PilotBlogBook

Deep Dive Reading: Who Needs Alberta’s Heavy Oil, and Why?

Canada’s Energy Independence – Reducing Reliance on the U.S. Market This post delves into the global demand for Alberta’s heavy oil and the strategic importance of diversifying Canada’s energy markets. It highlights how various countries, including the United States, Europe, China, India, Japan, and South Korea, have refineries capable of processing heavy crude oil...

Building Canada’s Energy Reality – A Vision Beyond the Pipe Dream!

Pipeline Route Options within Canadian Borders Canada has explored the possibility of building a west-to-east oil pipeline entirely on Canadian soil. The most prominent proposal was Energy East, a 4,500+ km pipeline from Alberta to New Brunswick. As shown in the map below, it would have linked Alberta’s oil sands (Hardisty) to the Atlantic...

Life Is Not Like Flying—Navigating Uncertainty with Purpose and Adaptability

Introduction to Life as a Seaplane Pilot – In the world of aviation, pilots rely on strict procedures, detailed flight plans, and sophisticated technology to ensure each journey is completed safely and efficiently. When you’re in the cockpit of a seaplane, for instance, the combination of flight plans, checklists, and real-time analysis of wind,...

My Eleventh Hour: Adventures in a PBY Flying Boat

High inside the Arctic Circle. 1966. The captain taxied the immense, majestic Canso flying boat into the frigid Foxe Basin arctic waters. We were leaving Igloolic, a fragile-looking settlement perched tenuously, like a tern’s egg, on a rocky island between the giant Baffin Island and the mainland Melville Peninsula. I would most likely never...