February
2009 Newsletter.
Next meeting: Thursday, February
12, 2009, at 7:30pm.
Location: Clubhouse, Blair Field, Knutsford.
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Snowmobile
trip to Revelstoke B.C.
By Dick Suttie.
The plans were made, five of
us were going to Revelstoke on the 14th through
the 16th of January. With all the avalanche
issues in the province I must admit things were a
little tense!! Wondering if a mistake had been
made, were we going to early in the season, how
was the snow base (if any!!). But as the date
grew near, things improved 100 percent!! We had a
guide!!! The son of a co-worker was going to come
over from Alberta and join us!! Awesome, he had
ridden the area quite a bit and knew his way
around!! The relief was great, now we wouldn't
have to be concerned with where we were going!!!
Yes, but how plans change?? Three days before
departure the guide calls, he blew up the engine
in his sled a day or two earlier in Golden, he
could not make the trip. Oh, oh, now we were on
our own again! Well we arrived at Glacier House
Lodge on the 14th, very foggy at the lodge level.
After everyone had their Avalanche beacons on and
working, probes and shovels in place we headed
out. We did a tour up onto Boulder Mountain and
had a great time. The sky stayed overcast but we
did see a little bit of the area. With a chalet
on the mountain and a sign in and out book, it
was reassuring to know that if something happened
and we did not sign out, somebody from the
Revelstoke Search and Rescue would be looking for
us! We only had the afternoon to explore the area
so did not venture too far.
We were careful as to where
we went and stayed away from any steep or slide
prone looking areas. A beautiful sunset sent us
on our way back to sign out and travel back to
the lodge. We had a great evening with an
excellent supper, beverages and company!!
Day two dawned with lots of
fog at the lodge level again. Did not look very
good. Todays trip was up to a place called
Frisbee Ridge! Sounded interesting! With some
helpful information from one of the personnel
working at the lodge away we went. There was some
beautiful scenery on our way up the mountain.
The groomed trail led
through some amazing areas! Lots of snow and very
impressive trees. We travelled 10 kms. or so up
to another chalet on Frisbee Ridge, signed in
again listing all names in the party and where we
were staying. We started to follow the trail
along Frisbee Ridge. After doing a bit of
climbing on the trail we broke out through the
fog into a perfect sunny day!!!! Not a cloud in
the sky. We were at the 6500 foot elevation mark
and what a day it was. Snow ghosts that were
totally amazing!!
What a beauty day, as long
as we stayed above approx. 6500 feet we were
above the fog! Oops, forgot the sunscreen! We
travelled 17 kms. from the chalet heading north
along the west side of the valley going to Mica
Dam. All bodies of water were hidden under the
fog, so we could not see down below.
What a picture perfect day.
All of our worries were not to be as we were in
very few areas where there was any danger of
slides. There were a few areas on the trail on
the way across Frisbee Ridge but the danger was
below us not above. All in all a great safe day
was had by all. At lunch time I set up a problem
for the rest of the group by burying my Avalanche
Beacon and making them find it!! At least they
knew how to find me if I got buried!!!! We found
some excellent play areas and without endangering
ourselves, carved up some untouched powder!
We had another great evening
with good food etc. at the lodge and packed up
the next morning to head back to Kamloops. What
an amazing 3 days, it was an awesome place to
ride. We will no doubt be doing another trip back
there sometime. I would recommend the Glacier
House accomodation to anyone, sledhead or
not!!! The pool, hot tub and sauna are a
great end to a day! Well until next time, safe
flights, sledding or whatever you are doing.
Dick Suttie.
Editor's
Notes
I
have a few 2009 Calendars left. Some of them have
been reserved, but there will be some available
at the next meeting.
This
year, let us try to take lots of pictures for the
next calendar, and all in the highest resolution
possible. When you are using a 2-Megabyte storage
card, you don't have to worry about filling it
all in one day. I would love to have so many
photographs available by next November that we
could have two or three different versions of the
2010 Calendar. Dick Suttie also suggested having
a photo contest, so we will explore the idea.
At
the last meeting I reported that I had been
unsable to find a suitable webcam for the price I
had suggested last year. So I was authorized (by
unanimous vote) to look for a more expensive one
that would be satisfactory.
To
anyone advertizing in our Buy&Sell section: as soon as the
item is sold, please let me know! That will help
me ensure that the page is up-to-date.
We would love to hear from people
checking our site from points outside the
Kamloops area! Let us know what you fly, and what
is is like "out there"!
I
had neglected to include pictures of the
Christmas Dinner in the January Newsletter. I
went back and posted two that Paul gave me. Look
here: Jan 2009
Bill
Huxley
Looks
like Bill is enjoying his vacation in Manzanilla,
Mexico...
Beware of Burnout:
When a burnout occurs in the cockpit, sometimes
the consequences can be fatal. Burnout, a
term referred to when speaking of electronic
components and lightbulbs, is also used in
medical and psychological assessments of patients
who experience long-term exhaustion and
diminished interest in their work. High
stress jobs can lead to more burnout than normal
ones. Although stress is subjective, people in
the customer service industry, law
enforcement, air traffic controllers, emergency
service workers, and probably airline pilots,
seem more prone to burnout caused by stress.
In January 2008, an Air Canada flight from
Toronto to London had some trouble over the
Atlantic Ocean . I cannot recall hearing
about the incident at the time, nor could I find
any news reports in archives, however the
inevitable investigation finally concluded in
November, when many of the facts were reported.
