Despite some worries about the weather, the Iron Creek Flying Club’s Discover Aviation event on April 27 went off without a hitch, with 160 kids taking to the air thanks to some pilot volunteers.
Club Chair Doug Lindseth says, “It was a good day for flying, the air got very smooth at around 4,000-4,500 feet up, so the kids got a nice ride.”
Lindseth says he was pleased to see Battle River-Crowfoot MP Damien Kurek come out with his son to take advantage of the event. “They actually both went up, with pilot Tyler Pearson.”
Discover Aviation, formerly COPA for kids, is sponsored by the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA), and is designed to introduce youth to aviation.
Lindseth says there were lots of special moments during the day, and many youth with wide smiles exiting airplanes. That’s what really makes it a special day for him.
Initially they had 200 rides booked, but Lindseth thinks the weather might have turned people away, with an overcast sky. He’s still really happy with 160 kids, that’s a new record for this local event that’s been around for many years in Flagstaff County. This year the Club tried online booking, and think it went very well. “We’ll make some minor adjustments for next year,” Lindseth says, “but we were very pleased with the result.”
He says, “When we had 200 kids registered, we knew we’d need a few more pilots, and we weren’t disappointed. Twenty planes came out, including one female pilot, Orinan Kononchuk from Lac La Biche. I was really pleased to see her come out, it was a great example to the kids that there are successful female pilots out there.
“We also had pilots from Strathmore, Josephburg, and two from Cooking Lake.” That, along with Iron Creek Flying Club members, made quick work of all the visitors hoping for a ride.
Lindseth says besides the pilots, an event like this couldn’t have happened without all the volunteers who manned the barbecues and organized the flight certificates, as well as club members who marshal the aircraft on the ground, and act as safety officers, as well as those assigning the kids to their aircraft and pilots, then signing them out.
He says each pilot flew to Hardisty and back with their passengers, who then got a certificate, a photo op with their pilot when they disembarked, and a free hot dog for them and any family members who came.
Lindseth says Flagstaff’s Discover Aviation is one of just 35 running across Canada.
The Iron Creek Flying Club have never let their club size limit what they can do. Lindseth says even MP Kurek was impressed with the scope of the event. “He says there’s so many events and ideas that are shot down with a ‘we can’t do that,’ and said it was great to see the Club’s ‘can-do’ attitude.”
He says the Club pays for the event, with a small seed donation from COPA, and some help from Wild Rose Co-op. He figures that the pilots used up around $5,100 in fuel alone. The Club still has some funds left from the Snowbirds shows to help cover the costs.
For Lindseth, it’s an opportunity not to just introduce aviation to a new generation. He says, “If you can inspire a kid in any way, maybe to be a pilot, a racecar driver, a baker, or whatever… it’s all about the spark. When children are young, you try to expose them to as much as you can.”
He says aviation is a huge industry, and has its roots in a lot of day-to-day operations.
“Pilots all started in a little airport somewhere. Maybe after today we’ll have some future pilots, or mechanics, or air traffic controllers… it opens a door.”
Lindseth adds, “It’s a great example of adults interacting in a quality way one-on-one with children.”
Leslie Cholowsky
Editor