Cobalt Aviation

There is a sign above the Kitchen door of the Aeroclub of BC at the Pitt Meadows Regional Airport that reads: “It takes about 45 hours to know HOW to fly …. But a life-time to know WHEN to fly”. I thought,” how true”!

I’ve been feeling down in the last week. I miss the sun and sand of la Playa. If I am not flying I feel blue. I need to feel passionate about flying again. Besides, it’s that time of the year when sunlight is sparse and days are short here in the Northern Hemisphere.  I hear some people are affected by the “lackalite” syndrome. (I made that word up just now, but it is apparently a real psychological phenomenon). Besides, it is almost Christmas and it is also the time of year when people are stressed out and might feel blue despite dreaming of a “white Christmas”. I need to fly to shake my blues. But the sign above that kitchen door makes me sit up and take stock of all the conditions around me, both physically and psychologically. It stopped me from jumping into d’plane to go flying, even though the ski hills are inspiring this time of the year to savour from the sky.

Talking about a white Christmas….? What has it got to do with flying? Well, this is where Knowing “when to fly” comes in.  Look at the photos on these pages… beautiful white snow mountains. Winter is a great time to fly because the terrain has been magically transformed since the summer. The glaciers, the ice covered peaks, and the snow dusted mountain ranges, are awesome to behold.  But hold on. Winter flying can be hazardous to your health.

Weather is a big concern for pilots. We are all eager to go out on a bright sunny day to see the glorious sights from the air. But the weather can change dramatically, causing drastic results, between take-off and landing. In a worse case scenario you might have to divert to another airport, or worst yet, one that is outside of your fuel range warranting an off-airport landing; if you haven’t maneuvered d’plane into a “controlled flight into terrain” first. (It’s called C-FIT to us aviators… a dark humor for a dreaded airport ID). Knowing when to fly can take a life time to figure out when it comes to Meteorology. The only way to know your weather is to keep checking and updating. Checking en-route weather with Fight Service Stations, PIREPS (other pilot reports), as well as NOTAMS, (Notice to airmen) are a must.  Newer Models GPS actually have XM (Satellite) WX available.  But that is a separate topic. 

Learning to use one and monitoring one in-flight is added work. Pilot weather decision making ability is crucial. The only way to stay ahead is to learn ahead. We always say, “a pilot license is only a license to keep learning”. And it is non more true than in learning “when to fly”. The famous “go-no-go” line that pilots use when deciding whether to go flying that day is no longer just a saying, but an axiom to live by.

Knowing “When to fly” has other constrains as well. Just as important to a pilot is his or her own mental state. Flying demands that your mental faculty is sharp at all time. Flying, stress, and blues are not good combinations. (The only “blue” I wanna see are blue skies and oceans). I always say, when you are driving, you can pull over on the curb, but when you are flying, there is no pulling over. Like I said earlier, this is a stressful time of the year for a lot of people. So, unless you are in top form, don’t fly.  Wow! I never thought I’d ever say that. It’s an antithesis to my bread and butter. Telling people not to fly is hazardous to my financial health. But I want you around long enough to make me wealthy.  Hey, here’s more….

IF YOU DRINK, DON’T FLY!!   Pilots are told early on in flight schools, “Bottle to throttle, eight hours”. And more is added to that by other pilots that say, “Bottle to throttle, eight feet” meaning,  “Stay eight feet away from d’plane if you drink”. I like that one!! (The M.A.D.D. people otta come fly with us now). It’s the Holiday Season right?  Snow, Ice, Booze and flying don’t mix. (Ahhh, but ice in Magaritas mix well après flying…..This one is for my dear co-pilot friends Capt. Peter Ravioli and Capt. Wilf Cher….an inside joke… Cheers guys)!! I love the après ski and après flying hottubbing too.

Lesson #1 : Always party après. 

In a way if you adhere to some simple rules such as, don’t fly when you are bad, mad, and sad, it shouldn’t take you a lifetime to “know when to fly”. It is better to arrive late in this world than to arrive early in the next world. Kind of a cheesy saying put out by Transport Canada; but true!
Hate to put a damper on your winter flying…. But I can’t help it coz it’s kinda damp out there today and I thought it’s a good time to remind all my amigos Y amigas  to take a moment to be extra cautious and evaluate yourselves,  as well as check the weather forecast before you take flight. On days that are non conducive to flying, d’plane needs your loving care and attention to its winter maintenance. So, go look under her cowling! You will both benefit from it (I’m not going there for now).

But for now, I will say, to all my pilot friends and soon-to-be pilot friends out there, GOOD CHEERS for the Holiday Season.  We Hope and wish to see you flying soon with Cobalt Aviation. Give me a jingle some times @ 604-465-3328 and we can chat more about d’plane, flying, winterization, or whatever “hangar talks” tickle your Elmo!  

(Ho, Ho, Ho!!  Did I just make a Freudian slip about what I want for Christmas?)   HASTA LA VISTA y FELIZ NAVIDAD, AMIGOS!!

This entry was posted on Friday, December 1st, 2006 at 5:37 pm and is filed under News.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.