Last Flight - Ruth Merkis-Hunt

by Adam Hunt

Pilot, flight instructor and COPA Flight 8 Ottawa member Ruth Merkis-Hunt died of cancer on 30 January 2014 at age 49.

While she trained dozens of students to licence standard, Ruth will probably best remembered for her tireless contributions as a COPA volunteer during the years I worked there, 2000-07. She manned COPA trade show booths, sold COPA Collection clothing at COPA conventions, edited all the COPA Guides and hundreds of articles published in COPA Flight and flew with me to many fly-ins and meetings, happily conversing with members in English and French equally well.

Ruth's favourite aircraft type was the Cessna 172, which she flew for most of her teaching career, but her small size and light weight meant she was often relegated to a Cessna 152 with a heavier student. She had a lot of affection for the military C-130 Hercules freighter and flew on them several times as a SAR spotter.

We owned four aircraft together, including one we built and two we restored, but by 2006 Ruth's multiple sclerosis had resulted in persistent vertigo that made flying unpleasant for her. She kept her interest in aviation, though, working quietly behind the scenes, editing hundreds of aviation articles for publication, attending Flight 8 meetings, airshows and fly-ins whenever her health allowed.

Ruth's cheerful and kind nature won her many friends throughout the aviation world, as in all the other facets of her life. She was keen on so many things, like aviation, astronomy, bread baking, Buddhism, crochet, cross country skiing, cycling, camping, hiking, Linux, meteorology and music. She made friends through all her interests. She will be sorely missed by many people, especially by me, as we were inseparable partners in everything for over 17 years.

In lieu of flowers or other gifts, donations can be made to Ruth's favourite charity, Sati Saraniya Buddhist Hermitage, to allow them to carry on their valuable teaching work.

External links

• Ruth's memorial page
• Ruth's candle at May Court
• Ruth's memorial on Diaspora
• Ruth's user page memorial on Wikipedia
• The Topic of Cancer, the book about Ruth's experiences with cancer

Fisher Flying Products For Sale

January 15, 2014

Press release by Paul Riedlinger, President of Fisher Flying Products

I have decided now is the time to make some major changes at Fisher Flying Products. Effective immediately, we will no longer be selling kits for any of our aircraft to new customers. We will only be offering our excellent full-size plans to people who want to scratch build any of our 14 different aircraft. Full technical support will continue to be offered. In addition, we will be continuing to sell items that are unique to our aircraft such as fuel tanks, cowls, windscreens, etc.

If you are an existing customer, replacement parts and kits needed to complete your aircraft will continue to be available. The changes only affects new customers. I do ask that you place any orders for kits needed by 15 March 2014.

These changes will remain in effect until I can find a buyer for the company who can restart production and carry Fisher forward into the future.

Details Of The Decision

For those of you who know me, you will realize this is not an easy decision. I took over FFP from Gene and Darlene Hanson five years ago and have had the time of my life reviving the company and making these great airplanes available once again. I have made many good friends and look forward to coming into work each day and talking with our great customers. I love dealing with our customer base which is truly world-wide.

So, why the change? Well, it certainly is not because the company is in any type of trouble. In fact we grew 40% in sales last year, invested in new modern production equipment and employed some of highly skilled people. With the US market finally coming back, the future sales potential for the company is very promising. It all comes down to time and being able to treating our customers with the level of service they have come to expect and deserve. What many people do not realize is that I took on Fisher because of my love of aviation and the desire to keep the FFP designs from disappearing. Besides running Fisher, I also own another business, guest lecture at the University of Toronto and I am in the process of getting my Doctorate at Reading University in England. I have always prided myself on providing excellent service and support for Fisher's products and recently it has become clear to me that with everything else going on I simply do not have the time to dedicate to FFP that it deserves. My goal with the changes is to allow me to provide support and products to existing customers while I search for a new owner for the company. I do not want to see anyone left stranded without the parts needed to complete their aircraft.

With all of this in mind, I would also like to announce that the company is for sale. With 14 different designs, a huge worldwide customer base of over 4000 people it is a great opportunity for someone who is looking to immerse themselves in the aviation world. What is for sale is all of the designs, production jigs, engineering, copyrights, etc. If you are interested in finding out more please feel free to contact me.

