'So, you want to become a pilot?' event being hosted by Kelowna Flying Club

Photo: David Lindsey

So, you want to become a pilot?

The Kelowna Flying Club is hosting a one-day event April 15 at Kelowna International Airport's KF Centre for Excellence that's geared towards getting young people interested in a career in aviation.

Kelowna Flying Club member David Lindsey, a private pilot, tells Castanet aviation used to be a widely popular career path, but that in recent years he's noticed quite a drop off.

“We are massively short on pilots in Canada. There used to be a time where you’d start off and you’d be working for peanuts somewhere out in the middle of nowhere," explained Lindsey.

"That’s not the case anymore. People are getting into the left and right side seats pretty quickly.”

Aimed for kids 12 and up, at least two flight schools will be on deck, ready to talk to eager and interested people who want to take their career to the skies.

These schools include Aurora Aviation Academy and the Southern Interior Flight Centre, where the latter was home to Canada's top pilot for 2022.

“You’re getting the chance to rub shoulders with chief flight instructors who will be giving a talk. There’s people at the Flying Club that have tremendous experience, you know? You can ask them questions and take it from there."

Lindsey says flight schools will be bringing in their own planes to show off to interested event-goers. The aircrafts will be on display as a part of the self-guided tour through the facility.

“The flight schools themselves will be bringing aircrafts for display."

The day's events will also include an introduction, as well as talks from two flight instructors, Okanagan College and KF Centre for Excellence.

People interested in attending the event, can sign up for tickets through Event Brite.

The special day kicks off Saturday, April 15, at 1:30 p.m. The days full schedule can be found at the Event Brite page.