Christmas is over, New Year's is on it's way and I scheduled my theoretical exams for January 15th, so my focus has been on studying as much as possible (during the Christmas festivities that wasn't an easy task) to get ready for that final exam.
In other news, it's been pretty quiet out here. I'm really looking forward to spend New Year's with the Belgian couple, at a Belgian restaurant in town (www.chambar.com). I'm sure it will be a blast.
I was supposed to upload some pictures, but unfortunately the last 2 Mini SD card readers I got were downright useless. So I'll upload them, but it will probably take a while.
Rest assured, you'll get to see what my New Year's was like...
Take care, and to all of you: a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year !
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Rain, Oil leaks and finals
I know. It's been a while since my last post.
This week I started preparing my final exams (of the school here, internally, not the official ones yet). I plan to do 1-2 of the 5 finals before Christmas. This will allow me to do 2 more before or after New Year and then take the official final just after New Year's. I currently have about 45 flight hours. We're only allowed to take the test with 50 hours total, so that won't be a problem.
Even though one could say I am only about halfway, I feel it's important to have passed that 'theoretical hurdle' which are the final (written) exams and have more time open to focus on the actual flying and planning the road trip and the research associated with it.
Other than that I had kind of an interesting experience while flying, a couple of days back. Apparently I was leaking oil and it was only seen, when I came back in (after an hours worth of flying solo). It wasn't a big deal, the leak was very small, but it still makes you think of how important it is to keep monitoring the health of your machine. A fellow student who inspected the machine after my flight promptly reported it and said he saw some oil flying around when I came to the pad.
Again, nothing major, but it keep you 'on your toes'.
Weather wise, things are not what they should be as we are having lots of rain right now. I'm hoping things will clear up soon, so we can start doing some more cross country work.
I will be uploading the photos I made last week early next week. After that, updates will be more prompt. I'm going to get a small adapter plug, so I can upload my pictures from my laptop, instead of using the cell phone.
This week I started preparing my final exams (of the school here, internally, not the official ones yet). I plan to do 1-2 of the 5 finals before Christmas. This will allow me to do 2 more before or after New Year and then take the official final just after New Year's. I currently have about 45 flight hours. We're only allowed to take the test with 50 hours total, so that won't be a problem.
Even though one could say I am only about halfway, I feel it's important to have passed that 'theoretical hurdle' which are the final (written) exams and have more time open to focus on the actual flying and planning the road trip and the research associated with it.
Other than that I had kind of an interesting experience while flying, a couple of days back. Apparently I was leaking oil and it was only seen, when I came back in (after an hours worth of flying solo). It wasn't a big deal, the leak was very small, but it still makes you think of how important it is to keep monitoring the health of your machine. A fellow student who inspected the machine after my flight promptly reported it and said he saw some oil flying around when I came to the pad.
Again, nothing major, but it keep you 'on your toes'.
Weather wise, things are not what they should be as we are having lots of rain right now. I'm hoping things will clear up soon, so we can start doing some more cross country work.
I will be uploading the photos I made last week early next week. After that, updates will be more prompt. I'm going to get a small adapter plug, so I can upload my pictures from my laptop, instead of using the cell phone.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Post party week
An interesting weekend it turned out to be. At the party me and another guy got to load people in AS355's; We loaded people up for 5 minute helicopter rides for almost all day (12-15.30). After that another couple of guys from our school who volunteered for the company got the remaining one hour to load up people. There wasn't a lot of daylight left.
At the actual reception I met a pilot for the company, who is - believe it or not - Belgian and so is his wife. We had a good chat, went to a bar and nightclub afterwards. I got home by 0615. Fortunately it was Sunday by then, not Monday. Anyways, long story short, we decided to stay in touch and I might meet them again for New Years.
It's nice to have an 'in' like that, plus it's a little piece of home you meet. You cannot believe how weird it is to talk dutch ('Antwarps') after not having uttered one word to a person (face to face) in almost 3 months.
This week went by comfortably. I feel I could add another notch or 2 intensity-wise (when talking about studies), but something tells me that pacing myself would be a better approach. I'm flirting with the idea of actually NOT studying AT ALL on Sundays. We'll see how that works itself out.
I'm up to 33 hours (that includes about 5 hours solo time) now and next week I'll be doing my first (dual) cross country trip, followed by a confined approach into a creek surrounded by trees. It will allow me to get a taste of what I will be doing operationally.
For those of you who have been awaiting new pictures, I have to apologize for the delay, I'll get them up as soon as I can.
At the actual reception I met a pilot for the company, who is - believe it or not - Belgian and so is his wife. We had a good chat, went to a bar and nightclub afterwards. I got home by 0615. Fortunately it was Sunday by then, not Monday. Anyways, long story short, we decided to stay in touch and I might meet them again for New Years.
It's nice to have an 'in' like that, plus it's a little piece of home you meet. You cannot believe how weird it is to talk dutch ('Antwarps') after not having uttered one word to a person (face to face) in almost 3 months.
This week went by comfortably. I feel I could add another notch or 2 intensity-wise (when talking about studies), but something tells me that pacing myself would be a better approach. I'm flirting with the idea of actually NOT studying AT ALL on Sundays. We'll see how that works itself out.
I'm up to 33 hours (that includes about 5 hours solo time) now and next week I'll be doing my first (dual) cross country trip, followed by a confined approach into a creek surrounded by trees. It will allow me to get a taste of what I will be doing operationally.
For those of you who have been awaiting new pictures, I have to apologize for the delay, I'll get them up as soon as I can.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Busy
It's been a while since my latest update. I got a couple of hours solo under my belt now ! Feeling good and taking one of the helicopters out for regular trips around the airport (circuits) and some low level hovering work. One certainly has a feel for responsibility taking that expensive piece of work around. I'm learning to keep my eyes moving, looking for traffic and talking to the tower. Cool stuff.
Other than that I'm studying every day, trying to learn as much as I can (but thoroughly) every day.
A bunch of students (me included) are helping out at a local helicopter company's Christmas party this Saturday. We'll be giving briefings to passengers, guiding cars around in the parking lot and cleaning up the kitchen. It'll be an interesting learning experience for sure. A good way to make contacts in the industry too. Anyway, very promising stuff.