Because the flight diverted to Shannon
Airport , an official report into the incident
was issued by Ireland ’s Air Accident
Investigation Unit which stated the co-pilot
suffered an “emotional breakdown”.
He began talking in a “rambling and
disjointed” manner, then refused to observe
safety procedures and was belligerent and
uncooperative. The captain ordered other
crewmembers to remove him from the cockpit and
restrain him for the duration of the flight.
I could find no report which diagnosed the cause
of this mans behavior other than one which
described it as an “emotional
breakdown”. To be clear,
nothing in this article is intended to judge or
explain what occurred. Whatever this
fellow suffered from, I sincerely hope he’s
been treated for it and has healed. We all
know the strict regulations faced by pilots when
it comes to medical exams. We know too
that there are ways and methods to (temporarily)
get around some medical issues, and that there is
no definitive testing for every mental problem.
Stress can be considered an emotional problem and
a definitive diagnosis can be difficult.
Denial on the part of the patient is common.
Either he is in conscious denial of his
problems, or simply doesn’t understand
what’s happening. A perfect example
is where a person presents with physical
manifestations such as headaches, dizziness,
gastro-intestinal dysfunction, sleep disruptions,
loss of appetite or unexplained abdominal pain.
Nothing of a physical nature can be found
in testing, and when questioned regarding his
stress level, he denies any stress in his life.
Further inquiries into his home life, job,
family and financial situations may reveal a
large mortgage, plumbing repairs needed, a
demanding boss and work environment, two troubled
teen-age children, and perhaps some big debts.
In other words, the everyday problems
faced by so many people in society that we
consider it all as normal. What’s to
be stressed about?
Although insidious, the
stress is very real, and over time wears the
person down, grinds away in his mind, until if
untreated, burnout occurs. His mind,
similar to the light bulb, is simply unable to
handle the heat any longer. When it
snaps, it does different things to different
people. The extreme has been described as
‘going postal’. If it was the
cause of the co-pilot’s behavior in the
incident in this article, over 150 people were
endangered by stress.
I have seen patients in the burnout stage.
I’ve seen them in denial, and others who
simply didn’t have a grip on what was
happening to them. And having gone through
most of it on a personal level, I often ask the
question, “How can the aviation medical
examiner possibly screen every pilot for stress
that is occurring or is likely to occur?”
My last Category 1 medical exam lasted
less than 10 minutes (extra for the ECG and
paperwork). In my opinion, it’s
nowhere near enough time to dig into a
person’s mind and discover the early warning
signs. But does anyone have an answer to
how Transport Canada could guarantee a
person’s physical and mental health before
issuing his medical certificate?
A system is in place, and like any system,
it’s not perfectly fool-proof. If
this Air Canada co-pilot broke down due to an
emotional issue, it really doesn’t surprise
me. If it were a medical issue, such as
diabetes, drug related, clinical depression
(undiagnosed) or even a fight with his wife that
caused his behavior that day in January, there is
still no way to predict every possibility.
We do the best we can. We install back-ups
wherever possible, and live with the risks.
One final comment would be that each of us has
the responsibility to accept and cooperate with
the intent of the laws and regulations that are
designed for the good of all. That means
that as pilots, who have the lives of others in
our hands, we don’t knowingly deny problems
in discussions with the aviation medical
examiners. Several years ago, an incident
involving an airline pilot who had hidden his
diabetes from his employer, almost cost the lives
of his passengers one night.
It also means that we need to accept when the
time comes that we’re no longer able to be
safe in the cockpit. Flying is a
wonderful, exciting and fulfilling way to make a
living. As pilots, we’re fortunate to
experience all it has to offer. But there
are other professions that can be just as
rewarding, and when the time is right, we accept
that’s where we’ll be.
Barry Meek bcflyer@propilots.net
New
in the Buy&Sell
Kitfox IV Speedster $26,000
Built
1999 by Russel Bowman, purchased 2005 and
imported to Canada. EA81 Subaru 113 hp with a
Ross Areo redrive 2.17 Performance flow fuel
injection...no carb ice. Warp Drive ground
adjustable prop. 749lb. empty, 1200 lb. gross.
Climb 1100 fpm half fuel and alone, 7-800 fpm
full gross + cruise 85-90mph @ 75% power 2-13
gal. Wing tanks 1gal header tank. Transponder and
Comm Gauges- Water temp. Oil temp. Oil pressure.
Amp meter. Volt meter. Fuel boost Pressure Hobbs.
Tach. Vertical speed. Turn co-ordinator.
Altimeter. Air Speed. Yaw indicator. ELT.
Magnetic compass. Have all logs from original
owner, Kitfox operators manual, Journey logs and
engine log book. Small scratch on left wing tip.
No accident or incident history. Asking $26,000
or trade for a Glastar. Any question give me a
call. Mic at 403-327-8808 home. 403-634-0891 cell
(09/02/02)
1996 Murphy Maverick $16,000.
Subaru
Eng., 16 gals cap, on wheels, includes skis,
radio, intercom, 2 headsets, GPS, ELT, strobe,
cab heat, and Elec. trim. Stored in hanger. Fun
and cheap to fly. $16,000., contact Wilf at
1-204-867-2195, or email my_blackhorse.1@hotmail.com , located in
Manitoba.
(09/01/25)
We
welcome your feedback. Do you have any
contributions for the newsletter? Photos would be
great! So would flying stories, project updates
or tall tales... Contact me: Newsletter Editor:
Camille Villeneuve 1-250-374-4181 villeneuve@shaw.ca
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