Bush Pilot`s Manual

Bush Pilot's Manual
by EHM-1465 Dominic Mahon
Version 1.4 – June 2012
Introduction.
Welcome to WILD – a EuroHarmony Division! WILD is different from other EHM
Divisions because all flights are carried out in remote areas with limited
navaids, short runways and unpredictable weather, in other words we are the
bush flying arm of the airline! This manual is designed to help you get familiar
with operations in the bush, to learn a little about the Twin Otter and our base
of operations at Castlegar. There are also some useful hints on how to keep
safe in the exciting but dangerous world of "the back of beyond."
WILD was set up to provide a new and different experience for virtual pilots,
some of whom almost always fly on autopilot, in clear weather and land using
ILS. We want you to learn the joys of hand flying in awful weather with no
navaids at all! When you make a good landing in these conditions, you'll really
feel a sense of achievement!
Bush flying is an art and no two bush flights will be the same – the weather in
the areas we serve makes sure of that! So before you set off into the
unknown, it's worth doing a bit of research – make sure you have planned your
flight and know the length, height and direction of the runways you intend
using, the height of terrain in between, the winds, clouds, ice and
thunderstorms that you are likely to encounter en route and what your aircraft
can and cannot do. If you arm yourself with these facts you will be well
prepared for what lies ahead.
Our base - Castlegar
We operate out of Castlegar (CYCG) also known as West Kootenay Regional
Airport. Situated about 25 miles north of the Canada/US border and only one
mile from Castlegar city centre, this airport is an excellent base for operations
into the Canadian interior. The asphalt runway (15/33) is 5,300 feet long but
there is rapidly rising terrain at both ends so arrivals and departures in bad
weather can be challenging.
Thanks to IVAO Canada, IFR approach charts are available to assist you in
landing safely should a visual approach around the local terrain be impossible.
The thing to note is the steep descent path of 5 degrees once you are clear of
the high ground when landing on runway 15 – you will need to ensure your
aircraft is set up for landing and that you are flying near your final approach
speed before you start descending otherwise your speed is likely to increase
sharply during the approach which will prevent a safe landing. Make sure you
practice this approach until you are comfortable with it before trying it in
ProPilot and/or online! If the weather is good enough for you to keep clear of
terrain visually, you can carry out a VFR approach around the high ground
rather than following the IFR chart over it!
Once you are confident and proficient flying in and out of Castlegar in all
weather then you will be well prepared to tackle all the bush strips we fly into
and out of! Don't forget to plan ahead though – these airfields require a
planned approach since they do not have ILS to guide you down to the runway.
Learning some rules of thumb (see useful articles below) will assist you in
starting your descent at the right place and at the right speed.
Our aircraft – De Havilland Canada Twin Otter
The Twin Otter, or DHC 6-300, is a classic bush plane – simple, rugged and
versatile. She is available in several versions including wheeled, floatplane,
amphibian, ski-equipped and tundra tyres. WILD Division is now operating the
wheeled, skiplane and float versions so you can fly into and out of almost
anywhere in most weather conditions!
You will find a host of information to help you get the most out of your plane
on the kneeboard, including take-off and landing speeds, checklists and
location of pop-up instruments. Familiarity with these features will assist you
greatly when your workload is high on approach to an unfamiliar airfield in
poor weather conditions so please take the time to get used to how they all
work.
Our routes
WILD is initially operating in one region only – from Castlegar across British
Columbia and into neighbouring areas of Canada, the United States and
Alaska. Other regions will follow if there is sufficient demand. Each route has
been carefully selected to provide different challenges for pilots so you will find
runways made of gravel, turf, sand and ice and locations up in the mountains,
on lakes, islands and in national parks. We recommend that you use real world
weather for all flights (but the choice is yours) as this provides the most
realism both in the air and during pre-flight preparations.