Will try to get those pictures uploaded, I haven't been able to yet, but I will shortly.
Other than that I'm studying every day, trying to learn as much as I can (but thoroughly) every day.
A bunch of students (me included) are helping out at a local helicopter company's Christmas party this Saturday. We'll be giving briefings to passengers, guiding cars around in the parking lot and cleaning up the kitchen. It'll be an interesting learning experience for sure. A good way to make contacts in the industry too. Anyway, very promising stuff.
Will try to get those pictures uploaded, I haven't been able to yet, but I will shortly.
Friday, November 16, 2007
First solo !!!
Yep, finally got there.
Winds were light and variable today and after doing some circuits my instructor told me to do one circuit around the field and land.
Easier said than done, because without the instructor in it, the machine weighs quite a bit less, making it more sensitive and changing it's center of gravity.
So after a smooth power (collective) application, I got it light on the skids, but things didn't feel right, so I lowered the collective again. After repositioning my stick (cyclic) to accommodate for the weight that was gone on the left side (stick slightly left and a bit more forward input too), I hovered for a number of seconds, called the tower requesting takeoff clearance and off I went.
After completing the circuit and the descent I came in for a smooth landing and set the helicopter down safely. This all sounds pretty straightforward and in a way it is, but the feeling to be able to control the machine yourself and doing it for the first time is something beyond words. It's a unique feeling and needless to say I am ecstatic !
This truly made my day (and many many more to come, for sure).
Winds were light and variable today and after doing some circuits my instructor told me to do one circuit around the field and land.
Easier said than done, because without the instructor in it, the machine weighs quite a bit less, making it more sensitive and changing it's center of gravity.
So after a smooth power (collective) application, I got it light on the skids, but things didn't feel right, so I lowered the collective again. After repositioning my stick (cyclic) to accommodate for the weight that was gone on the left side (stick slightly left and a bit more forward input too), I hovered for a number of seconds, called the tower requesting takeoff clearance and off I went.
After completing the circuit and the descent I came in for a smooth landing and set the helicopter down safely. This all sounds pretty straightforward and in a way it is, but the feeling to be able to control the machine yourself and doing it for the first time is something beyond words. It's a unique feeling and needless to say I am ecstatic !
This truly made my day (and many many more to come, for sure).
Thursday, November 15, 2007
A long awaited update
I know, it's been quite a while since I have updated the blog.
Been busy studying for exams and just got a laptop, so communicating just got easier.
I just passed my navigation exam and am studying to do the meteorology final exam this week too. That leaves me with Canadian Aviation Regulation (CAR's), engines, theory of flight, radio comms, human factors and instruments. If things go as planned I'll do at least 1 more exam next week. Understand that the exams we do here at the school are not official exams, they are exams made up by the school to prepare you for the REAL final exams with Transport Canada.
In other news, I'm looking to go solo soon. The weather has to be right though as we have been facing windstorms a couple of days ago and have had winds between 15-50 km/h since. We want the conditions to be more or less ideal before going solo on a machine whose center of gravity will feel differently (due to the instructor that will be missing).
Anyways, to summarize: exciting times, long days.
I'm working on connecting my phone to my laptop, so stand by for some new pictures being uploaded soon.
Been busy studying for exams and just got a laptop, so communicating just got easier.
I just passed my navigation exam and am studying to do the meteorology final exam this week too. That leaves me with Canadian Aviation Regulation (CAR's), engines, theory of flight, radio comms, human factors and instruments. If things go as planned I'll do at least 1 more exam next week. Understand that the exams we do here at the school are not official exams, they are exams made up by the school to prepare you for the REAL final exams with Transport Canada.
In other news, I'm looking to go solo soon. The weather has to be right though as we have been facing windstorms a couple of days ago and have had winds between 15-50 km/h since. We want the conditions to be more or less ideal before going solo on a machine whose center of gravity will feel differently (due to the instructor that will be missing).
Anyways, to summarize: exciting times, long days.
I'm working on connecting my phone to my laptop, so stand by for some new pictures being uploaded soon.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Halloween Week
Last weekend me and an american pilot went to Vancouver, as he had not seen the city yet. After looking at the marina of Stanley park, we grabbed a quick bite at Blenz and walked around Robson street, sniffing up the atmosphere (the day wasn't too good sunshine-wise, but a day away from home is better than nothing).
We then proceeded to have pizza at a pretty fancy place on Robson Street called Cin Cin. Wood fired oven made for a superb thin crusted pizza. Add a nice glass of
wine to that ('05 Okanagan Pinot Noir) and a nice comfy cruise home and they day didn't have to be any more than that.
Flying is still done every day, usually I end going up first in the morning (takeoff around 08.00 local). We keep adding in new exercises (sloping ground, advanced takeoffs, soon some radio work too) so that's loads of fun. I'm creeping up on 20 dual flight hours soon and it doesn't really feel like it's been 6 weeks.
Job-wise I'm doing as much as I can right now, which isn't really much except the extra-curricular studying I'm doing. You can't really get a job if you haven't got the actual Commercial pilot's certificate yet. It's like going for a job interview and going like "Um yeah, well, I'd like to start out here, I don't have my certificate just yet, but can you give me the job anyways ?". It doesn't really add up.
Check flickr for pictures of Stanley park and Vancouver along with some other pictures (of me) soon.
In summary for me the following pretty much describes my current view of things:
Time is of the essence, that's why you have to seize every moment.
We then proceeded to have pizza at a pretty fancy place on Robson Street called Cin Cin. Wood fired oven made for a superb thin crusted pizza. Add a nice glass of
wine to that ('05 Okanagan Pinot Noir) and a nice comfy cruise home and they day didn't have to be any more than that.
Flying is still done every day, usually I end going up first in the morning (takeoff around 08.00 local). We keep adding in new exercises (sloping ground, advanced takeoffs, soon some radio work too) so that's loads of fun. I'm creeping up on 20 dual flight hours soon and it doesn't really feel like it's been 6 weeks.
