Atlantic Canada In A YS-11

By Joe Thompson (26 September 2006)

Foreword: My previous Mercator http://www.flymercator.com flying episodes involved hauling freight in a DC-6 around Thailand and a C-130 adventure from Japan to Moscow. This time I'm going to circumnavigate the Atlantic Canada provinces in a NAMC YS-11 aircraft. Both aircraft and area are unique enough to complement each other so come along for the ride.

I arose early in my hotel room at the Hilton Garden Inn near the Halifax Airport (CYHZ) on Nova Scotia. We normally house our flight crews here due to the excellent service and proximity to the airport. After a shower and shave, I donned a newly pressed uniform and headed to the breakfast lounge. I had recently completed the three day, twenty hour ground school portion of my recurrent training for the NAMC YS-11 aircraft. During those three days and dozens of cups of coffee I had sat through lectures, cutaway schematics and system diagrams and I had dog-eared more than a few pages of my thick YS-11 AOM (Aircraft Operating Manual) in the process. Now all that minutiae was behind me and it was nearly time to saddle up for a training sortie thru the Atlantic Canada Provinces.

The only Japanese airliner to enter production since WW2, the YS-11 achieved a modicum of success in the Asiatic and North America markets. It was a product of the Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Company (NAMC), a consortium of Fuji, Kawasaki, Mitsubishi, Nippi, Shin Meiwa (now Shin Maywa) and Showa. The first YS-11 flew in August, 1962 and was awarded Japanese certification in August 1964.

Nearly 200 YS-11s were produced and most of them were sold to Japanese airlines: All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan Domestic Airlines (JDA), Toa Airways (TAW), Toa Domestic, South West Airlines (Nansei Koku, in Japanese) and the Japanese Self Defense Force.

Seventy-six aircraft were sold to other countries such as the U.S., Canada, Argentina, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Greece, Republic of Korea, Brazil and Indonesia. In the US, Piedmont flew them in the 70's and they were also used by Airborne Express, Reeves Aleutian, and Mid-Pacific Airlines. Production of the YS-11 stopped in 1974 and the last one was delivered to Japanese Self Defense Force. The last YS-11 revenue flight in Japan will be in a September 2006, but it will continue to fly the skies over Southeast Asia, especially the Philippines for many years in the future.

Specifications

• Engines: Two Rolls-Royce Dart turboprops, each rated @ 3,060 SHP
• Wingspan: 105 feet (32 m)
• Fuselage: 86 feet (26 m)
• Dry weight: 33,000 lb (14,100 kg)
• Maximum takeoff weight: 54,000 lb (24,500 kg)
• Airspeed: 250 knots (470 km/h)
• Operating range: 680 miles (1,100 km)
• Passengers: 64

The aircraft is not sexy (well maybe just a little bit!), nor fast (the 250 kt listed airspeed is mostly marketing hyperbole) nor is she a high flyer with normal cruise altitudes below 15,000 feet. However, she does afford the pilot an opportunity to manual fly a 50,000 lb. aircraft around without all the buttons and computers doing the majority of the flying as found in more modern aircraft. Control inputs are heavy and the Rolls-Royce Dart engines require some special handling procedures that make the operation even more interesting.

November One One Mike Charlie would be my aircraft for the day. She is an ex-Airborne Express aircraft we acquired from the many that ABX had parked at Ft. Lauderdale International. Captain Kenzo Hara and I had checked in with our Halifax Station Manager who had already pulled the daily weather forecast for us. It looked like a nice day to fly with generally light winds out of the west, and a few thunderstorms slated to pop up late in the trip around Newfoundland and the St. John's area. This was scheduled to be a 7 segment trip. We would depart Halifax, Nova Scotia for Saint John (New Brunswick) and on to Bangor, Maine then back into Canada to Fredericton and Moncton (New Brunswick). From Moncton we would proceed out into the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Madeleine Islands which are actually part of the province of Quebec. Departing the Madeleine's we would transit to the southeastern tip of Newfoundland landing at St. Johns, then return to Halifax. It would be a long day but fun. No revenue passengers would be aboard for the trainer, but we would be carrying some belly cargo.

One One Mike Charlie sat on the ramp at Halifax's International Airport (CYHZ). The early morning air was filled with the smells of spruce, kerosene and a hint of sea salt. How many different airports had she visited in the course of her long and illustrious career? I knew she had over 22,000 cycles on her airframe and we were about to add a few more to her paperwork. All in all, she was a pretty good looking lady for her age.

