The
Squamidian Report – Oct. 10 / 20
Issue
#959
Including:
From
Russ
The
Ontarion
Hi
All,
Last
week
I had suggested that I might relate my first adventure
with
night flying, that adventure being from before I had any
night flight
training. The ‘might’ pertained to if there was any
interest in
that story. Well, somewhere just
over 5% of the readers
indicated an interest so
here goes. The other 95% will just have to put up with
it….
I
had taken flying lessons out at WW airport in the early
70’s and
achieved my full private pilot license in early
September of 1974. As
soon as I could afford to, I upgraded from flying 152’s
which are 2
seat trainers, to 172’s which are 4 seat planes. That
meant I could
carry passengers. I would often take myself and 3 others
for nice
sight-seeing flying excursions. This went on for a while
and all was
well. Then, perhaps about a year later, on a nice
October evening, I
decided to take my mom and 2 others for a flight up to
the Cedarville
area so we could look at the old farm. Now, October
evening flying in
southern Ontario can be quite nice but there is one
issue that I
didn’t fully take into account. The days are getting
shorter very
quickly. Daylight runs out earlier each evening. I had
booked the
plane for a 2-hour flight, probably with a 6pm start
time, and didn’t
give it any more thought.
As
we
flew north the scenery spread out around us. We crossed
over the
town of Arther and my next waypoint,
the
tiny crossroad of Conn, would soon be coming into sight.
However,
before it did, the fact that I was quickly loosing
daylight filtered
into my brain. Oh Oh. A quick decision was needed. I had
no night
training, no idea of what I could or could not see in
the dark from
an airplane, no idea of what the airport would look like
in the dark,
and of course was flying VFR. The cardinal rule of
flying is FLY THE
PLANE! No matter what was happening or how distracting a
situation
might become, FLY THE PLANE. So, a quick 180 degree turn
pointed us
roughly back toward the airport. A
careful calculation of our ground speed on the new
heading gave me an
ETA for reaching the field. A few minor course
corrections before it
was too dark to see the ground ensured we would indeed
fly directly
to the field, and with our time calculations I knew at
what time we
would approach Maryhill, the outer boundary of the low
level
controlled airspace, beyond which we needed radio
clearance to enter.
The horizon was still visible due to contrast with the
sky and the
black looking earth, and I had figured out how to turn
on the dash
lights so I could see the necessary gauges, such as air
speed,
altimeter, turn and bank indicator,
and gyro.
At
the
appropriate time that we should be approaching Maryhill,
I could
indeed make out the village. I radioed the tower and
gave our
position and asked for a direct approach, meaning that
with only some
minor maneuvering, I would not have to enter and do a
circuit. I
could get lined up with runway 14 (if memory serves) and
come in with
the least amount of turning as I knew it was vital to
not get
disorientated or lose control of the plane. I was
cleared for 14.
Once past Maryhill I was
able
to recognize the runway
lights. (So that’s
what runway lights look like from altitude and in the
dark, and that
flashing beacon on the tower is impossible to see). The
lights are
nice and bright but the paved runway between them is an
invisible
strip of black, looking very much like an infinitely
deep trench. Oh
well, I could line up between the lights and with a
proper decent
rate and angle I should be able to kiss the plane right
onto the
runway with barely a jolt. And Thats What I Did. Wow. We
taxied back
to the ramp feeling somewhat relieved. I didn’t tell
anyone at the
flight club that I’d run out of light while out flying
but the very
next day, I signed up for night flying training.
Night
flying,
once trained for it, became my favorite kind of flying
and
once certified, most of my flying from then on was at
night. Now, you
may ask if I or we were nervous or frightened during
that adventure.
I can’t speak for the others but I know I didn’t impart
the
possible severity of the situation to them. I did
discuss the need to
look for landmarks and the need to work the ‘numbers’
with my
front seat passenger. But no, even private pilots are
trained to use
all of their training and whatever skill they may have,
keep calm and
do their job. And like I said, it all worked out just
fine.
I
had mentioned above that a quick decision was needed. My
choice had
been to reverse direction and head back to my home field
and deal
with the growing darkness as needed. The other options
would have
been to either set the plane down in a farm field, a
very risky and
dangerous thing to do under failing light conditions, or
find an
alternative airport. No other paved and lighted fields
were any
closer time-wise, and small grass strips would have been
impossible
to find in the dark and impossible to land on in the
dark. Again,
calm decision making based on facts and use your
training. Having
being caught out in the dark was admittedly pilot error
and poor
planning. Dealing with it was proper training and
attitude.
