May 1, 2009

May 1, 2009 ; Keremeos, Penticton, Merritt, and Quilchena, B.C.
　
Today was sunny and mild. What a great day to be aviatin' ! And I'm now a mountain certified bush pilot ... maybe !
　
This morning I headed to Penticton to take the truck for service, and resume my Mountain Performance Course at Southern Skies Aviation. I dropped the truck off at Parker's Chrysler, and had them drive me over to the airport. I did my navigation planning, got my weather briefing from Kamloops FSS and filed my flight plan with them, then set off with my instructor Stuart for my fifth Mountain Performance Course training flight in Cessna 172 C-GHJC ( Hotel Juliet Charlie ). We flew from Penticton over Okanagan Lake to Summerland Point, then turned westward over the mountains to Mount Missezula, then to Merritt and Quilchena. At Merritt I did a "touch and go" then headed for Quilchena, which was really the main objective of today's training flight. Quilchena is a narrow, short, sloped, gravel runway in poor condition with power lines at one end of the runway and trees at the other end. This was only my second time landing on gravel. The last time I landed on gravel, my first time, was 22 years ago !
　
My touch and go at Merritt was flawless. My full stop landing at Quilchena was flawless ! ! ! A perfect execution of a "short, soft field with obstacles on approach" landing. Well done, Daniel ! Cleared the power lines, dropped it like a rock, then greased it on ! While Stuart walked over to a nearby hotel to make a phone call, I ate my picnic lunch. My take off was another perfect execution ... of a "short, soft field with obstacles on take-off" technique. Employed a short, soft field, nose high take-off roll to minimize risk of rock damage to the prop, immediately veered a little to the right to get around the trees at the end of the runway, then immediately left to get behind the trees and dodge the power lines on the right just beyond the trees, then out over Nicola Lake to climb and turn back over the mountains to head back to Penticton. Man ... I was "on my game" today ! My instructor was extremely impressed with my landing at Merritt, my first landing in 7 months, and my landing at Quilchena, my first gravel landing in 22 years !
　
On the flight back to Penticton I noticed that some of the lakes in the mountains were still covered in ice. Back at Penticton, I "greased" another landing. WOO-HOO ... I was hot today ! Stuart declared me "graduated" from the Mountain Performance Course, believing that all that was left was one optional flight on the course. I thought that including today's flight, there were two mandatory flights and one optional left, and that after today's flight I still had one more mandatory flight to "graduation". We'll have to get that clarified / resolved. So ... maybe I'm a "certified" mountain bush pilot ... maybe not !
　
Parker's picked me up at Southern Skies and returned me to their dealership to pick up Lanoire. All had gone well with the 120,000 km. service and inspection. What a great truck ! I refilled her with diesel, then went shopping for a new Obus Forme truck seat bottom cushion and back cushion. They're great ! The set I have in the truck now is five years old and worn out. It was a pleasant drive back home to Keremeos. What a great day ! ! ! I love flying ! ! !

DSK