Langley - Squamish

The weather last Tuesday was uncharacteristically bright and sunny, and work was slow, so it was a great opportunity to get back in the airplane and work off some rust.  It seems to be very easy to let a few weeks go by with no action in Vancouver.  Low ceilings and icing make any flight a challenge for general aviation.

I hadn't been to Squamish yet, despite a few years in the lower mainland, and I also hadn't done any lower level mountain flying in a while, and I also hadn't done any economy cruise flight since the #2 cylinder was changed during the annual.  So I chose a course up Harrison lake, past Pemberton and Whistler, and down to Squamish for a short stop.  Then finish the flight out and around Howe sound and manage my way past the various control zones around Vancouver harbor.

 

Part of the training exercise was to be careful to set the power at just under 65% and then lean to peak EGT and see how well the aircraft performed.  I have been studying the dynamics of the engine quite a bit lately and a full scale test was in order.

 

Arriving at Langley I was greeted by a sobering sight.  Just in front of CF-NZB was C-GPQM, a Piper PA-23-250 Aztec that had a nose gear collapse on the runway.  The incident can be found at CADORS: 2016P0007 as follows:

At 0323Z, Air Canada (ACA225) was overheard receiving a call on 121.5 from a Cagayan Air Piper PA-23-250 (C-GPQM) from Calgary, AB (CYYC) to Langley Regional, BC (CYNJ) who was disabled on Runway 01/19 at CYNJ. The pilot later reported C-GPQM landed at CYNJ and upon roll out, the front landing gear collapsed and both propellers struck the Runway. No injuries, however, the aircraft was disabled on the Runway. Transportation Safety Board (TSB) and CYNJ Airport Manager (APM) advised. Kamloops Flight Information Centre (FIC) received report from CYNJ APM that both Runways were open at approximately 0530Z.  

The poor thing looks very sad with the prop tips bent back and nose crumpled.  It is clear that the owner has been taking care of it with new polished aluminum skin panels and the like.  Quite a setback and I hope it gets back in the air soon.  The two engines are fuel injected and turbo-charged O-540s, same basic type as CF-NZB, but with far more power at altitude.


I had waited until around noon as there was a lot of frost in the morning. This had warmed off except for a bit of frost under the fuel tanks in the wings.  A short ten minute warm up and it was ready to go.

Tipella north end of Harrison Lake

The departure from Langley had a bit of complication as there was so much traffic.  Both runways were in use (the wind was light and variable) and I was waiting short of 01 for cross-traffic on final when the Tower prompted me if I was ready.  They cleared me for take-off with no delay.  The air-space was busy with students but with some Cessna 172 traffic high and to my left, they cleared me out of the air-space.

The gap at the north end isn't very wide

I left the throttle wide open and climbed out to 3,500.  There was a lot of traffic in the Glen Valley practice area but I was very swiftly ahead of and over all of it.  It is a huge relief being well north of the Fraser river and good and high.  A few minutes later I was passing north up Harrison lake. 



Mountain flying

The aircraft had settled in nicely in cruise and I pulled out the flight manual and carefully set 2,300 rpm and 21.7" of power.  The book says that best economy should be pulling about 12.3 gpm of fuel.  So I leaned it to there and the engine ran smoothly and the aircraft flew a consistent 144 knots true which is a few knots short of the chart.  Engine roughness and peak EGT did not start until it was leaned down to about 10 gpm, so either that engine has very good distribution at the intake manifold or I might have had it at a lower power setting. 



Pemberton

There is a narrow twisty part through Lillooet, and it was a bit rough, but the wind meant the aircraft was moving at 155 knots groundspeed.  A great and exhilarating sensation of speed.  I briefly thought of a short stop in Pemberton but a quick check of the airfield indicated it was covered in snow.  It is a narrow spot to get into with a mountain on one side and a hill on the other.  I had flown in there a few years ago in summer and it was a bit of a nervy thing to do.



Whistler

Carried on past Whistler.  There are a few heliports there and there was some traffic.   All low level stuff and I had climbed to 4,500 feet at that point to get a slightly smoother ride, as well as to respect the cruising altitudes.  There is no need as technically down in the valley you are not 3,000 feet over the terrain, but it can't hurt to be there.  I stayed on the sunny side of the valley.

Squamish itself was completely quiet.  I had checked the procedures and made all the appropriate calls (approaching, over the field, cross-wind, down-wind, final, and clear.)  I flew over at 1,700 feet to establish the wind and chose 33 - there wasn't any wind per the wind-sock but there some plumes of steam that suggested an outflow from the valley.  Not much room down in there but it still allowed enough to make a descending turn on the inactive side and then cross the field to join down-wind left for 33.  Short little field so I lowered the gear on the inactive side and added a notch of flap too.  Short steep descent with power to a nice landing.  I was a little startled on the final flare to note there is a hill in the middle of the runway:  you lose site of the far end!


Pretty views

Squamish flying club ready room

The airfield itself seems a busy place.  There is a charter company, steady helicopter traffic, a private hanger shed, and card lock fuel.  The apron is paved which is very nice.  I chatted with an operator for a few minutes, and then walked over to the old shack.  It was very nice and sunny.  Sat on the bench in the sun and soaked in the place.  The contrast between the old shack and the computerized fuel dispenser is interesting.  Nice clean bathroom and deck area.  They also have a big sign with all the services and phone numbers you need to get into town.  Good place for a fuel stop.

No photo could do this sight justice.

Of course, as I got ready to depart, the place came alive.  Helicopters, private departures, and two training flights doing circuits.  I got to line up and wait for a few minutes while a training 172 departed.  There was another flight down-wind doing circuits when the 172 took off, and I had to back-track quite a way from the apron.  The down-wind flight had to extend a bit to accommodate my takeoff but it wasn't too close and I was out of there quick.

I had almost changed my mind to Indian Arm for the route but the weather was so nice, and I wanted to get some air traffic control practice, so I maintained for Howe Sound.  A right turn departure and a full throttle climb got me to 4,500 and out of everyone's way pretty quick.
I descended to 2,000 feet to sneak around the YVR traffic zones but kept too close to the coast so at the reporting point at Horseshoe Bay the harbor tower had a hard time hearing me.  Next time I'll go a little wider.  Clearance was fast and I managed to maintain a rock steady 2,000 feet and a straight line out.  Nice view of Lion's Gate bridge and downtown.

Lion's Gate

Called Pitt tower at Port Moody to request direct through the zone.  Again, I need to take every opportunity to work in the system to stay current for IFR.  He cleared me through the zone to Port Mann bridge and the follow the highway to Langley.  I accepted the clearance but I had a brain fart and couldn't identify which bridge was which.  Flew in a straight line while I dithered for a few minutes.

I really should have asked for a vector the moment I realized I was having trouble identifying the proper bridge (Port Mann is the big suspension bridge with two huge towers due south of the field, btw).  Instead I dithered on a direct course for Langley until the tower broke into my confusion and gave me a vector direct the bridge.  Lesson:  if I don't understand the directions ask the tower immediately - do not spend time trying to figure it out and screwing around with maps in the control zone.

The transition to Langley was smooth.  They had had a power failure or something, the ATIS was out of date, the weather station was U/S, and the tower controller was clearly flustered with repeated and changed clearances.  I had also decided to perform a tight circuit with no power adjustments to get a steep one pull power off landing.  I kept the circuit in so close they were prompting me to turn down-wind while I was banking.

Landing was not my best - I let the nose wheel touch just a bit while the rudder was still deflected, but it was nice and slow.  Had to wait a bit before the fuel pumps worked but eventually everything on the field came back to life.

A great training flight and a good two hours flown.