TeenFlight Campbell River — Alive and Doing Very Well!

April 2020 - You may remember that we published an article in April 2015 about this new organization in Campbell River, British Columbia. We’re delighted to be able to bring you this article confirming that the team has kept very busy. — Ed.

I am on the board with TeenFlight Campbell River, as well as a volunteer for the annual upcoming fundraiser Wings 'n' Wheels.

TeenFlight Campbell River is alive and well, moving halfway into its seventh year of operating.

The finished RV-12 — flying!

The RV-12 build finished up last spring and quickly found a new home! SOLD! I have attached some photos of it. This sale funded the beginning of the next build, which started in winter 2019, a Murphy Radical. One of our previous students from last year has just started his pilot training. I have attached a photo from his first flight training day.

First flight for one of the team.

We hope to see many TeenFlight students pursue employment in an aviation-related career.

Another shot.

And another.

There are eight full time students this year, and we are now accepting applications for fall 2020 for students ages 15 to 18. There is a new written curriculum adding classroom time to the program. We are focusing on not only the aircraft build, but also touching base on all career aspects in the aviation industry — there are so many, so maybe not all but as many as we can! We would welcome guest speakers to come and engage with the group, sharing aviation career opportunities.

Big news: TeenFlight Campbell River is now a registered charity with the CRA. Thank you to Jane for her volunteer time and the endless amount of paperwork she endured to make this happen! We are hoping this will open new doors for funding and we would like to be able to offer a student scholarship within the program in future years. We have some field trips on our wish list that would be very beneficial for the students, a tour of Murphy Aircraft Mfg. Ltd. in Chilliwack and to the British Columbia Aviation Museum in Victoria. Of course, funding is key to expanding the program and the experience for the students.

TeenFlight in session.

We are ramping up for our annual fly-in fundraiser, Wings ‘n’ Wheels, July 12, here at YBL.

Wings 'n' Wheels event.

How nice it would be to get the word out there and see more aircraft this year! The 2019 event brought in 5,000 spectators, 80 aircraft, and 250 classic cars from all over! Of course we have some “camping under the wing” spaces available for those who would like to fly in early for the event.

We truly have to thank the knowledgeable mentors who volunteer their time to this program; to William Alder of Sealand Aviation for creating the first TeenFlight program in Canada, providing the hangar space and expertise to keep TeenFlight operating; and to all of those who have donated funding and time to the program over the years. The donations of time, space, and funds allow the program to run free of charge to the students.

The TeenFlight team.