Finding his wings

Like many young men, my son Alex wasn’t sure what he wanted to do once he graduated from high school. He decided to take a year off to work and make money and hopefully figure it out.

THE FUTURE IS AT 33,000 FEET: Alex Southcott, is studying to be a commercial pilot at BCIT.

It was the fall of 2017 when Sealand Flight opened a new flying school in Powell River. Alex had always loved flying and travel, and he asked if we could go to an info session. So we went to the Westview Flying Club to hear all about the lessons and the ground school.

There hadn’t been a flying school in Powell River for over 20 years, so there was quite a bit of interest. Alex liked flying and he was happy that he could work on his private pilot’s license while living at home and working for Paparazzi Pizza. So was I, as it helped keep costs down and I thought he would figure out pretty quickly if this was something he’d like to do for his career.

A skiing accident that left him with a torn ACL and damaged meniscus meant it took a year longer than planned to begin his post-secondary education but that was fine with

me, I had my youngest child at home a bit longer!

Today, Alex is a full time student in BC Institute of Technology’s (BCIT) Commercial Aviation Program. It’s a 64-week intensive course and when he graduates, he will have his commercial pilot’s license and a business diploma. With the global pilot shortage in full swing, he should be able to find employment once he graduates.

The flying lessons take place out of the Pacific Flying Club at the Boundary Bay Airport in Delta. Classes are held at the BCIT AeroSpace and Technology Campus near the south terminal (home of Pacific Coastal) in Richmond. The Airline and Flight Operations diploma program follows training standards prescribed by Transport Canada and the aviation industry. Last year, Pacific Coastal Airlines and the Pacific Flying Club launched a new program, Fast Track to Success, to offset the impact of the pilot shortage as the lack of pilots is profoundly affects BC’s regional airlines and flight training schools. In a nutshell, the dearth of pilots means that flight training schools are having a difficult time retaining qualified instructors. Fewer instructors mean fewer pilots can be trained, said Clark Duimel, executive director of the Pacific Flying Club, in a press release. The new Fast Track to Success program is expected to improve the attraction and retention rate of pilots for both organizations.

BCIT, one of Canada’s largest aviation training schools, and Pacific Flying Club, one of Western Canada’s

premier flight-training schools, have combined their resources and expertise to offer a unique training opportunity for men and women who wish to become airline pilots with a strong skill set of aviation industry knowledge.

It is a fully integrated program that combines flight training with industry focused academic training. Learners receive training required to qualify for a private pilot licence, commercial pilot licence, multiengine rating, instrument flight rating, and a diploma designed specifically to meet the professional growth needs of an aviator in the aviation business.

BY ISABELLE SOUTHCOTT| isabelle@prliving.ca