Home » IFR » IFR Across Canada! No GPS, 6-pack Panel & ‘70s era Autopilot – How to Execute

IFR Across Canada! No GPS, 6-pack Panel & ‘70s era Autopilot – How to Execute

Ferry Mission – IFR Across Canada in a 1971 Piper Cherokee 6

Getting ready for “Operation Eastbound” as I help my buddy Blake ferry his new-to-him 1971 Piper Cherokee 6 from Calgary-area to Toronto (YBW – YKZ) using it’s 6-pack instrumentation, no GPS, and the original autopilot!

This mission took place in early winter, and icing in cloud was a risk we needed to manage and mitigate.

Mentors and coaches I leaned on for this mission – and most of my training! 🙂

Contact these awesome instructors for help with advanced flight training:

Dennis Simo (Ontario, Canada) https://www.nlft.ca

Luke Penner (Manitoba, Canada) https://www.harvsairinverted.com

Ryan Van Haren (British Columbia, Canada) https://www.cardinalaviation.ca

After years of avoiding getting into “Merch”, enough people requesting it finally inspired me to launch a store – All revenue goes back into production.

Support FlightChops and get your merch at the new store: https://FlightChops.store

Regarding the Survival kit: My friends at TacAero shared this code with the Flight Chops community to save $250 USD on an Aviation Survival Kit this spring. I am not being paid any portion of the sales, I just want to be a part of helping get more pilots flying safely.

To get a $250 USD discount on the TacAero Survival Kit, use the code Chops250 at check out: https://elite.tacaero.com/products/ta…

Clearly it is possible to do the work and research to put a kit together yourself more cheaply, but the very experienced team at TacAero knows what you need. So if you want to save that time, effort, and the chance of getting it wrong, I stand behind this ready to go kit.

To learn more about affordable DIY kits and other survival resources, visit: https://www.bcaviation.ca/survival-sh…

Links to the survival related episodes:

“Survival Shakedown” Parts 1 & 2: Could You Survive with Nothing but the Airplane Kit? We Try / Fail – BC Mountains:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb4UHmTvkuo

Survive a Forced Landing in the Winter Wilderness – Are you prepared? BC Mountains
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMzTrR93FJQ

TFP signal mirror demo episode: (Demo happens at about the ~9 min mark)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEhrDzWNrcA

___

Huge thanks to all the Supporters on Patreon!

Check our Patreon page to find out how to be part of the Flight Chops Community.

Productions like this wouldn’t be possible without your help!

___

Flight Chops is Proudly Supported by:

ForeFlight

Bose Aviation

Van's Aircraft

SiriusXM Aviation

CloudAhoy

Infiniteflight

EarthX Batteries

 

The Finer Points

Next Level Flight Training - NLFT.ca

I’m a Private Pilot, doing my best to stay current and learn. I fly for fun and might just be the least cocky pilot on the internet! My self analysis videos can seem self deprecating at times, but I am trying to learn from the small mistakes to avoid making a big one; I’m happy to share and find it rewarding to help other pilots or aspiring aviators in any way that I can. How does the saying go? “Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards”. And in aviation, not all tests are survivable.

My virtual “ride-along” flying videos are aimed and sharing my experiences and giving back to the aviation community which has been so helpful to me. I shoot multi-camera angles, get detailed real time instrument panel shots, and have radio intercom audio. I respect people’s time, so I put a fair bit of work into editing to keep the videos concise and engaging; I add animations and further graphics and voice overs where needed to add context and explanations.

My hope is to continue to grow and evolve the “Flight Chops” project with input and support from the aviation community!


Steve Thorne, aka "Flight Chops"

View all posts
Flight Chops Disclaimer

I am a “weekend warrior” private pilot, I fly for fun with no intentions of going commercial. I have had my PPL for over 15 years, but still consider each flight a learning experience – I generally take detailed notes after each flight to remind myself what went well or what I could do to improve…. Having the GoPro cameras to record flights like this is invaluable. I find these self analysis videos very helpful in my constant quest to improve, and am happy to share.

Feedback is invited; however, please keep it positive.

1 comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Steve – I can’t recall in which video, but I am sure I saw you using a kneeboard that had your iPad on top, and you just lifted it up (hinged) to get to the regular writing surface. That was truly cool, and my current kneeboard is getting tired – where can one find info on the iPad-holding board?
    I fly out of Frederick MD, home of AOPA, and if you ever find yourself in the Mid-Atlantic region, please stop in.

FlightChop’s Merch

Become a Flight Chops Patron on Patreon

STAY UP TO DATE