Are you a teen who has what it takes to leave ordinary behind? If you do, then NAV CANADA’s Explore Aviation Summer Camp is made for you!

With the success of last year’s inaugural camp, NAV CANADA is announcing the second edition of the Explore Aviation Summer Camp for teens. Last summer, 30 students attended the first edition of the camp and it was an experience they described as “awesome” and “one of the best weeks of my life”.

“For me the interesting part is that you get to see the layers of aviation. We would say ‘there’s the pilot, there’s the person in the tower’ but there’s so many people in between and there’s so many career opportunities. I feel that I can go anywhere,” explained camper Monica Muresan who attended the camp last year.

This summer, 24 young women and 24 young men entering Grade 10 high school (or secondary 4 in Quebec) from across Canada will gather in Cornwall, Ontario. Their mission: one week of learning, fun and friendship with a focus on aviation. This all-expenses-paid camp uses hands-on learning to give you the chance to explore exciting careers that will empower you to soar to success after graduation! ​


​Who can apply:​ Teens going into Grade​​ 10 or secondary 4 in September 2019
​Where:​ NAV CENTRE, Cornwall, ON, with day trips to Montreal and Ottawa
​When:​
Young women: July 14-19, 2019
Young men:​ August 11-16, 2019
​Cost: No cost to you! It’s paid for by a NAV CANADA bursary, which includes flight, room and board for the week
​Why:​ To inspire you to explore a career in aviation​
 

INSPIRING YOU TO SOAR TO Y​OUR FULL POTENTIALRun by NAV CANADA, Explore Aviation Summer Camp points the spotlight on careers in aviation, where STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education is the key to success for tomorrow’s workforce. 


You’ll have unique and exciting opportunities, such as…

• Learning how Canada’s aviation system works and who makes it work
• Engaging in practice sessions controlling and advising aircraft in industry-leading simulators 
• Trying out the tools and technology to keep aircraft flying and safe
• Touring NAV CANADA’s Flight Inspection Aircraft 
• Interacting with guest speakers: Air Traffic Services; Technical Operations; Engineering; Leaders
• Taking day trips to Ottawa and Montreal: NAV CANADA tower and area control centre tours; city tours

To learn more about NAV CANADA careers, visit the Careers ​section of our website.


HOW TO APPLYParticipants will be chosen from across Canada by a NAV CANADA committee made up of aviation professionals.


Please note, your application must include:

• A completed application form 
• An essay explaining why you want to attend Explore Aviation Summer Camp (350 to 500 words)
• A letter of recommendation from a teacher or community leader

The application period closes on March 8, 2019. If you have been selected, we’ll email you during the week of April 8, 2019 to confirm your spot.​

If you’d prefer to apply by mail, you can send your completed application package to:

Explore Aviation Summer Camp
Human Resources 
NAV CANADA
77 Metcalfe Street
Ottawa, ON
K1P 5L6

For more information, contact summercamp@navcanada.ca or visit our FAQs​.

Copied from: 
Aman Parhar 
Editor, Vanderhoof Omineca Express 

Vanderhoof Airport will expand its apron by 50 feet and has received approval from the Nechako-Kitamaat Development Fund Society (NKDF), British Columbia Air Access Program (BCAAP) and the Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT) to do so.
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The first grant for the project from NKDF was received on May 26, 2018 for the amount of $54, 787 following which the District applied for further funding and were approved for an additional $50,000 on Dec. 10, 2018. The total amount received from the NKDF is $104,787.

The BCAAP provided $203,448 in funding. The NDIT has approved it and the district has requested $30,000, which will be reimbursed once the apron expansion is completed. The District of Vanderhoof will invest $50,000.

The approximate budget for the expansion is $440,000 and the District is waiting for additional funding from BCAAP to cover any contingency or additional funding requirement, said Zoe Dhillion, special projects coordinator for the District of Vanderhoof.

She said the District has a tender, but is undecided on whether to make use of the current tender or re-tender it.The apron extension means roughly about 50 more feet of parking space on the ramp, so the current parking area won’t be so narrow, said Brian Frenkel, Vanderhoof councillor and person in-charge of the airport.