Job-wise I'm doing as much as I can right now, which isn't really much except the extra-curricular studying I'm doing. You can't really get a job if you haven't got the actual Commercial pilot's certificate yet. It's like going for a job interview and going like "Um yeah, well, I'd like to start out here, I don't have my certificate just yet, but can you give me the job anyways ?". It doesn't really add up.
Check flickr for pictures of Stanley park and Vancouver along with some other pictures (of me) soon.
In summary for me the following pretty much describes my current view of things:
Time is of the essence, that's why you have to seize every moment.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Coolness ... in the moment
Those 2 aspects of flying keep coming back. Helicopter pilots
really are a different breed. Trouble can come in many ways at any time and reaction time is limited. Accidents usually happen when the mind wanders.
So those 2 items are high on my things to focus on. Studying still fills a big part of my day and I hope to be finishing the biggest part of it somewhere next months, which gives me room to study other subjects necessary for my job, but which aren't part of the curriculum here.
As far as flying goes, things are progressing nicely and we started practicing autorotations this week (translation: engine failures). A lot of stuff happening in the cockpit in a very short time. The ground shows up, fast! Our descent rate usually lies around 1500 feet per minute. From 800ft (+/- 250 meters) you're down in approximately 30-40 seconds.
Other than that, now that I have a car, I'll be going to downtown Vancouver tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be dry. It will give me some time to relax, do some shopping, enjoy the sights and hopefully I'll finish it all off with a nice steak with french fries.
Just posted a batch of new pictures, look for more next week.
really are a different breed. Trouble can come in many ways at any time and reaction time is limited. Accidents usually happen when the mind wanders.
So those 2 items are high on my things to focus on. Studying still fills a big part of my day and I hope to be finishing the biggest part of it somewhere next months, which gives me room to study other subjects necessary for my job, but which aren't part of the curriculum here.
As far as flying goes, things are progressing nicely and we started practicing autorotations this week (translation: engine failures). A lot of stuff happening in the cockpit in a very short time. The ground shows up, fast! Our descent rate usually lies around 1500 feet per minute. From 800ft (+/- 250 meters) you're down in approximately 30-40 seconds.
Other than that, now that I have a car, I'll be going to downtown Vancouver tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be dry. It will give me some time to relax, do some shopping, enjoy the sights and hopefully I'll finish it all off with a nice steak with french fries.
Just posted a batch of new pictures, look for more next week.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Monday and Tuesday
No flying monday. Went out and looked for a car Sunday. Found one. Had it inspected by a 3rd party service today. Turns out to be a good decision. Tires needed replacing and cooling fluid needed to be checked. Had them replace the tires and realign the tires at their own cost. Waiting for those to be put on today and if everything goes as planned I'll be the proud owner of a '94 Ford Taurus GL Wagon (3.8L V6 engine, automatic transmission). Look for pictures soon.
Flying is going well and the circuits (takeoff, circuit around the airport, approach and land) are improving. Well, I'm improving. Focus and coolness is the key. There is no room for not having your head focused solely at the task your doing right now. This is not like driving a car, one can not just step out when something goes wrong.
Stay tuned for more to come.
Flying is going well and the circuits (takeoff, circuit around the airport, approach and land) are improving. Well, I'm improving. Focus and coolness is the key. There is no room for not having your head focused solely at the task your doing right now. This is not like driving a car, one can not just step out when something goes wrong.
Stay tuned for more to come.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Weekend coming up
This week was quite productive. If it weren't for the weather we would have done circuits (also known as traffic patterns)to, as my instructor put it today 'put everything together'. Today the ceiling was too low (800ft) so we just did hover turns, hover taxi and takeoff and landing. By takeoff and landing I mean going up and down over a vertical distance of maybe 10ft (3m) or so.
Forecast shows us lots of rain, but as long as the visibility and cloud base is good (meaning, I can fly), who cares ? Sure, a nice day with sunshine wouldn't hurt, but it's the flying I'm here for.
Weekend is coming up, maybe I'll take a nice long bike trip (weather permitting).
In closing, here's a nice saying/quote I read a while back:
"Experience is not what happens to you, it's when you think about something that happens to you".
Food for thought.
Stay tuned.
Forecast shows us lots of rain, but as long as the visibility and cloud base is good (meaning, I can fly), who cares ? Sure, a nice day with sunshine wouldn't hurt, but it's the flying I'm here for.
Weekend is coming up, maybe I'll take a nice long bike trip (weather permitting).
In closing, here's a nice saying/quote I read a while back:
"Experience is not what happens to you, it's when you think about something that happens to you".
Food for thought.
Stay tuned.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Mo-Tue-Wed
Enjoyed my flight this week. Starting to feel a little bit more comfortable behind the controls. Right now we are doing hover practice (and turn)work, landings & takeoffs (just working on getting the helicopter in the air smoothly and vice versa) and climbs, descents and turns in upper air. Coming up on 10 flight hours this week. Feels like I have been here longer though.
Still studying all day, trying to dive in 1-2 subjects at a time and learn everything I can about those, before moving on.
Uploaded a second flickr blog (new!) for more recent photos. Hope you enjoy them.
Still studying all day, trying to dive in 1-2 subjects at a time and learn everything I can about those, before moving on.
Uploaded a second flickr blog (new!) for more recent photos. Hope you enjoy them.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Rest of the week
A lot of studying, some flying. Went up to Fort Langley and Golden Ears provincial park today.
Another full week of flying next week. A lot of pictures uploaded on flickr.
Another full week of flying next week. A lot of pictures uploaded on flickr.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Tuesday - Thursday
Got to fly again this week! The second flight of the week was the most exciting one as we concentrated almost exclusively on hover practice and it's variations.
Managed to get the hover down (mind you, I'm not sticking it yet), hover turns too. A bit more difficult is sideways flight, that not up to par yet.
On another exciting note, we went to check out a shiny helicopter that just landed on one of the helipads. We come up from a distance and see this mafia-lookalike get out (ponytail, dark suit, dark glasses) along with a small entourage.
As we come in for a closer look the mafia-lookalike turns out to be an impressive (6' 5") Steven Seagal. Seriously. Turns out he's doing a movie in the area. No pictures allowed though. Check flickr for pictures of his chartered helicopter soon.
p.s.: My apologies for all you daily blog checkers, haven't had the time to post daily. Don't know if that's going to change any time soon.
