Chief Flying Instructor's Page

Important Notice concerning COVID19

In accordance with the recommendations of the BCCDC, we are asking students and staff experiencing symptoms similar to those of COVID19 (fever, cough, muscle aches, difficulty breathing) to remain away from Langley Flying School until the symptoms disappear.

We are also promoting safe practices published by the BCCBC:

  1. Wash your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds using soap and water.
  2. If a sink is not available, 60-90% alcohol-based hand rubs (hand sanitizer) can be used to clean hands if they are not visibly soiled. If they are visibly soiled, you can use an alcohol-based disposable hand wipe to remove the dirt and then use an alcohol-based hand rub.
  3. Do not touch your face/eyes/mouth with unwashed hands.
  4. When you sneeze or cough, cover your mouth and nose with a disposable tissue or the crease of your elbow, and then wash your hands.
  5. Stay home when you are ill.

Please contact your Instructor if you have any questions.

What do we do on rain days?  Hit the books!

Yes, the winter months are upon us.  We have rotated the booking sheet to maximize student access to usable booking slots, and while the training hours have become reduced owing to shorter days, we are entering the winter with three newly operational training aircraft that will allow more students to take advantage of flying days.  What to do in the winter months?  Be strategic and review the public weather forecast regularly so as to plan you booking slots ahead and commercial pilot students should take advantage for shared aircraft booking with their classmates.  Remember that even local flying presents lots of training opportunity for circuit work, low-level navigation exercises, and airport tours and of course, remember . . . the landing is the thing! Practice.  Your Flight Instructor can give you ideas for landing variations suited to your level of flying experience.

More importantly, for students in a hurry to cross their finish lines, this is the season to hit the books and to do so effectively!  As I said to the current Commercial Pilot Groundschool class, it is great to spend time with the books, but for heaven’s sake, do it effectively and efficiently. Here are some links to websites on study skills that will ensure you're not just spinning your wheels:

  1. Education Corner
  2. Study Skills (Wikipedia)

It is one thing to dedicate the time, it is a shame is all that time is ineffective.  Attack your upcoming exams!  Don't sit!  That flight deck is waiting for you!  (By the way, when I was a student, I studied best in restaurants, especially the airport restaurant!  If I were a young student pilot these days, though, I think I would probably hang at a fancy coffee place.)

Watch for Increased Carb Icing

One of the great safety risks this time of year is of course Carb Icing.  The temperature/dewpoint spreads run close on a daily basis, so everyone—especially the young’un pilots—has to be aware that a power loss response must be lead with the carburettor heat.  The risk is that some may respond to the increased roughness/power-loss that characterizes icing conditions with the often-fatal reaction of immediately turning off the carb heat!  Wrong!  Turn the carb heat on and leave it on!  Keep ye faith!  Take the time to apply carb heat frequently so as to learn how the engine responds in varied atmospheric conditions—this is good training. 

Here are some good links to carb icing training:

  1. Carb Ice, It Can Happen Quickly
  2. Transport Canada's Weather to Fly: Carburetor Icing
  3. How It Works Carburetor / Carburetor Icing

Beware of Rushed Airport Operations

As Flight Instructors, we are always on the look-out for safety hazard that could impact training operations.  One of the great challenges we have faced over the last summer was what many are called “rushed” or “hurry-up” airport operations, where the frenzied pace of takeoffs and landings became the “new normal”.  We know the challenges faced by Langley Tower controller having to manage a 3NM-radius airport, often full of training pilots, and we also appreciate that controllers aren’t necessary aware of the hazard faced by training crew operating off a 2000’ strip of tarmac.  Based on our experiences over the summer months, here are some of the rules which we consider best practice for our students' safe training at Langley Airport in the new fast-paced operational environment:

  1. Always request a back-track on Runway 19 and 25 departures—plan for a rejected takeoff when every foot of braking distance will be critical.
  2. Never accept a restricted-distance landing clearance—2000’ of tarmac provides adequate safety margins for abnormal occurrences—anything less does not.
  3. Never respond to a controller exit instruction while still engaged in braking action to slow the aircraft on roll-out—the controllers know safe braking is your priority.
  4. Never attempt to comply with a controller instruction to exit “without delay” of “no delay” when the safe control of the aircraft is in doubt—controllers understand that the safe taxiing of an aircraft is not like driving a sports car.
  5. Never accept a "direct-to-the-threshold" clearance where such a clearance could jeopardize the stabilized configuration of the subsequent final approach.

When the pace of operations heats up, everyone just has to keep cool and work as a team, controllers and pilots!

Okay, I leave this section with two ATC quotes:

My favorite:

O'Hare Approach Control to a 747: "United 329 heavy, your traffic
is a Fokker, one o'clock, three miles, Eastbound."


United 239: "Approach, I've always wanted to say this... I've
got the little Fokker in sight."

For students:

A student became lost during a solo cross-country flight. While
attempting to locate the aircraft on radar, ATC asked, "What
was your last known position?"


Student: "When I was number one for takeoff."

Feel free to email me with your comments and suggestions, and of course my office is always open.

As always,

Fly Safe!

Chief Flight Instructor