Notes
Background: How It Started
- Kids bought Speaker A a flight simulator package around 2010, during his foot surgery recovery
- Initially skeptical (“why spend that money, I haven’t got a clue what to do”)
- Started with ultralight flying, passed a test, and kept going
- Lifelong dream to be a pilot, held back by lack of formal education
- Cousin (less educated) now flies cargo jets for a European company out of Hong Kong
- Pilot friend of 30+ years became a key mentor, teaching procedures and tricks
First Real Simulator Experience (2016)
- Friend called with a surprise: “write down a big day, don’t ask questions”
- Picked up on a freezing cold day, drove to Abbotsford Airport, no idea what was happening
- Walked into a full 737 cockpit with Vancouver runways lit up at night
- Computers initially weren’t talking to each other, sent for lunch first (“I was praying they wouldn’t fix it”)
- Came back, strapped in, and answered every question the instructor asked
- Took off, flew west over Vancouver, used autopilot, and landed cleanly
- Instructor: “Congratulations, I couldn’t have done any better”
- Came home feeling physically sick from the mental intensity, no preparation
Key Aviation Facts Shared
- Spoilers (flaps that rise on landing) and engine reverse both trigger automatically on touchdown
- Takeoff: stay at 20% throttle or the tail drags; lift off at 180 knots minimum
- Landing: 737 should approach no faster than 140 knots or landing
gear can break
- Tires get so hot after touchdown you can’t touch them bare-handed an hour later
- Bank angle: never exceed 30% turn or you lose altitude
- Tower controls approach completely near airports: speed, heading, runway assignment all directed
Later Simulator Sessions
- Richmond session: took off from Seattle, flew to Vancouver, landed
without help
- Instructor: “You can’t convince me you’re not a pilot”
- Abbotsford again with son Michael: Michael assigned as co-pilot
- Did “touch and go” drills, knew all runway numbers (33L, 33R)
- Instructor was a new hire (one month in, ex-commercial pilot from New Zealand), too fast-paced
- Real pilots required to do full-day simulator checks twice a year for emergency procedures
Favorite Routes and Airports
- Favorite airports: San Francisco and Vancouver, does those routes most
- Busy airports (Chicago, New York, Atlanta) often require go-arounds due to traffic
- No longer memorizes runway numbers: tower guidance and blue taxiway
lines handle everything
- Vancouver: 26L/26R (from east), 08R/08L (from west)
- Calgary: 17L/17R (from north), 05L/05R (from south)
- Wife (“Grandma”) vetoed real pilot training: safety fears and cost were the dealbreakers
Transcript
Speaker ASee, I went to a flight somewhere in Rickman, bought me a package. Yeah. And I was that obstructed. And I had there. He was not, he was not for a guy like me, you know, if you're not knowledge enough. Yeah. That flight simulator was so computer, so computerized, I didn't even finish my time. My brain was fried, you know. Oh, really? You know, so. He tried, he tried to show me how to get in there, but he went so fast that I didn't get it. No, he was, he was not. I guess he was all right for experienced pilots, but he was not. He was too fast for me. He, you know, that's too fast for me. You know, you got to take your time. So it was a lot of fun with that flying there. But I learned one thing, and that is what I didn't know is for the engine reverse and the, and the spoilers. The flaps that goes up, those are spoilers. Okay. The minute that the plane touches. So it has to go on all on automatically. The spoilers go up automatically. And the engine reverse go on. I didn't know up till then he showed me there's one lever I have to click in a little bit.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker AIf I click it in that just automatically. And I didn't know it. So I learned one thing there. Yeah.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker AThat's cool.
Speaker BWhen did you first get into planes? Like, when did you first start? When did you have.
Speaker A2010.
Speaker B2010.
Speaker ASee, they kids bought me a package. It was very simple, you know, I, I said, why do you spend that money? I haven't got a clue what to do. Yeah. So. And then I start fooling around. Fooling around. All of a sudden I flew Altolite.
Speaker BOkay.
