ABBOTSFORD, BC – A new partnership between Rick Hansen Secondary and Coastal Aviation at Abbotsford Airport will provide students the opportunity to obtain their private pilot’s license while in high school. Students who complete the ground school course will be able to obtain their private pilot’s license after completing 50 hours of flight training with Coastal Pacific. Also, preferential entrance into the Bachelor of Aviation program at the University of the Fraser Valley will be provided to all Abbotsford School District students in this program who successfully complete ground school after writing the Transport Canada exam.

“The aviation industry offers many opportunities for young people to select a rewarding career” observes Abbotsford Board of Education Chair Cindy Schafer. “The Rick Hansen Aviation Works Pilot Academy is targeted at students who are interested in obtaining their private pilot’s license and working towards a career in aviation. This program is designed to allow students to maximize opportunities for future career development while still in high school. It’s exactly the kind of program the Board of Education envisioned when it established choice career programs, and provides a wonderful opportunity for our students.”

Students will be instructed in ground school, plus be introduced to critical thinking and analytical skills in aerospace engineering, program management and maintenance, with added instructional components from the Canadian Aviation Maintenance Council. Direct instruction will be at Rick Hansen Secondary while aviation focused fieldtrips will be taken to airport facilities, including tours of the air traffic control tower, Cascade Aviation, Chinook Helicopters and Coastal Pacific facilities.

Hansen Vice Principal Michael Pearson, who has been instrumental in coordinating the start-up of the course , notes that “this Aviation program will encourage students to develop technical skills required in the demanding aviation industry; it will create an interest and awareness in aviation and aerospace careers in Abbotsford students, expand pathways and provide training options for students, leading to a higher skilled workforce. It will definitely give students in the program the opportunity to see the various aviation employment opportunities in Abbotsford. Also, the course will allow students the opportunity to transition directly into UFV in a specific program which is a big plus.”