SEAPLANE TRAINING @ VFC - Victoria Flying Club

June 2012 

The Patrician 

The Victoria Flying Club ~ Aviation Excellence Since 1946 

DETAILS COMING SOON! 

SEAPLANE TRAINING @ VFC

1946-2012 

The Victoria Flying Club 

Celebrating Over 65 Years 

of Aviation Excellence 

“To promote flying and aviation in general, and 

to teach and train persons in the art and science 

of flying and navigating and operating all 

manner of heavier-than-air aircraft.” 

(Victoria Flying Club Incorporation Bylaws, 1946) 

Board of Directors 

President......................................Lloyd Toope 

Vice President.........................Don Devenney 

Treasurer......................................Kim Sterling 

Secretary.............................Colin Williamson 

Directors.........................................Sean Steele 

Steve Demy 

Sam Roland 

Dave Gustafson 

General Manager........................Gerry Mants 

Chief Flying Instructor.........Graham Palmer 

1852 Canso Road 

Sidney, BC V8L 5V5 

www.flyvfc.com 

Phone: 250-656-2833 

Fax: 250-655-0910 

The Patrician 

Monthly Newsletter of 

The Victoria Flying Club 

In this issue: 

June 2012 

3 Canada’s Next Top Amateur 

Pilot: Webster Memorial Trophy 

5 Fly-Ins & Fly-Outs 

11 Getting to Know YYJ 

Part Two 

13 West Canada 99s 

Scholarship 

Editor/Publisher: 

Christie Hall 

thepatrician@shaw.ca 

Midnight Design & Communication 

info@midnightdesign.ca 

The Patrician accepts unsolicited submissions. 

This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, 

with prior permission of the publisher or author. 

The opinions expressed are strictly those of the authors. 

June 2012 1 

www.flyvfc.com

Victoria Flying Club News 

New VTA and VNC 

The new charts released by Nav Canada are not available 

yet. The date is yet to be determined. We’ll let you 

know as soon as we have that information available to 

us. Thanks for your patience. 

Commercial Groundschool 

The next session of Commercial Groundschool is 

starting soon. Please call the office to sign up, get your 

groundschool kit, and give your schedule preference. 

Mountain Groundschool 

The next Mountain Groundschool Seminar will be 

held at the Victoria Flying Club on Saturday June 23 

from 9am-12pm. The cost is $75. Please contact the 

office to register. 

Victoria Flying Club 

Summer Hours 

To accommodate all the great evening 

flying through the summer 

season, the office of The 

Victoria Flying Club will be 

open the following hours: 

8am to 8pm 

7 days a week! 

Summer Booking Policy 

Please take a moment to read the following 

2012 Summer Aircraft Booking Policies. 

Beginning June 18th to September 3rd inclusive, the 

following policies will apply Monday thru Friday to 

Recreational Flying/Time Building, not Dual Training: 

1. For Recreational Bookings, Including Time Building, 

but not Flight Training between the hours of 

17:00-00:00 there is a $10 discount per hour for the 

rate the member is charged. 

2. The minimum daily flying requirement for multiple 

day bookings is 3.5 hours. 

Example: 

A five day trip will require a minimum of 17.5 hours of 

flight time (5 x 3.5). Any un-flown time will be billed 

at full rate. 

3. Peak Time (10:00-17:00) Bookings when made 

in excess of a two-hour booking block requires that 

a minimum Flight Time of 50% of the total booking 

time be flown. 

Example: 

1. A four-hour booking requires a minimum of two 

hour of flight time. For a 1.5 hour flight within a 4 

hour booking block, the member will be charged an 

extra 1/2 hour at the regular rate. 

2. A six-hour booking requires a minimum of three 

hours of flight time. For a 2.0 hour flight within a 

6-hour booking block, the member will be charged an 

extra 1 hour at the regular rate. 

Aviation Excellence Since 1946 2 June 2012

June 2012 3 www.flyvfc.com

june Mystery AircrAft 

Can you IdentIfy the aIrCraft shown above? 

eMaIl: thepatrICIan@shaw.Ca 

May Mystery IdentIfIed 

From Tim: For May it 

is the SIAI-Marchetti 

SF.260 (also Aermacchi 

SF.260) which 

was designed in the 

1960s as an aerobatic 

military trainer and 

had a long production thru to present with 860 built 

so far. Max speed 237 kts on an O-540 engine. Some 

found their way into private and airline training hands. 