A quick summary of the changes:

• New Customers will only be able to buy plans and supporting products
• Existing Customers - nothing really changes other than if you need kits to complete your aircraft, please place the order before 15 March 2014
• Technical Support - still available. It is always best to use email for technical support. Provide a detailed description of your question with part numbers and/or plan number you have questions about. Photos are always very helpful. If you want to talk on the phone about an issue, please note that phone support will be available Tuesday and Thursday from 9am-5pm Eastern Standard Time
• Website - over the next few days you will notice see that the long promised online store will be turned on so you can do most purchases directly from our website
• If you are interested in buying the company please contact me at for more details

I know that the changes are going to make some people unhappy but I hope you understand why I need to make them. It has been a pleasure dealing with each of you for the past 5 years and I look forward to continuing to support the Fisher line of aircraft. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by email.

Contact information

• Fisher Flying Products
• Address: 13779 McLaughlin Road, Caledon, Ontario L7C 2B2 Canada
• Telephone: 905-838-1050
• Fax: 416-352-5718
• Website: www.fisherflying.com
• Email: paul@fisherflying.com

External links

• Company press release
• Wikipedia

Further to: Does ForeFlight miss…info

ForeFlight has been great dealing with me. Since my queries and comments yesterday I have received several emails and a phone call. Great service ForeFlight Team!

Below is  ForeFlight’s annotated responses to my queries yesterday (the one with red notes). Note departure procedures, called SIDs in Canada, are under Procedures not Taxiways. There are no SIDs under taxiways in ForeFlight. Also note a Taxi Chart under ForeFlight’s Ottawa Procedures? I included the ForeFlight’s Buffalo Procedures screen and ask you to note the Takeoff Minimums item there listed. As well I included Ottawa’s Taxi Chart from ForeFlight’s Procedures for Ottawa. (Raises the question why Nav Canada shows the Aerodrome Chart and not the Taxi Chart in its list of Aerodrome Diagrams on its webpage?)

OK, I looked in the wrong spot for takeoff minimums at Canadian airports. But I did so using the same logic ForeFlight applies to takeoff minimums for airports in the USA, specifically they are under Procedures!

My preference would be to start from some objectives like:

1. Keep IFR procedural information in one place, e.g., Procedures.
2. Keep ground movement information in one place, e.g., Taxiways or Taxi Diagrams.

With these objectives in mind, below is what I would expect to see:

1. Procedures would include Arrival, Approach, Departure, Takeoff procedures and Noise Abatement, deicing.
2. Taxiways or Taxi Diagrams would include taxi charts, parking/gate locations, hot spots, and other ground movement information as appropriate. Perhaps deicing too.

I find it interesting that Nav Canada publishes Taxi Charts for some airports, e.g., Ottawa CYOW and ForeFlight shows these under procedures, but not Taxiways or Taxi Diagrams. For many Canadian airports there is only one chart that shows both takeoff minima and taxiways. I believe ForeFlight should show these charts in both Taxiways and Procedures. A little repetition will not hurt.

Speaking or repetition, ForeFlight repeats all approach plates under Runways and Procedures. That is probably useful and intuitive for some pilots, but I wonder if this increases memory requirements and download time?

My goal is simply to point out how one Canadian Pilot misunderstood the logic behind ForeFlight, with the thought that other pilots might make the same mistakes and not find that for which they are looking.

Does ForeFlight miss Canadian info?

 

Is your ForeFlight Mobile missing some key Canadian Charts? You will note in the above screen capture from my iPhone 5 that no Aerodrome Chart is listed for Vancouver International Airport CYVR. This could be unhealthy for Instrument pilots departing Vancouver since they will be missing the Takeoff minima that is on the bottom left of Nav Canada’s Aerdrome Chart for Vancouver (also shown above). Takeoff minima climb gradients in Canada is adjusted to reflect obstacles (mountains) in the departure path. Without the noted chart in ForeFlight we may be exposed to this potential risk.

For Ottawa CYOW ForeFlight provides the French Carte d’Aérodrome which does include Takeoff Minima, but only in French. I don’t think I have miss-checked a feature in the Download section of ForeFlight, but that is a possibility I am exploring that with the ForeFlight Team.

Still ForeFlight is a great aid and I would hate to loose it.

