Pilots from all over B.C. and Alberta descended on the Vernon Airport Saturday to shake off the rust and get into flying shape.
The Vernon Flying Club and COPA Flight 65’s annual Rust Remover spring training session allows pilots to brush up on their flying skills and get ready to take to the skies.
Doug MacKinnon, past president and Rust Remover coordinator for the Vernon Flying Club, said Transport Canada requires all pilots to have recurrent training every two years, and the Rust Removers session is a way for pilots to fulfill that requirement.
A total of 146 pilots attended the training, coming from B.C. and Alberta, including Calgary, Grand Prairie, Prince George, 100 Mile House, Grand Forks and beyond.
The pilots sat in on a training session inside the Aurora Aviation Academy hangar, hearing from a Class 1 flying instructor, a Canadian aviation medical examiner and a Canada Customs professional.
MacKinnon said part of the training included how to fly when visibility is diminished due to wildfire smoke. The pilots learned where smoke might be sitting in lower areas, and how to factor in the wind.
Some of the training was for the “aging pilot,” MacKinnon said, explaining that as pilots get older, their eyesight and hearing decreases, and they are at a greater risk of heart problems and other health issues while in the air.
MacKinnon said the training is essential, as private pilots who are only flying less than 100 hours a year may be forgetful or unaware of new rules in the airspace.
“In other words, don’t take it for granted, don’t be complacent,” MacKinnon said of the pilots. “It’s about safety, so they’ll fly safe and come home alive.”
MacKinnon thanked the volunteers who made the Rust Removers training session possible.
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