Speaker ASo I flew ultralight. Tiller did a test. That was. The guy said, you made a test. You couldn't go. You can go ahead but do some other fly.
Speaker BRight.
Speaker ASo that's how I started off. And it used to be comparing now, I mean, just like anything else.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker AIt was so, so different now. Yeah.
Speaker BDo you. Did you always like planes, even before simulator?
Speaker AOh, yeah.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker AChris. My dream was to be a pilot in my life. But when you don't have any education, you can read and write even your own language. He said, never mind English. How do you expect to be a pilot? I know now that I would have made it.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker AI have a cousin, he doesn't have much more education. He flies jet for long, many years already. He flies now for European company from Hong Kong. He flies in the eastern part of a big cargo jet. Now, okay, so he started off with a small plane, you know, plus then my friend who is, who was a 30 year pilot, he came and mentored a lot of mentoring. He showed me all the procedures and tricks, you know, so. But there's two. So he was the one that got me first time into a real pipe simulator, the nav. Oh, really? Yeah, it was. Oh, what year would have been 2016 somewhere out there.
Speaker BOkay.
Speaker AIt was in February. One day he phoned me, he said, john, what are you doing in on the 24th? Oh, nothing. He said, write down a big day out. What do you mean? Didn't tell me anything else. So a week before I phoned and I said, what do I all need? He said, I have a vacation. You need have to have your identification on you and you should dress me. Should be dressed nice. So here he comes and picks me up. It was a freaking cold day, Northeast wind.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker AWent on the freeway and I didn't have a clue what he was up to. And grandma knows everything. Oh, really? Okay, hit the freeway, turn on Lake Monroe to the airport there. Holy moly. She could take me into a real plane. What's going on here? I felt like I got kidnapped. Okay, so when we got to Abbotsport, there where they had the flight simmer cockpit in the building. We got there and the instructor said, well guys, the computer says, oh yeah, he got us into the cockpit and my stomach wouldn't come out. So here you go, walk into the cockpit, everything in front of you. And there's a Vancouver runways in front of you. It's at night.
Speaker BYeah,
Speaker AI thought my stomach would come out for something like that. You have to be prepared mentally a little bit. Okay. Okay. And I had no preparation. It was just like that. Then he said, well guys, these are the computers are not talking to each other right now. Here's a couple of tickets for lunch. Why don't you go and have lunch first? Yeah, well, Chris, I wasn't hungry anymore, really. We went and I was open, praying the computers wouldn't talk when we come back. Yeah, yeah. Finally we got back and I was very, very nervous. Well, he said, are you ready? The computers are talking now. So got in there and put the seatbelt on like a pilot. And you bring your seat out from the seat is pushed out all the way against the wall. You bring it out. Yeah. And you bring it up till your shin is level with the dashboard. Okay. So he started asking me questions and I could answer every question he had. So he said, do you know how to start I said, yeah, I know how to start. See, you have starter buttons here for each engine. Okay. Yeah. And I started one engine. Oh, oh, sound like a real job. The other one. And so do you know what percentage do you lift your plane? Yeah. 20%. If you go more than 20%, your. Your tail will drag. Okay.
Speaker BOkay.
Speaker AYou have to make sure you don't go over 20%. And what speed do you take off if possible? You have to be off the ground at 180 knots an hour. Okay. Because what has happened, if you go over the. The tires get very hot.
Speaker BRight.
Speaker ABut all the weight and all that, you could explode the tires. Okay. Yeah. And same thing. When you come down, each plane is different. 737, you should be no more faster flying than 140 knots an hour. Again, it has to do. If you come on too fast, you could break your landing gear.
Speaker BRight.
