Nav Canada jet "buzzing" YVR?
 

Hi,

I was out with Mrs. Wooe and Little Wooe near the airport and saw this sleek looking CRJ zipping around in circles over Richmond and YVR airport. It was flying pretty low as well.

Getting out my long lens, i could see it was registered as "C-GNVC" with "Nav Canada" prominently painted on (looked pretty nice too). Had the words "Flight Inspection" painted on the engine cowling.

Can anyone illuminate me as to what it was doing? What is a "Flight Inspection" plane anyways?

Thanks!
Wooe

Checking and calibrating navigational instruments.

We've got a 2nd one coming as well. The Challenger and DH8 are being retired. Apparantly (according to our company's propoganda) the Challenger is the highest time example and will be going for testing and analysis by Bombardier.

I was wondering, why a smaller business jet such as a Citation Jet cannot do the same calibration job for a lot less money?

I have never been in NavCan's jet, but I assume it is stuffed full of workstations and equipment.
Having been in a Citation, I can tell you they are very small and cramped. Think of a CRJ through a hot wash and hot dryer.

Yes, departing YVR yesterday and saw the Nav Canada plane turn away from the departures runway. At first I thought it was a missed approach until it happened again and I realized what it was all about. I must admit it was strange to see this happen at the same time that aircraft were lined up on the runway for departure.

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6244318

Noticed on the info page that this plane started out in 2001 with ACA and went to Independence in 2004.

A Citation Jet doesn't have the range or endurance necessary for our requirements. Plus once IndependanceAir went under it was significantly cheaper to pick up used RJ200 ERs. There are loads of spares and maintenance is much easier to come by across the country.

The flight inspection aircraft don't just do approaches, but also airways, VORs, NDBs, communication equipment, the new ADS-B (somehow that doesn't look quite right...), amongst other duties.

I have seen them fly YOW-YYZ (low level doing airway certification), then a couple hours of approaches at YYZ, an hour at YHM, an hour at YTZ, and then head back out to YOW. No way could a CJet do that mission.

Actually it does. The CJ2+ has a range of 1600nm which is quite a bit more than the CRJ200ER and the CJ3/CJ4 are in the 1800nm range.

The CRJ burns about 4 times as much fuel as the CJ, and I do not see what kind of equipment would require that much cabin volume. Nowadays flight test equipment takes virtually no place at all.

Looks like unjustified spending to me.

Given we do not know what the full mission profile of this aircraft is, it is hard to define what is the right aircraft.

But I do note that the FAA flys the following aircraft:

• Challenger 604
• BAE 125-800
• Learjet 60
• Beech Super King Air 300

Of course, the FAA has a greater flight inspection program (around the world), and a much bigger domestic air system to inspect. With Canada being much more small in airways, but bigger in size, one assumes NavCanada cannot have the variety of aircraft an agency such as the FAA.

Again, without a full mission profile, it is mere conjecture as to if the CRJ-200 is the correct aircraft or not.

-Brian

No mere conjecture. I do this kind of thing as a living actually, and I don't need a full mission profile to figure out something is seriously amiss here.

Anyway, there are better suited forums to stir up the pot over NavCanada :D. I was hoping someone in the know here could enlighten me about this seemingly lavish spending.

How can it be seemingly lavish if you *know* it is seriously amiss?

-Brian

I *know* the mission (in terms of range and flight test capabilities) can be accomplished with a less expensive aircraft because that is my background.

I do not know why NavCanada seems to have a need for a CRJ200 because I do not work there, so that is the seemingly lavish part.

My question is very clear, hopefully.

Fair enough. Talking about this subject here is about as useful as sh**ing into the wind -- but if you do find the answers to your questions, I would be interested in hearing them...

-Brian

Maybe there aren't as many good used suitable business jets on the market compared to what they could lease a CRJ for. As said above, there was a glut of CRJ's on the market right after Flyi collapsed so Navcan probably got favourable terms on a 5 year old aircraft.

We get printed notices of these NavCan inspection flights in the local Richmond, BC newspapers on a regular basis.

Who knows why the use the CRJ for these inspections. They probably fly the thing all around the country and the exact fit of equipment on the aircraft is speculation unless someone has direct knowledge. I can tell you from personal experience fitting equipment on in-cabin racks on a CRJ that it would be much nicer setting up operator stations in a CRJ than something with a smaller fuselage diameter.

That Challenger likes to fly eastbound down 41st Avenue in the east part of Vancouver. See it regularly for the past 4-5 years. Some 20 passes or more on some days.

With seven aerials visible in that photo I wonder how many the thing actually has??:eek:

Why a CRJ?
 

With Independence Air going under, the aircraft were bought from the receiver for a fraction of the cost of the replacement aircraft contenders. It burns roughly the same amount of gas as the Challengers they replaced and the extra space on the fuse allowed for additional antenna (26 additional on top of the initial build spec antenna).

Independence Air's misfortune was taken advantage of. The extra antenna coupled with new computers have cut inspection times in half. Most of the upgrades required for the inspection role were existing STCs and available off the shelf (cheap). Parts are dirt cheap. It is a FAR 25 tough and proven airframe.

Nav Canada came out ahead. Less capital spent, lower operating cost then the Challenger, reduced inspection times, lots of room to place additional antenna without EM interference and room to add more for future requirements. Room to carry a fly-away kit (spare parts) to keep the aircraft moving on the road as it doesn't return to base for up to four weeks (or more) at a time.

It seems to work well...