Sunday, June 8th was the “rain-date” for our GIRLS CAN FLY TOO/ COPA 4 KIDS flying event….but there was no rain!

COPA Flight #91 had super support from its members and from the Nanaimo Flying Club to host 15 passengers for their local flights.  Registration was ably handled by Anne-Marie Koeppen and Marilyn Bowerman; Doug. Sowden was Air Boss/Briefer, and Don Crocker was kitchen manager, ably assisted by Laura and Cathy Welte.

Eight pilots took part, and we thank Murray Welte, Ken Welte, Doug Wakefield, Gavin Chester, Ron Whyte, John Balogh, Rick Koeppen, and Andrea Trepanier for their contributions of plane time/gas/skill/ and knowledge.

Parents and young fliers thanked us all for providing such a great experience.

Each participant received a certificate, pin and “logbook” to help them remember the day.

It’s great to see an aircraft get back into the air after a time of sitting, unattended.  Larry’s RV4 GRUF was recently put back into shape – mainly needed an annual inspection – and it was ready to go.  Terry McEvoy reported that the engine is in excellent shape.  Petter Myers tweaked the radios and got them working.  Then Peter took the sleek little RV4 out for a test flight and he hasn’t been able to stop smiling since.  “I’ll be really pleased if my aircraft flies as nicely,” Peter said afterwards.  He also warned everyone to stay out of his way now – he’s more determined than ever to get his Myers 3 flying as soon as possible (see previous feature).

One of the greatest joys for pilots is taking friends for a flight and sharing with them our unique view of the world.  Cyan Maretic is a waitress at the Timberlands pub near the airport.  Last week she learned that some of her lunchtime patrons are NFC pilots.  She asked if there was any way she could get her mom up flying for her birthday, and John Balogh was able to accomodate her wish.  Way to go John.

I got a chance to use the club’s C-172, VBA last week to take a couple of friends for a flight.

About ten years ago, Will had his flight test booked, but got weathered out.  One thing led to another and he never did get his licence finished.  Fast forward to this year, when his wife Sacha asked me if I could take him for a surprise birthday gift flight.  Thanks to the 172 I was able to accomodate.

Here’s some background information regarding the Quilchena airstrip (CBT6).  This airstrip is an “interesting” (i.e. challenging) gravel runway in the Quilchena valley  near Merrit.  Along with high altitude and hot summer temperatures, the gravel runway is 2,300 feet long and 50 feet wide, with obstacles on both ends.

One of these obstacles is an  historic hotel and general store, as well as a first class RV campground and golf course.

This news is passed along from the PACIFIC PILOT newsletter –

PACIFIC PILOT
Posted: 27 May 2014 02:48 PM PDT
FYI

The Airstrip at Quilchena is now closed till probably September. I spoke with the people up there as to what the reasons were for closing it and they said it was to do with some safety issues. The issues had something to do with the irrigation systems there and also some concerns about the power lines which I think are the ones on the western approach when coming over the highway to land. They said they lowered the room prices and restaurant prices and improved the service. They also indicated that they were considering opening year round at the hotel but that would depend on the traffic in the winter season. September should tell the story whether the airstrip opens or not. it would be a shame if it did not open again !!

Brent Sylvester ferried his Genesis aircraft out to Lethbridge, Alberta (CYQL) last week.  On Friday, Peter Myers set out to fly Brent’s new C-150 over as well to pick Brent up for the trip home… Unfortunately, Pete ran into a wall of water north of Abbotsford as rainshowers were piled up in the east end of the Fraser Valley.  He landed at Pitt Meadows and waited a couple of hours to see if the weather would improve, as forcast.  But it did not … and Peter very wisely decided to return to Nanaimo and leave Brent to take the airlines home.  Some days deciding NOT to fly is the wiser choice.

X-Plane, the popular home and professional computer flight simulator program, recently announced some new WWII aircraft models, including this beautiful Mitchell B25.  If it flies as good as it looks, it’ll be a lot of fun for warplane fans:

Don’t you just hate it when you look outside and see part of the wing falling off?  This looks like a “canoe” fairing that covers the flap actuating tracks.  It’s not a structural piece so apart from any damage it might cause to the rear fuselage if it lets go, there’s probably no danger to the airplane… still ….

I found this quiz on the internet this morning.  It’s an interesting way to test your knowledge of the air travel industry safety record.  I’m happy to report I scored ‘above average,’ but surprisingly the average is a dismal 69% or so … The travelling public has a lot to learn about our airline system safety record:

—