This month’s plane is a Siai Marchetti SF260M. These 

planes are the Belgian Red Devils display team reintroduced 

for the 2011 season. 

The SF260M is a two / three seat military trainer, developed 

from the initial civil SF.260 and flown for the 

first time on October 10th, 1970. The 260M introduced 

a number of important structural and aerodynamic 

Aviation Excellence Since 1946 

improvements, many of which were subsequently 

applied to later civil versions. They meets the necessary 

requirements for basic flying training; instrument 

flying; aerobatics; including deliberate spinning and 

recovery; night flying; navigation flying and formation 

flying. ~Daryl Williams 

The mystery plane in the May issue is an Aermacchi 

F260, designed as a training aircraft for the Italian Air 

Force. I came upon this in an unusual way: I have a 

copy of Omnibook, a 1985 hard cover catalog of great 

Italian industrial designers, and when I saw your photo 

it reminded me of an aircraft designer whose work was 

included. This led me to check Aermacchi on the Web. 

What’s interesting is that designer Enmanno Bazzocchi’s 

portfolio featured jet training and tactical support 

aircraft, yet there was something in his style that was 

similar to the basic trainers in the photo. Perhaps all 

great designers have such a signature. ~Philip Powell 

4 June 2012

Fly-Ins, Fly-Outs 

and Fun with Fellow Aviators 

Fly-Ins and Fly-Outs are a large part of the 

social aspect of recreational aviation. With good 

weather, and a few friends (old and new) a day of 

flying turns into an adventure for the whole group. 

It’s a great way to meet some fellow pilots, experience 

flying somewhere new, and share the cost of a day of 

flying. 

The existence of such social events has come 

and gone more than once during the long history of 

The Victoria Flying Club. Eleanor Eastick, long-time 

club member, former editor of The Patrician, and 

avid fly-out planner and participant, put together 

some thoughts on the organization of these events. 

What happened to the Flyouts? 

The VFC flyouts were resurrected in 1999 and 

immediately became hugely popular events, so much 

so that aeroplane seats were at a premium. All the 

planes were grabbed for every stat holiday. The Club 

swarmed with participants and, yes, even standbys, 

hoping to get a seat by default. 

So what happened? 

In my opinion, three events grounded the flying 

fun, herewith set out not necessarily in the order 

of importance because all are interrelated. 

1. Changing demographic of the Club. 

2. Escalating cost. 

3. Adverse weather 

Let’s look at the causes. Back around the turn 

of the 21st century, VFC had a large population of 

recreational flyers with more time for fun. Where are 

they now? Some have quit flying because of age-related 

loss of medical, some have become bored with the 

lack of “clubby” events and the absence of camaraderie, 

some no longer have the time or funds because of 

family obligations. 

This leads us into the next item: money. Yes, 

that’s what keeps planes flying. In the halcyon days of 

the flyouts, the Club offered its aircraft at $20 below 

regular rental. That was a good deal, and no doubt 

was an encouragement to many. Strangely, 9/11 had 

very little impact on the flyouts initially. 

And now a kick in the slats to Mother Nature! 

After 2003, the local weather was a determining 

factor in the flyout failure. There was no “rain date” 

postponement of a flyout. The chance was gone if the 

weather bombed, which it did, over and over. Eventually 

everyone, even the most avid participants became 

discouraged after so many disappointments. For the 

last few years, almost every stat holiday is the lousy 

day that follows several sunny days. 2012 has seen below 

VFR weather for Good Friday and Victoria Day, 

formerly flyout days. 

Is there a way to bring back the flyouts? Does 

anyone want to give them another go? The only thing 

we can’t change is the weather, the other two factors 

are negotiable. 

~Eleanor Eastick 


Fly-Outs Return! 

Well, we can’t control Mother Nature, but let’s do 

what we can to ressurect the spirit of camoradarie 

and friendship fostered by social flying events at the 

Victoria Flying Club! 

