1-5 Takeoff in CZBB, good view of Boundary Bay Airport, the line of hangars on the Apron 3 in particular, going northbound via Delta, Surrey, New Westminster, looking at the Waterfront Esplanade, Patula Bridge and Fraser Valley with Port Mann Bridge on the east.
6-10
Burnaby, Fraser Simon University, the school of my two older grandkids. We continue flying north and soon reach Burrard Inlet, looking at Sasamat Lake, the place of open water swim competitions, and Darwin and my hiking around in Belcarra Park. We are crossing the inlet to Vancouver’s North Shore and turning left heading west above Second Narrows Bridge.
11-15 Continue flying westbound, looking south at Burrard Inlet with Coal Harbour, Stanley Park, Downtown and all Greater Vancouver area to the horizon, Capilano River, Lions Bridge below, anchorage area and we are reaching Horseshoe Bay, Bowen Island, Howe Sound with good view to famous Sea to Sky Road.
16-20 Keats Island below and we are above Sunshine Coast, Gibson first, then Sechelt Airport well known for us, the village and Trail Islands across.
21-25 Halfmoon Bay on the right, Buccaneer Bay on the left.
26-30 Texada Island, Lasqueti Island, we are crossing the Strait of Georgia, Hornby Island, and finally, we are on Vancouver Island taking altitude to cross it via mountains on the way to Nootka Island.
31-35 Crossing Strathcona Park. Designated in 1911, it is the oldest park in British Columbia. Located almost in the center of Vancouver Island, Strathcona Park is a rugged mountain wilderness comprising more than 250,000 hectares.
36-40 We continue our flight above Strathcona Park in the middle of Vancouver Island. Mountain peaks, some perpetually mantled with snow, dominate the park. Lakes and alpine tarns dot a landscape laced with rivers, creeks, and streams.
41-45 Mountains are behind us, we continue to fly westbound, Muchalat Inlet, Mooyah Bay on the right, Vancouver Island is crossed and we are on its west side, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Continue to fly by Bligh Island Provincial Park, Nootka Island ahead. I am looking at the left window southbound at Vancouver Island. Tofino is somewhere there in this direction.
46-50 We are descending down to 500 feet above the beach of Nootka Island. Nootka, often referred to as the "Birthplace" of British Columbia, is located at the mouth of Nootka Sound where we are now. In March 1778, Captain James Cook became the first European to set foot on British Columbian soil when he visited Friendly Cove on Nootka Island, just the place where we are now. Suddenly, the weather on the coast is changing due to low mist which reduces visibility to dangerous levels. We decided to turn back and not land here on the beach as it was planned before.
51-55 The decision is to fly to Courteney. We have to cross Vancouver Island back to the Strait of Georgia by another route which is a little bit on the north from our way to here. The further we are from the Pacific Ocean coastline the better the weather is. Clouds disappear soon. We are climbing up to cross the mountain ridge of Central Vancouver Island.
56-60 We are above Strathcona Provincial Park on the way to Courteney. Upper Campbell Lake is in view soon. It is a reservoir on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. The lake was flooded in 1958 for a large hydroelectric project, which raised the water level by 30 meters.
61-65 Mountains are back and we are heading to Courteney which is situated close to the Canadian Forces Base Comox the home of the 19 Wing under the operational command of 1 Canadian Air Division. Its Aurora (the Lockheed CP-140) crews keep watch over the Pacific Ocean looking for illegal fishing, human trafficking, drugs and pollution in addition to foreign submarines. 442 Squadron also carries out search and rescue (SAR) operations throughout Search and Rescue Region (SRR) Victoria, stretching from the B.C.-Washington border to the Yukon, and from the Rocky Mountains to 1,200 km out into the Pacific Ocean. 435 Squadron’s Hercules crews also support SAR across SSR Victoria and SSR Trenton. Members of the 418 Squadron train aircrew and maintainers on the CC-295 fixed-wing SAR aircraft. Soon we are above Corteney and land here.
65-70 Beautiful places. We have to return here one day. The Courtenay Airpark is a small public aerodrome located on the banks of the Courtenay River. It's within easy walking distance of downtown Courtenay, in the beautiful Comox Valley, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. With its paved 1800x60ft runway, 24/7 self-serve fuel, floatplane facilities and central location, the Airpark is a favoured destination for aviators from near and far. The Airpark is owned by the City of Courtenay but is entirely managed and operated by a volunteer organization (The Courtenay Airpark Association). It serves not only Courtenay but all surrounding communities and localities in the Comox Valley.
71 - flight map, 72 - how far we were from destination point, 73 - Courtenay and Comox,
74 - Yuquot, also known as Friendly Cove, is a small settlement of around six people—the Williams family of the Mowachaht band—plus two full-time lighthouse keepers, located on Nootka Island in Nootka Sound. The place is often referred to as the "Birthplace" of British Columbia.