Many Vernonites may have noticed increased aircraft traffic at the Vernon Regional Airport in the early morning of Saturday, May 4.
This was due to the Vernon Flying Club and the local Chapter of the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA Flight 65) hosted the 19th annual “Rust Remover” last weekend at the Okanagan College Aerospace Campus at the Vernon Airport, home of the Aircraft Maintenance Engineer “M-Licence” program. The event aims to help pilots “get the rust out of their heads” for the upcoming flying season.
A total of 22 aircrafts arrived from all over B.C. Pilots arrived from Red Deer, Okotoks, Calgary, High River, Alberta, and all over B.C. to attend the weekend-long event.
Through their attendance at the event, 113 pilots received certification valid for their biennial recurrency as mandated by Transport Canada.
The Program was well-rounded and was well-received by the participants:
- Kelowna Airspace Issues & Procedures, by Kelly Smith, Nav Canada, Kelowna Tower
- Weather, Flight Planning & Communication, by Dale Maher, Kamloops Flight Information Centre, Nav Canada
- Forced Approaches, Brian Penner, Safety Inspector, Transport Canada, Kelowna
- Okanagan College Aircraft Maintenance Training, Hal Hobenshield, Northern Lights College Instructor, Vernon
- Custom Procedures for GA Aircraft Entering & Departing from the USA, by Officer Rick Martinez, US Customs and Border Protection, Oroville, USA
- Aircraft Batteries, Types, Purchase, Install, Maintenance, Disposal, by Norm Thompson, AME Instructor
Organizers said that the event wouldn’t have been made possible without many volunteers who organize, set-up, take-down and generally keep things running smoothly. Organizers have issued a special thanks to the spouses of VFC members who were drafted to help feed all participants. They also wish to acknowledge long-time VFC member, Wyatt McMurray of the A&W Group for his continuing sponsorship of the Vernon Flying Club and a huge thank you to Watkin’s Motors for the use of four vehicles used to shuttle people from the Clubhouse to the Okanagan College on the other side of the airport. A special mention also goes to all the AME students who cleared the hangar floor and helped to set up chairs in preparation for the Rust Remover.
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