After my exterior preflight of the aircraft Kenzo and I settled into the front office. Captain Hara occupied the left seat and I would fly the entire trainer from the FO's seat. Kenzo had been with my airline for several years primarily serving as our YS-11 Chief Pilot and aircraft type manager. He had over 12,000 hours in type mostly with JAC. He had forgotten more about this aircraft than I would probably ever know. I had a paltry 750 hours of YS-11 time in my log, but I always loved flying them. In fact, I ferried one of our original YS-11 acquisitions from Tokyo to Phoenix (Mercator's corporate base) via Alaska. That was quite an adventure in itself.

One thing that one notices upon entering a YS-11 cockpit is the absence of prop or condition levers or a prop RPM gauge. The RPM gauge on a YS-11 panel measures the turbine speed in the N2 compressor section. They are powered by Rolls-Royce Dart engines, which also power such notable aircraft as the F-27, BAe 748, Grumman G-159 Gulfstream I, HP Herald and the Vickers Viscount. The throttle pedestal has several distinct levers protruding from it. Starting on the left you'll find a friction lock, then two power levers, followed by a Low Stop Lever which has two positions, and finally two High Pressure Fuel Cocks which have four positions. That alone is enough to keep you occupied during the normal up and down, quick turnaround rotations normally found flying this type aircraft. The propellers are 'hydromatic' - the prop pitch changes with the power settings. With all this going on it's a sure bet there's going to be a lot of pushing, pulling and fine tuning of these various levers during flight.

A couple other items of interest will be the lack of a sophisticated autopilot. Altitude is regulated with a pitch trim wheel. Once the autopilot is engaged, banking is initiated with a large knob that has always reminded me of the dial you see on a cooking timer. Basic features such as NAV, HDG, GS, BC and LOC locks are available. Then your eye spots a curious set of toggle switches and associated small gauges marked "Fuel Trim" and a panel for the Water/Methanol injection system. The Fuel Trimmers are critical in the care and proper feeding of the Dart engines. These switches are used to regulate the fuel/air mixture to the engines and maintain the proper Turbine Gas Temperatures (TGT) through all flight regimens. Use these switches incorrectly and you're likely to destroy a perfectly good engine...or both. And if all that wasn't enough, you'll also notice that there is no Horizontal Situation Indicator (HSI) staring out at you from the panel. No sir, directly below the Attitude Indicator instrument (ADI) is an instrument that resembles a Radio Magnetic Indicator (RMI), but with the added feature of Heading Select. To its left is an instrument called a Pictorial Deviation Indicator (PDI) and this is essentially your HSI. On the top of the main panel you'll also find an array of six lights that keep you informed of propeller operation.

Kenzo and I stow our gear bags, belt in and I start down the checklist. At the juncture "Pushback/Start" we signal the ground crew we're ready to turn up. Props are confirmed clear, the Low Stop Lever is confirmed in the Ground position and the High Pressure Cock (HPC) levers are "OFF." Fuel Trim Switches are set for start and engine #2 is selected on the start panel. The Master Start switch is activated. Then I push the start button and as the engine comes to life and rotates through 1,400 RPM I move the HPC lever to the "ON" position. At 4,000 RPM the HPC is placed in the High Stop Withdrawal (H.SWL) position, commonly referred to as "Lockout." While all this is going on I've been toggling the Fuel trimmers to keep the engine TGT within acceptable limits. With a smoothly running right engine we signal to the ground crew that we're starting #1 and the whole process is repeated again.

The sound of a Rolls-Royce Dart engine is sheer beauty to the ears. It starts as a high pitch scream bordering on a wail and eventually settles into a low, guttural moan. If you've ever heard a Dart engine you'll never forget its sound.

So with engines humming outside, chocks pulled and taxi clearance received, we pull off our spot at 0750 local time and head out to the active, which this morning is runway 24. That runway, being the primary runway at Halifax, is almost 9,000 feet in length and Kenzo directs me to perform a "Dry" takeoff. This refers to the use of the Water/Methanol (W/M) injection system which boosts the engines output power. The W/M boost pumps spray a solution of water and methanol directly into the combustion chambers of the engines. Without the boost the engine generates 2,400 SHP on takeoff. With the boost you get 3,060 SHP. When you're HOT, heavy, and/or short on runway every little bit helps. With a good piece of real estate ahead for takeoff and a Take-Off Weight (TOW) below 48,000 lbs it's acceptable to perform a "Dry" takeoff. On runways shorter than 6,000 feet and TOW's over 48K a "Wet" takeoff is the norm. The only visible difference in the cockpit between the two methods, other than the switch positions and boost lights on the W/M Booster panel, is that the TGT temps on a "Wet" assist is 860 Deg. C - verses 820 Deg. C for a "DRY" takeoff. Engine RPM for both methods is identical.

