Ottawa Flying Club

Lands Like Brick · Post by **Lands Like Brick** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 2:55 pm

has anyone had any experiance with the ottawa flying club for instructor and Mulit IFR

Thanks
LLB

cyyz · Post by **cyyz** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 5:29 pm

Think you're cheaper to go to Rockwell for an instructor rating.. It's a bit dated... But I'm guessing rockwell is still cheaper...

chipmunk · Post by **chipmunk** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 7:24 pm

cyyz wrote:Think you're cheaper to go to Rockwell for an instructor rating.. It's a bit dated... But I'm guessing rockwell is still cheaper...

CYYZ means Rockcliffe. Simon, the CFI there, is excellent.

For multi IFR - go to Cornwall.

Hedley · Post by **Hedley** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 6:01 am

CYYZ means Rockcliffe

Simon, the CFI there, is excellent.

Indeed. That said, does YRO have a twin? OFC has JFE (a duchess) for multi-ifr. I like the G530 in it.

Also, look at Cornwall for instructor & multi-ifr - last I heard they had 2 seminoles (identical to duchess).

Dominic220 · Post by **Dominic220** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 7:58 am

I would suggest you stay away from OFC, if for nothing more than they did a 30 second high power prop strike on one of their aircraft (172) to a cinder block... and did *NOT* tell the PRM.

As for cornwall, I personally have an issue with them for moving my bookings multiple times, wx and mx, I can understand, but for someone who wants to go home to winterpeg... that's sort of rediculious. Also, last time I checked, they were down do one seminole because someone fubar'd one of them. Touch and Go, full power, gear up, sank, props hit, they made it back. That, and they seemed to be milking me for money, got up to the point of doing my ride three times, and "convieniently" got bumped so I had to do the ride again. If I was running the establishment, I would be flying the good Seminole at night to do multi training, and into actual (assuming it's not icing conditions) IFR when IFR training.

Fancy Avionics are always fun to play with and look at, but if you have no time, and can move around, I'd suggest going down to yxu. Aero Academy. Seneca, 4200lbs gross, fuel-injected bird. they were always on the ball and never late with the instructor or the aircraft (more than I can say than cornhole). Also, OFC wants minimum of $3000 of your money, cornwall... well, they'll take you for more because they want to milk you (at least in my experience), and Aero... as long as you have a good head on your shoulders, it shouldn't be much different.

Also, Cornwall, OFC, and Empire Aviation (another place in london) are all affiliated with college programs - which means you're going to get moved if they have one of their "priority" students there.

"last I heard they had 2 seminoles (identical to duchess)" the seminoles have 430's

Grey_Wolf · Post by **Grey_Wolf** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 8:30 am

Also, Cornwall, OFC, and Empire Aviation (another place in london) are all affiliated with college programs - which means you're going to get moved if they have one of their "priority" students there.

Which College/University is Cornwall affiliated with?

Hedley · Post by **Hedley** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 10:58 am

FWIW: having a Garmin 530 in the panel of your multi-ifr trainer is a HUGE advantage.

Download the free simulator from Garmin's website and learn how to display bearing/track/distance/time on the map page, and how to select an approach, and gosh, does it ever make life easier, especially for a beginner instrument pilot who many not be too strong on visualization.

CD · Post by CD » Wed Jan 10, 2007 11:21 am

Hedley wrote:FWIW: having a Garmin 530 in the panel of your multi-ifr trainer is a HUGE advantage.

Download the free simulator from Garmin's website and learn how to display bearing/track/distance/time on the map page, and how to select an approach, and gosh, does it ever make life easier, especially for a beginner instrument pilot who many not be too strong on visualization.

Oh, come on now, things were much better in the old days before all this new-fangled technology was invented...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The opinions expressed above are not necessarily the opinions of management and in fact may be the opposite of that intended in order to confuse and obfuscate trolling readers.

Hedley · Post by **Hedley** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 11:43 am

before all this new-fangled technology was invented

Yeah, you'll note I've stayed out of that thread

When I started flying, no one wore headsets except the pilot, and often he'd just use a hand mike and the speaker. Everyone had severe hearing damage. There were no headsets with boom mikes, no push-to-talk switches, no intercoms, no ANR, no GPS, no huge databases, no moving map displays, no stormscope, no TCAS, no TKS, no XM weather, etc, etc.

