On October 20th, the BC General Aviation Association was honored to attend the BC Aviation Council's annual Silver Wings Awards dinner.

The Silver Wings Awards were held at the Vancouver Convention Centre overlooking Coal Harbour. The evening was hosted by the BC Aviation Council and was focussed on recognizing the achievements of B.C. aviation professionals and students. This year over $ 20,000 in scholarships were awarded to very hardworking and deserving students.

The evening also included plenty of networking time where industry professionals, enthusiasts and newcomers had the opportunity to meet and discuss aviation in British Columbia.

The BC General Aviation Association was honored to have been invited to this event! We were asked to attend and setup a media station with our website, featring the BC Airstrip Map that we have made available to our members. Our organization was very well received and the overall feeling is that what we are doing has been a long time coming and it is time that we support and promote general aviation in BC. The event not only lead the way for some great conversation and potential association affiliation agreements but it also allowed us to sign up some new members ranging from flight students to the an airline C.EO.


We would like to offer a heartfelt thanks to the B.C. Aviation Council for having us at their event and a warm congratulations to all those deserving awards recepients!

Stay tuned for upcoming announcements!

​Today we received a letter from Chevron and were asked to share it with our members.
Chevron is explicitly advising against the use of their automotive fuels in aircraft. Read below:

USE OF CHEVRON MOTOR GASOLINE IN AIRCRAFT 

We expect you have heard through the media about Chevron’s recent product mix incident in which some ethanol-free regular-grade 87-octane motor gasoline was unintentionally blended into our premium products and sold between September 8 and 10, 2015 at a number of our service station locations in British Columbia. As a result, some customers may have mistakenly received a lower octane fuel than listed on the pump. Chevron is committed to resolving this issue with its customers and, if you purchased premium fuels from any impacted station during that period, further information can be accessed through Chevron’s website at www.chevron.ca. 

It has come to Chevron’s attention, as a result of this incident, that there may be operators of aircraft in British Columbia using motor gasoline fuel purchased from Chevron retail service stations in their aircraft. Chevron does not condone such use and in fact believes there may very well be a significant flight safety risk associated with fueling aircraft using any fuel that does not meet government and industry approved aviation specifications and guidelines. This includes unleaded fuels intended for ground vehicles, even if such fuel is used in aircraft that has been deemed compatible with unleaded ground fuel (gasoline). While Chevron fuels sold at our service stations meet applicable regulatory standards for use in motor vehicles, in our view only fuels designed and managed as aviation fuels should be used in aircraft. Therefore, any use of motor vehicle fuel in aircraft is at the sole risk of the aircraft operator. Please see the Transport Canada website for further information, and in particular bulletin TP 10737: The Use of Automobile Gasoline (Mogas) in Aviation. 

While there are a number of reasons supporting our position, the following are a few examples of why we believe the use of non-aviation fuel in aircraft is unsafe: 

• The production and handling of aviation fuel follow much stricter guidelines than ground fuels. This is necessary due to the heightened safety concerns of airborne vessels. 

• Unlike aviation fuels, ground fuels do not require complete segregation and/or isolation from other fuel streams during manufacture and distribution, along with traceability back to its origin. Without such isolation and segregation, there is an increased risk of fuel-related engine failure during flight. 

• Ethanol, which has been introduced into most ground fuels, has a variety of characteristics which makes it unsuitable for use in many aircrafts. The introduction of ethanol into an aircraft’s fuel system can lead to a dangerous or degraded engine and airframe performance. 

Put simply, Chevron believes that aircraft operators should not use fuel in their aircraft acquired from fuel pumps and dispensers not explicitly labeled for aviation use. 

Regarding last week’s product mix, while compensation claims will be considered regarding the purchase of a lower octane fuel at a premium price, we cannot comment on any of the impacts on any aircraft that may have used a lower octane fuel than was indicated. Our recommendation is to contact the aircraft OEM for guidance specific to a particular airframe and review the Transport Canada website for further information.



 Note: Advice and opinion noted herein are given in good faith and on the basis of the best information available, but no legal liability therefore is accepted by Chevron Canada Limited or any of its affiliates. 

As many of you know, BCAV member Bruce Burley recently completed a complete upgrade of the avionics on his Cessna 210L.

We received a message from Bruce this morning that his Spot Trace Tracker is interfering with the GPS signal on his Garmin glass panel displays particularly the GTN750 & G500.

He describes that every 5 minutes when his Spot Trace transmits a GPS position it causes the GTN750 to lose its GPS position input to the aircraft for 10-20 seconds. This fault would seem like a benign nuisance in cruise or during VFR flight but could prove to be potentially catastrophic during an IFR RNAV approach.