We are cleared for takeoff so landing lights are energized and flaps rechecked set to 15 degrees, which is the "Dry" flap setting. Throttles are advanced and a quick glance ensures that the Low Stop Lever has repositioned itself to the "Flight" position with the throttle advance. I set 15,000 RPM and at 100 KIAS I gently pull the yoke back and we're airborne. I call for gear up then flaps are retracted and I bank gently to the right to pick up V-310 to Saint John. Climb power of 14,500 RPM is set, autopilot engaged and the pitch wheel is adjusted periodically as we climb. Departure hands us to Moncton Center and we are soon on our way. Climb out requires close attention to TGT limits and engine RPM. As we approach our cruising altitude I tweak the pitch wheel downward a couple notches and center it as we level off. The HPC levers are moved back to the "ON" position and I ease back the throttles to give us 14,200 RPM and re-adjust the fuel trimmers. The previous high pitch screech of the engines now softens and becomes more of a muted hum.

YS-11s don't soar with the eagles; in fact they stay pretty close to terra firma, relatively speaking so most of this training junket will be flown between 9,000 and 14,000 feet AGL. Our first segment, Victor 310, leads us westward out over the woodlands of Nova Scotia passing just south of Minas Basin and then out over the Bay of Fundy (where the world's highest tidal range occurs: 12 - 16 m or 39 - 53 feet). After an uneventful flight we descend and land at Saint John International (CYSJ) in New Brunswick. A short taxi in and we shutdown. After the normal perfunctory ground tasks are completed such as cargo loading and paperwork, we check weather for the next leg and soon find ourselves on our way once again. One hour and 2 minutes after leaving the chocks in Saint John we block in and shutdown in Bangor, Maine. Once again the ritual of offload/onload, dispatch release and weather check is completed. Soon Kenzo and I are strapped and marching down each checklist item to bring One One Mike Charlie to life once again. With pushback granted and a taxi clearance in hand we headed to the active.

From Bangor, Maine we track northeastward up V-471 to Millinocket and then jogged eastward on V-300 into Fredericton (CYFC). I elected to make an NDB approach and land using runway 5. Ground time in Fredericton was brief and less than 30 minutes later we are wheels-up enroute Moncton (CYQM) continuing on V-300. The Darts sounded their clarion call outside the cockpit as we bore eastward. Talk was minimal on this segment due to its short length of less than 80 nm. It seemed like one endless checklist as the hiatus one gets at the cruise portion of the list seemed to immediately blend into the descent and approach. The entire segment took us 44 minutes. Throw in a couple radio exchanges with Moncton Center controllers and this leg was over before we knew it. We taxied in, shutdown, and I headed to the vending machines for a quick bite. When I returned shortly thereafter, I found Kenzo sitting in the cabin eating delicious looking sushi out of a tin box. When I asked him where he got it he informed me that he had a friend who was a chef in a Japanese restaurant in Halifax and he made him up a "to-go" box last night. My soft drink and crackers paled in comparison. Kenzo offered to share his meal but I politely declined. However I did make a mental note to find out who Kenzo's buddy was and where he could be found. Any future trips to this area would be enhanced with a sushi meal.

Soon we were climbing away from Moncton enroute Iles De La Madeleine (CYGR). This archipelago, located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, comprises about a dozen islands, six of which are interconnected by long, thin, sand dunes. (These islands are not technically part of the Atlantic Canada provinces since they are a part of Quebec.) We had purposefully filed a flight plan that took us eastward via V-300 to Charlottetown VOR then up V-374 to the islands because we wanted to overfly the Confederation Bridge that connects Prince Edward Island with New Brunswick. The 12.9 Km/8.0 SM Confederation Bridge crosses the Northumberland Strait at its narrowest point, joining Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Jourimain, New Brunswick. It is the longest bridge over ice-covered waters in the world.

