View from ... Vancouver
By Captain Dav1d 1994-10-11

(This article was submitted by one of the club members. If you have flying experiences that you’d like to share with the club, submit them to the editor).

Vancouver harbour has been called one of the most scenic views in Canada. It is nestled in a "natural alcove" formed by the runoff water from the Rocky Mountains spilling into the Pacific Ocean. The north shore slopes gently upward, supporting some of the most luxurious homes in the vicinity, while the south shore boasts the office towers of the downtown core.

During a recent visit to Vancouver, I decided to fly the harbour and enjoy the spectacular scenery firsthand... no postcard required. Having made the decision, it was easy to accomplish.

About a week before leaving for Vancouver, I purchased the VNC and VTA charts for the area, made some photocopies of the relevant CFS pages, and began to study and plan my route. I called Boundary Bay Airport, and spoke to the CFI of Centennial Flying School. (I had flown with them last year, as a student, with one of their instructors, but I made it clear to him that I wanted to fly this one by myself).

I take every opportunity to fly, whether in my own home town, or when I’m travelling, so calling an airport and asking about their aircraft has become second nature. When I ask them if they have C152’s available, they almost always say "Sure, which credit card will you be using?". They insist on a check ride, as required by insurance regulations, but that’s not a problem. In fact, the ride gives me a good opportunity to have the call-up points shown to me from the air, rather than just a dry picture on a "do-not-use-for-navigation" photocopy. It also gives their DFTE an idea of the kind of pilot that will be taking one of their precious airplanes out.

The Vancouver zone is complex. There are probably 10 heliports and aerodromes within the harbour itself, plus many others nearby, owned by television and radio stations, logging companies, tour operators, and gasoline companies. It is not unusual to see helicopters, small planes, and sea planes all at the same time jockeying for position over the water. Vancouver is definitely an aviation community, and this is reflected in the VTA chart, which is actually composed of "mini-charts" showing procedures into and out of Vancouver Internation, plus other routes in the area. I spent more than a few hours reading the charts, and making mental notes.

Vancouver International Airport is south of Vancouver, and Boundary Bay Airport (ZBB) is south of that. There are about five flying schools that operate out of Boundary Bay, so it’s a busy little airport. In terms of "aircraft movements", they rank right up there near the top of the list of busy airports, even though the takeoffs and landings usually involve only a few people at a time. The U.S. border is less than 5 miles south of Boundary Bay, so it’s possible to fly over the border during a very wide circuit of the field, or during an extended final.

I decided that my trip would take me north to the harbour, flying east of the Vancouver Class "C" Control Zone, but below the Vancouver Terminal Control Area. Planes that remain below 2500’ and outside of the harbour control zone need not contact Vancouver Terminal. The harbour, though, is a Class "D" control zone, with contact required from surface to 2500’. The plan was to circle the harbour counterclockwise at 2000’ (all the time in contact with the harbour tower), and then exit to the west, out over the "Strait of Georgia", and then up and over the mountains. By the time I was ready to fly on Saturday, I knew the area cold.

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I drove to Boundary Bay airport on what must have been the most gorgeous day of the year. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, winds were light and variable, and the sun was warm. The weather channel promised a continued good day. I had the check ride booked for 1300h local, but I arrived at the airport at 1100h to complete the paperwork, check the FSS weather, familiarize myself with their procedures, and "get settled".

Then the paperwork started.

They needed to see my license, my pilot’s log, my credit card, and my route preparation. Then came the three-page written test. They let me use the Cessna manual during the test, as well as any other materials I had. It was a fairly standard test which included questions about the airspeeds, weight and balance calculations, fuel calculations, takeoff and landing distances, air regulations, and emergency procedures. With the information still fresh in my mind from the Transport Canada exams, and all the resources I needed spread out on the desk in front of me, the test took less than twenty minutes. I took it to the counter, and the instructor checked it over carefully to ensure that I knew the information to the 100% mark. Any questions that I got incorrect were explained to me, so that I really knew what he wanted me to know. (Interestingly, he didn’t mention too much about mountain flying, but he did question me about carb icing and the carb heat control). The last bit of paperwork involved the airplane’s documents, which contained all of the required information.

Finally, the DFTE gave me the "go-ahead" to do the walkaround.

The differences in procedures at different schools became obvious almost immediately. The airplane bag contained a "fuel stick", which is a piece of wood, meant for dipping into the wing tanks, with lines drawn on it representing 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and full tanks. I had to specifically ask for a fuel tester. The checklist was also in the bag, and it differed slightly from the procedure I normally use, but only slightly, so it was no problem to follow.

The inspection also revealed some interesting information about the aircraft itself. For instance, Centennial is in the process of repainting their aircraft, so the few that had already been painted were all identical in colour. It was an impressive display to see them lined up in their parking spaces, ready to perform to their masters’ wishes.

They also all had an unsual (for me!) wire leading from inside the cockpit to the door hinges. It wasn’t until after I got into the airplane and saw the bright red ring on the pillar of the door that I realized what it was. The doors are fitted with quick-release hinges so that a flight that results in a forced water landing can have the hinge wire pulled from the inside, making escape into the water easier than trying to force the door open against the pressure of the water.

There were many other differences: lap belts, but no shoulders belts; PTT ("push-to-talk") switches built into the control yoke actually worked; and the roof had two skylights, making the plane seem incredibly bright. The seats seemed to be quite new, and the dash and interior spaces were extremely clean. There was a single radio, and a single VOR, but no Mode "C" transponder. And, the clocked was not only working, but it even had the correct time! (I decided not to trust it anyways.)

The check ride was routine. Jake (the DFTE) and I spent most of the time discussing the Abbottsford air show and past flying experiences, and these discussions were punctuated by course and manoeuver requests and clarifications: "Steep turn to the left please", "that train trestle is the inner reporting point", etc. The 45 minute check ride included steep turns to the left and right, forced landing, two airport landings (one with full flaps, one with no flaps), and radio procedures. At the end of the ride, I knew my way around theCZBB control zone.

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Back on the ground, I decided to fill my stomach as well as the plane’s long range tanks (I was going solo for an expected 3 hour ride). I had grilled cheese, the plane had 100LL. With all systems ready to go, I climbed into the pilot’s seat, ready to begin the adventure.

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