READ MORE: New hangar opens at Vanderhoof Airport 


“This project is in its nascent stage and it is to expand aviation-related business, but at the same time, we have a users’ group out there that is growing. We should look at the users and say – what would you like to see done? And we have engaged with them. There is a list they have given us [for further development] and we can’t get it all done overnight. It will be a five- to 10-year plan that we keep continuing to improve the airport,” Frenkel said.

Even though the project was proposed to start last year after the District got approval from BCAAP, Frenkel said it got too late in the season. He said the plan is to have it completed this year.

The Vanderhoof Airport Development Society said the funding is great news, but a lot more needs to be done to make the airport viable for business.

“The apron expansion is great, but it is not just the apron that needs work. The taxiways need work. A couple of things – you need to have a runway, taxiways, apron and you got to have fuel. Without those, you don’t have an airport. You just have an asset that can’t be used,” said society president Paul Collard.

Meanwhile, Collard said the district hasn’t renewed the Memorandum of Understanding with VADS, after it expired this year. The document, signed in 2016, sets forth roles of the district and how it would relate to the society’s role in advising and assisting with the airport development.

“We had our AGM last night [Jan. 24] and our members were quite upset about that. So now we are in a difficult situation because we have no status with the District and we would like to know very much why the MOU wasn’t renewed,” he said.

Frenkel said in an interview Jan. 30, there isn’t any reason for not renewing the MOU.
“VADS as a society is still a society that will report the activities of the airport, what’s going on, the conditions of the airport – it could be runways, etc. I think it is still an important part of the airport having VADS as a society. We will probably talk to the group here in the future,” he said.

“We have gotten past a few things that opened in the town recently – like the pool and all the other things – as we go into budget we can go into all facets of the community, airport included.”

He said VADS will continue to have a status with the district, and after reading their minutes from their AGM, he said he will take their points to the council to deliberate what budget items will go forward. Frenkel said the society is a crucial step in the development of the Vanderhoof airport.

Frenkel said that one key development would be getting municipally owned fuel service at the airport.

”So if you look immediately the two things that could be in front of us, the apron expansion and looking at how we get fuel out there that isn’t a private enterprise anymore and is maybe a municipal function or maybe it is a VADS function.”

“If VADS did their homework and said Burns Lake sold a quarter million dollars of fuel last year, maybe that is something VADS takes on themselves. And then they make the money and it’s something they would take a look at and then the profits go to them. And then they can continue on some of their improvements. But we haven’t gotten to that point to discuss that but we will,” he said.
There have also been no Medevac flights in Vanderhoof since Christmas, possibly due to the runway conditions.

According to the AGM report by VADS, it was suggested that a study is needed to determine the number of patients who have been taken by ambulance to Prince George airport due to poor runway conditions in Vanderhoof.

“This can create a serious time and stress factor for patients and significantly reduce positive outcomes in the first ‘golden hour’ following an emergency,” stated the report.

Collard said having an airport manager would solve many of their ongoing problems.

Said Royce Schaff, owner and operator of RDS Aviation: “The apron expansion is a great idea. It’s way too small the way it is and it’s a matter of time something happens that’s not good.”
​
“As far as something else to get done, I would love to see a float ditch put in. It’s a water strip and planes currently land on the grass and it is completely acceptable to do that, it’s just that a lot of airplanes don’t come here because of it… It would also be better if we have water and sewer around here.

Dear BCGA Members,

As we begin a new year I would like to take a moment to thank all the BCGA members that have continued to make this organization a success! This will be our 4th year and we have come along way. 2018 was a great year as we saw more pilots flying and the community continue to grow and strengthen as new friends are made, new destinations are visited and the hours continue to accumulate in our collective logbook. 

The first three years of BCGA were growing years, time that was spent forming our identity as an organization. Time spent finding out who we really are and what we are all about. Thanks to a motivated membership base we have found that unique identity. One of cooperation, teamwork, safety, and most importantly community. 

In the past year we have continued to build relationships with other organizations such as COPA, BCAC and many of the local flying clubs. We have been able to have an impact on general aviation and are motivating some more established organizations to revisit their methods and strategies for the better. A further thanks to our great sponsors and donors that enable us to do our work.