Not soon after takeoff, while still laboring up to our cruise altitude we passed over the behemoth structure. Man's engineering prowess under adverse circumstances has always fascinated me and this bridge stood as another example. Eventually we hit our turn point and bank to the northeast. Later Moncton Center cleared us for our descent into CYGR. As we approached the airport we heard a King Air call his position to the NE and his intention to land on runway 26. We announced inbound to runway 16 which is only 3,600 feet in length. We were pushing 50,000 lbs and this was good short field practice for me. As we turned from base to final NW of the field we heard the King Air announce he was clear of the runway. A few minutes later we were both parked abreast in front of the small terminal building.

The last two legs would be the longest. From Madeleine to St. John's, Newfoundland (CYYT) would be 385 nm. We planned our route NE to Stephenville at the head of St. Georges Bay, NFLD then track down V-319 to St. John's. Once again we were on our way and 50 miles out of Madeleine Moncton Center passed us to Gander control. From here we would be passed from one Gander sector controller to the next. After I got us up to the mind numbing altitude of 15,000 feet we settled in. Conversation was sporadic but we did talk about the YS-11 type in depth.

The YS-11 is an excellent handling platform. Some aircraft, like the Mitsubishi MU-2, have killed more than a few pilots due to their quirky flight characteristics. The YS-11, on the other hand, is extremely docile in almost all flight regimens. Stalls are gentle and easily recovered from, both power on and power off. You must be attentive on the final flare in the landing and not close the throttle too early. Once the power comes off she'll plant herself on the tarmac rather abruptly. For this reason most experienced YS-11 pilots will carry a little power all the way down to the runway. The only serious hiccup at all in the aircraft is a loss of pitch control due to tailplane icing. Several accidents in the late 80's-early 90's were attributed to ice buildup on the non-ice booted portions of the horizontal tailplane that caused an abrupt nose over tendency when the flaps were lowered to 35 degrees. Reeve Aleutian Airways Inc., who operated the aircraft in Alaska, thought that the situation was aggravated when the aircraft was loaded close to its forward CG limit. Airborne Express was also aware of the problem and had imposed restrictions for flap extension limits and altitude in known icing. At Mercator we have placarded our YS-11s to limit flap extension to 20 degrees in know icing conditions. And it must be accomplished above 1,000' AGL. Additionally, we restrict aircraft loading to no further forward than 25% Mean Aerodynamic Chord (MAC) at all times.

We're cleared for our descent and I elected to use a cruise descent profile: engine RPM was left at 14,200. I pitched us downward using the pitch thumbwheel on the autopilot until we had 1,500 FPM rate of descent and let the airspeed build up to 240 KIAS. St. John's was using runway 29 this afternoon so we were vectored off airway eastward over Trinity Bay, then Conception Bay and finally turned south to put us on our base leg. Finally we were dirtied up and crossing the threshold I planted One One Mike Charlie right on the piano keys. As soon as we had three wheels on deck I moved the Low Stop Lever on the throttle pedestal to the Ground position (Ground Fine Pitch). This allows the propellers to drop below a 13 degree pitch angle. Since the YS-11 has no reverse thrust feature this flattening of the propeller pitch combined with regular wheel braking stops the aircraft. We pulled off the active, taxied in, parked and shut down. Man was I hungry. We had a couple hours on deck planned for CYYT, so we opted for a quick dinner. We had called our YYT station manager, Gordon Chaffee, on the radio 75 NM out and asked him for his recommendations for dinner. Now Gordon was standing on the flight deck telling us he had a car waiting to whisk us away to a nearby named Ches's. Located on Freshwater Road, Ches's is a local favorite for fresh fish and chips. The cod and hand-cut potatoes are battered and then deep-fried and they even have their own brand of vinegar for seasoning. Oh baby, show me the way!

After a terrific dinner we were back at the airport. In the short period of time since arriving scattered storm clouds had rolled into the area and a drizzle began to fall. Lightning was now licking its angry tongue from the surrounding clouds. Four hundred and sixty odd miles to the west lay Halifax and our warm beds. With paperwork complete, we sat on the flight deck in the fading light and a light rain tattooing our windscreen. Kenzo reached down and pulled a piece of paper from his bag. In a moment he said," Do you realize that those fish and chips dinners we had cost us $313.58 above what we paid for them?" I rose to the bait and asked how that could be since the bill was less than $40.00 CD? Kenzo continued, "....well the landing fee here, under our current contract with the airport authority, is $169.72 for this aircraft. The terminal fee is $124.12 and the parking fee is $19.74." Thankfully, our engine start time was rapidly approaching so I didn't have extra time to ponder the business acumen of Kenzo's findings.