Bruce has contacted Garmin and Spot to seek a resolution even though the SPOT manual states that the device will not cause interference with other electronic components.

He states that when the Spot Trace is on the dash it interferes with ALL other GPS inputs every 5 minutes and if he relocates the tracker to the aft window of the plane that it interferes with 1/3 components.

According to a local avionics dealer, the Spot device is on a very similar frequency as Garmin. When it powers up or pulses (as defined by the user, in this case every 5 mins) the Garmin GTN 750 dumps ALL satellites and then quickly reacquires. Because the G500 gets its feed from the GTN 750 it also loses its GPS position. Now the GTN750 reacquires within a second or two but the G500 takes a bit longer and the synthetic vision returns about 10secs after the cycle begins.

It is unknown if this issue is isolated to only his Spot Trace or if others may cause similar issues. It is also unknown if Spot Gen2/3 units will cause similar problems.

The video in the link below demonstrates this phenomenon through 2 complete cycles. Please use caution if you are operating IFR with a newer Garmin installation and a Spot Tracker. 

The repaving of the apron and taxiways at the Squamish Regional Airport is complete thanks to the Provincial Government's Air Access Program.  For more information about the program and details of other improvements that are coming to BC Airports visit the Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure Press Release Here.

Steven Hill / Squamish Chief
August 18, 2015 05:08 PM

The Squamish Airport is receiving a $164,000 makeover.

As part of the province’s 10-year, B.C. On The Move transportation plan, a $123,000 grant was awarded through the B.C. Air Access Program and will go toward repaving the airport apron, the taxiway connecting the apron and the runway, and the taxi lanes that provide access to aviation parking.

Through the B.C. Air Access Program, the provincial government cost shares with public airports on projects such as lighting and navigational systems, runway improvements and terminal building expansion or upgrades. The District of Squamish is funding the additional $41,000 (or 25 per cent of the project’s cost).

“The runway has been rehabilitated in previous years,” Jordan Sturdy, MLA for West Vancouver Sea to Sky told The Squamish Chief after a ceremony and tour at the airport on Monday. “Now it is about taking care of the runway apron, which I see has some grass growing on it. The work will go toward repaving the apron and taxiway, so airport users like Sea to Sky Air and Blackcomb Aviation no longer have to drive through gravel to get to the runway.”

Acting Mayor Jason Blackman-Wulff was also on hand Monday for the tour and cheque unveiling.

“We saw some pretty big cracks in the pavement on the taxiway,” he said. “They certainly need to be taken care of to ensure the safety of users.”

Sturdy said the province’s $24 million aviation grant fund is a boon for smaller community airports.

But he also said more needs to be done to stimulate the Squamish airport’s economy and growth.

“I’m hearing that 70 per cent of the business here is sightseeing tourism,” he said. “And the operators here want to invest, too, but the obstacle is the opportunities at the airport are all short-term. I’m told this has to do with the Cheekye Fan hazard. Some airport clients want to invest in new aircraft, but they have no place to put them. The airport needs additional structures and longer lease opportunities. These guys are willing to invest, but they can’t on a one or three-year lease. They need 20-year leases.”

Blackman-Wulff said the district was aware of the issue.

“It’s been a discussion that’s been ongoing,” he said. “I have heard that from operators there.”

Sturdy said plans were already underway to develop a proposal to allow for longer leases at the airport.

“A process is currently at play, but it is not advanced to a place where we have a definite solution,” he said.


@ Copyright 2015 Squamish Chief- See more

BCAV Member Bruce is currently treating his C210 to a major panel upgrade. Here are some photos of the progress so far. The work is being done in partnership with ICS Avionics in Kamloops and Bruce's AME Coast Dog Aviation in Pitt Meadows. 

The following are excerpts from Bruce's posts to the Facebook Group Lower Mainland Aviation.

"Garmin G500. Right side is getting active traffic feed from L3 Lynx NGT 9000. Hoping it will overlay nicely over the G500 moving map."

"Centre stack: GTN 750 (showing traffic from NGT 9000 transponder), GNC 255A Com2/Nav2, old ADF feeding NDB into the G500 and the latest and greatest L3 NGT ADSB in/out transponder with FIS-B Wx and active traffic. And while small the NGT-9000 also has its own moving map GPS"

"Things moving faster now on the C-210L avionics upgrades being done by http://www.icsavionics.ca/ up in CYKA. More photos supplied today of the engraved and painted panels with most of the gear installed. Just waiting on the JPI EDM 930 to arrive and it goes in too. Getting very excited.