Managed to get the hover down (mind you, I'm not sticking it yet), hover turns too. A bit more difficult is sideways flight, that not up to par yet.
On another exciting note, we went to check out a shiny helicopter that just landed on one of the helipads. We come up from a distance and see this mafia-lookalike get out (ponytail, dark suit, dark glasses) along with a small entourage.
As we come in for a closer look the mafia-lookalike turns out to be an impressive (6' 5") Steven Seagal. Seriously. Turns out he's doing a movie in the area. No pictures allowed though. Check flickr for pictures of his chartered helicopter soon.
p.s.: My apologies for all you daily blog checkers, haven't had the time to post daily. Don't know if that's going to change any time soon.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Sunday & Monday
Didn't do much Sunday, mainly did some studying, no party Saturday night, french guys weren't up to it.
Monday today, thanksgiving day. Having the turkey soon. Went down to Whiterock, which is the equivalent of the seaside in Belgium. Look for pictures on flickr soon.
P.S.: Yes, Langley and Vancouver tend to get a lot of rain down from the Pacific, but I'll live with it. No worries. Today was good though.
Monday today, thanksgiving day. Having the turkey soon. Went down to Whiterock, which is the equivalent of the seaside in Belgium. Look for pictures on flickr soon.
P.S.: Yes, Langley and Vancouver tend to get a lot of rain down from the Pacific, but I'll live with it. No worries. Today was good though.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Friday & Saturday
Friday was a beautiful day (queue U2), to make it away.
Went up to Fort Langley & took some pictures (check Flickr blog later).
Friday night me and the french guys headed out to the Beluga for dinner and then down to Gaby's (local bar/ cabaret/danscafé).
The french guys just passed there final and most difficult test, the IFR exam. Needless to say they were ready to go crazy. Fortunately the population at the café was pretty diversified. So no trouble finding girls their age (35-45). Got home at 1 am. A bit early but, needless to say: good times, good stuff.
Same thing is planned for this evening and tomorrow (Sunday) we are planning on heading out to Vancouver, as they haven't seen the sights yet and want to get presents hpme to their wife & kid when they go back home (friday next week).
Will progressively (not everything at once) upload flickr with the pictures, so check it once in a while.
Went up to Fort Langley & took some pictures (check Flickr blog later).
Friday night me and the french guys headed out to the Beluga for dinner and then down to Gaby's (local bar/ cabaret/danscafé).
The french guys just passed there final and most difficult test, the IFR exam. Needless to say they were ready to go crazy. Fortunately the population at the café was pretty diversified. So no trouble finding girls their age (35-45). Got home at 1 am. A bit early but, needless to say: good times, good stuff.
Same thing is planned for this evening and tomorrow (Sunday) we are planning on heading out to Vancouver, as they haven't seen the sights yet and want to get presents hpme to their wife & kid when they go back home (friday next week).
Will progressively (not everything at once) upload flickr with the pictures, so check it once in a while.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Thanksgiving weekend.
That's right. No school tomorrow, saturday and monday ! Probably am going to drink a couple of tall ones with the french guys at the Beluga (local restaurant) tomorrow. That's where (according to the spanish CHC guys) you come for the food, you stay for the waitresses ;-) We'll just see about that ... tomorrow.
No news from the boss at the hangar yet, although I should give it some more time.
Good news: I have a flight planned for every workday next week (so no flight Monday). That means 4 flights. That means that by the end of next week I'll have a total of 5 flight hours. Excellent.
That's it for today.
Check out flickr blog for some nice photos of floatplane, another scenic cloud photo and a play of light and shadow (tried messing around w/ incoming sunlight and it's reflection on things)
No news from the boss at the hangar yet, although I should give it some more time.
Good news: I have a flight planned for every workday next week (so no flight Monday). That means 4 flights. That means that by the end of next week I'll have a total of 5 flight hours. Excellent.
That's it for today.
Check out flickr blog for some nice photos of floatplane, another scenic cloud photo and a play of light and shadow (tried messing around w/ incoming sunlight and it's reflection on things)
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Focus. Determination.
That's the 2 things I was thinking about this morning. How can I improve what I'm doing now to give me an advantage/edge over the other just-graduates that I will be applying for jobs with ?
As it happens, I talked to a (female) pilot yesterday who already has a couple of years of experience in the industry. After a couple of questions it became clear that work experience was the key.
The pilot in question used to work for a company at the Langley airport.
After giving me her name and telling me that the boss always needs a helping hand in the hangar, I headed out to the company, introduced myself (as a volunteer) and gave them my (canadian) cell phone number.
After that, the boss gave me tour of the hangar, showing me the helicopters they had sitting there, waiting to be ferry flown to their destination.
I kind of understood it would be possible for me to join the above mentioned (female) pilot as a "co-pilot" (well, more of a passenger w/ flight control priveleges) on the next ferry flight. We would drop one helicopter off and come back with another one.
Needless to say, after all this... I'm stoked (or pumped, whatever you wanna call it).
I know I might not go on that flight, but I have taken the first steps in getting my foot in the door and getting my name out there.
I can only hope I get that call to come over to the hangar this (or another) week and do some work or who knows, maybe some 'passenger/co pilot work' !
P.S: Thanks for all the Bday wishes.
P.P.S: No, that's not my mustang in the flickr photo blog.
i'm working on getting a car, but it won't be for this month yet.
P.P.P.S: Flickr photo blog are some early morning pictures.
As it happens, I talked to a (female) pilot yesterday who already has a couple of years of experience in the industry. After a couple of questions it became clear that work experience was the key.
The pilot in question used to work for a company at the Langley airport.
After giving me her name and telling me that the boss always needs a helping hand in the hangar, I headed out to the company, introduced myself (as a volunteer) and gave them my (canadian) cell phone number.
After that, the boss gave me tour of the hangar, showing me the helicopters they had sitting there, waiting to be ferry flown to their destination.
I kind of understood it would be possible for me to join the above mentioned (female) pilot as a "co-pilot" (well, more of a passenger w/ flight control priveleges) on the next ferry flight. We would drop one helicopter off and come back with another one.
