The Toronto Weekend Trip

On Friday, I prepped the Archer and then left Pontiac and headed to Toronto.

After all the necessary filings, I got my clearance and took off. 

Flying IFR,  Detroit Approach had me fly north for awhile and climbed me up to 7,000 as filed, and then got me heading east to Toronto.

 Weather was nice and the air was very smooth. Had a 9-knot headwind .

Got passed over to Selfridge ANGB Approach, and crossed the Border right by the Blue Water Bridge as usual.

 Then I got passed off to Toronto Control and after various frequency changes got to Toronto Approach.

The new GPS was fantastic, making changing frequencies and entering the route and route changes en route very easy.

The approach for Toronto Island Airport  was all sorts of busy. 

I was number 5 in sequence and got held over the water for awhile, and was  being assigned a continuously declining altitude to stay under Toronto airport's traffic.

So at 3,000 feet, I was way out over Lake Ontario/Lake America:

After holding for awhile, that felt longer than it was,  I was then in sequence for the Runway 8 RNAV Zulu approach and was told to keep my speed all the way up and stay at 2,500 until the Final Approach Fix due to traffic.

This led to a chop and drop at the FAF, but I got it in and made a very nice landing, shedding speed and altitude as much as I could at the same time. After landing I was then told to keep my speed up on the runway, run it to the end and taxi off, while staying with Tower the while way.

That was fine and I got to the FBO, shut down, notified Canada Customs of my arrival and got my clearance number. I then could get out of the airplane and get things handled.

 On the way into the FBO there was an aircraft with a most suitable tail number:

 

 A little pilot humor there.

After checking in with the FBO and asking for the plane to be fueled up, I headed into town.

Then I met up with family, celebrated a relative's 90th birthday at a very nice party, and headed back yesterday evening with a different return procedure that I had not used before. 

That was 2.2 and 1 very nice landing. 

Back From T.O.

So the visit concluded, I got ready to return homeward.

Weather forecast was good, all electronic border crossing stuff was done, and I went to the Island.

I checked out of the FBO, did the pre-flight and got ready to depart.

I had the more complicated departure procedure with transition and arrival procedure already filed as I figured they would give it to me anyways, so might as well. 

They did.

So I did the run up and took off from Runway 26 and began the departure procedure, turning south over the Lake as I did so climbing to 2,000 feet which isn;t a lot when you're over the Big Lake.

 

However, Toronto Center soon climbed me higher and I was first cleared to 3,000 then 4,000 and finally up to 6,000.

The problem was a cloud layer that decided to be right at my flight level.

 The problem is this batch of clouds had an attitude problem. In that they liked to try and change my aircraft's attitude.

Yep, I was soon in IMC.

 

I would then be in and out of IMC for most of the flight, getting some light precip in the clouds and experiencing everything from mostly light chop to moderate chop, on  to moderate turbulence and one episode of severe turbulence which was not fun as it put the nose up at a very high angle and my airspeed started rapidly dropping into stall territory until it let up.

Trying to cloimb out didn;t help, I climbed up to 8,000 and was free for a bit but then a set of clouds from 10,000-5,000 feet loomed ahead.  so it was in and out of IMC for most of the flight.

On top of that, beverage selection was quite limited.

 Today's lunch was either a protein shake or the protein shake, so I chose the protein shake.  It was extra shaken from the turbulence as well.

Finally by the border the clouds lifted enough so 6,000 was just under the worst of it.

 A nice easy handoff to Selfridge ANGB controllers and across the border I went.

Then I got the ATIS at Pontiac and was handed off to Detroit Approach.

 Detroit Approach then had to give me some delay vectors as everybody had chosen to arrive at Pontiac just as I was coming in qnd he needed to create spacing to handle all the planes coming in.

The controller at Detroit Approach did an impressive job perfectly sequencing all the traffic in for landing with excellent separation and I was soon doing a visual straight in approach to 27L, which I backed up with an RNAV approach for practice as well.

