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PUFA NEWSLETTER
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June 27, 1997
Jeff Rochon, President
Bernie Strotmann, Vice-President
Ken Buck, Treasurer
Glenn Ursel, Secretary
Mail to: Pacific Ultralight Flying Association
102-16071 82 Avenue
Surrey, B.C. V3S 2L6
PUFA Newsletter published by Glenn Ursel
The great cross country fly out to Ontario ended almost before it started. Our planned numbers shrank from a possibility of six planes to a reality of two. Perhaps we had set our sights a little too high, or wide. Even getting off the ground with two planes was compromised by little glitches. Schedules would not allow an evening June 6th departure as we had agreed upon. An early June 7th start was delayed by mechanical difficulties. One hour out saw us at Hope. We were forced to wait out cloud cover for two hours. Late morning found Julius and me finally climbing up through the Coquihala Pass. At four o'clock we lifted off from Golden, B.C. There, unfortunately, ended our attempt to fly to Hamilton, Ontario.
After lifting off at Golden, I banked immediately to the left and set a climb for the pass leading to Banff. I looked back to see Julius take off. Something was wrong. He was barely skimming the ground after crossing the threshold of runway 32. He avoided a fence, then some thirty foot trees before finally settling into a four-foot deep pond. The wheels dug in and the plane flipped over onto its back. Julius managed to escape the dangerous situation unscathed. He was able to open his canopy and pull himself out. The "Pond" turned out to be a sewage treatment settling basin. The aircraft was recovered with much help from the Golden Fire Department and CP rail crew members. We spent many hours washing personal belongings and then the damaged aircraft. The cause of the mishap was not clear. Julius reported that, after rotation, the engine misfired several times. Frantic attempts to restore full power were fruitless. To this date no certain answer has revealed itself.
l am not sure if this accident could have been prevented. Armchair pilots have expressed various opinions as to the cause. What is important is that there were no injuries. We all have fender benders, some small, some not. C-FPTL is repairable. All that will he needed is time and a certain resolve, not to mention money. As for our trip. . . No problem . . . Next year, how about P.E.I.?
I had a sneak preview of Gerald Edwards' new P5151, undergoing final paint touch-ups at Murphy Aviation. That's the aircraft Glenn Ursel profiled in the May issue of the PUFA Newsletter. What can one say? It's a jaw dropping knockout!
Footnote: The U-haul truck rented in order to transport C-FPTL back home, broke down near Revelstoke.
Editorial Note
by Glenn Ursel
For the record, we should note the very sad passing of Don Simmons, a Canadian Airlines pilot, who crashed to his death near the Boundary Bay Airport on June 5th after taking off in a Pitt Special to ferry it to Quebec. As many of you know, Don had rented a hangar for his ultralight at Fred Baron's field for years and, at the time of his death, was building a Renegade. He was only 47 years old.
For the rest of this issue of the PUFA Newsletter, Jeff has requested that I devote it to the recent Transport Canada change in airspace classification. I include a recent COPA article by Kathy Lubitz and her email reply to me to my query on the issue. I also include the relevant section RAC 2.8.5 from the AIP kindly provided to me by Debbie Cameron.
Allowable airspace for ultralight activity
Part of the syllabus in the ultralight ground school is knowledge of Canadian airspace structure and classification. Class A, B, C, D and E airspace is classified as controlled airspace. Class G airspace is the only one defined as uncontrolled and it is the only airpace in which ultralight operation is permitted. Check current VFR Navigation Chart to see what the airspace designation is for the area you fly in. If the ultralight pilot arranges prior permission, he may fly into controlled airspace. Prior permission may be by way of a telephone call or by using two-way radio.
Most control zones are Class D and C airspace. If the pilot calls the tower before entering the control zone, he or she may get permission to enter the zone wither to overfly the airport or to land and take off. Permission to enter the zone is at the option of the controller, just as it is with any aircraft, conventional or ultralight.
Class E airspace offers a unique problem. It is controlled airspace so ultralight aircraft are not allowed to enter without prior permission. However, there is no control unit from which to get that permission. For example, I operate at a grass strip 53 miles from Toronto International Airport. The airspace here is Class G from the ground to 700 feet AGL and Class E, transition area, above 700 feet.
Class E airspace is controlled airspace but is open for uncontrolled and NORDO aircraft, radio not required. Because it is controlled airspace, ultralight operation is not permitted. In Class E airspace over our location, IFR traffic is under ATC control from Toronto, Ontario.
>From whom do we get permission to enter this airspace? Do we call Toronto Centre: They wouldn't be able to receive our line of site trasmission from 700 feet at 53 miles out. Will they accept a phone call? They're busy with the airliners.
The transition area over us is there to, according to the Ultralight Aeroplane and Hangglider Information Manual, TP4310, "provide additional controlled airspace for instrument approach and departure procedures". There are cities, "built up areas", between us and any airport in the Terminal Control Area so any airplane doing approaches would have to be at least 1,000 feet above them, say 1,500 feet AGL. I am not aware of any reason why an aircraft would ever by at 700 feet AGL doing an instrument approach to Toronto, Hamilton or Waterloo Wellington - Waterloo, the nearest airport, is 15 miles away.
The result of this classification means we are not allowed to climb to 1,000 feet to fly over built up areas; we must go around the cities. We are on the west side of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge. The Waterloo-Wellington Airport has encouraged ultralights to come into the airport but it is nearly surrounded by built up area and because of the Class E airspace, our ceiling is 700 feet AGL, we "can't get there from here". The tower controllers can not clear us into the Class E airspace. They only control the five miles around the airport.