New Name For European Aircraft Manufacturer

A number of European aerospace manufacturers changed their names on 2 January 2014. These companies, all part of EADS, now have easier names to remember, but it does mean some aircraft types will have new names

Here is a summary of the changes:

• The parent company, EADS, is now Airbus Group
• Airbus Military, Astrium and Cassidian are now Airbus Defence and Space
• Eurocopter, the helicopter manufacturer, is now Airbus Helicopters
• Airbus, the airliner manufacturer, remains as Airbus

This does mean that some current production aircraft, such as the Eurocopter EC135, will become the Airbus EC135, etc.

The company has indicated that existing company documents, such as technical publications, press releases, financial statements and so on will not be re-branded. New documents will bear the Airbus name.

External Links

• Airbus Group website
• Airbus Press Release
• Wikipedia

Ottawa Flying Club Seeks Photos

From Ottawa Flying Club

Board Director Ryan Lloyd is working on the Ottawa Flying Club's new website and has put out a call for pictures of OFC aircraft, the club house and from OFC trips that we can use on the website. He has the back end on the new site all set up now but he doesn't have enough high quality club photos.

He is looking for shots of the different club aircraft and shots of the club as well.

Please send your best photos and videos as well. In your email state that it is OK for the OFC to use the photos and how you would want your shots to be recognized or attributed.

Email your photos and videos to photos@ofc.ca

Murphy Aircraft For Sale

Press Release - 09 January 2014

Murphy Aircraft Manufacturing Ltd. announced today that the company is now being offered for sale, to someone who can take the company to the next stage of development.

Mr. Darryl Murphy, Company Founder and President, said "After thirty enjoyable years running Murphy Aircraft Mfg. Ltd., I am approaching retirement, with the desire to spend more time with family and pursue other interests. To that end I find myself in the position of wanting to sell Murphy Aircraft Mfg. Ltd."

Murphy Aircraft Mfg. Ltd. was founded in 1985 and has been a world leader in the design and production of experimental light aircraft, having sold close to 2,000 aircraft kits in over 35 countries. Many of these Murphy aircraft are now flying on floats and skis. The Murphy Moose and Murphy Rebel, with their reputation as rugged, roomy bush aircraft, offering utilitarian high useful loads, are especially coveted for their excellent performance on floats.

Mr. Murphy continued “With strong signs of economic recovery in North America, the time is right for someone else to take over.” This presents a great opportunity, as the cost of designing, tooling, building and testing a new line of aircraft would greatly exceed the asking price. The package includes all 8 aircraft models and 3 sizes of straight & amphibious floats, existing inventory, and quick-build jigs for the Renegade and Moose. The selling price will be in the $2.5 to $4 million range, depending on how much of the manufacturing machinery the buyer wants. A tailored training program can be provided. Murphy Aircraft Mfg. Ltd. will continue to supply new kits and service parts throughout the change-over to new ownership and anticipated expansion.

Patterson AeroSales, who handle all Murphy kit sales and marketing, will continue to accept and process orders for delivery positions now and throughout the expected year-long transition to new ownership.

Anyone interested in acquiring Murphy Aircraft Mfg. Ltd., should contact Mr. Darryl Murphy by email

Background

Murphy Aircraft Mfg. Ltd. is one of the oldest and largest aircraft kit manufacturers in Canada. The Murphy lineup includes the popular Renegade, Rebel, Rebel Sport, Elite, Maverick, Yukon, and Moose kits, as well as 1500, 1800 and 3500 straight & amphib floats. All can be viewed on the Murphy web site.

Contact

• Murphy Aircraft Mfg. Ltd., #2-8155 Aitken Road, Chilliwack BC V2R 4H5 Canada
• 604-792-5855
• Email
• Web site

External Links

• AVweb
• Wikipedia

Lecture on the First Human Powered Helicopter

Carleton University's American Helicopter Society (AHS) team are hosting its first AHS event right here on campus! The event will focus on a presentation by the AeroVelo team, who were the first to create a human powered helicopter and get it off the ground. The project was part of the Igor I. Sikorsky Human Powered Helicopter (HPH) Competition.

With no designs being successful during the 33 long years of this competition, AeroVelo was able to achieve and exceed the requirements set by the competition committee which included a one minute hovering time, while keeping a steady altitude of 3 meters to win the $250,000 prize.

