, we agreed to go for dinner at the Big Ridge Brew Pub. Surprisingly, Frank, who had to drive back down from Squamish met up with us at the pub with little delay, as did David's wife Jen, and Leon who we bumped into at King George.

Finally, we could have some libations. What a brilliant day. Good friends, good flying, good food, and a beer to round out the day.

When can we do it again?!!

Written by: The Author

Jodel Annual & David and Jen's Anniversary Flight

It was recently annual inspection season for the Jodel F11. And, what's the first thing you do before you start an annual? That's right, wash the winter mud and bugs off the plane to make the annual a slightly cleaner experience.

To do this, I had help from the hard working Jodi Rueger, some elbow grease, and a bucket of propwash.

 

The day was thankfully very beautiful, and the team of J and D made quick work of the airplane. Washing the underbelly of the Jodel was the hardest part task, but Jodi and I jumped in head first with reckless abandonment and total disregard for puddles, grass-stains, and grease. It was not a clean affair, but we were able to it got done in short order.

Once the washing was complete, we were joined by David Bianchi and his wife Jen and had a lovely Tim Horton's dinner, followed by the full airframe inspection of the Jodel until the sun started to set.

The next day I arranged to have David Bianchi (who flew in from King George in his Titan Tornado), and old friend Jason Binns (who drove in) help me with the engine portion of the annual. I was first to the field in the morning and did the oil change before help arrived. When it did arrive we completed the leak down test, and cleaning of the sparkplugs, and a general inspection of the engine and its accessories.

The Jodel's engine was apart all last summer while we waited for new cylinders, and it wasn't until early December 2014 that we got her back in the air. I'm happy to report that the new cylinders have very good compression, and it shows in the airplane's performance.

With the annual complete, and the arrival of Jen Bianchi, we made quick plans to fly out to Rowena for part of David and Jen's wedding anniversary extravaganza!

 Here is the happy couple in front of their Titan Tornado.

Jason was going to join us, but sadly had to cancel on us. Since David's still waiting to get his medical done in order to take non-pilot passengers, I was happy to volunteer to take Jen to Rowena in the Jodel.

Having borrowed Jen's husband to help me with the Jodel annual on their anniversary, taking her flying was the least I could do, right?! 

 

 

Lunch was had, and the sunshine was enjoyed, and before too long it was time to head back home.

We took off out of Rowena and made a turn towards Agassiz in hopes of seeing the rows of tulips that were part of the big tulip festival, but wouldn't you know it? They had all been harvested and all we saw was row upon row of dirt. Blah, blah, blah, blah... yadda, yadda.... Oh, sorry Leon, let me get back on track with this story. Just hold on a little longer, we're nearly at the end!

Where was I? Oh, right...Westbound we turned, and with David B's new prop on the Tornado, I'll admit that I had a hard time keeping up with him. It was music to my ears to hear him say that he plans to put it at a finer pitch to improve the Tornado's climb performance. Improving climb performance means sacrificing cruise performance, and that makes me happy because I'll be able to keep up with him better.

We landed at our respective airfields, put our planes away, and called it a day. It's days like this that get me excited about retirement! Friends, flying, and food! I don't think I could ask for much more.

In closing, I'd like to give a BIG thank you to Jodi, Jason, David B, and Jen for all of your help in getting the Jodel's annual completed so quickly and efficiently!