Speaker AThis is what happened long ago in Toronto. I said, one of the smaller planes came down and flipped over. Yeah. And I said, right away, he broke his landing gear. Sure enough, came out later on, he came down too fast, broke the landing gear, and the plane flipped right over. I mean, nobody got killed. A couple of people got injured a little bit, but everything was fine. See, that's what you have to be. I try to be down at least 130. Okay. So you should be no faster than 140. Again, for danger, for breaking your linear or for exploding your tires. Right. Those tires get so hot an hour later, you cannot touch with your bare hand, really, from that touching down, you know? You see how that smokes? Yeah. That's how hot they get. And not all the weight.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker ASo we took off, flew towards west in Vancouver, and all of a sudden, well, he said, let's turn around. Oh, by the way, do you know what percentage you could turn your plane? Only 30%. If you do more than 30%, you start losing altitude. Right. I. I knew all the questions he had. I had answers. So. So then we came back, and when we flew over Vancouver airport east, and all of a sudden he said, do you know they got an autopilot? Yep. There's three buttons. He pushed into autopilot. So here I'm flying autopilot. Yeah.
Speaker BCool.
Speaker AThen we flew. Accidentally turned around and landed the plane. Nice. In Vancouver. He looked at me, he said, congratulations, I couldn't have done any better than the way you did in the. But I was literally sick that day. I came home, I felt sick, and of course I was. How should I say? Uptight, upset or what Grandma says, you're not even now. I said, honey, why didn't you tell me that something like this, this is a little bit too much. I said, I should have been prepared a little bit mentally.
Speaker BRight.
Speaker ABut no warning, no nothing. Just like that. When you walk in that cockpit there, all the gadgets and everything in front of you and there the Vancouver Runway at dark, at night, you know, that was a little bit too much in my brain. Yeah. Well, you did it though.
Speaker BYou did it. That's cool. And what year was this?
Speaker AWe lived here already.
Speaker BOkay.
Speaker AI started flying in 2010. That's when they got, when I had my foot surgery. Okay.
Speaker BYeah,
Speaker A2016, somewhere out there. Okay, cool. Then later on we went to Richmond. There, him and I, they flights and that's where I went now.
Speaker BYeah, yeah.
Speaker ASo we were, went into a flight simulator there. Okay. And he had a, the guy had it set up. He took off in Seattle and again, I did everything, it didn't do nothing. I took off and flew to Vancouver and we were here about Abbotsford. He said, do you know how to land? I said, yeah, leave it up to me, I will land. So I landed nice in Vancouver. Nice landing and everything. And he looked at me and he said, you can't convince me that you're not a pilot.
Speaker BOkay.
Speaker ASo I did great, you know.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker AI would now if a big plane was in trouble in the air, I would go in front and I would, I would, I would handle it. Cool. Because I know all the procedures.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker AAnd another thing, these days, when they come, when those guys come closer to the airport, the tower is controlling you completely. Yeah, yeah. They, from the tower, they tell you what to do, which way to turn. They tell you constantly, turn, turn to that zero number, that number. Okay. Yellow button where you turn numbers. Okay.
Speaker BOkay.
Speaker ANow the plane turns. Okay. Yeah. So they, or they'll tell you your, your speed at your speed is too fast. Like my computer here too, it tells me my speed is too fast or too low.
Speaker BOkay.
Speaker ASlow. Yeah. So then the third time, me and Michael went into Abbotsford and we went in there and Strucker said to Mike, you're the co pilot now, you sit there beside your dad and he'll tell you what to do. See how it works in those planes, those pilots, if one pilot is busy with flying the plane, once you sit there, no plane coming on, you're full powered, handling the plane. Okay.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker ABecause what happened is when you come down the lower you come the last, the resistance there. So with the air, that's when You. When you feel like the plane goes like this. Yeah. Because that's the. Because the low speed, you don't have the constant air airflow. Okay.
Speaker BOkay.