Details

• Date: January 9, 2014
• Location: Porter Hall (University Centre, 2nd floor) Carleton University
• Time:
  • 6-7 Registration/Social
  • 7 pm Presentation
• Cost:
  • AHS Members: Free
  • Non-AHS members: $10
  • Students and Faculty: $5 with RSVP
• Food: Snacks and refreshments provided
• RSVP to Jen Gatenby

External links

• Event website

Fly-in Resturant Now at Oshawa Airport

by John A., COPA Flight 70 Oshawa Chief Gourmet

Mak's Pulled Pork Sandwiches And More has moved from 106 Byron Street South, Whitby, Ontario to the Oshawa Air Terminal.

Have a heaping pile of juicy, mouth-watering pulled pork or pulled jerk pork shavings on a bun, generously drizzled with your choice of Mak's BBQ sauce, or Mak's Heat BBQ sauce, if you want that tangy kick in every bite!

Extra hungry? (I was yesterday & again today) The Mak's Monster also adds a towering combination of coleslaw and cheese.

For non-pork-lovers there is also chicken club wraps and butter chicken. Also there is a traditional breakfast menu, lunch sandwiches and snacks, too.

• Mak's Monster $8.99
• Mak's Jerk $7.25
• Mak's Pulled $6.50
• Buttered chicken $5.99

Carla and Mark welcome you Monday to Friday, 0830-1430 hrs

Canadian Private Fleet Shows Continued Slow Growth For 2013

The Canadian private civil aircraft fleet continued to grow in 2013, but at a rate that was once again the lowest seen since 2003, lower than in 2012 and worse than at any time during the recession of 2008-10.

In 2008 the fleet grew at a very fast rate of 3.2%, in 2009 by 2.2% reflecting the recession, in 2010 increased to 2.3% and in 2011 up to 2.5%. In 2012 it was down to just 1.96% and now 1.92% in 2013.

The numbers seem to indicate that recession is still very much with us and that the ongoing poor state of the Canadian economy is affecting aircraft buying. As in recent years, the fact that the fleet has continued to grow and not shrink is probably due to the persistently high asking prices for used aircraft in Canada, as the US economy and its dollar remained relatively weak through 2013. Towards the end of 2013 the Canadian dollar fell about 6% against the US dollar, but this still left aircraft asking prices higher than they should be compared to the US market. This has encouraged cross-border aircraft shopping and driven up the overall number of aircraft registered in Canada. As I have noted in years past, the main problem remains that many of those for-sale-but-over-priced-aircraft are also not being flown much, so while the Canadian civil fleet grows in size, the amount of flying probably isn't increasing and may in fact be decreasing.

In 2013 the total Canadian civil fleet increased in size by 538, compared to 593 for 2012. In 2013 the private segment of the fleet accounted for all the growth seen, increasing by 542, while the commercial aircraft fleet increased by only two aircraft and the state fleet, those aircraft owned by the various levels of government in Canada, shrunk by six aircraft. While private aviation is growing slowly, state and commercial aviation were both stagnant in 2013.

Certified Aircraft

Certified aircraft have been leading the growth in private aircraft for a number of years. They lost that lead to basic ultralights in 2012, but regained it in 2013. The comparatively low US dollar combined with high asking prices for aircraft in Canada makes US imports cheaper than buying domestically. The numbers increased in 2013 with 187 certified aircraft added, up from 2012's total of 172. In 2013 the new additions to the certified fleet were made up of 133 airplanes, 11 balloons and 44 helicopters, while the number of gliders was reduced by one.

Certified aircraft accounted for 35% of the private fleet growth in 2013. There were 16,293 private certified aircraft at the end of 2013, out of a total of 28,813 private aircraft registered.

Basic Ultralights

BULAs were once again the second quickest growing area of private aviation in 2013, after certified aircraft, after being in the number one spot in 2012. In 2013 the category increased by 153 aircraft and accounted for 28% of the private fleet growth. There were 5,780 BULAs registered at the end of 2013.

Amateur-builts

Amateur-built aircraft were in the number three slot again in 2013, increasing by 90, down from an increase of 98 in 2012. In 2013 the aircraft added were made up of 90 airplanes and two balloons, while the number of helicopters and gyroplanes decreased by one each. Amateur-builts made up 17% of the aircraft added to the private fleet in 2013.