Since few of these airfields have complex navaids such as VOR's or ILS, you
must ensure you are aware of the terrain around the airfield and the minimum
safe altitude before you start your descent, particularly when visibility is
reduced. Using aviation charts will help you to navigate safely, there are
numerous links on the Internet to download these for free such as VATSIM
Canada (VATCAN) for Canadian airspace and SkyVector for the USA. You
should also use the aircraft's GPS as this includes an excellent terrain display
function.
Winter Operations
From December 2011 we have introduced a new element to test WILD pilots –
winter operations! Canada and the Northern United States enjoy some really
challenging weather conditions in the winter months with frequent snow,
severe icing and poor visibility. Remote communities really rely on bush pilots
in these conditions as a lifeline to get supplies through & deal with medical
emergencies, not to mention extreme sports enthusiasts who relish the
thought of mountaineering in the very worst weather! So we have equipped
several of our Twin Otters with wheel-skis to allow you to land and take-off at
even more destinations, including ice or packed snow runways and even on
glaciers.
The ski equipped Twin Otter is now available if you download the PAD DHC 6300 installer again from the Fleet pages – this will install both the wheel
and wheel-ski versions for FS9 or FSX, just select the one you want to use
from the aircraft menu. You need to bear in mind that ground operations on
snow and ice are more difficult – use differential engine thrust to turn as nose
wheel steering will have a limited effect and keep your speed low to reduce the
chances of losing control. The FAA Skiplane manual is full of other practical
help – see useful links below.
Floatplane Operations
With the addition of WILD Division floatplanes in June 2012 you can now fly
almost anywhere you like whether or not there is a runway at the far end! Our
new Twin Sea Otter is the ideal aircraft to explore the hundreds of lakes and
rivers that abound throughout Canada, the US and Alaska and further routes
will be opening up specifically for these planes.
In order to offer the greatest choice of destinations for floatplane operations,
our Flight Logger software has been programmed to allow you to land on a
body of water near to a land airport (within 10nm) and Flogger will register
this as a landing at the correct destination so you may fly to any of the existing
WILD routes in our floatplanes providing there is a suitable lake or river near
to the land airport. British Columbia's geography means that over 80% of
existing routes can therefore be flown with our newest planes! In addition we
are opening up brand new routes specifically for floatplanes, particularly aimed
towards Alaska (where Microsoft included water runways, unlike Canada and
the rest of the World outside the USA!)
To allow you to start your floatplane flights on water rather than stuck on the
tarmac, we have created a new airport on the river next to Castlegar – select
Castlegar River (CYC1) from the flightsim airport menu and you're ready to go!
This scenery is installed automatically when you install the freeware Twin Otter
floatplane package for FS2004 or FSX. It can also be installed manually for
those using the payware Aerosoft Twin Otter repaint. Flight Logger will register
you at the correct starting airport for any flights planned from CYCG when you
use the CYC1 runway.
Top ten tips for safe bush operations
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Use the MSFS Flying Lessons to learn the basics – circuits, approaches
Plan ahead – flight planning is essential to avoid nasty surprises
Use a checklist to ensure you don't miss something
Check the weather forecast (but it may change completely)
Don't be afraid to go around or divert to alternate if you're not happy
Know your limits and your plane's – e.g. approach & stall speeds
Practice offline before trying something new on ProPilot
Listen to (& obey) the plane's safety systems – GPWS and TCAS
Use the onboard GPS for terrain awareness in low-visibility / darkness
Pay attention – getting distracted (phone, TV, wife...) can be a killer!
Useful links
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A short history of bush flying
General rules of thumb
Bush flying in Flight Sim (old but still valid)
Flightsim navigation (particularly the NDB & VOR sections)
Engine controls – a tutorial
Short field techniques
Mountain flying tips
Weather for pilots - a tutorial
FAA Seaplane & Skiplane Manual -Ch 1to 6: floatplanes, Ch7: skiplanes
Detailed All Weather Operations (AWOPS) Manual
A Canadian pilot's blog on winter flying
Scenery to freeze lakes & rivers to land on (FS9)
Microsoft article on floatplanes including flight techniques
Be safe and have fun!
Dominic
EHM-1465 Dominic Mahon