Yesterday, my pilot friend and I went flying together, as we often do. We planned to fly to Whitecourt, 105 nautical miles west of our home airport at Cooking Lake. It's a nice route over the city and then into a countryside dotted with lakes, with a view of the Rocky Mountains in the distance. I was PIC on the way out. We chose the route because it offers plenty of opportunity for radio work - obtaining clearance into Class C airspace over the city, making enroute position reports, and then communicating with the ground station (MF - mandatory frequency) in Whitecourt. We also wanted to request flight following, which is when you stay with air traffic control even after leaving the controlled airspace over the city, for the purpose of receiving traffic reports.
We settled in nicely as we flew over the city and then out over the fields. But, about 2/3 of the way to Whitecourt, our pleasant conversation was interrupted by a blaring alarm. A red warning flashed on the annunciator panel: High carbon monoxide level. I immediately turned off the heat and opened the vent by my face. Cam opened his vent and then got out the emergency procedures manual, which told us to do what we had done. With all of the vents open, the alarm turned off within a minute.
Thoughts ran through my head about what to do next and I think Cam was having the same ones. It seemed like things were OK. The alarm stayed off. But we pondered what to do. Whitecourt was about 20 minutes away. Should we keep heading in that direction? Turning back was a possibility, too, although it was nearing sunset and we didn't have time to make it all the way back before nightfall. So, that wasn't a great option since I don't have my night rating yet. As it happened, we were nearing the town of Mayerthorpe, which has a small airport. That seemed to be our best option.
In that situation, I was very happy that we were still on frequency with air traffic control for flight following. I radioed them and told them about our issue and our intention to divert to Mayerthorpe. We were at 6500 feet at the time and he said he would lose radar and radio contact with us once we were below about 4000 feet. He asked me to call him one final time at around that altitude. He also asked a commercial flight that was passing overhead if I could call them once we were safely on the ground, so that they could relay the message back to him.
I began the descent into Mayerthorpe and joined the circuit. The runway was covered in snow but thankfully it wasn't very deep and I could still see the pavement markings beneath the snow layer. My landing was nice but the runway was very uphill so it was interesting to adjust the landing flare. As we taxied to the tiny terminal, I radioed up to the overhead flight to let them know we were safely on the ground and to thank them for keeping an eye out for us. I heard the pilot (another woman!) radio back to air traffic control to let them know, too. We spent a few minutes in the terminal to take a few deeps breaths. We weren't scared and we kept our cool but once we were down, it struck us a little. I called in to amend our flight plan and told the briefer what had happened. Five minutes later, his supervisor called me back to ask if we were OK and if we needed any assistance on the ground. I said that things seemed fine at that point and that we were going to head back to Cooking Lake.
I was absolutely amazed at how many people rallied to help us out, even in a minor emergency situation. It chokes me up to think of it now. Although it was up to me/us to make the decisions and get back down, I felt like a lot of people were with us in those few minutes. It was good to experience that.
Once we caught our breath, we climbed back into our plane and rubbed the dash lovingly so it would be kind to us on the way back. Cam flew what turned out to be a beautiful, peaceful, uneventful night flight back home.
Letting it unfold
I am very definitely a "destination" person rather than a "journey" person. I am goal-oriented and certain about what I want to achieve. I have been learning a lot lately about being in the present and letting the process unfold. More and more, I see how the letting go can lead to things I never expected.
Flying parallels life in so many ways and yesterday I saw this lesson in action yet again.
I had a plane booked for the afternoon and had arranged to fly with another pilot. The evening before, he messaged me to say that his schedule (he flies commercially) didn't work out after all for him to fly with me.
I started to ask other pilot friends if they wanted to come along and even posted an invitation on a Facebook group for fellow pilots at Cooking Lake. But all of them said they couldn't join me due to work and family events. Being a little nervous about flying on my own, I quietly hoped the weather, which was looking iffy, would lead to a cancellation and I'd be off the hook. But, lo and behold, the day turned out to be bright and sunny and the forecasted snow never materialized. It seemed I had no good reason to cancel, so I left for the airport.