Amateur builts now number 4,069 in Canada and include a wide variety of aircraft, from fixed wing airplanes, helicopters, gliders, gyroplanes to balloons, airships and even one ornithopter.

Owner Maintained

The O-M category added 22 aircraft in 2013, down from the 37 added in 2012, leaving the category in fourth spot once again ahead of advanced ultralights. By the end of 2013, there were 605 O-M aircraft on the registry, made up of 591 airplanes and 14 gliders. O-M aircraft made up 4% of the aircraft added to the private fleet in 2013.

This category has continued to suffer from low numbers of aircraft being moved from the certified category ever since the American FAA announced that O-M aircraft will never be allowed to fly in US airspace or sold in the USA. Overall this category continues to stagger along with very minimal interest from owners.

Advanced Ultralights

Advanced Ultralights remained in fifth place for growth in 2013, increasing their numbers by only 17 airplanes, compared to an increase of 27 in 2012. Their growth in numbers in 2013 made up 3% of the private fleet increase and brought the total number of AULAs on the civil register to 1,193. By the category definition, all AULAs are powered, fixed wing aircraft.

The AULA category was introduced in 1991 and therefore 2013 was its 22nd year. The category has increased its numbers at an average of 54 aircraft per year and so can hardly be considered the success that was anticipated when it was started. As in the past five years, the number of AULAs added in 2013 was well below the average from the category's earlier years. This seems to indicate that the category is slowly dying out, a trend mostly likely linked to the high price of new AULAs and their American counter-parts, Light-Sport Aircraft.

Commercial Fleet

In 2013 the commercial aircraft fleet increased by just two aircraft to bring it to 7,013. The numbers show an increase of five airplanes and no helicopters, offset by a decrease of three balloons. The biggest commercial fleet growth was in three-engined aircraft, with four added, while twins shrunk by 76 aircraft.

In round numbers, at the end of 2013 the private fleet made up 80% of the aircraft in Canada, with the commercial fleet at 19% and the state fleet at 0.7%. As commercial aviation fails to grow over time private aviation is making up a greater proportion of the fleet.

Imports & Exports

Aircraft imports into Canada in 2013 numbered 669, which was down from 753 in 2012 and well below the 968 imported during the pre-recession days of 2008. In 2013, 770 aircraft were exported, giving a difference of 101 favouring exported aircraft over those imported.

Looking at 2013

World oil prices ended 2013 at US$100.32 for North America (WTI) and US$112.18 for Europe (Brent). These were up slightly, $10 and $2 respectively, from a year ago, showing the careful balance between poor economic conditions reducing oil demand and associated prices and economic recovery increasing demand and prices. Poor economic conditions result in less flying because people have less money, but with world oil production stagnant now for nine years, economic growth increases demand for this limited resource and results in higher oil prices and the inevitable reduction in flying hours. Aviation data from 2013 once again indicate that high fuel prices are restricting private flying.

Note: Data for this report was taken from the Transport Canada Civil Aircraft Register and reflects the difference between the number of aircraft registered in Canada on 31 December 2012 and 31 December 2013. These statistics reflect the net number of aircraft built and imported, minus the number destroyed, scrapped and exported. Just because an aircraft is registered in Canada does not mean it is being flown and therefore the number of registered aircraft should not be confused with the amount of flying activity.

ASAP Moves to the USA

It appears that long time Canadian kitplane manufacturer Aircraft Sales And Parts (ASAP) has been sold and the company is being moved to Sealy, Texas.

ASAP was founded by Brent Holomis in 1988 as a parts supplier for the then discontinued Spectrum Beaver and Birdman Chinook ultralights. Over time Holomis went far beyond parts though, redesigning both those aircraft as the ASAP Beaver RX550 Plus and the ASAP Chinook Plus 2 and adding new aircraft to the line, like the single seat Beaver SS. His business expanded into making propellers, powered parachutes and their canopies as well, spinning those off to separate companies, GSC Propellers, as well as Summit Powered Parachutes, Steel Breeze Powered Parachutes and ASAP Canopies.

It seems that after 25 years of being located in Vernon, British Columbia, the company is now in the process of being packed up by its new owners, John and Kim Couch, and moved south to Texas and will be located at Gloster Aerodrome (1XA7) in Sealy, Texas.

The relocated company is expected to be open to accept orders early in 2014, under a new name, the Aeroplane Manufactory.