Needless to say, after all this... I'm stoked (or pumped, whatever you wanna call it).
I know I might not go on that flight, but I have taken the first steps in getting my foot in the door and getting my name out there.
I can only hope I get that call to come over to the hangar this (or another) week and do some work or who knows, maybe some 'passenger/co pilot work' !
P.S: Thanks for all the Bday wishes.
P.P.S: No, that's not my mustang in the flickr photo blog.
i'm working on getting a car, but it won't be for this month yet.
P.P.P.S: Flickr photo blog are some early morning pictures.
Monday, October 1, 2007
01/10
Start of the 3rd week. Time flies too, apparantly.
Went to the 'Safeway' today. Basically a huge supermarket with it's own pharmacy, an automated change register (comparable to what you get back from a coke vending machine), and clerks who wraps bags for you.
Did some more meteorology and rules & regs today.
They seem to be forecasting rain for the whole week, so I don't know if I'll be flying this week.
Check flickr photo blog for pictures of the safeway.
Went to the 'Safeway' today. Basically a huge supermarket with it's own pharmacy, an automated change register (comparable to what you get back from a coke vending machine), and clerks who wraps bags for you.
Did some more meteorology and rules & regs today.
They seem to be forecasting rain for the whole week, so I don't know if I'll be flying this week.
Check flickr photo blog for pictures of the safeway.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Rainy sunday
Got up a little later this morning (finally). The rain was pooring down, well, continuously. Decided to suit up (rain gear) and go look for a 'drug store' that sells a lot more that just pharmaceutical products (a lot high tech stuff too like computers, sound systems, etc).
What happened ? Well, I didn't find the drugstore, although - in retrospect - I was on the right track. The canadian/american road system apparenly allows for 2 different streets to have the same name. Well, maybe not quite that way.
A street can be interrupted by several other streets and you can pick up that same interrupted street again a mile later.
To clarify:
Each street with the same number is on a fixed degree of latitude (from E to W or vice versa) or longitude (N to S or vice versa). No matter what the interruption is (river, park, city centre) you'll find it on the other side.
One thing is clear though, without a car, you're nobody. Well ok, that might be true everywhere in the world, but even MORE SO here. Especially if you have to cover several miles (x 1.6 for km's) in this continuous rain ;-)
Flickr photo blog has some pictures of homestay (inside). Enjoy.
Thanks again (everybody) for the kind and encouraging messages in the comment section !
What happened ? Well, I didn't find the drugstore, although - in retrospect - I was on the right track. The canadian/american road system apparenly allows for 2 different streets to have the same name. Well, maybe not quite that way.
A street can be interrupted by several other streets and you can pick up that same interrupted street again a mile later.
To clarify:
Each street with the same number is on a fixed degree of latitude (from E to W or vice versa) or longitude (N to S or vice versa). No matter what the interruption is (river, park, city centre) you'll find it on the other side.
One thing is clear though, without a car, you're nobody. Well ok, that might be true everywhere in the world, but even MORE SO here. Especially if you have to cover several miles (x 1.6 for km's) in this continuous rain ;-)
Flickr photo blog has some pictures of homestay (inside). Enjoy.
Thanks again (everybody) for the kind and encouraging messages in the comment section !
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Saturday
So, brought in 2 boxes of donuts for the guys this morning. Did some more meteorology work, at noon I headed out with a high time pilot, mainly flying for the UN in Sudan, french guy. Bought me a beer at the restaurant, not comparable to belgian beer, but it's no use in comparing things any more.
When you're a tourist you can demand excellence, but when you're a someone who is staying in the country for longer periods of time, you have to live with (& be content with) what's available.
If not, you'll keep bitchin'/complaining and the stay will lose part of it's charm. There's a fine line between critique and insult here. Diplomacy is key.
Went out to this store called 'Army & Navy' store, which is just one big outdoorsy supply store who sell goods at very affordable prices (e.g: a descent sweater for +/- 20 $)
So what's it like celebrating your birthday in another country ? Well, I was just discussing the exact same thing with a german guy studying here. He hasn't celebrated his birthday or christmas with his family for the last 4 years. It's definately tough on you, but you get over it. That's the main conclusion.
So what did I do for fun today ? I got home today, the homestay lady got out to get some meat and I just cranked the stereo. LOUD. Filling every nick and crack with of the old house with sound. What's a nice track for this occasion: 'Joker and the Thief' by Wolfmother seems to fit the bill nicely. Suggestions for future occasions are welcome though.
Posted some pics of the runway lights in the morning, an oldtimer (plane) running up and a nice black mustang. Will redo the runway lights one, one of these days, because I'm not getting the desired effect...yet.
Stay tuned for more to come & take care.
When you're a tourist you can demand excellence, but when you're a someone who is staying in the country for longer periods of time, you have to live with (& be content with) what's available.
If not, you'll keep bitchin'/complaining and the stay will lose part of it's charm. There's a fine line between critique and insult here. Diplomacy is key.
Went out to this store called 'Army & Navy' store, which is just one big outdoorsy supply store who sell goods at very affordable prices (e.g: a descent sweater for +/- 20 $)
So what's it like celebrating your birthday in another country ? Well, I was just discussing the exact same thing with a german guy studying here. He hasn't celebrated his birthday or christmas with his family for the last 4 years. It's definately tough on you, but you get over it. That's the main conclusion.
So what did I do for fun today ? I got home today, the homestay lady got out to get some meat and I just cranked the stereo. LOUD. Filling every nick and crack with of the old house with sound. What's a nice track for this occasion: 'Joker and the Thief' by Wolfmother seems to fit the bill nicely. Suggestions for future occasions are welcome though.
Posted some pics of the runway lights in the morning, an oldtimer (plane) running up and a nice black mustang. Will redo the runway lights one, one of these days, because I'm not getting the desired effect...yet.
Stay tuned for more to come & take care.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Metar, TAF, GFA's, PIREP's...
Yep, still focusing my attention on this phenomenon called weather.
It's so beautiful, yet there's so many factors to take into account. It's kind of hard to simplify thing: heating of the earth, makes air rise, coriolis force splits things up at the equator and puts a spin on things, different air masses are created ranging from continental arctic to tropical, with those air masses different pressures are associated, those pressures (air masses) clash creating fronts who are (always) low pressure.
