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Real life stories: flight service and Transport Canada Training Institute

The flight service specialist training at the Transport Canada Training Institute in Cornwall, Ontario.

(Precedent story: the flight instructor license)

View of a small portion of the Transport Canada Training Institute in Cornwall, Ontario, in 1982
View of a small portion of the Transport Canada Training Institute in Cornwall, Ontario, in 1982

In the early 80s, the oil crisis forces airlines to greatly limit hiring. This was not the case during our pilot training course but becomes a reality when applying for a job a year later.

However, on the government side, the situation is quite different. The air traffic services branch of Transport Canada is looking for new employees to replace staff approaching retirement age. The only option immediately accessible to me is to apply as a flight service specialist (FSS). I have only a rough idea of what are the responsibilities, nothing more. But the pay and advantages are far better than what is otherwise available to a new flight instructor. It is time to send in an application.

For the Province of Quebec, two written examinations totally unrelated with aviation are held at the University of Quebec in Montreal. There are 1500 candidates (5 sessions of 300 applicants) who attempt these tests during the two days allotted for the first phase of the selection process. In the following weeks and months, those who have succeeded in the written tests must then undergo anything from personal interviews to language tests, medical examinations and security clearances.

We are now three candidates from Quebec heading towards the Transport Canada Training Institute in Cornwall. There will be thirty-five hours of theoretical and practical course per week, over a six months period. The pressure will be continuous and desired in order to eliminate candidates who may not react well to stress.

We will be paid to study. A candidate is guaranteed with a posting upon completion of training, providing he manages to obtain 80% and above on the written and practical evaluations. Because this 82-01 course is not dedicated to Quebecers only, it cannot be offered in French. So it is going to be in English only, and will include twenty-four students from almost all Canadian provinces.

The Transport Canada Training Institute in Cornwall is nothing short of exceptional for those who have decided to study and succeed.

In order to help the student to deal with the weekly thirty-five hours of courses and examinations, the school provides interesting amenities.Each student has a private room with daily maid service. The cafeteria offers a good choice of meals. Calories can be burned at the pool, gym, weight room, on the tennis court or on the baseball field. A snack bar remains open for late-night cravings. A bank teller is made available to students, as well as a hairdressing salon, a bar, arcade games, pool tables, etc.

1982 Cornwall TCTI Pool
1982 Cornwall TCTI Pool
Transport Canada Training Institute weight room. Cornwall, Ontario 1982
Transport Canada Training Institute weight room. Cornwall, Ontario 1982
1982 Cornwall TCTI combat room
1982 Cornwall TCTI combat room
1982 TCTI, Cornwall. Students from the FSS 82-01 group are experimenting a new way to improve scoring at basketball.
1982 TCTI, Cornwall. Students from the FSS 82-01 group are experimenting a new way to improve scoring at basketball.
1982 Cornwall TCTI games
1982 Cornwall TCTI games

So that we understand what lies ahead, we are told that there are traditionally many students in each class who will not keep pace and will be sent home, despite their efforts. For a francophone who wasn’t using a second language on a daily basis , it is clear that integrating new theory presented in English for seven and a half hours every day, five days a week, becomes demanding. I compensate for the times when my attention decreases by studying in the evening.

There is a library in the school as well as multiples rooms for flight simulators designed for every career considered by the students.

1982 Cornwall TCTI Flight Simulation Room
1982 Cornwall TCTI Flight Simulation Room
1982 TCTI Cornwall. Environment Canada upper air building.
1982 TCTI Cornwall. Environment Canada upper air building.
1982 TCTI Cornwall Stevenson screens
1982 TCTI Cornwall Stevenson screens

In the courtyard, there is a peacock and other small animals and a water source flows into a very well planned landscape.

1982 Cornwall TCTI courtyard
1982 Cornwall TCTI courtyard

The amenities are simply stunning. The message is clear: “Transport Canada only ask you to study and succeed, it will take care of the rest.”

1982 Cornwall TCTI corridors to classrooms
1982 Cornwall TCTI corridors to classrooms

Finally, the moment we were all waiting for as arrived. Students who managed to get through the course celebrate their graduation.

Assignments are distributed. Those who will be working in isolated postings, in northern Quebec, are well aware that the schedule does not include holidays. The FSS will be on duty every day. The new employee will be compensated for overtime and a more expensive cost of life. He will also benefit from subsidized rents.

My departure is planned shortly for Inukjuak (CYPH), along the east coast of Hudson Bay in the Nunavik. Life will soon change radically.

(Next story: enroute to the first posting: Inukjuak)

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Updates

Update October 19, 2014

Hi everybody!

Many pictures and articles have been added during the past few weeks. The last addition to this site can be found in the “flight simulation” section, under “standard virtual flights”. It’s a flight using FSX from  Redding (California) toward Sekiu (Washington State). To make it easier for those of you who would like to try it, I’ve added the approach and stall speeds. The Phenom 100 is surprisingly easy to fly because it is a light jet with a low approach speed. It constitutes an excellent small jet for the pilot who wishes to transfer from piston engine aircraft toward jets. The virtual Phenom 100 is made by Carenado and the scenery by Orbx.

François

Phenom 100 turning toward Clallam Bay, inbound for the Sekiu airport
Phenom 100 turning toward Clallam Bay, inbound for the Sekiu airport
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Screen captures

The Pitts Special in action at Monterey, California

A Pitts Special on an inverted flight over the Monterey airport, California (FSX
A Pitts Special on an inverted flight over the Monterey airport, California (FSX)

Here is a screen capture added recently to the flight simulation section, under “virtual pictures”. The Pitts Special was designed in Wyoming and the first one was built in 1971. This aircraft has won more open competitions in United States than any other type. Everyone who has flown the Pitts Special praise its quick reactions at the slightest pressure on the controls. In the actual scene, the aircraft is over the Monterey airport, a creation of Orbx for the FSX platform.

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Screen captures

Intercepted!

Harrier intercepting a twin turboprop
Harrier intercepting a twin turboprop

The screen capture that you can see here has really not been planned. It is about the interception of a light twin engine aircraft by a Harrier military jet. After subscribing to an English virtual flying magazine, I received, as a welcome gift, this virtual military jet. As I was “in flight” familiarizing myself with the jet, I saw a little white dot moving in the distance. It was one of the numerous virtual aircrafts generated by the Microsoft Flight Simulator (FSX) program. The idea to simulate an interception and fly in formation with an unknown aircraft was just too good to resist. In few minutes, both aircrafts were in sight of each other. It was now a matter of adjusting the speed of the Harrier exactly with the other aircraft’s speed and progressively get closer. The picture represents the end result of this little meeting. The countryside under the planes is an ORBX creation.

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Updates

Hello Everybody!

Welcome to my new web space. It’s a very humble site for the moment as I am developing it at the same time that I am learning WordPress. Once my site is completed, you will find quality photos and insights into improving your photography skills. This site will also contain information about aviation, flight simulation, weather and flight information services (FSS). I will be uploading real life stories about flight information services spanning over thirty years of experience in Quebec and Canada’s North. These stories will be accompanied with photos that I took over the years. I will also share my passion for books.

I am looking forward to your visit in the coming weeks.

François