The technology has made great progress in aviation. Not sure the same is true of the administration thereof.

I sure like being able to download a new ignition/mixture map to my literbike, too.

mellow_pilot · Post by **mellow_pilot** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 12:53 pm

Why do some people dump on technology? "Back in my day, we didn't... blah, blah, whine, whine."

Way back in the day, people didn't have toilets! You don't see anyone whining about kids these days not knowing how to use a chamber pot!

I say know how to use everything in the airplane, including your brain (though that's no in any MEL, and sometimes it shows).

Cat Driver · Post by **Cat Driver** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 12:56 pm

Hedley and CD:

I have a split personality pilot wise.

One side is from the past...when we flew biplanes and had to read morse code and understand celestial navigation.

The other side of me is pure up to date modern equipment.

The last IFR flight I did was in Euro Control at FL410 watching Boeings magic laser driven IRS follow our typed instructions across Europe, then we watched the magic of autoland back in Amsterdam.

I am also split personality on another level, I hate cats but love pussy.

So there....

mellow_ pilot:

Why do some people dump on technology? "Back in my day, we didn't... blah, blah, whine, whine."

Give your head a shake, learn to differientate between discussion and whineing....what great exposure do you have to aviation? Maybe you could enlighten us on how real pilots do things?

"
Cat

mellow_pilot · Post by **mellow_pilot** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 1:33 pm

Cat, I never accused you of being a whiner. My head is fine without shaking. The comment was partly in jest, but there is a serious side to it. The experience is not unique to aviation. I think people should know where they're coming from, where they are, and where they're going. (btw, I think you fit that description, so you're one ahead of many)

Now stop reading my posts and thinking I'm in anyway serious, except when I am.

Oh, and REAL pilots, they do it anyway they want. And she'll like it.

Cat Driver · Post by **Cat Driver** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 1:54 pm

Mello....

....I put a smiley after my comments...

... It's no big deal....

mellow_pilot · Post by **mellow_pilot** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 1:58 pm

Phew!!! I tought I was going to have to hop a ferry and skin a Cat...

Dominic220 · Post by **Dominic220** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 4:20 pm

Grey_Wolf wrote:

Which College/University is Cornwall affiliated with?

I apologise, it's not them, it was a different school. sorry.

justplanecrazy · Post by **justplanecrazy** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 5:04 pm

There's nothing wrong with the OFC. Dominic220 sounds like a pilot that can't seem to learn how to fly and thus keeps getting his training delayed. The prop strike not being passed on to the PRM has nothing to do with the way the OFC is run. The PRM is Manager of the OFC and there was obviously a gap in the communication lines between the student/instructor and management etc. if that happend. I did my IFR ride with them years ago and thought that they were very thorough and knowledgeable as well the BE76 is a great plane to learn on. Gerry won't give you any breaks though so know your stuff, possibly another reason for some pilots suggesting they are milking you. I did my ride in min flight and overall time and max sim time and passed on the first attempt. It depends a lot on your instructor and I don't know any of the new guys so ask around and try a couple before settling in with one. Read your books and treat each minute as an opportunity to learn. All in all they're a great outfit. I can't comment on Rockliffe or Cornwall other than CYOW is a great location to do your flying out of with complex IFR routes and nearby airports such as CYUL. To fly out of a smaller airport takes away some of the valuable ATC experience which is quite important in the IFR world.

Dominic220 · Post by **Dominic220** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 10:50 pm

justplanecrazy wrote:There's nothing wrong with the OFC. The prop strike not being passed on to the PRM has nothing to do with the way the OFC is run. The PRM is Manager of the OFC and there was obviously a gap in the communication lines between the student/instructor and management etc. if that happend.