You want nice weather ? Have yourself a nice high pressure. High pressure air, is wel... pressurised. Pressurized air is hotter (think bike pump in motion) reducing the moisture content of air. No moisture means no rain.
This explanation might not be perfect, but I think I'm starting the gist of things.
Check flickr for some nice photos of an early morning moon.
Tomorrow (saturday), I'll have to get up a bit earlier to get those donuts at Tim Horton's.
Don't want to come to school empty handed tomorrow.
It's so beautiful, yet there's so many factors to take into account. It's kind of hard to simplify thing: heating of the earth, makes air rise, coriolis force splits things up at the equator and puts a spin on things, different air masses are created ranging from continental arctic to tropical, with those air masses different pressures are associated, those pressures (air masses) clash creating fronts who are (always) low pressure.
You want nice weather ? Have yourself a nice high pressure. High pressure air, is wel... pressurised. Pressurized air is hotter (think bike pump in motion) reducing the moisture content of air. No moisture means no rain.
This explanation might not be perfect, but I think I'm starting the gist of things.
Check flickr for some nice photos of an early morning moon.
Tomorrow (saturday), I'll have to get up a bit earlier to get those donuts at Tim Horton's.
Don't want to come to school empty handed tomorrow.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
More meteorology
Still no second flight today. Did manage to ame some nice pictures though. Check flickr for those.
Other than that some more meteorology.
Other than that some more meteorology.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Meteorology & Navigation
Did some navigation and a lot of meteorology today. The 3 basic (most extensive) subjects are 1.Meteorology 2.Navigation 3.Canadian Aviation Regulations all other subjects are pretty straightforward, from what I've seen so far.
To give you an idea of what pilots have to decipher weather-wise,here's a METAR (METeorological Aerodrome Report) & TAF (Terminal Area Forecast) for Vancouver Intl today :
METAR CYVR 270200Z 29002KT 15SM FEW015 SCT170 BKN230 12/10 A3017 RMK
SF1AC2CI2 SLP218=
METAR CYVR 270300Z 00000KT 20SM FEW015 SCT170 BKN230 12/09 A3015 RMK
SF1AC3CI1 SLP211=
METAR CYVR 270400Z 01002KT 15SM VCFG FEW160 BKN230 11/09 A3013 RMK
AC2CI2 SLP204=
TAF CYVR 270238Z 270324 VRB03KT P6SM FEW015 SCT120 BKN220
FM0900Z 09005KT P6SM SCT015 BKN050 OVC100 TEMPO 1015 5SM -SHRA BR
BKN015 OVC040
FM1500Z 12012KT 6SM -RA BR SCT010 OVC025 TEMPO 1524 2SM -RA BR
OVC010
RMK NXT FCST BY 06Z=
This is supposed to give you a 3 dimensional idea of what the weather should look like above Vancouver. The reason it's al abbreviated is because they used to do all this by telex and they got charged for every letter they put in.
A metar would usually contain:
Station identifier (CYVR), time (zulu time, that currently GMT-1, but it's because we are in daylight savings time now, normally it's just GMT), wind, visibility, clouds & their height, cloud density (few, overcast, broken) and precipitation if present (e.g.:-SHRA= light rainshowers) .
Seemed to have problems uploading photos today, I think I exceeded my montly limit on my cell phone. So no photos this month (unless for some reason it only didn't work today)
To give you an idea of what pilots have to decipher weather-wise,here's a METAR (METeorological Aerodrome Report) & TAF (Terminal Area Forecast) for Vancouver Intl today :
METAR CYVR 270200Z 29002KT 15SM FEW015 SCT170 BKN230 12/10 A3017 RMK
SF1AC2CI2 SLP218=
METAR CYVR 270300Z 00000KT 20SM FEW015 SCT170 BKN230 12/09 A3015 RMK
SF1AC3CI1 SLP211=
METAR CYVR 270400Z 01002KT 15SM VCFG FEW160 BKN230 11/09 A3013 RMK
AC2CI2 SLP204=
TAF CYVR 270238Z 270324 VRB03KT P6SM FEW015 SCT120 BKN220
FM0900Z 09005KT P6SM SCT015 BKN050 OVC100 TEMPO 1015 5SM -SHRA BR
BKN015 OVC040
FM1500Z 12012KT 6SM -RA BR SCT010 OVC025 TEMPO 1524 2SM -RA BR
OVC010
RMK NXT FCST BY 06Z=
This is supposed to give you a 3 dimensional idea of what the weather should look like above Vancouver. The reason it's al abbreviated is because they used to do all this by telex and they got charged for every letter they put in.
A metar would usually contain:
Station identifier (CYVR), time (zulu time, that currently GMT-1, but it's because we are in daylight savings time now, normally it's just GMT), wind, visibility, clouds & their height, cloud density (few, overcast, broken) and precipitation if present (e.g.:-SHRA= light rainshowers) .
Seemed to have problems uploading photos today, I think I exceeded my montly limit on my cell phone. So no photos this month (unless for some reason it only didn't work today)
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
The schedule
Nothing 'special' today. Thought I would let you guys and gals know what my daily schedule looks like:
05.05 or 05.45:wake-up. 05.05 if I'm working out (3x a week)
06.15:shower & shave
06.30: breakfast
07.00: out the door, on my way to heli college.
07.15: arrival at heli college + pushing out of the helicopters
08.00-12.00: study. I'm usually fresher in the morning then I am after lunch, so I try to get as much stuff studied (usually of 1 single subject) as possible. (within some small breaks in between).
12.00-13.00: lunch
13.00-17.00: again studying, usually preparing for that evenings ground school. The breaks in between sessions would sometimes be slightly longer, to accomodate a small walk outside for some fresh air
17.30-19.30: ground school (only on Tue, Wed and Thur). On off nights I would call it quits at around 18.30-19.00
20.00: Arrival at homestay. This time varies as ground school sometimes starts later.