Advanced ultralights are allowed to operate in controlled airspace as long as the pilot has a PPL-A or higher and the aircraft meets flight instrument and equipment requirements published in the CARS and with prior permission. Ultralight pilots flying advanced ultralight aircraft have the same problem as basic ultralights in getting prior permission for Class E airspace - according to AULA Interim Strategy which is carried into the CARS with the Ultralight Transition Strategy signed in January, 1997.
Hang-gliders are allowed to operate in Class E airspace (CARS 602.29(3)) if the pilot is at least 16 years of age, has a Category 1, 3 or 4 medical and has obtained a grade of not less than 60 percent on the TC written test, HAGAR. The hang-glider must be equipped with a magnetic compass and altimeter. The flight must be a cross-country and the pilot must inform the neares FSS station of the time of departure and estimated duration of the flight in Class E airspace. The hang-glider requirements for operating in Class E airspace do not apply to ultralights and ulralight pilots.
The new requirements for Mode C transponder in designated Class D and E airspace could further complicate ultralight operations. As well, the "airspace grab", as reported by COPA, could mean even less available airspace for ultralight pilots.
Ultralight activity was restricted to uncontrolled airspace to prevent conflict between them and conventional aircraft operations. The problem with the current airspace restrictions is that the letter of the law is hard to follow. This results in inadvertent airspace violations when the pilot tries to stay high enough to practice stalls and spins or to keep more options open in the case of engine failure. Find the requirements for your locale. Most ultralight activity is in rural areas away from control zones and radio requirements. Check the maps for your area. You may be surprised a how much airspace is actually controlled. If in doubt check with Transport Canada.
Published in the June, 1997 issue of Canadian Flight by Kathy Lubitz.
From: Glenn Richard Ursel <gursel@direct.ca>
To: elubitz@ionline.net
Subject: Class E Airspace
Date: June 25, 1997 02:37 AM
Kathy,
I am the Secretary of the Pacific Ultralight Flying Association and our members noticed your recent article in the June, 1997 issue of the COPA Canadian Flight magazine which states that Class E airspace is controlled airspace.
My Ultralight Aeroplane and Hang Glider Information Manual (TP 4310E) says it isn't. Since this has an very significant impact on ultralight pilots, could you explain why you state that Class E airspace is controlled airspace? My manual also doesn't mention Class G airspace at all.
I tried unsuccessfully all evening to get information on this from the CARS that are on the web but could not access the section on airspace.
Thanks for any reply you can give us shedding some light on these questions.
Glenn Ursel
From: Kathy Lubitz <elubitz@ionline.net>
To: gursel@direct.ca
Subject: Re: Class E Airspace
Date: June 25, 1997 8:26 PM
Glenn,
Canadian Airspace was redefined late in 1994. The 4th and last edition of TP4310, March 1995, included the new definitions. Class G airspace is the only airspace defined as "uncontrolled". Basically another level of controlled airspace was inserted between Class C and the old designation of D and E was changed to E and G. Class G is the old Class E, uncontrolled, and Class E is the old Class D transition area if you are using old maps. Transport Canada still has copies of the 4th edtion of TP 4310 (I can get you a few copies if you'd like) even though they no longer update or produce it. It is outdated because the CARs have been introduced. TC has decided that the UL community has "matured enough" to be getting information from the AIP and the CARs. The airspace stuff is in the AIP.
What they are producing is the study guide, essentially Chapter 16 of TP4310. This study guide is TP12804E. This is the question bank for the UL wriiten TC test with references to the AIP and CARs for the answers instead of to chapters in TP4310.
The Rec Av guy at the local TC District office is updating TP4310 and will be turning it over to UPAC and the RAA to publish and distribute. We hope to have this available this fall.
I have a web page with a lot of the recent UL changes and info. Take a look. There's no airspace stuff on it but there is other stuff. I also include a link to other UL clubs web pages. If you have one and want it included, send the URL.
Also, the UPAC Annual General Meeting is August 16th at our place. I know some of you guys travel this way on business. Maybe one or some of you could arrange a trip and take it in.
I hope the information helps. Let me know.
Kathy Lubitz
From: Glenn Richard Ursel <gursel@direct.ca>
To: elubitz@ionline.net
Subject: Class E Airspace
Date: June 26, 1997 7:14 PM
Hi Kathy,
Thanks very much for the speedy reply. I am publishing your reply in this month's PUFA Newsletter to let the rest of the members know about the change in the airspace classification and the situation with regard to the TP4310 Ultralight Manual.
With respect to the change in classification, even though Class G in the Lower Mainland area goes up to 1,200 feet AGL, it is still too restrictive since this is not enough height to safely cross over some parts of the city or, for non-floated equipped ultralights, the Georgia Straits to Vancouver Island.
For this reason, PUFA may write to CARAC to protest the exclusion of ultralights from Class E airspace.
Glenn Ursel
Editorial Note
Actually Jeff corrected me on this statement in that, because the Georgia Straits are in a control zone, we can ask for permission. However, in the Class E airspace over Surrey, we cannot because it is not in a control zone.
AIP RAC 2.8.5
Class E Airspace
Class E airspace is designated where an operational need exists for controlled airspace but does not meet the requirements for Class A, B, C or D.
Operations may be conducted under IFR or VFR. ATC separation is provided only to aircraft operating under IFR. There are no special requirements for VFR.
Aircraft are required to be equipped with a transponder and automatic pressure altitude equipment to operate in Class E airspace that is specified as transponder airspace (see RAC 1.10.2)
Low level airways, control are extensions, transition areas, or control zones established without an operating control tower may be classified as Class E airspace.