There was a light crosswind at the airport so I was just that much more nervous thinking about heading off on my own. But honestly, I do know how to do it and practicing with a slight crosswind would be fine and good for me. So I climbed into the plane. The airport was crazy busy on such a nice day and I could hardly manoeuvre the plane around all the others on the ramp. As I slowly crept forward, I passed a fellow pilot, Aaron, who did his training around the same time as me, as he taxied in from his multi-engine lesson. We waved at each other.
I taxied down to the other end of the airport to do my run-up at the active end of the runway. While I was working through the checklist, Aaron came on the radio saying, "Hey, Sarah, don't go! Can I go with you?" I taxied back down to the hangar and saw him running across the apron. He hopped in and we got ourselves out of the traffic jam again and headed off.
I hadn't flown with Aaron before, although we had said we wanted to go together sometime. This turned out to be a perfectly serendipitous opportunity that I never thought would happen and didn't see coming. I was almost about to take off alone and then everything changed! And we had a blast! We talked easily and laughed a lot. We talked about our own flight training and flight tests and our plans for flying careers in the future. When we landed in Vegreville, Aaron had arranged for a friend to meet him at the airport to say hi. I was introduced to him and the two of them climbed into the plane to have a look and take selfies. We were only on the ground for about 15 minutes (had to get back before dark) but it was one of those rare moments with friends or even strangers that just make you smile and feel like life is good.
The flight back was great, too, and as we neared our home airport, a friend of mine from commercial ground school recognized my voice on the radio as he was also approaching the airport. He said, "Is that Sarah?" I said yes! We cracked a few jokes as we also negotiated our position in the circuit. He landed just before me and then watched me land, broadcasting on the radio to everyone in the area that my landing was a good one. Back in the hangar as I filled out the paperwork, we talked with other students and instructors and had some good laughs.
This was such a great day! I was so pumped after it was over. I had begun by wishing the weather would interfere so I didn't have to fly alone. Yet, it unfolded to be a fabulous series of events that I never could have planned. I am so glad I took the first step and allowed such a wonderful day to unfold. If I had tried to control it and fear it, I would have ended up staying at home and missing it all. This is a great lesson for life. Take the first step and you might be amazed!
Flying parallels life in so many ways and yesterday I saw this lesson in action yet again.
I had a plane booked for the afternoon and had arranged to fly with another pilot. The evening before, he messaged me to say that his schedule (he flies commercially) didn't work out after all for him to fly with me.
I started to ask other pilot friends if they wanted to come along and even posted an invitation on a Facebook group for fellow pilots at Cooking Lake. But all of them said they couldn't join me due to work and family events. Being a little nervous about flying on my own, I quietly hoped the weather, which was looking iffy, would lead to a cancellation and I'd be off the hook. But, lo and behold, the day turned out to be bright and sunny and the forecasted snow never materialized. It seemed I had no good reason to cancel, so I left for the airport.
There was a light crosswind at the airport so I was just that much more nervous thinking about heading off on my own. But honestly, I do know how to do it and practicing with a slight crosswind would be fine and good for me. So I climbed into the plane. The airport was crazy busy on such a nice day and I could hardly manoeuvre the plane around all the others on the ramp. As I slowly crept forward, I passed a fellow pilot, Aaron, who did his training around the same time as me, as he taxied in from his multi-engine lesson. We waved at each other.
I taxied down to the other end of the airport to do my run-up at the active end of the runway. While I was working through the checklist, Aaron came on the radio saying, "Hey, Sarah, don't go! Can I go with you?" I taxied back down to the hangar and saw him running across the apron. He hopped in and we got ourselves out of the traffic jam again and headed off.
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| Climbing out of Cooking Lake enroute to Vegreville |
This was such a great day! I was so pumped after it was over. I had begun by wishing the weather would interfere so I didn't have to fly alone. Yet, it unfolded to be a fabulous series of events that I never could have planned. I am so glad I took the first step and allowed such a wonderful day to unfold. If I had tried to control it and fear it, I would have ended up staying at home and missing it all. This is a great lesson for life. Take the first step and you might be amazed!