20.15:dinner
20.45: answer emails + post my day on blog + upload pictures (if new and if there's still time)
21.30 - 22.00: hit the hay to be ready to start over again :-)
05.05 or 05.45:wake-up. 05.05 if I'm working out (3x a week)
06.15:shower & shave
06.30: breakfast
07.00: out the door, on my way to heli college.
07.15: arrival at heli college + pushing out of the helicopters
08.00-12.00: study. I'm usually fresher in the morning then I am after lunch, so I try to get as much stuff studied (usually of 1 single subject) as possible. (within some small breaks in between).
12.00-13.00: lunch
13.00-17.00: again studying, usually preparing for that evenings ground school. The breaks in between sessions would sometimes be slightly longer, to accomodate a small walk outside for some fresh air
17.30-19.30: ground school (only on Tue, Wed and Thur). On off nights I would call it quits at around 18.30-19.00
20.00: Arrival at homestay. This time varies as ground school sometimes starts later.
20.15:dinner
20.45: answer emails + post my day on blog + upload pictures (if new and if there's still time)
21.30 - 22.00: hit the hay to be ready to start over again :-)
Monday, September 24, 2007
Flight !
Today, totally unexpected I might add, I flew !
We went up to the west part of the airport for some hover practice. My instructor graudally gave up each control (cyclic, collective and torque pedals). Everything went smoothly and I even managed to briefly hover at the end before setting her down on the helipads. My arm was pretty tired back then as the helicopter cyclic (stick) makes you use some small stabilizer muscles in your hand/forearm that you don't usually use in every day life. Instructor was satisfied with the flight and next flight we'll do hover turns and climbing and descending turns, I can't wait !
Did some more PSTAR work and prepped navigation (ground school tomorrow).
Check flickr photo blog for some beautiful pictures of the Canadian countryside and some more airport scenery.
Stay tuned for more info/pictures coming soon !
We went up to the west part of the airport for some hover practice. My instructor graudally gave up each control (cyclic, collective and torque pedals). Everything went smoothly and I even managed to briefly hover at the end before setting her down on the helipads. My arm was pretty tired back then as the helicopter cyclic (stick) makes you use some small stabilizer muscles in your hand/forearm that you don't usually use in every day life. Instructor was satisfied with the flight and next flight we'll do hover turns and climbing and descending turns, I can't wait !
Did some more PSTAR work and prepped navigation (ground school tomorrow).
Check flickr photo blog for some beautiful pictures of the Canadian countryside and some more airport scenery.
Stay tuned for more info/pictures coming soon !
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Early morning wake up and PSTAR q's
Heard that it was good practice to be at the school at 0700. So I was. Had to get up at 05.45 though.
Did some more PSTAR questionnaires and some 'theory of flight work'. Hopefully some of the more advanced guys can go solo next week so I can get some flying done. I'm really looking forward to it. It will be welcome change to be able to put things into practice. Check the flickr photo blog for some awesome helicopter photos along with some scenery.
Did some more PSTAR questionnaires and some 'theory of flight work'. Hopefully some of the more advanced guys can go solo next week so I can get some flying done. I'm really looking forward to it. It will be welcome change to be able to put things into practice. Check the flickr photo blog for some awesome helicopter photos along with some scenery.
Friday, September 21, 2007
PSTAR, fun, the gym and the dollar.
Rainy day here in Langley (see flickr).
Got some contact information of one of the CHC guys, before which he had given me his take on how flying isn't any fun any more when you get into the big leagues. He reminisced about the days that he used to fly 206's in the Grand Canyon and would like to do some solo work. He added that flying was more about unions and wages and the actual fun was missing. He finished by recommending me to 'stick with the fun' type of flying instead of trying to get bigger paychecks as soon as possible. Sound advice if you ask me.
Did some work on to prepare for my PSTAR (rules and regulations using your Aeronautic Information Manual) today. Went home a bit early as we had no ground school today.
Oh yeah, almost forgot, went to the gym with some guys (fellow students) today. After moving some heavy weights and them only doing the same old 'isolation, mirror bicep workout' I quickly got the comment :'Wow, man, you're like the bionic man or something'. :-) Quite funny.
Just heard the news about the us dollar going down to the level of the canadian. For a moment there I thought it was the other way around. Phew. Will still be watching this though and hope the canadian dollar stays stable and unaffected.
Got some contact information of one of the CHC guys, before which he had given me his take on how flying isn't any fun any more when you get into the big leagues. He reminisced about the days that he used to fly 206's in the Grand Canyon and would like to do some solo work. He added that flying was more about unions and wages and the actual fun was missing. He finished by recommending me to 'stick with the fun' type of flying instead of trying to get bigger paychecks as soon as possible. Sound advice if you ask me.
Did some work on to prepare for my PSTAR (rules and regulations using your Aeronautic Information Manual) today. Went home a bit early as we had no ground school today.
Oh yeah, almost forgot, went to the gym with some guys (fellow students) today. After moving some heavy weights and them only doing the same old 'isolation, mirror bicep workout' I quickly got the comment :'Wow, man, you're like the bionic man or something'. :-) Quite funny.
Just heard the news about the us dollar going down to the level of the canadian. For a moment there I thought it was the other way around. Phew. Will still be watching this though and hope the canadian dollar stays stable and unaffected.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Charts & stuff
Today I did some more navigation prep work (see photo on flickr blog marked 20/09 to get an idea).
Had another talk at lunch today with the CHC guys and -just for kicks- thought I would ask how much one flight hour on the Puma or Super Puma would cost. That helicopter holds about 17 people and is quite demanded in different branches of the helicopter business. Any guesses ? For 1 hour on the super puma you pay 7000 Euros ! That puts things in perspective huh... A pilot would need 5-10 hours to get qualified on a new helicopter, so... you do the math ;-)
I just wanted to thank everybody for your support and for those of you who think I don't the 'comment' section, fear not. I do read em, but don't have time to answer them. So here's an extra THANKS to all of you.
Stay tuned.
Had another talk at lunch today with the CHC guys and -just for kicks- thought I would ask how much one flight hour on the Puma or Super Puma would cost. That helicopter holds about 17 people and is quite demanded in different branches of the helicopter business. Any guesses ? For 1 hour on the super puma you pay 7000 Euros ! That puts things in perspective huh... A pilot would need 5-10 hours to get qualified on a new helicopter, so... you do the math ;-)
I just wanted to thank everybody for your support and for those of you who think I don't the 'comment' section, fear not. I do read em, but don't have time to answer them. So here's an extra THANKS to all of you.