*
This
week’s
selection is an old Ian Tyson number called Rockies Turn
To
Rose. It was chosen by a panel
of one, that
being me. There were no other
votes and one out
of one makes me the majority. After Ian & Sylvia
broke up, Ian
went on to a whole new and successful career as a singer
and poet
dedicated to cowboy music. He became one of the best in
that field.
Don’t
let the term ‘cowboy music’ make you think of the
Nashville version of western music. Cowboy music
was poetry, often
songs that had evolved from music from ‘the old
country’ that had
come over with the settlers, and songs written by
cowboys and writers
who understood the cowboy life.. Tyson was both, a
cowboy and a
writer. Cowboy music was and is a version of folk
music. Anyway, this
song is from the perspective of a man who had lost
track of his love
years earlier, whom he had lived with in Calgary
where they could
watch the early dawn light up the Rockies on the
western horizon.
This is my video version of doing that song.
Rockies
Turn
To Rose
doug
****
From
Russ
Nightmare!
(continued)
Yup
–
I was able to re-enter that subconscious state, so here
goes - -
-
“At
ease,
gentlemen”, orders the Chief, (who has an acute attack
of
irritable bowels) and rushes off to the one-and-only
washroom in the
police station. His second mistake, the order – “At
ease”, as
now it’s a mighty hard job to get the cops attention
again! (Lots
of commotion and loud talking)
“Gentlemen!
Gentlemen!”
shouts the sergeant. Nobody pays any attention to
George.(sergeant)
“Gentlemen!!”
shouts
the sergeant once more “Oh, what the hell” he says. “Hey
you dumb-bells!” Now, they pay attention.
When
the
noise finally stops, George explains their situation:
“This
building
is our only safe place in town – we will ‘hole up’ in
this former bank – it is nearly fire-proof, two stories
high, and
we will take up a position on the roof where we will
have a better
view of the surroundings”, he goes on, “We will be able
to see
the approach of our friends, the ‘Outlaw bikers’, and as
they
come into ‘range’ of our weapons – we let them have
it!”.
(Sounds like a ‘plan’).
“Wait!”
shouts
someone. “They stole our 50 cup coffee-maker, all our
coffee, cups, sugar, whitener, and even our
stir-sticks!!”.
“Them
bastards!!”
they say in-one-voice.
“Brubacher!”
shouts
the sergeant.
“Yeah,
George
– what’s up?”
“You
will
take our only roadworthy cruiser, a driver, and go buy a
50
-cupper; a bunch of cheap coffee, and all the other
stuff we need”,
he continues “We don’t know how long we’ll be prisoners
in our
own station – so get-the-hell-going and don’t waste any
time!!”
We
all
know, there’s NOTHING more important to a cop than his
coffee!!
“Shit!
The
only grocery store in this ‘jerk-off’ town is closed –
and
we don’t have time to go to the ‘city’” says I.
“Let’s
try
the restaurant opposite the station” suggests my
partner.
“Yeah!
We’ll
‘confiscate’ his coffee-maker, coffee and stuff, and
tell
him it’s a police emergency” (My clever idea)
“Shit!
He’s
all closed-up too!” Says my partner in disgust, he goes
on
“The owner lives upstairs – we’ll demand he open up for
us!”
The
owner,
a Chinese gent, feels like a “victim of police
brutality”,
and it takes much coaxing, and precious time to get him
to agree on
lending us his “profit-making” coffee business. (I don’t
think
“agree” is the proper word, but we “take” his coffee
business
and flee). Finally, we arrive in the station with the
precious
‘loot’, and get a ‘heroes welcome’.
“Coffee!
At
last!” They shout.
“What
took
you so damned long?” demands the sergeant, “And why is
this
a ‘used’ coffee-maker?”.
“Tell
you
later” I reply, as we hurry to make the first 50 cups of
‘life-saving’ coffee.
Be
sure
to tune in next week for the “Shoot-out”.
Former
sergeant
(now constable) R.G. Brubacher.
****
THE
ONTARION
REPORT
Hello
everyone
Well,
just
as we had hoped, the blue jays are back for the 7th day
in a
row. Today we had nine of them out back again and they
seem to be
getting more and more friendly each day. Today and a
couple of days
before I walked out back when they were on the feeder
and on the
ground below and they didn’t shy away until I was about
20 feet
from them on the back yard pathway. Other times they
would take off
as soon as they heard the back gate open! I guess
they’re getting
used to having people around more each time they are on
the feeder.