I landed with a great landing, very nice and smooth and where I wanted to land.  I went to Customs, got cleared, and then taxi'd to the north side of the airport and shut down and took care of the plane.

That's 2.6 hours with .5 bouncing around in IMC, and a great landing. 

Saturday Flyday

 It was a beautiful day Friday when I headed to the airport after filing my flight plan and other required electronic paperwork, placed the required and recommended calls, and got ready to go.

I would be flying the Archer for this trip as the Dakota was down for maintenance. 

Soon, I was holding short of Runway 27R awaiting takeoff clearance.

 

I soon took off IFR, flying runway heading and climbing to 3,000, then Detroit Approach directed me to climb to 4,000, then turn due north and climb to 5,000.

Then I was turned on course and instructed to climb to my filed altitude of 7,000.  A fair bit of haze but it was a smooth flight and a beautiful day.

Handed off to Selfridge Air National Guard's friendly controllers, I soon crossed the border by Port Huron, flying by the Blue Water Bridge, which had a fair amount of traffic, and began talking with Toronto Control.

 

 

I then flew by Sarnia's airport.

 Then over the city of London.

Toronto Center, as I got closer to my destination then amended my flight plan by having me go past it to an initial waypoint for the localizer approach for Runway 26, way over the lake rather then direct to Toronto Island Airport.  I was then told to expect the visual approach from there and they started descending me down to 3,000 feet.

They gradually moved me closer to the shoreline, which I appreciated.

Soon I had the airport in sight and was heading for the downwind to Runway 26, maintaining 3,000 feet as instructed until I was passed over to Toronto Island Tower and had to start descending rapidly to pattern altitude.

 

It was a great view.

Then onto the downwind and an even better view of the skyline 

Turned a tight base  and made a great final approach - with speed and altitude just right, I came in for a great smooth landing. I let it roll a bit and was then off on Foxtrot taxiway and went to Stolport FBO.  I then got to play dodgeplane as  planes were coming out of the ramp as I was coming in on the same line on the ramp.

The Airport was hopping with an event where they were doing airplane rides etc, wiht lots of people wandering around, which accounted for why they had routed me a bit far over the lake towards the localizer and then had me come down quick and tightly enter for the landing.   All good.  I then made my Canada Customs arrival call and got my entry number. Then I got the plane all checked in at Stolport and then headed to the city.

That's 2.0 and one fantastic and scenic landing. 

Flying: To CYTZ And Back

On Saturday I flew over to Toronto Island Airport to go visit the folks and celebrate my Dad's 80th birthday.

I did the electronic paperwork, called Canpass, filed my typical route and got my clearance to depart. Approved clearance was ADRIE T781 OLAMO CYTZ

I climbed to 3,000 as instructed and contacted Detroit Approach.

A beautiful day and still some fall color to see.

Detroit Approach climbed me to my filed altitude of 5,000 and then amended my clearance to just fly direct to CYTZ, which was nice.

Had a light tailwind and was cruising along at a nice 146 knot ground speed.

Crossed the border and it started getting a little overcast around Sarnia:

I got permission to climb above the layer to 6,000 and enjoyed the view.

Toronto Center then amended my clearance and had me go direct to OLAMO before heading to the airport.  I then did a practice localizer approach to Runway 26 and had a very good landing.

I had a nice time in Toronto with the folks, and the open house party on Sunday to celebrate my dad's birthday went very well.

Then yesterday, it was time to head back.  The weather would, unfortunately, not be quite as nice. Overcast, rainy, and windy it would be.

I had filed what I had done for the return on the last trip, which was accepted. Easy enough.

I got to the airport, paid my parking and fuel bill, did the preflight.

 I contacted Ground, and then was told my clearance had changed and was I ready to copy?

Yep, yet again I got the PERL.4 Departure, DERLO Transition, PICUP, OKLND ONE Arrival.  So next time I go, I'm  just going to file that from the outset to save time as they seem to like it a lot on Mondays.  Knowing it well from the last time made reprogramming the system a lot faster.