Stay tuned.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
R22 questionnaires & Navigation
Another day full of studying. Arrived at 08.30. Got out to have lunch with a french CHC guy. Got back and studied some more. Then we had ground school at around 18.00 to 20.00. Got home around 20.30. It's almost 22.00 now. In the morning I did some R22 questionnaires, which is basically a bunch of questions (on paper) that you have to find the answer to (an open book quiz if you prefer). They are designed for you to get you to learn more about the helicopter you will be flying, while looking things up. Again, when you're up there, there is no time to take out your manual.
Next up was ground school preparation followed by ground school. Today was the first day of navigation and we learned about latitude and longitude, variation and deviation, true course, true heading, etc, ...
It's to prep yourself for a subject because when you get the actual subject you will already have absorbed part of the subject, which makes things easier in class. I mean you pick up on stuff easier.
Will be doing my first flight somewhere next week. Got to get my technical specs memorized first.
Got my foam roller delivered today, again some weard looks along with 'hey, what you got there ?'. After which I promptly unpacked it and had guy lay down on ir that had spinal issues from when he was a kid (high shock absorption while mountain biking). He had a decompression table at home (from which you hang upside down) but said this worked well and didn't get that much blood into his head.
Okay, long post. Going to bed, workout tomorrow.
Will only be posting 1 picture a day on the photo blog from now on. It takes me too long to load more up.
Next up was ground school preparation followed by ground school. Today was the first day of navigation and we learned about latitude and longitude, variation and deviation, true course, true heading, etc, ...
It's to prep yourself for a subject because when you get the actual subject you will already have absorbed part of the subject, which makes things easier in class. I mean you pick up on stuff easier.
Will be doing my first flight somewhere next week. Got to get my technical specs memorized first.
Got my foam roller delivered today, again some weard looks along with 'hey, what you got there ?'. After which I promptly unpacked it and had guy lay down on ir that had spinal issues from when he was a kid (high shock absorption while mountain biking). He had a decompression table at home (from which you hang upside down) but said this worked well and didn't get that much blood into his head.
Okay, long post. Going to bed, workout tomorrow.
Will only be posting 1 picture a day on the photo blog from now on. It takes me too long to load more up.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Studying...
The first week of school is really all about knowing as much as possible of the R22 (our helicopter) as you can, because if something happens during the flight you have no time to consult an aircraft manual for oh let's say... your best glide speed.
So my day is mainly focused on absorbing as much data of the helicopter flight data in as little time as possible, while also preparing the upcoming ground school lessons (next up: navigation).
i'm still a bit jetlagged and waking up at 4am isn't unusual, but I guess that by the end of this week things should start to normalise. Some new photos are up on flickr. There's some pictures of classroom material and from a bike ride I took to the bank today.
So my day is mainly focused on absorbing as much data of the helicopter flight data in as little time as possible, while also preparing the upcoming ground school lessons (next up: navigation).
i'm still a bit jetlagged and waking up at 4am isn't unusual, but I guess that by the end of this week things should start to normalise. Some new photos are up on flickr. There's some pictures of classroom material and from a bike ride I took to the bank today.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Do the walk around !
Finished my first day of schooling today.
Did a lot of theory work on pre flight checks and the ' walk around' the helicopter to ensure everything is safely attached and not damaged by previous flights.
Talked to some more experienced students from a big company called CHC helicopters who are themselves from all over the globe (Spain, Argentina, France, ...).
It's interesting to here their stories and how they got started in the industry.
I also met my fellow students today, grear bunch of guys. Uploaded some photos made from my room to the flickr photo blog (see link on the sidebar) along with some more photos of my reading material.
Brought my 40kg kettlebell in today. It's heavy, but I'll be taming it once I get over this jet lag which is still not completely out of my system.
Hitting the sack, tired. Another busy day of studying and visiting my new canadian bank tomorrow. More info to come soon.
Stay tuned.
Did a lot of theory work on pre flight checks and the ' walk around' the helicopter to ensure everything is safely attached and not damaged by previous flights.
Talked to some more experienced students from a big company called CHC helicopters who are themselves from all over the globe (Spain, Argentina, France, ...).
It's interesting to here their stories and how they got started in the industry.
I also met my fellow students today, grear bunch of guys. Uploaded some photos made from my room to the flickr photo blog (see link on the sidebar) along with some more photos of my reading material.
Brought my 40kg kettlebell in today. It's heavy, but I'll be taming it once I get over this jet lag which is still not completely out of my system.
Hitting the sack, tired. Another busy day of studying and visiting my new canadian bank tomorrow. More info to come soon.
Stay tuned.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Arrived in Vancouver...
Just arrived in Vancouver, getting settled in at my new home stay.
Will be posting pictures tomorrow as the sun's no longer out and I'm pretty tired
after a 10 hour flight; 1 screaming baby and 3 in flight movies. Then for a sloshing
back and forth ride to the homestay. Automatic gearboxes and indian drivers don't always mix without a glitch it seems, they have a trouble applying either to much or too little 'throttle' which constantly makes your head bob back and forth and eventually leads to an uncomfortable 'queesy' stomach.
First day of school tomorrow, better freshen up and hit the sack.
Will be posting pictures tomorrow as the sun's no longer out and I'm pretty tired
after a 10 hour flight; 1 screaming baby and 3 in flight movies. Then for a sloshing
back and forth ride to the homestay. Automatic gearboxes and indian drivers don't always mix without a glitch it seems, they have a trouble applying either to much or too little 'throttle' which constantly makes your head bob back and forth and eventually leads to an uncomfortable 'queesy' stomach.
First day of school tomorrow, better freshen up and hit the sack.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Be(ing) Prepared
In an effort to get things organized before the 16th,
I'm looking up the routes to follow between my 'home away from home' and
Langley Airport. Here's the map and another beautiful photo.
Here's the route from my homestay to Langley airport
Friday, August 31, 2007
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