Over the past three years we have worked hard to build a foundation from which the organization can continue to grow. Now it is your turn! 

In 2018 we saw members begin to take initiatives to further our mission. Be it organizing safety seminars, organizing groups to fly to Oshkosh & Nevada, impromptu fly-outs, pub nights or beach cleanups the members have started taking initiative to make things happen and have taken ownership of their organization. 

Your motivated leadership team are the facilitators that help keep things on course but it is the members that determine the direction that the BCGA is going and are the catalyst for our progress.

With this said our new motto for the year 2019 will be "Great idea, Make it Happen!". If you as a BCGA member have an idea or something that you are passionate about that would better general aviation in our province we want to empower you to take the initiative to make it happen. Let us know about it early so that we can support you in making your idea a reality in the spirit of furthering general aviation. 

We were fortunate to have had some great weather in the last few days of 2018 and it was fantastic to see so many members out enjoying the very activity that has brought us all together. Let's continue the momentum into 2019 with a focus on member driven initiatives that will continue to drive our organization forward as the most forward thinking and fluid aviation organization in Canada. 

Fly Safe and Fly Often!

Yours Truly,
Ryan VH

One year ago the Kelowna Flying Club (COPA Flight 36) began its flying program with the purchase of a Grumman Tiger C-GVXY. The addition of an aircraft really put the flying back into the flying club. The model used by the Kelowna Flying Club for the purchase and management of the aircraft was adopted from the Parksville Qualicum Aero Club and was the brainchild of the late Fred Evoy and current PQAC/KFC member James Hannibal. 

When James moved to the Okanagan he brought the model that had been so successful on Vancouver Island (See our article from 2015: Parksville Qualicum Aero Club - A Breath of Fresh Air) to the Okanagan and with the help of the club executive and a few motivated members they acquired a Grumman Tiger that has been getting some good use. 

Ben Ward of the Kelowna Flying Club recently put together a video highlighting some of the adventures that their beloved Tiger has been on in its first year with the club.

At a recent BCGA seminar the usual hot topic of 406Mhz ELTs, Spot & Inreach GPS trackers came up in the discussion. We have written here before on How To Help Your GPS Tracker Help You. In that article we give an example of a customs. message that you can and should include in your SOS alert should you need it. 

A little known fact is that the SPOT/GARMIN SOS requests go through a private dispatch centre located in the USA and it can take as long as 45min - 1 hour before your message is received and processed. If you were a hiker or other out door adventurer the local search and rescue would use ground assets to try and locate you. 

If you can verify that you are an Aircraft in distress with a custom SOS message then the JRCC in Victoria will launch air search and rescue immediately. 

After the seminar, BCGA member Jonathan R. Pagtakhan emailed us a sample of the custom message that he uses on his GPS tracker and we thought that it was too good not to share. 

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“Aircraft distress call. Contact Victoria Joint Rescue Coordination Centre: 250-413-8933 or 800-567-1111 Canadian Private Pilot License: XXXXX Aircraft Registration: Cessna 172M C-XXXX (ELT Equipped VHF 121.5)  / First & last name TELUS Mobile: +1-604-XXX-XXXX DOB: 01-XX-19XX Blood type: X Allergies: X Medication: X Conditions: X Recent hospitalization: X Doctor's name: Dr. X Doctor's phone: +1-604-XXX-XXXX BC Personal Health Number: 90XX-XXX-XXX”

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The 2018 BC General Aviation Association annual general meeting was held on October 27th in Kamloops, BC. We could not have asked for a better day for flying as members flew in from the Lower Mainland, Kelowna, Chilcotin and from as far as Prince George. The skies were clear and the winds calm and volunteers from the Kamloops Fly Club marshalled member aircraft to their parking spots on a newly constructed tie down area outside the clubhouse. 

The meeting convened with close to 30 pilots in attendance and another 50 attending remotely via our Facebook Live Stream. The meeting covered general business and included some updates from the Directors on what is happening in GA in the various regions of the province. The current board will remain in place by acclimation and we are an motivated as ever to continue serving our members and the GA community in BC. 

After the business portion of the meeting the group was treated to an update from BC COPA Director and Chairman of COPA Dave McElroy as well as a very inspiring presentation made by Kamloops Airport Manager Heather McCarley. Heather talked about the growth in Kamloops and what she has done to encourage, support and promote general aviation at her airport. 