I then, just before takeoff, got a further amendment to the departure procedure and was told to climb to 3,000, on heading 210 degrees, so I did that and out over the Lake I went.

It was rather overcast and I had a pretty major headwind of around 30 knots so my ground speed was around 90-100 knots, most of the time so it was kinda slow going.

Toronto Center then got me on course to the next waypoint and I was told to climb to 6,000, and then once I reached that next waypoint ANCOL, I got an amended clearance to fly straight to DERLO which saved a little bit of time.

At DERLO the Overcast became more acute and I started getting some instrument time.

It was rather solid with some light chop and light precipitation.  Air Temperature up there was 15 degrees C due to the warm front that was moving in and causing all the winds and clouds, so no icing risk which was good.

The clouds opened up just a bit as I was crossing the border.

And soon closed up again, with even more rain and bouncing around and I was again in solid IMC conditions.

Then for a brief while I was right in between two layers of clouds which was kinda neat.  The air was smooth and it was all rather beautiful.

But soon it closed up again.

I got the weather at Pontiac with winds of 14 knots at 180 degrees for a very direct crosswind for landing on 27L.  I was passed on to Detroit Approach and clearance amended to fly straight to GUZVY for the 27L RNAV and was then cleared onto the approach.

Up to the Final Approach Fix it was IFR, as I followed the glideslope down and got lower I broke out of the clouds.

Not the best visibility, and I was kinda flying sideways in the wind following the RNAV guidance.  This was a tad disorienting, so I just kept on the needles, and it took a bit to find the airport as the nose was pointed into the wind left of the Airport, even as the plane was moving on a nice straight line right to the runway.

Then I had the runway in sight before the missed approach point, and still had to fly crabbed into the wind on the way towards final.

I then made a most excellent crosswind landing, even as it felt like a lot more than 14 knots.  The excellent landing was likely due to a lack of observers of same.

I then cleared customs, then headed to the hangar and got the plane refueled and put away, and that was the end of the weekend.

November 2 I had 2.0 out, and 1 great landing.

November 4 I had 2.4 back, .9 actual instrument time, an instrument approach and another great crosswind landing.

An excellent trip flying that sure as heck beats driving, and it was good to get some actual IFR time and a real approach in and plan for and deal with more challenging conditions.

Flying: A Day Trip To TO

Friday I flew to Toronto for the day with fellow flying club member Scott.

He had never done an international flight and wanted someone along to show him the ropes and the red tape.

I showed Scott how to properly file a departure notice in EAPIS, and did the CANPASS call with him.

We then filed IFR along the T781 route to Toronto Island Airport. Scott was flying and I was doing the radios to cut down on workload.

We got our IFR clearance and headed onto Runway 27R for takeoff.

Scott did very much get my attention on takeoff.

As were in the takeoff climb 500 feet above the ground, he started leaning the mixture to the point the engine started sputtering.

I expressed very directly in some very choice language my unhappiness with this turn of events. You should not be leaning during takeoff. Once you hit 3,000-4,000 feet leaning makes sense, but not while you're at 500 feet, angled up climbing 1,000 feet per minute with the engine going flat-out and a lack of decent options if you go engine-out at that altitude.

Once that impending doom was prevented, we continued on our way.

Beautiful day to fly at 5,000 feet.

We crossed the border around Port Huron / Sarnia with a hand-off from Selfridge ANGB Control to Toronto Center with no issues.

Soon we were over London, Ontario:

Again a fair bit of haze but we soon had Toronto in sight:

We did the RNAV 8 approach but instead of the closest initial fix, they sent us to the fix that was farther out south over the lake and then had us come in presumably for spacing from other aircraft.

We then did a good approach and Scott did a good landing.

 Damn nice view on final.

We then parked the plane, walked across the tunnel to the mainland from the island and me up with my Dad and Carol.