You seem to be... hesitant to accept that it happened. At *least* half a dozen of their own staff/students standing around watching, and there's nothing wrong with the way they run their facility? Let's just think about this for a moment... 6 people, all decide to forget/not see/walk by dispatch and not say what they saw/heard? I find that hard to believe - or if that *is* true, what kind of pilots is OFC turning out? Ones who walk away from snagging something without telling anyone, that hardly seems like a responsible school. If you are in doubt, which you seem to be, go to the school, ask them if it happened (I'm 90% sure it was GPMR). I also find it incredibly hard to believe that no one *in* the building heard anything either, but then again... unless I'm misremembering something, they only own two of their aircraft, the rest they sold off, and are leasing back.

justplanecrazy · Post by **justplanecrazy** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 12:12 am

I don't doubt that there was a prop strike... $hit happens. I do doubt that any instructor at that school or any, may have tried to somehow cover it up. A student that didn't buy the insurance... sure but not an instructor. I know the CFI and Manager and they're both very professional people that treat safety as number 1. You seem to have a pretty in depth knowledge of the situation though so maybe you should write a book on the OFC conspiracy theory and how they wreck their planes and then fly with no regard for their own safety. To post on a public forum that this is the norm for that club is complete crap. Reading your comments and seeing that you've been training for your IFR in three different locations and sound like you're still training, I tend to write your comments off as a bitter crappy pilot trying to bad mouth those that are patiently attempting to get you ready for a test that you will no doubt fail. Kinda blunt but you don't seem to mind tarnishing other peoples reputations so neither do I.

Dominic220 · Post by **Dominic220** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 12:26 am

justplanecrazy wrote:Reading your comments and seeing that you've been training for your IFR in three different locations and sound like you're still training, I tend to write your comments off as a bitter crappy pilot trying to bad mouth those that are patiently attempting to get you ready for a test that you will no doubt fail. Kinda blunt but you don't seem to mind tarnishing other peoples reputations so neither do I.

Take from my comments what you will, but I have never once said I was training for my IFR. Multi, yes, which has now been obtained, and I said Cornwall, and one other location, so I'm at a loss as to where you pull this "third place" and "IFR" from. But since this is turning into a usual internet arguement, you can believe what you will, and I will believe what I will, and everyone is happy. From your comments, I'll take it you're a supporter of OFC... how's that college program coming along? Also, you may want to get that "holier than thou" attitude looked at before you get inverted.

BAH!!! · Post by **BAH!!!** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 5:25 pm

JPC is right. You do have some sort of personal grudge to fulfill here. I dont see what the problem is. So what if the plane hit something? It's a flying club, these things happen. The plane had a new engine and prop put in so tell me in your oh so FACT filled world what is so unsafe about that. The plane was also grounded in the journey log.
So....since your still young in your aviation carreer...still tryin to get all those ratings, I'll let this one slide. I suggest that next time you hear stories while you're working the "ramp", take it with a grain of salt. You keep up a foul mouth like that you'll be headed for that "computer tech" world real fast.

beechy · Post by **beechy** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 8:04 pm

never been a fan of OFC......just the feeling i got when i first went in years ago. To much of an elitest club atmosphere. Thats just me.......from what i have heard lately cornwall is going downhill too, friendly folks though, i have never had a problem but others recently have.

Hedley · Post by **Hedley** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 12:11 pm

To (sic) much of an elitest club atmosphere

Next time you're over there, wave your Master's degree at them. Henceforth, they will be humbled and awed by your presence

I rather like the OFC, but then again, I'm always tapping my pinky ring on the table whenever I'm over there

beechy · Post by **beechy** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 2:16 pm

and that explains why i don't like OFC......too many idiots like Hedley wondering around.

I have never once been treated nicely there, not once.....and that includes when i was looking for a place to do my training. Plus the restaurant has been proclaimed one of the most unclean kitchens in Ottawa numerous times.

btw no masters degree, and no gay ass pinky ring either.

Hedley · Post by **Hedley** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 2:29 pm

btw no masters degree

Really? I guess I must have confused you with another instructor, who claimed to have done a master's thesis ...

http://www.avcanada.ca/forums2/viewtopi ... vel+thesis

However, my profs rewarded me not because i could regergitate, spell properly or make money. They rewarded me because i was able to complete a masters level thesis with very little guidence....understand its ramifications and indicate what the next step in the research area was. This is what scientists do in an effort to unserstand the natural world, oddly enough so people like you can have boats planes and whatever else.

Anyways, next time you're over at the OFC, show them your hypen. They won't dare mess with you then!

beechy · Post by **beechy** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 2:48 pm

masters level thesis

Which i completed for my undergrad

Just wanted to share my experience with the flying club. I didn't like it. I am entitled to an opinion. You like them good for you. So just end it there.