After the presentations, members were invited to participate in a tour of the Pacific Region Flight Information Centre (Pacific Radio) and Kamloops radio. This tour was hosted by Nav Canada's Dale Maher and it was a great opportunity for some BCGA members to get a behind the scenes look at what goes into weather briefings, flight planning and providing service to a busy rural airport. 

We wish to thank all the members that were able to attend and the volunteers that made this meeting a success. In particular we wish to thank Arthur Loring, BCGA Okanagan Director and Vice President of the Kamloops Flying Club for taking the bull by the horns and hosting a great event. 

​The time and date for next year's meeting will be announced in the summer. 

September 26th marked the first meeting of the 2018/2019 Vancouver IMC Club Season.

The Vancouver IMC Club is sponsored by Maxcraft Avionics and meets at their Pitt Meadows facility on the last Wednesday of each month. The IMC Club has become a flying club in its purest form in that all the discussion is about flying. At each meeting, pilots gather to discuss scenarios and engage in a group discussion as to what one might do if faced with the various scenarios in an aircraft. There is no membership fee, and anybody is welcome to attend. You don't even need an instrument rating. At least half of the pilots that attend the regular meetings do not hold in instrument rating and they are still active participants in the dialogue as many IFR concepts inevitably spill over into a discussion of general aircraft handling and airmanship. 

It has also become somewhat of a tradition that once the meeting is finished, those that are so inclined migrate down the street to Foamers Folly Brew Pub and enjoy a few pints of their microbrew. 

Here is a small sample of the topics that were discussed at the September 26th meeting. Keeping in mind that all this discussion stemmed from two simple scenarios which organically end up branching into other related subject matters. 

Scenario #1
This was the "official" EAA IMC Club scenario provided by EAA HQ. It involved a C182 that needed to reposition to an airport about 100nm away. It was on the ground at an airport on the coast that did not have any published IFR approaches or departure procedures. The visibility was limited. The reason for the flight was to get it to a maintenance facility to get a small oil leak taken care of. 

This scenario lead to discussions that included:
- Go / No Go Decisions
- IFR Departures from non-assessed aerodromes
- Personal minimums
- How the oil leak might affect decision making
- IFR Departure Terrain Clearance responsibility
- How to asses a departure
- Spatial Disorientation
- Appropriate use of cockpit tools such as heading bugs
- Automation dependency

Scenario #2
We discussed a scenario with a lot of grey area. It involves an IFR aircraft that has been cleared for a visual approach to a controlled airport. The approach controller instructs the aircraft to contact the tower. The pilot switches to the tower frequency but can’t get a word in edgewise and is nearing the airport. What should the pilot do in this case?

Scenario #3
After a short break we were treated to IMC Club Member Jim Fairweather's account of an IFR cross country flight that he completed this summer. He very eloquently shared his thought process in the planning and execution phases of the trip and shared some lessons that he learned. One of the interesting lessons from Jim was the realization that a yoke mounted iPad is not balanced and can cause un wanted control forces that could lead to disorientation. Jim shared his solution to this problem with us. 

Conclusion
As we embark on this new IMC club season we are looking forward to members taking part in sharing their experiences and lessons learned so that the entire group can benefit. One thing that makes the IMC Club special is that we treat the meeting as a safe space where pilots can share openly without fear of judgement or consequence. Stories that are shared at the IMC Club meeting stay at the IMC Club meeting. 

After the meeting about a dozen members retreated to Foamers Folly and enjoyed some of their latest brews while continuing the discussion over pizza and wings. Some of the group even used pizza boxes to draw diagrams while debating what is meant when the tower says "report a 3-mile right base" but we'll leave that for next time. 

Please see the attached information that has been provided to us by the family of Geoff and Judy the pilot and passenger aboard the RV6 that went missing between Edmonton and Chilliwack. We are sharing this information at the family's request. 

We ask that all members keep an eye out for evidence of this aircraft if they happen to be flying in the area depicted in this map. As always, fly safe, file a flight plan and don't try and be a hero.

Our thoughts are with the Pickard family during this difficult time. 

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