Still Diggin' Out

From the major snow dump we suffered last week, preparing for the next batch of bad weather (rain) and with work around the house I haven't been flying at all. I really need to get the snow out from around the hangar or the rain will turn in into ice, and the plane will be suck until spring.

Here are a couple of videos I found while trying to get some of my flight cravings satisfied:

The first is a short (2000m is short for an MD-83 I guess) snowy runway in Argentina.



This next is a nasty crosswind in Montreal.



Back to shoveling this afternoon, and hope we don't get too much flooding before the re-freeze on Monday.

Canadian SARTECHs

It is amazing what you can find once you know it exits. I have the full resolution version of the video below. Just for fun I thought I would see if it was on YouTube (isn't everything?). Sure enough it has been there for a while, enjoy.



While I was looking around I also found this one that shows other Canadian Forces air operations, so I threw it in as well.

Wing Suits and Gliders

While to some (myself included) the wing suit seems a bit crazy, and I would never try it myself I can recognize the skill of others and the joy they obviously get from it. Here are some particularly well done videos.

Women of CVN 76 USS Ronald Reagan

Considering this is the internet it might not be what you think. Kind of campy and over the top, but at least they're having fun.

Back to Blogging and Flying

It has been a while since I've posted, other than an couple of recent current events that were quick and easy to do, and I thought should be done. It has been a while since I've been flying as well. A minor accident resulted in some soft tissue damage that would have prevented me from exercising full control authority so flying was out. A recent trip to the saw bones for a chat about X-Rays, and joint mobility gave me a clean bill of health so I had the bird in the air again. Nothing serious, just a couple of trips around the patch.

As you can see from all the pretty colours on the graphic area forecast (GFA) fall weather has finally caught up with us. It is the unique time of year where one is as likely to encounter thunder storms, ice pellets or freezing rain. Sometimes all three. The freezing level hovers near or just above the ground turning any encounter with visible moisture into a chance for a one-on-one with airframe icing. It has been a fabulous fall so far, but now that winter is shouldering its way into the area I will be happier when the cold has finally settled over the great white north.

Even though I haven't had the time to write about it I have been doing some interesting things. I will just have to buckle down and see what I can put together.

Three Year Old Girl Rescued from Plane Crash in B.C.

Canada.com, The Globe and Mail and Canoe.ca all have substantial stories of three year old Kate rescued from a Cessna 172 that went down near Golden British Columbia. A fortunate combination of forethought and luck joined forces to bring some good news from a tragic accident. A passing plane, listening to the emergency frequency, picked up the ELT signal. An ongoing search in the area placed SAR resources near at hand. Young Kate was strapped into a child car seat. Sadly, the two other occupants did not survive.

Water Bomber in Malibu

Picked this up off the AVWeb page, stuck it here so I don't loose the link. That is some crazy low flying!



And here is some footage of scooping, I don't know if they are the same aircraft, or even working the same fire.