Air Canada needs to do its own upgrades

Dear editor: Re: Turbulence coming to Penticton’s airport, A1, March 13

I applaud the proposed upgrades to the Penticton airport, however more needs to be done to avoid cancelled flights due to poor weather conditions.

This winter it appeared that Jazz flights often did not make it in or out, yet WestJet ones did.

Why could this be? I believe YYF underwent a major upgrade in their navigational system back in 2014 that should assist planes landing but only if those same planes had GPS avionics on board.

Jazz uses the older Dash 8-300 into Penticton that (I believe) are not equipped with GPS; whereas WJ utilizes the Q400 which has the ability to use such technology and seems to land here most times when visibility is almost nil.

Jazz has more than 40 of those same Q400 planes but does not presently utilize them into Penticton. Kelowna does not seem to have the same problems as Penticton. Why is that?

Is it because more flights there are using Q400, 737, CRJ planes that have better avionics than the older Dash 8?

If there is a substantial advantage with the Q400, perhaps AC Jazz could consider trying them out here. They are a far nicer plane and our terminal was already renovated to accommodate the larger number of passengers using the WJ planes.

Castlegar airport has similar (slightly worse) problems due to weather.

According to the Nelson Star newspaper, Jan. 29, 2016, that airport was considering upgrading their navigational systems to try to improve landings. However, according to Nav Canada, this would involve the installation of RNP (required navigational procedure) into planes serving the airport.

RNP is a computerized landing system using satellite and GPS technology to find the shortest and safest route into an airport. It is relatively new technology and not all airlines use it.

Jim Gouk, a former local MP and air traffic controller, told the Star that RNP cannot be installed in the Dash 8 planes that AC Jazz uses as the fleet would have to be upgraded and pilots trained, all at considerable expense to the airline. This is the same plane type that Jazz uses into Penticton.

Again, I am in favor of the terminal upgrades here, but something needs to be done to improve the performance factor of the Jazz planes presently servicing Penticton.

I still try to use Jazz from YYF whenever possible; but in winter, it’s less of a gamble using Kelowna. Allan Stark

Penticton Herald, bitumen pipeline or a spill from a tanker carrying a million barrels of crude oil into the Salish Sea were completely convinced to change their views by Paul Crossley’s brilliant and cogent defence of those firmly in the pockets of the dirty oil corporations and their lackeys.

Dismissing anyone who has views different from his as “green snowflake enviro clowns” is guaranteed to change the minds of those who oppose the pipeline. If you can’t come up with a balanced sensible argument to support your views, then call those in opposition names. That’s a very effective strategy to bring them over to your way of thinking.

His second thesis is we should give in to the bullying threats from Premier Notley to turn off the oil taps is also sure to convince the opposition to the pipeline to stand down. Let’s not defend our right to protest and protect our province’s environment. Just knuckle under and let Alberta ram a pipeline down the middle of our province.

Way to raise the level of debate, Paul. Jim Galer Penticton