External links

• New website for Aeroplane Manufactory
• Old location of ASAP website
• Wikipedia

Beechcraft Sold!

On Boxing Day, 26 December 2013, Beechcraft was sold for about US$1.4B in cash.

The sale really wasn't much of a surprise as the company had been through a complete turn around and emerged from bankruptcy ready for sale. What was a surprise was that it wasn't bought by Chinese or Middle Eastern interests, but by Textron, an American company that also owns Cessna and Bell Helicopters.

The purchase had been rumoured a week or two ago by multiple news outlets but neither Textron nor Beechcraft confirmed it until Boxing Day.

The news is very good, as, not only will Textron keep building King Airs, which fit nicely into the niche left when Cessna stopped building multi-engined turboprops, but the Hawker Beechcraft 4000 and Premier 1A jets, which Beech had tried to sell off separately, will also be supported. It seems unlikely that they will build more Hawker Beechcraft 4000 and Premier 1A aircraft, but the existing fleet will be kept flying as Textron bought the type certificates.

The question of what will happen to the Bonanza and Baron piston-powered aircraft lines is unanswered at this point in time, but neither aircraft has a competitor in Cessna's current offerings, so their production may continue as well. I expect there will be more news on this in the early part of 2014, so as not to inhibit potential sales.

Here is my current list of western aerospace firms bought out so far by non-western interests. Note that Beechcraft isn't on the list!

• Cirrus Aircraft - Government of the Peoples Republic of China
• Continental Engines - Government of the Peoples Republic of China
• Enstrom Helicopter Corporation - Chongqing Helicopter Investment Co, China
• Epic Aircraft - Engineering LLC, Russia
• Flightstar Sportplanes - rights, tooling and parts inventory purchased by Yuneec International, China
• Glasair Aircraft - Jilin Hanxing Group, China
• International Lease Finance Corp - 90% New China Trust Co Ltd, New China Life Insurance Co Ltd, P3 Investments Ltd and China Aviation Industrial Fund
• Liberty Aerospace - 75% owned by the Kuwait Finance House, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kuwait Finance House of Bahrain
• LISA Airplanes - 75% owned by Heima Mining Company, China
• Mooney Aviation Company - Soaring American Corp, backed by Chinese investors
• Piper Aircraft - Government of Brunei
• Superior Air Parts - Weifang Tianxiang Technology Group, China
• Thielert Aircraft Engines - Government of the Peoples Republic of China

External links

• Beechcraft Press release
• Textron Press release
• AVweb article
• Wikipedia

30 December 2013 Update

Textron CEO Scott Donnelly indicated that Beechcraft and Cessna would be combined to form a new light aircraft manufacturing concern that will result in US$65M-$85M in annual savings over keeping the companies separate.

Ottawa Flying Club Christmas News

From the Ottawa Flying Club

The Ottawa Flying Club is very pleased to announce the acquisition of a Private Career College certification from the Ontario Government, allowing the OFC to offer Commercial pilot training and Instructor Ratings to our Members.

And Santa, who obtained his Private Pilot's Licence at the OFC years ago, has let slip that the brand new Redbird Flight Simulator, the cutting edge dual-yoke advanced training platform at the OFC, will be installed in our new Instrument Flight Centre of Excellence building just after Santa returns this December 25th!

Lots of excitement at the OFC this holiday season.

External links

• Ottawa Flying Club website

Electronic Canada Flight Supplement For Late in 2014

Nav Canada's recent Fall 2013 edition of their TechWatch publication has given an implementation date for finally achieving an electronic version of the Canada Flight Supplement. The company indicates this should happen about a year from now, in late 2014.

Nav Canada says:

The NAV CANADA Online Store went operational in early 2011 enabling customers to either order or download a range of NAV CANADA aeronautical publications online.

With 7,000 active customer accounts, NAV CANADA has seen steady demand for its publications over the web. More recently, with the added option of downloading some of its key publications in PDF format, the company is anticipating significant growth in the number of customers taking advantage of this service.

Customer Benefits:

Shifting to an authorized electronic format allows customers to print only the sections or pages of a publication that they need and access information through authorized portable devices. By providing immediate access to downloadable aeronautical publications, pilots planning their flights can obtain the most up-to-date information in a timely manner. Moreover, the publications are made available a full 10 days prior to their effective date.

