Western Canada
21st July: |
22nd July: Enough of that... I told Daryl I would fly the aeroplane solo to the nearby hard runway at Okotoks where a takeoff with two on board should be easier. Two days later the Cessna 182
towplane collided with a sailplane just after release
above Black Diamond, the two people in the sailplane
died. |
With no wind I decided the
uphill takeoff on 34 which exited over a field was
preferable than the less tempting 16 over houses. Okotoks to Cranbrook BC, 19:18z - 21:27z. Again the nose was raised too high twice consuming valuable runway, and the aeroplane veered to leave the right side of the runway... "I have control", again I lowered the nose and flew off the end of the runway... The crop was a nice light green, a carpet just below, it would be so easy to land in there... Ahead there was a road, and telegraph wires; I was not going to make it over those wires. To the right were more wires, but further away, and so I did a careful ground effect turn while winding the wheels up and gaining energy to leap over the wires. To assure everyone that all was well, I overflew the airfield before setting course for the Crowsnest Pass.
At the Rocky Mountains we used
the available lift to climb and by Fernie we were at
9,500 feet. But there was a TCU raining on Fernie and the
rain took the Taifun down to 9,000 feet, no future in
that! |
Cranbrook to Nelson BC, 22:10z -
23:05z |
23rd July |
Penticton to Boundary Bay,
19:14z - 21:17z |