Before long we were cleared for takeoff via runway 34. It was 2030 local time and dusk was giving way to night, but the lightning seemed to be nature's way of delaying the approach of total darkness. We turned left after departure, and were vectored to intercept our outbound airway which was V-312. We passed Torbay VOR then over flew Argentia (there's a lot of naval history - both Canadian and US Navy - associated with that place) and out over Placentia Bay. We continued to climb as the Miquelon Islands passed down our starboard side. (The Territory of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon Islands is all that remains of the old French colonial empire in northern North America. These islands are rocky, with little vegetation, and have a cold, foggy climate. Here they sit, a French possession, a stones throw from Newfoundland).

One One Mike Charlie continued to carry us westward out over the Atlantic. We would make landfall at Glace Bay on Cape Breton Island (Nova Scotia). Once over Sydney we would make a minor heading change on V-312 that would carry us to Halifax. By now we had left the thunderstorm and lightning activity behind us. Night had lowered her curtain and the soft glow of the cockpit lights kept us company. The radio occasionally sprang to life when a Gander controller would pass us to the next sector. Eventually Gander Center handed us back to Moncton Center, which is who we had started our day with earlier this morning.

Eventually we headed downward. Halifax was using runway 24 as usual so this would be an almost straight in approach unless they decided to vector us around for some reason. Radios were set up and not long after I had us slowed to 140 KIAS, with flaps set to 10 degrees. At 120 KIAS I called for the gear and with three green lights I then called for flaps 20. The runway 24 approach lights were very distinct now, even though the visibility was 4 miles in haze. Through 110 kts I called for flaps 35 and moved the High Pressure Fuel Cock levers to their "Lock Out" position. Then a gentle kiss of tires and I move the Low Stop levers to the ground position and applied brakes. As we slowed to a walk at a taxiway turnoff, Kenzo takes over ground steering using the Captains tiller. A few minutes later we're marshaled to our spot and brake for the last time. The engines are shut down and the aircraft is secured for the night. It's almost 2300 local time. As we walk across the tarmac in the darkness Kenzo tells me I did good and he'd fly with me anytime. Coming from such a consummate, professional pilot I take that as a compliment. Those remarks will not be entered in my logbook but they definitely will be remembered.

It's been a long day and sleep is just around the corner. There are those smells again, fragrant spruce and kerosene and sea air. I look back at One One Mike Charlie and think to myself, "I'd fly with you anytime too."

Credits

Once again, without the unselfish and tireless efforts of many aircraft and scenery developers this trip would not have been possible. To all those very talented people and to the thousands of others that daily contribute their efforts to sites such as FlightSim.Com and Avsim.com for our enjoyment I can only say - Thank You! And last, but definitely not least, I'd like to especially thank Nels Anderson and the staff at FlightSim.Com for providing a forum that has allowed all of us to pursue our love of aviation - real or otherwise.

AIRCRAFT

NAMC YS-11 (complete with panel and sound).
Developers: Allied FS Group (AFG)
File name: afgys11.zip
Mercator livery design, aircraft repaint, and panel modifications by the author.

AIRPORT SCENERY

Bangor, Maine (KBGR)
Author: John Young
File name: kbgr_jy3.zip

Fredericton, New Brunswick (CYFC)
Author: CanUk Scenery Adam Bentley and David Madge
File name: fredcyfc.aip

Iles De La Madeleine, Quebec (CYGR)
Author: Pierre Gallant
File name: cygrv10.zip

Moncton, New Brunswick (CYQM)
Author: Craig Mosher, Steve Mosher
File name: cyqm_v10.zip

Saint John, New Brunswick (CYJB)
Author: CanUk Scenery Adam Bentley and David Madge
File name: stjohnap.zip

St. Johns, Newfoundland (CYYT)
Author: Craig Mosher, Steve Mosher
File name: cyyt_v10.zip

Mesh Scenery

Maritime Provinces
Author: Gilles Gauthier
File names: marit09a.zip and marib09b.zip

Miscellaneous Scenery

Nova Scotia Landclass
Author: Rick Zenkner
File name: nvasctlc.zip

Canada Road System:
Author : Joel Gill
File name: cdnroad.zip
Note: You must download New Brunswick Road system file separately, file name: nwbrunrd.zip

Confederation Bridge
Author: Garvin Barnicoat
File name: confdbrg.zip

Charts

http://bathursted.ccnb.nb.ca/vatcan/fir/edmonton/index.html

Comments are welcomed by the author

Joe Thompson
ceo@flymercator.com