Downloaded products are priced 20 per cent less than their paper equivalents. Customers also save on shipping and handling. Also available at the Online Store, at no additional charge, are the Canada Air Pilot General pages and a Change Page that allows customers to quickly identify all the aeronautical changes made from one publication cycle to the next.

Status Update:

• Available for download are all seven volumes of the Canada Air Pilot (CAP), the Restricted Canada Air Pilot (RCAP) and the Water Aerodrome Supplement (WAS). Customers can purchase these products and then print their required pages. These products are official aeronautical publications and suitable for air navigation purposes.
• NAV CANADA is currently working towards the availability of an electronic version of the Canada Flight Supplement with a release targeted for late 2014.

External links

• TechWatch, Fall 2013
• Wikipedia

Cessna CEO: Skycatcher Has "no future"

I don't think this will surprise anyone: Cessna 162 production is about to be ended.

In October 2013 at the National Business Aviation Association convention Cessna CEO Cessna CEO Scott Ernest stated that the Skycatcher had "no future".

In my review of the Cessna 162 in November 2010 I noted that while the design did have some pluses, like the control stick, fit and finish and the doors there were many problems with the design, particularly:

• The name "Skycatcher", which no one reacted well to.
• The cockpit ergonomics, being unable to accommodate anyone over about 6'1".
• Poor payload, which was 304 lbs of people and baggage on the one typical production aircraft I evaluated.

At one time the company had claimed that they had 1200 orders, which would have made the aircraft by far the most numerous LSA built, if they had all been delivered. But the initial target price of "under US$100,000" was not met and the price quickly increased to US$149,000, far above the price of its competition. The price increases contractually allowed production position holders to cancel and Paul Bertorelli of AVweb reports that "it gave position holders an opportunity to bail, and they did. In droves." So apparently orders are well down and dealers have aircraft they they can't sell.

At last count the FAA register shows 275 Cessna 162s in the USA, while Transport Canada shows none registered here.

Bertorelli lays the blame for the demise of the 162 on its high price, lack of performance and poor useful load compared to its competitors and he is probably right there.

The 162 had a troubled development history, with two prototype crashes, both during spin testing, resulting in some design changes. There were also wing modifications after the aircraft entered service, all at Cessna's expense, too.

Then there was the decision to have the aircraft built in China, which riled a lot of feathers in the aviation world. In the end the aircraft were built at Shenyang Aircraft, boxed up and shipped to Wichita, Kansas where they were assembled, had engines and avionics fitted, modified and then test flown by contractor Yingling Aviation (later moved to Cessna's Independence Kansas plant). With the cost of shipping that could only have contributed to the high costs involved.

Personally I think the design met its Waterloo when the prototype had its Rotax 912 engine replaced by the much heavier Continental O-200, at flight school operator insistence. That compromised the payload of the aircraft and left it as a de facto single seater.

In the final assessment it looks like even the famous Cessna name wasn't enough to overcome the shortcomings of this design and its price. The market has decided its fate.

External links

• Skycatcher's Demise: Barely a Ripple by Paul Bertorelli, AVweb
• "No Future" For Cessna Skycatcher: CEO Scott Ernest, by Glenn Pew , AVweb
• Wikipedia

Robert Kostecka To Present A380 Seminar at Rockcliffe

From Rockcliffe Flying Club

On Thursday, 12 December 2013 at 1830 hours, RFC members will have an opportunity to learn about the A380, from a fellow RFC member who flew this remarkable aircraft!

Rob Kostecka was a member of the international team of pilots that participated in the Operational Evaluation (OE) of the A380 in 2007. Rob will be discussing the many technical innovations of this remarkable aircraft and will also be talking about what this enormous aircraft was actually like to fly!

The talk will begin at 1830 hrs on Thursday, 12 December 2013. It will be free for all RFC members and their guests. Please let Brenda Reid know via email if you plan on joining us so we can provide space.

For those who would be interested, pizza will be available before the talk at 1745 hrs. For those who would also like to join us for pizza please let Brenda Reid know via email, so that she can place the order. Please note, if you are joining us for pizza, a $10 contribution will be requested.

The seminar is at RFC for now, but if a large number of people RSVP then it may be moved to the Bush Theatre at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum.

