Just Planes WorldAirRoutes Air Canada EMB 190 Winter Ops

Staff Reviewer Marlon Carter takes a look at a Blu-ray from Just Planes in collaboration with WorldAirRoutes that takes you along with the crew of an Embraer 190 flying winter operations around Canada, visiting destinations including Saskatoon, Toronto, Ottawa and Kelowna - in High Definition!

Air Canada EMB 190



Highlights

Just Planes revisits Air Canada for a brand new DVD which features the Embraer 190 in winter operations. We started off with a briefing at the terminal among our Captain and First Officer. The briefing was very thorough and informative as it entailed a lot of information on the route, weather and NOTAMS.

Following this briefing we join the pilots in the cockpit of the EMB190 as they set up the FMS from start to finish. This segment may be of interest to those of you who are fans of the E-jet series. Our departure to Saskatoon was quite eventful as during the final moments of preparations for takeoff, the weather took a turn for the worst which left the crew with no other option but to visit the Deicing ramp. While at the deicing ramp, viewers get the opportunity to see this process firsthand as the ground crew sprays both type 1 and type 4 deicing fluid on a company B777.

During this time and onward into the climb phase of our flight the Captain takes the time to explain how vital deicing is to conducting a safe flight in harsh weather conditions. While in the cruise you will also learn a lot about Saskatoon and the primary industries tied to its economy.

The landing at Saskatoon was uneventful but on our return leg to Toronto there was a flow into Toronto that delayed our flight for some 45 minutes. After consulting with dispatch, our flight departs back to Toronto for an uneventful landing by our First Officer. Interestingly the weather conditions in Toronto had changed so dramatically that even our pilots commented that Toronto looked like a completely different place as the bad weather had dissipated.

The second round trip takes us from Toronto to Kelowna. As is the norm, our pilots conduct their briefing prior to departure, complete a full FMS setup and before long we are off to Kelowna. During the cruise, I especially enjoyed the captain’s explanation of the terrain and approach charts. Other highlights included amazing views from the cockpit on initial descent to Kelowna.

While on the approach we learn that the weather conditions are so bad that the ceiling is 200ft! Needless to say, the landing was spectacular and a definite highlight of this entire DVD. Another highlight was the cockpit presentation on our return flight to Toronto. This presentation featured many systems of the EMB190 and our First Officer did a great job at making it all easy to understand. The approach and landing at Toronto was very scenic as our aircraft flew over Toronto at night.

Our final round trip takes us from Toronto to Ottawa. Some of the highlights that stood out the most in this final segment were the presentation on the performance calculator used in flight planning and the great views from the cockpit. Another highlight one can’t help but notice was the very professional and friendly attitudes of Air Canada pilots.

Air Canada has been more than inviting to the aviation enthusiast community in opening its doors to Just Planes and by extension, millions of viewers around the world. We can only hope that Air Canada continues to do this and that other major airlines around the world will come to realize that there is a large following of aviation enthusiast who are eager to learn more about their airline and the services they provide.

Even more so, there are millions more who are avidly interested in the lives of airline pilots. This DVD was a fantastic journey and one that I would definitely recommend you have a look at.

Additional Information

Summary/Closing Remarks

I am always impressed with the new formats of Just Planes DVDs and this one is no exception. This DVD also comes in Blu-Ray format and at a price of $30.00 it is well worth it. Air Canada has been working along with Just Planes for quite some time and we hope that they may continue to do so. DVDs like these inspire many to live their dreams of becoming an airline pilot and it goes without saying that working for Air Canada seem to be a rewarding and exciting career path

What I Like About the Blu-ray

• Great scenery
• Creative editing and camera views
• Features very unique destinations and aircrafts
• HD and widescreen format
• Fantastic Airline and Flight Crew

What I Don't Like About the Blu-ray

• Nothing....