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’

PROFILE

WEDNESDAY, April 8, 1992

1B

Welcome to Selkirk Air

Learning to fly at one of
Canada’s first college
aviation schools

“Keep your feet on the ground,
and keep reaching for the stars.”
That closing line from America’s
Top Ten is something the 35 stu-
dents in Selkirk College's avia-
tion school understand.

While it only takes two years
to get a pilot’s licence through
Selkirk College's aviation pro-
gram, it takes a bit of planning to
get there.

“The students are here because
they want to be,” said Robert

family. Because most families
like to stay in touch, the aviation
school developed one of Selkirk’s
first alumni programs.

“It’s nice for them to be able to
know where the other people
are,” added Evans. The alumni
program has also had a benefit
for the school.

“Through the efforts of our
grads and the [airline] companies
» we've been able to get consider-
able training for our staff.” Cana-

Not your average pump jockey. Students get hands on expe-

rience with all tasks, including refueling.

Evans, head of the aviation
department at the college. “It
shows a lot of motivation at a
young age.” Cost is the main fac-
tor in that motivation.

While tuition is approximately
$2,500 for the two year program,
the flight training, which involves
the rental of aircraft,
comes to about $21,000.
Wrap it all in a package,
with room, board and liv-
ing expenses, and a stu-
dent will spend between
$30,000 and $35,000.
Most of the students
carry student loans, and a
lot of them have been
working and saving to
help pay those costs.

There is a lot of com-
petition to-get into the
program evéry year.
There have been about 80
applications for the 17 to
18 openings in this fall’s
class. This year, there are 18 first
year and 17 second year students.

With the small classes and the
amount of one-on-one instruc-
tion, the school becomes a sort of

dian Airlines has lent a lot of
support to the program, including
a field trip to their maintenance
plant in Vancouver. Evans said
the highlight of the trip is the
chance to try out their flight sim-
ulator.

“They get a chance to fly the

The aviation school, which is
located in three buildings at the
Castlegar airport, opened in 1968.
It was, along with a similar pro-
gram at Toronto's Seneca Col-
lege, one of the first college
based flying schools in Canada.

Since the first class of 14 grad-
uated in 1970, 330 students have
come out of the aviation program.
Of the grads, 84 per cent are
employed in aviation, 60 per cent
with major or regional carriers
throughout Canada and
the world. Fourteen grads
are flying with major
international Carriers,
including: Cathay Pacif-
ic, North West Airlines,
American Airlines, Bri-
tannia, Swissair, and
Australia’s Ansette Air-
lines.

The training blends in-
class instruction and
practical experience. The
cockpit of a jumbo jet
airline is a vast collection
of dials, gauges, switches
and levers. Even though
the one and two prop
planes Selkirk use have
fewer instruments, they
still have a lot of dials
and gauges.

There is a lot more to
the instruction than learn-
ing how to fly. Students
have to learn how pre-
pare flight plans, main-
tain logbooks, and, with
help from the airport's
Environment Canada
office, how to interpret
weather maps. The stu-
dents also look after the
Planes; they refuel them,
tarp them, de-ice them.

“We try to make their
training as much like the
first job as possible,” said
Evans.

Their students most important
instrument training is how not to
use the instruments.

“Dealing with instrument fail-
ures or emergencies is one of the
most important, and toughest
parts of the program,” said Evans.

i

heavy metal, in simulator at
least.” Heavy metal is the most
familiar type of plane, the jumbo
jet. Led Zeppelin tapes are
optional.

Students take part in flight plannin

dispatch area.

Selkirk engineering staff member Jim Sofonoff uses a little elbow
grease while doing regular maintenance on one of the airplanes.

All the rules and regulations
involved in flying are there to
combat one thing. Unpredictabili-

‘Planes and cars are both

ig and weather map interpretation in the school's

—iin

Head of Selkirk's aviation department Bob Evans is

twin engine Beechcraft TravelAir.

machines. Despite constant main-
tenance and parts replacement,
parts can still fail. The major dif-
ference? A plane cannot be pulled
over to the side of
the road.

“Safety is a
very big word in
aviation training.”

The school has
seven planés, five
Cessna 172s built
in the eighties,
and two
Beechcraft Trave-
1Airs built in the
late sixties.

For every hour
spent flying, the
Beechcrafts spend
close to an hour
undergoing sched-
uled maintenance
and parts inspec-
tion. The 40 to 48
hours of mainte-
mance per 50
hours of flying
does not include
the hours spent
repairing worn out
or defective parts.

Without a hang-
er, one of the
biggest mainte-
nance problems is
the planes constant battle with the
elements. “Industrial pollution in
the area has increased corrosion,”
said Evans. Between $15,000 and
$17,000 per year is spent fighting
corrosion of the aluminum alloy
planes.

The figures tell a lot. Parts are
expensive, if they can even be
found.

“We recently
contacted Beech
Aircraft
parts and they
didn’t even have
a part number.”
A new prop for
the Beechcraft
costs $16,000,
while an over-
haul of the prop
system runs
between $8,000
and $10,000.

It costs big
dollars for rela-
tively minor
parts because of
the exact stan-
dards the parts
have to be made
to, and the small
market for the
parts. And
things will keep
getting tougher.

Liability claims have become
so large it is no longer profitable
for many aircraft manufacturers
to build small general aviation
planes like the ones Selkirk use.
As that happens, the fleet of
available used planes shrinks, and
prices go up.

Before students get to venture
into the skies, they must complete

rigourous in-class and flight sim-
ulation training. On the ground.

The school uses four Frasca

ground procedures trainers (GPT)

seen perched on the wing of a

students will likely fly on their
first job.

The biggest advantage of the
GPTs is that they can simulate

for flight training. GPT’s are
what a lot of people might call
flight simulators. A GPT is
designed to mimic a generic class
of aircraft, to train instrumenta-
tion to students, while a flight
simulator is a replica of a specific
plane. The four GPTs at the
school emulate the kind of planes
the school uses, and the type the

Doing the dirty work. Second year aviation student Bill Wishloff
sands paint and corrosion off the airplane's belly in preparation for
some touch-up.

any type of equipment failure,
weather change, or in air emer-
gency that would be impossible,
or too dangerous, to attempt in a
real flight situation.

“Our mandate is to turn out
quality graduates, first and fore-
most,” said Evans.

Simulated flight. First year aviation student Chris Todd (left) goes
through the motions under the watchful eye of instructor Mike Powers.

}

Story by Jason Keenan
Photos by Brendan Halper