Category Archives: General

Link: Private pilots pushed out of hangars at Toronto island airport

Posted on June 8, 2013 by

http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/06/07/private-pilots-pushed-out-of-hangars-at-toronto-island-airport-court-documents/ Porter contends that the Q400 turboprop planes it flies qualify the airline’s activities as general aviation. I love Porter as an airline, but that statement (if accurately reported by Macleans) is BS of the worst kind. Porter is trying … Continue reading →

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Less noise in the cockpit

Posted on January 10, 2013 by

I took this morning off and went for my first flight of 2013. Something was wrong with my Bose headset or its batteries, so I had to do without noise cancellation, but it was a wonderfully-quiet flight in a different … Continue reading →

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10 years as a pilot

Posted on August 29, 2012 by

Ten years ago today, I passed a flight test and received my Private Pilot’s License (PPL) in a rented Cessna 172 (C-GPMR) at the Ottawa Flying Club. I’d been worried about turbulence — I didn’t quite have my flying stomach … Continue reading →

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Control feedback

Posted on December 20, 2011 by

Control feedback is important to pilots. Through the yoke or stick, we can feel what’s happening with the plane; for example, are we pulling or pushing too hard on the stick? Are the controls mushy, indicating that we’re close to … Continue reading →

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The complicated finances of flying

Posted on September 18, 2011 by

The original news story was simple: pampered general uses private government jet for personal trip(s) at total cost of more than $1M to taxpayers over three years. The Prime Minister smelled a scandal and tried to nip it in the … Continue reading →

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What happens after you get your private pilot license?

Posted on August 30, 2011 by

Yesterday was the 9th anniversary of the day I passed my flight test and got my private pilot’s license (PPL). It was also, coincidentally, the longest straight-line distance I’ve flown in a day, 930 nautical miles (1,722 km) from Winnipeg … Continue reading →

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My new autopilot in instrument conditions

Posted on August 20, 2011 by

This week, I gave my new autopilot its first workout in instrument conditions, climbing out through a low cloud layer in Ottawa, bumping through heavy rain clouds over Vermont and New Hampshire, and flying a localizer approach into Beverly Airport … Continue reading →

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