Education

12 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS - SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2019 Humans may have been born to fly but nobody ever said getting their wings was cheap. With the growing shor tage of pilots in Canada, there are few things as cer tain in this world as post- graduation employment from an aviation school. The challenge for many aspiring pilots, however, is the tuition. A full-time, one-year program will set them back more than $ 50,000, meaning some would-be pilots simply can't afford it. "It's a lot of money spent in a shor t period of time," said Dan Reeves, president, owner and chief f light instructor at Winnipeg Aviation. "It's definitely a career path as opposed to ever ybody gets to be a 747 captain when you're right out of f light school." If you can't afford the money or the time to take a full-time program, it's also possible to take a par tial load, which can take two or more years to complete. Many would-be pilots save up in order to go to aviation school or take out loans from their bank or credit union. There are also a number of loan and federal grant programs available to ease the financial burden. Reeves believes the federal government will have to get involved in the situation at some point because the economic impact of the aviation industr y is too impor tant to have long-running pilot shor tages. "All of the nor thern communities are ser ved primarily by air for food, medical and supplies. You're already seeing f light delays and cancellations in the U.S. because they don't have enough pilots," he said. Reeves said with baby boomer pilots retiring in greater numbers ever y year, the demand for replacements is going to the moon. "That's a massive number. All of the airlines are expanding, too," he said. Winnipeg Aviation puts about 60 would-be pilots through its programming ever y year. While many aspiring pilots dream of carr ying passengers across the Atlantic Ocean on a large passenger jet, ever y single one of them — including NASA astronauts — star ted training on a single-engine plane. The Brandon Flight Centre also puts between 25 and 30 students through its program each year. If you're not sure if being a pilot is for you, Adam Penner, operations manager of Har v's Air in Steinbach and St. A ndrews, suggests taking a first lesson — a "discover y" f light — where you can sit in the pilot's seat and manipulate the controls. "That's our test drive, our way of getting people interested," he said. The vast majority of Har v's Air students want to f ly for a living, whether that's for an air ambulance provider, a bush company, a business aviation company or a commercial carrier. About 10 per cent do it purely for their own enjoyment. Har v's, which has been getting people in the air since 1973, has 30 instructors. A growing number of its students are from other countries, including India, Germany, the U.K., France and South Korea, in large par t because the Canadian f light training system is well respected around the world. "Flying in Canada is a good deal. We have a relatively big countr y that's empty and has a good system of air por ts," he said, adding most of the international students return to their home countries once their training is complete. Har v's helps about 350 students get their wings per year, many of whom stay in its dormitories during their training. "They eat, sleep and breathe f lying," he said. Har v's has 40 aircraft, a f leet which includes Cessnas, Pipers and Diamonds. The majority of them have two seats but others are four- and eight-seaters. For more information, visit har vsair.com, winnipegaviation.com or brandonf lightcentre.com. ❚ AVIATION PROGRAMS EARN YOUR WINGS By Geoff Kirbyson for the Free Press "Flying in Canada is a good deal. We have a relatively big country that's empty and has a good system of airports." With baby boomer pilots retiring in greater numbers every year, the demand for replacement pilots is on the rise. Photo credits: kampphotography.com (top), Kaboha Photography

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