Winter is finally over and here comes spring. This winter is the coldest and longest I’ve ever experienced. This is what I call a “real” Winter. I am glad I survived it as a pilot. Looking back at my previous blog entry. In retrospect, things weren’t that bad. But there are still lessons to learn from this winter and better prepare myself for the next winter in 8 months. Can’t wait!
I’m Not Going To Lie. It’s Really Cold
Our cut-off for flight operations is -25 deg C. During some nights it goes down to – 40°C. At -30°C, although it is too cold to fly, I still head to the airport to shovel snow.
Shoveling snow out in the cold helps me quickly acclimate to this winter. Even with 2 layers of socks, I can still feel the pain in my feet from the cold. Despite that, I find it peaceful and calming. Without the buzzing of aircraft engines at the airport, the airport is really quiet. Though this task sounds simple, it takes a bit of planning to shovel a huge area and to know where to place the snow.
Why Shovel When There is No Flying?
You may wonder: “Why keep shoveling when the weather is terrible for flying?” I am glad you wondered. I’m simply preparing so that the apron and airplane will be ready whenever the weather is good. Waking up early and shoveling snow right before a flight uses up a lot of energy. I can use this energy to focus on my students and flying in general so that we do not get into unnecessary trouble in these cold conditions.
Extra Precautions When Flying In Winter
There are extra precautions to take note of when flying in extreme cold. Amongst others, we have to warm up the engine before we start up (just like a car). If we were to use only the primer without warming the engine, we would most likely over prime the engine and potentially start an engine fire!
Before coming to Prince George, I’ve heard stories such as engine shock cooling that causes engine failure, icing on the airframe and ice crystals forming in the fuel that causes blockage to the fuel line. These stories sound scary especially when you are doing the flying yourself. I feel fortunate that nothing drastic happened to me.
Low Hours
The worst part, however, isn’t the temperatures. It is the number of flight hours. It becomes really, really low during the winter months. I spend more time sweeping snow off the airplane than being in it. A fellow instructor told me, flying up north, we have to earn enough during summer to survive the winter. What he says is pretty true. I intend to fly hard this summer to have enough income to survive the winter.
Is Winter Really Over?
Even though spring has arrived, I’m not sure if winter has really left. It’s still cold here with temperatures dropping to 0°C. I was told by a local, “Well, this is Prince George Spring for you”.
Oh well, all the snow is starting to melt and it is muddy everywhere. Now, I would rather have the snow than the mud!
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