Since both Carol and Scott had never been up the CN tower that's where we went first. The CN Tower is still the tallest free standing building in the Western hemisphere.

A fast elevator ride up and we were on the observation deck, 1,122 ft up.

We got a nice shot of the airport from the observation deck of the CN Tower:

You also get some great views of the city.

We then headed onto the glass floor and walked on that looking straight down to the ground 1,000 feet below.

 If you have a fear of heights, that's probably not for you unless you want some exposure therapy.

We then headed on down and went to Jack Astor's on Front Street for lunch which was very good.  I pulle dout my computer and field the EAPIS arrival notice, then called CBPO at Pontiac airport to inform them of our arrival.  I then filed the flight plan, requesting the Perl04 departure to Derlo, then T781 to Pontiac, which was happily approved without the massive changes I had incurred during my first visit to the island. 

The problem then was Toronto Island Tower had one person running both Tower and Ground frequencies at the same time and it was a super busy mess and it took forever for us to get a taxi clearance, the a  clearance to get out of the run-up area and then get to the runway where we held for awhile. 

Finally we got airborne and were on our way. It was then that I found out that Scott, sitting in the right hand seat, had not properly latched the top of the aircraft door.  Lower latch was properly done, but we got some extra air and noise for the flight. I was beginning to think Scott was a jinx.

We again got pushed over the water for a bit for traffic and then routed on our way. Scott was handling he radios but not quite keeping up with the controllers so I had to step in a bit.  He wasn't quite used to the faster environment and it seemed like he wasn't fully hearing them and I asked him and he said he was hearing it ok.  In reality, not so much.

We flew out into more haze but missed the rain clouds.

Soon we made it to the Border and saw a large lineup at the bridge there as we overflew it.

Then Selfridge gave us a direct to GUVZY, the initial approach for Pontiac's RNAV 27L, basically cutting the corner of our route and saving us some time which was appreciated. Scott muffed that radio call and i had to jump in as he thought they said cleared to Adrie, as he was expecting that as that was the end waypoint of our route before Pontiac.  When flying you can't let what you expect substitute for what you actually get.

So we then came in and i did a very fine landing on 27L riding the RNAV down quite nicely.

We then went to customs where Scott, being next to the door was asked by the Customs fellow if we had been in Toronto for business or pleasure and Scott said "yes".    I was again not happy and quickly said we were then for pleasure and to visit my dad there.  Satisfied, the CBP agent checked our passports and saw they matched exactly what I had filed as the airplane manifest, and sent us on our way.

It turns out that Scott was, unbeknownst to me, wearing a hearing aid that was malfunctioning without him knowing, which explained why he wasn't fully getting the radio calls, nor the CBP agent's questions.  I expect he will be more in tune when he can actually hear again. 

He's also promised to never lean out an engine on climb-out again. That's one bad habit he's now hopefully done with that can lead to some very bad outcomes. 

He was rushing a lot and after I told him to slow down and stop over-anticipating he did settle and the flight became a fair bit smoother.

Well, that's 2.2 for me flying from CYTZ to KPTK, a great landing, and another international flight under my belt, as well as a great day in Toronto.

Flying: To CYTZ In Actual IMC

Did my first international flight today.

Last night I did an outlook brief and then did the US CBP electronic paperwork for the flight.

This morning I got up, did the weather brief, filed my IFR flight plan and then called Canada Border Services to let them know I was coming.

At the airport I did a full preflight and got N914P ready to go. A good run-up and I got my clearance and departed form Runway 27L and off I went.

First I talked to Detroit Approach, who directed to climb to 5,000 feet, and then Great Lakes Approach, and finally Selfridge ANGB on the US side. 

Beautiful day for flying.

I was making good time with a nice tail wind for 162 knots over the ground.

I then crossed the border, unlike other times I've crossed at Port Huron/Sarnia, here there was no lineups, no delays and no issues.

I then got handed off to Toronto Center.