Speaker AThat's why the plane, you sit there and hold it. Okay. Yeah. And so that one, he had it set up in Toronto. And I said, oh, which Runway are we on? Runway three three right or three three left? And he said, three, three right. You know? Yeah, I said, I know. So we took off and flew. We did what I call touch and go. Yeah, you come. You come and touch down. You take off again. I call it touch and go. So we did that, that and first time. And I said, so which Runway you want run? Me three three six or three three riders. You really know the runners here. He wrapped the funnel and all of the numbers. So that was. That was nice. Like this one. I didn't enjoy this one. Now, that instructor, he was new. He was there only for a month. He was an experienced commercial pilot in New Zealand. Okay. So he was too. He was not the right instructor for me. Okay. Yeah. You see, when you're a pilot, you constantly have to go into those flight simulators. They have to do it twice a year. Really? Go in there and spend the whole day on a flight simulator. They do all these procedure tests there. I know my buddy who was a pilot. Yeah. He said, you have to do it twice a year. That's why they check us out, to make sure that we do think. Do right things. Yeah. For instance, what do you do on an emergency? All that kind of stuff they have to do. Yeah, yeah. So. Well, it was a little bit like this. If Grandma hadn't said no, Grandma thought if I would go as a pilot, I just want to try to commit suicide, you know? And I told her, I said, more people die on the ground from being alcohol than pilots, you know, I said, why are you so afraid? You know, I won't die any sooner in the air than I would die down here. Right. But. Well, the biggest issue with Grandma was not to spend that money. It's too much money.
Speaker BOkay.
Speaker ASo it shows a good marriage over flying. Okay.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker AYeah, that's how it is. Okay, Good, good.
Speaker BWhat's your favorite airport you land in? If you had to pick one more to do for your last flight, where would it be?
Speaker AThese days, I think for the airport is good, you know, I mean, there's some of the busy ones, you know, like when you come to Chicago.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker AAnd you. You have to expect that you won't land right away. Oh, yeah. There are so many planes.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker AOr New York, New York Airport or Atlanta.
Speaker BYeah, yeah.
Speaker AThose are very big planes that a lot of times you come down, one plane is right in you front of of you and if he's not off the Runway then he tells you go around. Okay, go around. You know, so sometimes I have to do it twice before really I can land, you know, and that's, that's normal life, you know.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker AI've been twice in a plane too, where the plane was almost done. You have to take off.
Speaker BReally?
Speaker AOkay. So. I would say San Francisco and Vancouver. I do a lot of those routes. A lot of those routes. So cool. See up till about what a year ago maybe not last a year ago. I have to remember, I have to know every run with the number. Not anymore.
Speaker BOkay.
Speaker AI could show you what, what happened. Now when I come new to the airport and as soon as I'm coming, I got the tower, they tell where. Then I got a guideline. He guides me right in.
Speaker BOkay.
Speaker AI don't have to think now anymore. Which Runway do I take? See, Vancouver has. When you come from the east, there's 2, 6 left and 26 right. And you come in from the west, 0 right and 0 left. Okay. Okay. And Calgary, when you land in Calgary and you're coming from the north of 17th left and 17 right. Okay. And when you come in from the south. 05, 005 left, 05 right. So that's, that's how those airports are all numbered. Okay.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker ACool.
Speaker BBut you don't have to remember them anymore. You don't have to remember them anymore.
Speaker ANo, not anymore. Oh. Because as soon as I have talked to the tower, as they tell me what you're done. I got the guideline. Just follow the guidelines right away. Follow, follow the pattern.
Speaker BOkay.
Speaker AIf you don't follow the pattern, you run into trouble on the Runway.
Speaker BSure.
Speaker ASee, it's all timed every time you have. It's all timed with all the procedures. Yeah.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker ASo if I don't land the way it's supposed to, then, then I'm not. They don't control me like that. For instance, if I land not with the time is planned. See. Now if I land up on the timing right on. As soon as I have touched down, I have a guideline to the chutes.
Speaker BOkay?
Speaker AYeah. I don't have to know any more. The gates gives me a blue line, but it's all for instance. Okay. Turns it this way. If I fly to Calgary and I fly distant over. Okay? Yeah. And then come back then I don't have the guidelines. See, that's. The timing is out. It's all timed. Okay.
Speaker BOkay.
Speaker AThat's right, young fellow. Are you tired of playing ball already? My legs hurt. I'm probably going to. Your legs hurt? Why? A lot of things. Mainly running, walking. Yeah. So you are Ovim?
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker AHe got you. Oh, my goodness.