ABOUT ME  -  Terry Allen What got you into flying? My passion for aviation came at a very young age. My cousin Melvin Connor (retired Air Canada Captain) was taking flying lessons when I was 6 years old and when he flew out to our local airport in a Cessna 150 at Kerrobert Saskatchewan, I was hooked. After that, my parents took me to the airport in Saskatoon every time we went there. Another local hero was a fellow named Lyle McHarge who gave me my first airplane ride at 7 years old. I can remember it like it was yesterday not only the flight but him doing some roller coaster type manoeuvres. Why do you fly now (pleasure, business, as a profession)? I have geared my professional and personal life around being able to fly my airplane so use it for both business and pleasure. When/Where did you get your PPL? I received my PPL in March of 1982 from Centennial Aviation at 'the Muni' now City Centre. What ratings do you hold now? Day/Night VFR. What kind of airplanes do you fly? Currently I own a Piper Cherokee however fly my friends Cessna 182 on occasion. I have owned a Cessna Cardinal RGII and Cessna 172 and am checked out on Beechcraft aircraft. What is the most interesting place that you have flown to? Some of the highlight trips for me over the last 30 years have been my annual fishing trip to Trout Lake NWT with my son (been going there 20 years), Oshkosh, Meachem Field in Fort Worth Texas, flying out of Boeing Field in the Seattle area, trips to Vancouver Island (Nanaimo) and flying around Anchorage Alaska.   What is your most memorable flying experience (good or bad)? I have several good and not so good experiences however one in particular is very recent and was very rewarding. With my son playing NCAA Div. 1 hockey in Anchorage Alaska, I obtained my US Airmens Certificate last winter. I was checked out last February at Merrill Field and rent a Cessna 172 with Tundra Tires from Land and Sea Aviation. Being a bit of an aviation history buff, it was a milestone for me flying from Merrill Field to the Lake Hood Airstrip which similar to Cooking Lake, has significant aviation history attached to it. One bad experience I could share was a full engine failure on takeoff out of Calgary International Airport. Fortunately my experience includes landing on unprepared surfaces and was very lucky to be able to get the aircraft down on a gravel road. My AME flew down and determined the float in the carb was stuck and there was no way the airplane was going to restart. He changed out the carb on the side of the road that afternoon and I flew it over to Airdrie where I left it for a few days as I had enough for one day. Is there anything else to add to your flying story? Aviation has been very rewarding to me personally and has not only allowed me to travel to interesting places but has allowed me to meet some of my closest friends which I have today.  

   ABOUT ME  -  Larry Verbitsky What got you into flying?  As a kid growing up on a farm, we were on the flight path between Namao and Cold Lake air bases. Seeing those Herc's flying by 3 or 5 at a time at 1000' AGL got me thinking "Gee, that is a cool thing to do, maybe I can learn that one day" and I did. When/Where did you get your PPL? When I saved the money and had the time way back in 1980, I got my PPL at the Edmonton Flying club at CYXD. For awhile, I had to stop flying while in university and working out of town. Eventually, went over the PStar exam and got back into it. I am sure happy that I did. What ratings do you hold now?  I have a PPL, VFR day / night single engine land. I also have a tailwheel and advanced endorsement. What kind of airplanes do you fly?  I am checked on at last count 14 types. I currently fly a Beech Musketeer 19A, and occasionally a Piper Arrow. The coolest plane I flew, a Tiger Moth. What is the most interesting place that you have flown to? There would be many, in Canada I used a perfect weather weekend to fly to Victoria, in Chile there is nothing quite like flying the Andes with the Condors.   What is your most memorable flying experience (good or bad)? That would have to be flying the Victor 1 route along the coast of Australia to view Sydney Harbour. What a spectacular sight from a small aircraft at 500' ASL over the mighty Pacific Ocean. Is there anything else to add to your flying story? Aviation  is such a rewarding and pleasurable pursuit, regardless of business or recreation. I have met many friends while flying to pancake breakfasts, air shows, or just hanging out at local airports. I have also acquired licenses in Canada, US, and Australia in order to widen my aviation experiences. I would also one day, like to learn float flying to be able to chase those monster fish around, and some other locations to visit would be the Yukon and perhaps fly across Canada one day. Whatever you do in your flying career, Have Fun !!  