VFC will once again be offering a $20/hr discount on 

aircraft rentals for pre-organized Fly-Outs planned 

on Stat Holidays. Also, the Summer Booking Policy 

will not be in place for aircraft participating in these 

events, so you can enjoy a day of flying and socializing, 

without worrying about use of airtime. 

Is someone willing to be the point person in terms 

of organizing an event? It’s not a big job, but it’s best 

handled by one person so that everyone stays on the 

same page. VFC and The Patrician will help get 

the word out. Just let us know when and where! 

The following dates are the Stat Holidays for this 

summer. 

Saturday July 1 

Monday August 6 

Monday September 3 

Location is completely up to you! Ask around and 

see what folks are interested in. Meet for brunch at 

The Dakota and make a rough plan. Let’s choose a 

date and a location, and we’ll see if we can get the flyouts 

off the ground once again! 

And if someone could put in a good word with the 

weather gods, we would all be immensely grateful! 

Thanks to Dan Waldie, Marie Woodruff, and Colin 

Williamson for the great photos of Fly-Outs past. 

Left: Fly-Out to KBFI 

Right from top: Fly-Out to Gillies Bay, North of Whistler, 

Fly-Out to K0S9, Colin Williamson sits in the 

Martin Mars during a 2009 Fly-Out to Port Alberni, 

MukMuk the Olympic Mascot visits Texada 

on a Fly-Out to Gillies Bay. 


6 June 2012

Photo of the Month 

Congratulations and thank-you to Firat Ataman 

for his winning photo. 

A spectacular shot of our beautiful BC coastline. 

Keep your camera in your flight bag and send your best photos (one entry per month) 

to thepatrician@shaw.ca. Enter up to 12 times each year to win! 

Also, a special mention to Marie Woodruff 

for her photo submission (right): 

“Here’s my submission for Photo of the Month. It was 

taken yesterday morning (May 14) around 0900, “on 

final” for Nanaimo’s Runway 34. It’s a Cessna 182 belonging 

to Club member Darren LaRosa and we were 

taking part in a Search & Rescue exercise with 442 

Sqn. ~ Marie W.” 


New Members 

Takuma Mori 

Nils Muzzulini 

Darcy Peat 

Sasan Shariaty 

Wanjohi Mugo 

Jordan Kynas 

Anthony Sidhu 

Tiffany Gartner-Bouffard 

Brad Decker 

Allan Planes 

Stephen Collins 

Terry Bradshaw 

Kristina Macphee 

Welcome to the 

Victoria Flying Club! 

1946-2012 


Achievements 

First Solo 

Kyle Brown 

Landon Zablocki 

Liang Chen 

Aaron Gage-Cole 

Grant Howard 

Lanaya Dale 

David Matthew Hughson 

PPL Written Test 

Laine Armstrong 

Marty Allard 

Elissa Boyd 

PPL Flight Test 

Brian Tennant 

Matthew Vogel 

Dan Welch 

Mike Criddle 

Charlie Groves 

CPL Written Test 

Jeremiah Rivard 

Luc Arsenault 

CPL Flight Test 

Takeshi Shimodaira 

Morris May 

Class IV Written Exam 

Laura Van Buskirk 

INRAT 

Luc Arsenault 

8 June 2012

First Solos 

Aaron Gage-Cole 

Instructor: Dirk Pritchard 

Kyle Brown 

Instructor: Colin Brown 

Grant Howard 

Instructor: James White 

Lanaya Dale 

Instructor: Dirk Pritchard 

“Without disruption of air traffic, these fearless, 

forthright, indomitable and courageous individuals did 

venture into the wild blue yonder in flying machines. 

Furthermore, these skilful individuals did safely land said 

flying machines at Victoria International Airport, 

incurring no significantdamage to self or machine, 

thus completing first solo flights.” 


First Solos 

Landon Zablocki 


Matthew Hughson 

Instructor: Kristen Ursel 

big business thinking for small business 

Christie Hall, BPA 

Web Design, Graphic Design, Print Advertising 

778-426-3452 

info@midnightdesign.ca 

www.midnightdesign.ca 


Liang Chen 


Congratulations! 

10 June 2012

Getting to 

Know YYJ 

Plane-spotting at Victoria International 

Part Two By: Christie Hall 

As promised, here are the locations of the best 

plane-spotting locations around YYJ. 