Another blog
Cooking Lake Aviation, where I rent planes, did my PPL training, and am working on my commercial license, asked me to write a post for their new blog, to share my experience of becoming a pilot. It was a lot of fun to write about my flight training journey and I hope it inspires someone to take it on for themselves!
Here is a link to the post on their blog:
100 hours!
Yesterday, when I touched down at the Killam-Sedgewick airport, I was officially, exactly at 100 hours total time! I had been anticipating this milestone for a while but when it actually came, it felt so amazing! I am still a novice pilot but I am settling in and feeling much more at ease. I reached this milestone in my favourite plane - the same one I did my first lesson and my first solo in - and I was in the excellent company of two of my pilot friends. What a moment!
A perfect week
Over the holidays, the weather all across Canada was brutal. We were in a deep freeze for about 10 days, with temperatures between -25 and -30 C and wind chills that dropped us closer to -40 some days. Needless to say, I didn't get any flying in during that time. All of my plane reservations were canceled. So, when January arrived and the temperatures suddenly rose to around freezing, it felt like shorts weather again and I quickly made plans to fly!
On Wednesday, January 3, I took my brother up, after having canceled our flight on December 31. The day was glorious and perfect for flying - warm (around +3 C), sunny, and calm. We flew from Cooking Lake to Vegreville, a small town 39 nautical miles to the east. It's a route I know well so it was totally relaxing. My brother is a soon-to-be student pilot. He started his flight training about 30 years ago and wasn't able to finish. Now, he's just about to sign up to resume his lessons. He's a natural pilot and even though it's been a long time since he's flown a plane, he remembers quite a bit so he understands terminology and knows what's happening. We spent five minutes on the ground in Vegreville before taking off for home. The airspace was very busy so I was on the radio a lot and we constantly had our eyes peeled for other planes. It was such an enjoyable flight and such a pleasure to be able to take him up.
The next day, Thursday, it was a joy for me to take my daughter, Chloe, to Camrose. Chloe is currently living and studying in New Zealand and came home for the holidays. I wasn't a pilot when she left Canada! Camrose is the closest destination to Cooking Lake that still counts as a cross-country trip (it's 26 NM) so it's perfect for a quick trip. Chloe did her undergraduate degree at the university in Camrose so it was a bit of a homecoming for her. The downwind leg for runway 32, which we used, goes right over the center of town, so she got a look at the campus and some of the places she used to spend time. My landing was the most beautiful one I've ever done - we didn't even feel the touchdown. Nice. We departed right away again. The day was warm and sunny and perfectly smooth and we couldn't believe how beautiful it was to be flying. Back at Cooking Lake, I had to overshoot because I was coming in too fast. Chloe thought the go-around was very cool and badass. Once we were back in the circuit, the active runway was changed, so we crossed over the field to join the downwind for the new runway and landed nicely that time.
These two flights were the first I'd done in a long time where I was the only pilot on board. It was fun to take my family members up and I wasn't at all nervous.
Yesterday, Friday, January 5, I flew with two of my friends from commercial ground school, Cam, whom I've flown with before, and Michelle, who is an experienced pilot but is waiting for her Canadian license to be processed so can't fly at the moment. She came with us as a passenger, while Cam and I each took a leg as PIC. We went to Killam-Sedgewick, a 62 NM trip to the southeast of Cooking Lake. That was a new destination for me and the 16th airport I've landed at. There was a trough of low pressure running the length of the province on the western side of it. From the air, slightly on the eastern side of Alberta, we could see the clouds than had formed along that line. For us, the sky was blue but strangely hazy. The flight was beautiful and smooth and, after I landed, we discovered a lovely little terminal at our destination. We hung out for a few minutes and then Cam flew us back into nightfall.
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| Hazy sky and cool colours on the way to Killam-Sedgewick |
It was a dreamy, perfect week of flying.
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