   ABOUT ME  -  Bob Whitley What got you into flying? My first flight was at age 5 and I was always interested in Air Cadets as a teenager. Why do you fly now (pleasure, business, as a profession)? For pleasure. When/Where did you get your PPL? At Edmonton Flying Club in 1976. What ratings do you hold now? Private, Commercial and Gliding. What kind of airplanes do you fly? Rental 172’s mostly. What is the most interesting place that you have flown to? As long as one is flying, every place is interesting.   What is your most memorable flying experience (good or bad)? Harvard flying with Dave Watson!  

   ABOUT ME  -  Janis Wallace What got you into flying? Dad and I signed up for the cross Canada Century Flight trip in 2009. I thought it would be a good idea to learn some emergency procedures, but quickly realized that I loved flying and got my license. Why do you fly now (pleasure, business, as a profession)? I fly for pleasure. When/Where did you get your PPL? I got my PPL in May 2010 at Centennial at CYXD. What ratings do you hold now? PPL. What kind of airplanes do you fly? C172 and lots of right seat time in a C205. What is the most interesting place that you have flown to? I’ve been to Tofino, BC in the West to Sydney, NS in the east, Tuktoyuktuk in the North. I’ve flown to a lot of interesting places over the past few years and enjoyed seeing Canada from the air.   What is your most memorable flying experience (good or bad)? My most memorable flying experience was flying aross Canada in 2009 with my Dad in his C172. Is there anything else to add to your flying story? Pictures from my northern trips to come.  

   ABOUT ME  -  Paul Sissons What got you into flying? Growing up in Medicine Hat, our house was right under the flight path of the main runway. I watched a lot of airplanes flying overhead. Three of my uncles and three of my cousins had their pilots license. One of my uncles had a Tiger Moth. I added getting my license to my bucket list after finishing university. Why do you fly now (pleasure, business, as a profession)? I fly mainly for pleasure and practicality. I have a daughter in Grande Prairie, a sister in Kamloops, a brother in Victoria and family and friends in Medicine Hat. A two hour flight to Medicine Hat beats a six hour drive any day. When/Where did you get your PPL? I started my PPL training in July 1979 at Bar-XH Aviation in Medicine Hat [CYXH] and received my PPL in October of that year with 43 hours in the logbook. I continued flying for a couple more months and then stopped when I moved to Calgary. I got married and had kids and life got in the way so I did not fly again until January 2010, about 30 years later. To get back into flying I had to meet the CARs Recency requirement (which felt like virtually re-doing my PPL all over again), which I did at Namao Flying Club. What ratings do you hold now? I have a PPL, VFR day and night with a complex endorsement and tailwheel endorsement. I am planning on (hopefully) obtaining my Group 3 IFR next year. What kind of airplanes do you fly? I have checked out on Cessna 150, Cessna 172, Citabria and Mooney. I occassionally fly with the Namao Flying Club but mostly I fly in my Mooney M20K. What is the most interesting place that you have flown to? The most obscure airport that I flew into was Birch Hills, SK. Most interesting was flying to Kenora, Ontario. Like Bob Whitley says, "as long as one is flying, every place is interesting."   What is your most memorable flying experience (good or bad)? Probably a flight to Medicine Hat and back all in the same night, under the hood, flown as an IFR flight, to build up my instrument time for my night rating. It was exhausting yet at the same time, exhilarating. Is there anything else to add to your flying story? I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge my gratitude that if not for the prodding of fellow director Jason Brodeur, I might never have gotten back into flying. I had often thought about returning to flying but Jason kicked my backside back into the cockpit.