1. The Dakota Cafe, located at the Victoria Flying Club. 

You’ll want to start your trek here with brunch and a 

friendly bunch of “regulars.” 

2. The Cemetery at the north end of Canora Rd. is a 

great place to view take offs and landings on runway 09 

27. 

3. As you round the end of Ocean Blvd, there is one 

parking spot by a gate that is directly under the approach/threshold 

of runway 27. 

4. Off Mills Rd., there’s a great spot to sit and enjoy 

the view looking down over all of YYJ. This is the best 

spot for viewing runway 13, frequented by the Dash 8 

traffic. 

5. Planes in the air and on the sea can be seen from 

Patricia Bay Park, overlooking the Sea Plane Base, and 

5 4 

6 

7 

directly under the approach to runway 09. There’s a 

great path along the water. 

6. Turn left off Willingdon Rd. and you’ll find a neat 

little spot, just to the left of the International Terminal. 

Benches and picnic tables make this a great location 

for watching commercial aircraft operations. 

7. The third floor viewing lounge in the terminal may 

be the best kept secret at YYJ. After the required stop 

at Tim Horton’s, look for the elevator. It will take you 

up to the lounge with a view of the deparature and 

arrival gates. In the lounge, you’ll also find a great history 

of YYJ, First Nations art, and furniture designed 

by students at Camosun College. 

8. End your tour at the BC Aviation Museum. They 

are open 10-4 every day through the summer. Adult 

admission is $8. The volunteers and friendly and helpful, 

and happy to answer all your questions. 

June 2012 11 www.flyvfc.com 

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12 June 2012

Scholarship 

Opportunity 

The West Canada Section 99’s are pleased to offer a scholarship in the amount 

of $1500 to women pursuing training or study in the field of aviation. 

The award can be used towards further flight training, training in a field related 

to aviation, or towards a research project related to aviation. 

Applicants must: 

• have completed a Private or Recreational License 

• live in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba or the Yukon or Northwest Territories 

• agree to complete training within 18 months of receiving the scholarship, 

and submit a written report 

Application deadline is July 31st 2012 

For the full scholarship application form, please contact the Victoria Flying Club 

at info@flyvfc.com or 250-656-2833 or visit www.canadian99s.org . 


Private Pilot Groundschool 


Monday and Wednesday 

1900-2200 

Victoria Flying Club Classroom 

DATE TOPIC INSTRUCTOR 

June 04 CARS & Licensing Requirements Kristen Ursel 

06 Human Factors & Pilot Decision Making TBA 

11 Radio & Electronic Theory Dirk Pritchard 

13 Meteorology Simon Dennis 





July 04 Meteorology Simon Dennis 

09 Flight Operations Yasuhiro Koide 

11 Flight Operations Yasuhiro Koide 

16 Navigation TBA 



25 Written prep seminar John MacConnachie 

30 Review TBA 

To register for Groundschool, or to purchase 

your Groundschool Kit, please contact the 

Victoria Flying Club Office at 250-656-2833. 

14 June 2012

Free VFC Classified Ads 

Aircraft - Accomodation - Aviation Books and Gear - Help Wanted - Miscellaneous 

Email the details of your FREE Ad to: thepatrician@shaw.ca 

VFC SMILE CARDS 

The Victoria Flying Club is excited to partner with Thrifty Foods in their very successful 

Smile Card Program. Pick up your smile card today at the VFC office, and 5% 

of your grocery purchase will go towards creating scholarships and awards for VFC 

members. Thank-you Thrifty Foods! 

To date, the Victoria Flying Club has received over $12,000 from the Thrifty Foods 

Smile Card program. These funds have been appreciated by all members of the club. 

Thank-you Thrifty Foods! 

See your story in print 

and online in the Patrician! 

Articles, letters, and stories. 

Email: thepatrician@shaw.ca 

with your completed article, or with your 

best ideas. We’d love to hear from you! 

Monthly Tiedowns 

beside the Tower 

available at 

Victoria International 

(CYYJ) . 

Includes automobile 

parking and aircraft 

security management 

service. 

Contact Stuart: 

250 812 4447 

admin@milouholdings.com

SEAPLANE TRAINING @ VFC - Victoria Flying Club

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