Moose Jaw’s municipal airport will host Saskatchewan’s first General Aviation and Career Fly-in Conference this weekend, May 6 and 7.
Candace Pardo, Provincial Airways’ chief flight instructor and director of the Canadian Owner’s and Pilot’s Association (COPA) in Saskatchewan, said that the conference is dedicated to the general public and to youth who are interested in aviation careers.
The nine COPA flights in Saskatchewan are the official hosts. Each COPA group is made up of pilots, aircraft mechanics, air traffic controllers — anyone with a career in general aviation.
“Because it’s our first-ever general aviation fly-in, we’re opening it to the general public,” Pardo said. “And we’re focusing on the youth and including a ‘Career in Aviation’ portion in the morning.”
CAE, Inc. is offering free transportation to and from the airport. Bad Intentions Bus will be back and forth from Peacock High School to the airport throughout the day.
The first bus will leave from Peacock at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday. Those interested in attending can also call Pardo at 306-621-7181 for more information. Admission is free.
“We have over 38 different exhibitors coming,” Pardo said. “We have the province of Saskatchewan, we have 15 Wing, we have CAE, WestJet, Air Canada Jazz, Saskatoon Avionics, Yorkton Aircraft Service, aerial applicators from all across the province. We have all of the flight schools in Saskatchewan attending.”
The conference will kick off on Friday, May 6, at 8:30 p.m. with a showing of Top Gun (1986), which will be projected on the side of a hangar at the airport.
There will be free snacks provided for the movie, and family attendance is encouraged. Bring lawn chairs and blankets!
The next morning, Saturday, May 7, at 9 a.m., the day will start with a $10 pancake breakfast, with proceeds going to COPA’s scholarship fund. Airplanes will be flying in and flying by to give attendees a show.
The SK Aviation Museum is offering rides from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in a Harvard — the single-engine trainer still used at 15 Wing by pilot cadets. Rides must be booked by calling 306-651-7247.
After the pancake breakfast, participants can wander through the career exhibition and chat with vendors from a variety of general aviation businesses.
“We have presentations by aerospace engineers, we have a NASA robotics engineer chatting, we have aircraft mechanics, we have aircraft schedulers, we have jet-engine specialists talking,” Pardo said.
More than 20 static aircraft displays will be all over the field, from military planes to agricultural aircraft to the various planes that will be flying in. A Province of Saskatchewan Conair water bomber will be doing a drop sometime in the morning.
After noon, the conference will focus on COPA members, including a presentation by Maryse Carmichael, the first female Snowbird and later commander of the team.
Other afternoon presentations will cover areas of interest such as pilot fatigue, common flight test errors, and a chat about converting military fixed-wing planes for civilian use.
“We hope to get as many people out as possible,” Pardo said. “And also to show them how many amazing people we have here in Moose Jaw who have really cool jobs.”
