Abbotsford is located in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia in Canada. When students are in training, they have the opportunity to see a large variety of different landscapes. The city is located just north of the US border. It has Bellingham and Mountain Baker towards the south, Vancouver, Strait of Georgia, and Vancouver Island to the west, Whistler ski resort to the north and surrounded by mountains, rivers, and lakes throughout the north to the southeast.
Sumas practice area is one of the often used air works practice areas located in the Fraser Valley. It is a designated training area from 1,500 feet to 5,500 feet. There are also Harrison training areas north of the Fraser River from Harrison to Mission.
During students cross-country exercises, they will get the chance to have a closer look at the city of Vancouver from above during both day and night. Vancouver is a major seaport of southwest Canada that has a rich cultural background, and is rated one of the most suitable cities for living around the world.
Students often rent planes for a longer trip to explore further into the beautiful Vancouver Island. Victoria, the capital of BC is located on Vancouver Island and is only 30 minutes flight away.
From the north to the southeast, Abbotsford is surrounded by endless mountains, and hidden turquoise color gem lakes. Garibaldi lake is located located 19 km south of Whistler. It is an alpine lake that sits at 1,484 meters above sea level.
The biggest thrill for me about flying is the ability to see the world from a bird’s eye view. The higher I fly, the more I am amazed by the power of nature. I can see the world from a bigger scale. The weather phenomena I encountered while flying showed me how different it can be in the sky. First time flying into the clouds on an instrument training flight was something very unique. I had a sense of my airspeed suddenly after entering clouds because of the fast passing water droplets, but also the sense of stationary because looking out the window is like wearing a piece of white fabric on my eyes.
Learning to fly can also be a huge confidence boost. As student gained more training and skills, they will be able to land in more difficult airports and/or off airport spots. Some of the places that’s only accessible by either airplanes or helicopters.
Being able to control the aircraft and fly freely is truly an amazing experience.