Mirabel Restrictions - November 2013 to May 2015

from Patrick Gilligan, COPA VP Operations

To allow for certification of the new CSeries aircraft, Bombardier Aerospace will carry out test flights within the Mirabel control zone, during which time some restrictions will be imposed in the control zone and the surrounding airspace at Mirabel airport.

Test flights will be carried out sporadically over spans of 1 to 3 days, during a 20-month period from November 2013 to May 2015. Restrictions during flight tests may affect Runways 06/24 and 11/29, the Mirabel control zone (excluding CYR 624), restricted area CYR601, and Class “E” transition areas located between 7 NM to 12 NM east and west of the Mirabel control zone (identified in green on sketch) and from 1,300 ft ASL to 2,000 ft ASL, depending on the type of test flight planned. A portion of uncontrolled airspace (Class G airspace), located west of the control zone and described below, will also be affected by restrictions

External links

• For complete information and maps see AIP CANADA (ICAO) SUPPLEMENT 64/13

Planning Ahead For The 2014 Lancaster Airpark Fly-In

It is never too early to start planning for next year's fly-in season and Lancaster Airpark (CLA6), located just in between Cornwall, Ontario and Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Quebec is already planning for their 2014 ABC Fly-in!

In 2013 the Airpark ran its first ever "ABC Fly-in" focussing on Aeroncas, Champions and Bellancas and the event returns from 15-17 August 2014, so it is never to early to mark your calendars!

Organizer Brian Russell indicates that plans are yet to be completely finalized, but, as in 2013, if there is sufficient interest then provisions will be again made for floatplanes as well as wheeled aircraft.

As always all aircraft and visitors will be welcome. If you aren't flying an Aeronca, Champion or Bellanca then plan on coming to look at the ones that do fly-in.

External links

• Fly-in website
• Airpark website
• Places To Fly Page
• Google satellite

2013 CAHS National Convention a Big Success

The 2013 CAHS National Convention & Annual General Meeting - "The Big Five O" - took place as scheduled between 11-15 September 2013 here in the Ottawa-Gatineau area.

The convention was a big success and CAHS member Gord McNulty has written up an article about the event and what was achieved.

• The Big Five-0 by Gord McNulty

It was great having this aviation convention here in the nation's capital. We hope that CAHS returns to hold it here again in the future.

Can you get an Instrument Rating while making major errors flying ILS?

It is sad that we lost two local pilots in late 2011 to an Instrument Landing System approach to Runway 07 at CYOW. We feel sorry for their families’ loss. To read the TSB’s accident report check:

http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/aviation/2011/a11o0239/a11o0239.pdf

The TSB put a lot of blame on the pilots for making the decision to fly in bad weather, we pilots call it “get-home-itis”. Poor judgement was clearly a big part of the problem in this accident. Nonetheless I wonder how one keeps their instrument rating when they seem to make major errors flying an ILS on most of their IFR flight tests? If flying an ILS, generally considered the safest instrument approach, leads to major errors how would this pilot have done flying a non-precision NDB approach?

Questions going through my mind after reading the TSB accident report include:

1. What role does flight training play in these kinds of accidents? Does the TSB consider flight training as a factor in any accident? Was it a factor here? It seems the pilot was weak on the basics of flying on instruments.
2. What role does the IFR flight test play? If rated a pass 1.6 months earlier shouldn’t one still be current? Should a pilot be issued an Instrument rating if unable to fly an ILS without major errors in performance?
3. What equipment was available to the pilot? Was there an autopilot, if so was it used? What type of instruments were available, e.g. HSI, geo-referenced GPS moving map, etc.?
4. What coordination did the pilot and his pilot passenger establish before flying together? Did the non-flying pilot perform any duties, call outs, etc.? Should coordination be a topic for times when two pilots are flying together? Did the owners of the aircraft establish some form of Standard Operating Procedures?
5. Should one need to fly in actual Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) to get an IFR rating? Do simulators and hoods really make safe IFR pilots? At least during training should pilots log some time in IMC before taking the test?
6. Would re-writing the INRAT exam in November really made any difference? What is the point of the TSB raising the question?
7. Was the lack of currency at night a major factor?
8. Perhaps the TSB does not need to examine these questions for a single accident, but it seems simplistic to ignore systemic influences in this accident.

Just for clarity, I am not an instrument rated nor am I flight instructor and therefore write with little authority on this topic.