Can't believe it has been 3 weeks here already. The flying is slowly starting to pick up: Starting at the end of
next week, I have 3-4 bookings of students each day, and I know there will only be more to come, from there. For now, I have had my one steady student, who needs his private pilot's licence by the beginning of August and another who is just about ready for his flight test. Pictured left, is my full-time student doing the walk around and checking the quantity of fuel in the tanks.Fortunately (and unfortunately) we have been getting Chinooks in the afternoons on more of a regular basis. Bringing in beautiful blue skies and warm temperatures, with a drawback of having some unbelievably gusty westerly winds (up to 80 km/hr) blowing right over and down the leeward side of the rocky mountains. It makes it pretty deceiving when it is a beautiful day outside but the winds are just too strong for the students. The wind rushing down the mountains hits the foot-hillls and can cause moderate to severe turbulence in the lower air levels. Now as an instructor, I am able to take the students up in different conditions (beyond renters and students limitations), as long as it is safe. However, with most of my students just beginning, trying to learn how to fly 'straight & level' in moderate turbulence can be counter-productive.
Beautiful mornings like this
Can end up like this! (West, facing the Mountains)In the 3 weeks of flying due-East of the rocky mountains, I've learned that it can be very hard to 
predict weather with those 10,000 rocks just upwind of where the weather originates (for the most part, weather moves West to East). The Rockies can drastically change weather patterns and weather forecasts. The actual weather can differ significantly from the 'theoretical' weather that is supposed to happen from the textbooks. However, learning the particular patterns will surely come with more experience flying in it.
The Calgary Flying Club's Fleet of C-172's
In final thoughts, I thought I'd post a picture of my slightly more efficient vehicle, since it was nicely washed in the picture. (It doesn't stay all that clean for too long with the random dumpings of snow and dusty roads both in and out of the city.