We still have a flock of other birds showing up for
their daily feed
but when the blue jays are feeding, they don’t seem to
come around
as much, with the exception of the little sparrows that
is, they tend
to like to share the feeder space with the jays and
neither one
chases the others away. The black birds and starlings
are greedy
birds that tend to like to try to dominate the feeder!
Oh well, there
are always some that don’t like to share their bounty I
guess!
*
The
next
item on my mind these days is the situation south of the
border
in the form of Donald Trump! He’s still the biggest jerk
in
politics if you ask me! I find it hard to believe that
he’s even
infected with Covid-19! I doubt this because nobody on
this earth has
gotten better as quickly as he is supposed to have
recovered. Who can
believe he’s been cured of this terrible virus after
only two days
in hospital? I personally think he used his political
clout and money
to influence the doctors to go along with a phony case
of Covid so he
can further his bid for the presidency a second time. He
most likely
paid them off to say he was sick just to garner the
sympathy vote
from the red necked back woods idiots that are believing
everything
he says! Has anyone heard word one about Trump’s wife
and how her
supposed case of Covid is coming along? One would think
there would
be lots of news reports about her illness and condition
as well as
his! I think it’s one big conspiracy to try to keep that
idiot in
the White House for another 4 years! OH well, if the
American people
are foolish enough to fall for his BS, they deserve what
they get! I
personally think the US is headed for another Civil War
with Trump
leading the charge! They said on the news tonight that
he’s making
statements that are encouraging the white supremacists
to rise up
against anybody who isn’t supporting his return to
power! I think
he’s secretly the leader of the KKK! If there is even
such an
organization anymore!
Oh
well,
I’ve wasted enough time and energy on this Jerk for one
week
so I’m going to move on to something more pleasant!
It’s
6am
and the computer has finally stopped it’s spinning and
keeping
me from finishing my column for this week. There are
times and this
has been one of them where a multi coloured ball starts
spinning on
the screen at the movement of my “mouse” and I can do
nothing
more in the way of typing my Ontarion. This has been one
of those
nights so I phoned Doug in BC to tell him what had
happened that I
was unable to finish my Ontarion for this week. We
agreed that it’s
not the end of the world if I miss one weeks Squid
submission.
However, I awoke with the thought of someone ringing our
doorbell at
5:30am and got out of bed to go check the front door to
see who the
heck it might be at this hour and there was nothing
there but my
vivid dream I guess! I could have sworn I heard the
doorbell ring but
it must have just been in my overactive brain!
Oh
well,
to continue my babble for this week, Carole and I have
been
waiting for a chance to get out into the countryside for
a last drive
in the MGB to have a look and enjoy the Fall colours for
2020. Today
being Friday it’s supposed to be 19c and sunny so it’ll
be the
perfect day to take the MG out for that run and get some
fall foliage
pictures! I’ll have to take my camera along to capture
the
beautiful Ontario fall colours before winter sets in! We
usually go
up to Hockley Valley above Orangeville since there are
some
interesting roads and lovely bush country up that way.
I’m sure
it’ll be no different this year and will be a totally
enjoyable
drive later today. As long as we stay off the main
highways and stick
to the back roads we’ll avoid the heavy “Thanks Giving
weekend”
traffic!
I’m
sure
things will be fine and the day will be enjoyable!
That’s
about
all I have for this week folks!
Thanks
for
tuning in and Carole and I wish you all a very happy
Thanks
Giving for 2020! Don’t eat too much turkey etc etc! LOL!
Oh
what
the heck, dig in and enjoy more than one plate full and
then sit
in front of the TV with your families and complain about
how over
stuffed you all are! LOL!
I’ll
look
forward to talking to you all again next week in The
Ontarion
Report!
Bye
for
now ….. Greg
PS:
I’ll
send a few pictures of the fall colours If I manage to
get
some good ones!
Something
to
think About>
Whatever
comes
to mind that you must be thankful for! Surely there’s
lots of
things in your lives that you need or want to express
your thanks
for and I’m sure you will! Do it in a loud clear voice
so the
persons enjoying your turkey with you can hear your
gratitude! Bye
for now all!
Greg
****
Take
Care And Be Safe
The
Fine Print!
The
articles in these issues are the sole property of the
persons writing them and should be respected as such.
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