Toronto Center had me report a few waypoints and then got me on radar. I was flying the T781 T-route towards Toronto Island Airport and it made for easy routing and reporting.

Weather started getting more interesting, I started being in and out of IMC conditions at 5,000 feet flying through clouds and haze.

The clouds and haze continued and I got transferred over to Toronto Terminal and was cleared for the RNAV 8 Z   approach into Billy Bishop Airport.

The Airport with haze was going IFR and it made things interesitng. This would be my first actual IFR conditions approach done completely on my own.

The approach was neat, they had me descend to 3,000, and then I was soon down to 1,700, then 1,500, all in a haze where I could not see anything to the front of me but had ground (and lake) contact to the sides of the aircraft. I finally broke out of the haze just above minimums, and did not do the best approach I've ever done. Indeed, I got a bit behind the aircraft, but I got it handled.  No pictures as I was busy, with both finding the runway, and interestingly,  dodging sailboat masts on short final (yes, that is a real issue on this approach). Approaching Toronto Island runway 08 looked like I was landing on an aircraft carrier.

I landed without my usual grace and aplomb, but got it down in one piece, and I can reuse the aircraft, so that's something.

 

I then taxi'd to the FBO, Stolport, and then shut down, called Canada Border Services to report my arrival, and ended up taking to the same officer I had spoken with before I departed.  Super nice guy,  really friendly, and he got me handled and issued me an arrival number and had me on my way no problem.

That's 1.8, .8 actual, and 1 real IFR approach, an ok landing, and my first ever international flight.

Toronto Via Rail

So this weekend I had headed over to Toronto to visit the folks.

I had planned to fly on Saturday and had booked the plane and was even going to take the Piper Dakota as it has an awesome GFC 500 autopilot in it to make IFR flying easier.  The autopilot in the Archer is currently inoperative and awaits being changed out for a GFC 500 and that should have been done in October but the avionics shop is ridiculously backed up right now..

But flying was not to be.  Direct perpendicular crosswinds of 20-28 knots, gusting in a plane with a demonstrated crosswind limit of 17 knots, was not my idea of a good time and past my personal limits for crosswinds.  Couple that with a first time international flight to an island airport and IFR conditions, and discretion was the better part of valor.

So I crossed the border by car, and at Windsor took the train to Toronto.

Overall, it was a pleasant trip, even being late by practically an hour.  Via Rail's on time percentage is around 53% and I sure lost that coin toss (it was even worse on the return trip being late to get home by over an hour).

Upside, the train had wifi, and it was a comfortable way to travel and I got work done while doing so. I arrived at 7pm.

The train station has a nice view of the CN Tower.

Met up with the folks and had a pleasant time even as my Dad tends toward the MSNBC school of politics.  I've finally learned to just smile and wave at some stuff instead of getting into arguments that benefit no one.

We caught up, and did some family stuff, and I assisted with their computer technical questions.

We also got some exercise in, and had a long walk around the huge Mt. Pleasant Cemetery.

The cemetery is huge, well kept, and designed for people to stroll through or bike through. There are signs up that it is a cemetery and not a race track and that while bicyclists are welcome,  racing or race training is prohibited in the cemetery.

There's some very impressive tombstones and monuments within it.

Toronto's Chinese community has quite a number of impressive tombs and monuments, and the majority were red colored markers:

 There's also a monument to those who lost their lives in the SS Noronic disaster of 1949 that took place in Toronto Harbor:

Nearby, there's the tombstone of Dr. Frederick Banting, the famous co-inventor of insulin:

 

It's an appropriately large funerary monument considering the millions of lives he saved.

After walking there for hours, appreciating the chill weather and fall colors as well as interesting tombstone inscriptions, we headed back.

I visited with some other friends and did work remotely and then took the train home.

Got home at midnight as the train was over an hour late but crossed the border with no issues and made good time driving home.

Not a bad short weekend trip to see the family. Hopefully some good flying weather will occur and I can get there a lot faster and in better style next time.