Sandra Pruden, Pilot

Fascinated with flight

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"The idea of flying was always so neat, this machine that can take you flying.

"I've always wanted to fly fast, smaller planes. Ours aren't too fast, but my dream is to fly an aerobatic plane that can go upside down for however long you want to fly upside down for and just do all the different manoeuvres that they can do."

Where I work

Harv's Air Service does flight training as well as aircraft maintenance and charter. Between the Steinbach and St. Andrews locations, there are 30 to 40 employees.

Harv's is family-owned and started in 1972. Now all three of Harv's sons work here along with Harv and his wife Bettie.

It's unique because not many flight schools are family-owned and operated and still growing. They bought the base in St. Andrews last summer and both locations are doing well.

Teach and fly

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"I've been working as a Flight Instructor for a year and eight months now. I've been doing hydro patrol for about six months.

"I teach students how to fly, whether it's for their initial training or continuing in their training from what they already have. I fly hydro patrol for Manitoba Hydro. I patrol the power wires and check for any problems that there might be and then I report back to them."

Some ground work

I'm responsible for the one-on-one training, which involves some ground school before we fly.

There's also some paperwork involved. Students have logbooks that we have to fill in and I have to make sure their accounts are up to date and that they're paying on time. I also make up their flight schedules.

Use math and physics

Knowing how to do basic Math is very handy. In the air, I have to be able to divide things by three and multiply them by two for some exercises. We also have to know some Physics to understand how the aircraft flies, so we study the Theory of Flight in ground school.

For flight planning, we have flight computers and plotters that do the more complex calculations for us and give us the information we need.

Wide age range

My students vary in age. You can fly at any age but you can't solo until you're 14. You can get a licence when you're 16. One student soloed here on his 14th birthday. I think the oldest student I've had was 70.

On average, they're probably 20ish because a lot of people will come because they want to make it a career. Those students come after high school and start to train.

Supportive family

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"I always had a very supportive family in everything that I was doing. My Mom and my Dad and my sister and also my grandparents and my extended family, everybody was always very supportive in any dream that I had. So that was always very good for me.

"I decided when I was eleven that I wanted to fly and they were like, "Yeah, go for it". They were always, always there for me, helped me out whenever I needed it."

Time off for sports

If I had any more time off, I would probably do more flying. I also enjoy different sports. I like to curl and go snowmobiling. I like to do anything outside.

I used to do gymnastics for competition when I was young and I was really into it. I have gotten back into it now for exercise and recreation.

Quiet relaxation

I enjoy reading, especially after a long day. When it's been really long, I'll read a book for a little while, or go to movies, or paint.

I like to paint mostly scenery. I have a really neat one that I did of a runway with a wind sock after it rained, with a rainbow. That's probably my favourite one.

I love movies too so I own a lot of them. A lot of people borrow from my movie collection.

Marching in LA

I really enjoy playing music. I play the flute and piano as well as the cornet, which is a kind of trumpet.

I was in Los Angeles for the Rose Bowl parade in 2002 where I played in the Salvation Army's band. I've never actually done it before but they let 15 people from Canada go down to play from the different divisions. We learned how to march for two days before and then we went in the parade.

Start early

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"We have to be here for 7:45 to get the planes out and make sure they're ready for the day and make sure our students are ready. Generally we try to get airborne between 8:00 and 8:30 for the first booking.

"We go flying with the student for an hour, land and then debrief the flight, so they know what was good, what we need to improve on and what we're going to do next time. It repeats like that throughout the day."

Some long days

The length of our days varies quite a lot. Some days are longer if we have to do a cross-country flight with the student.

If I were to fly at night, which sometimes we do, then I'd make sure that I'm not booked at 8:00 in the morning and my day isn't 14 hours, which I have done before. I was very tired after one of those days.

Hydro patrol days

For a hydro patrol the typical day is about the same; I'll get here for about 7:30 to make sure I know what I'm doing. I'll report to Hydro and then go fly my route.

When I do hydro patrol I can fly for as long as six hours, so I'm sitting for a long time.

Some days, I'll fly hydro in the morning and then work with students in the afternoon.

Seasonal hours

In the winter we finish the day about 5:00 because it's dark by then. But in the summer, because it's light out until 9:30, we can be here pretty late and go for quite a long time.

When we have the Air Cadets in summer, the pace is fairly quick because we are putting them through their licence at a quicker pace than most students would go. It can be very, very fast and really busy for about six weeks.

Big responsibility

I'm training people how to fly so ultimately one day they may fly you around. I think that's probably the biggest responsibility of my job.

Ultimately they're going to have somebody else in the aircraft with them and not me, and they're going have to keep them safe.

I have to make sure that they have the training so that they're not going put 400 people on the aircraft in jeopardy.

Playing at work

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"We do have opportunities to play. Sometimes in the summer if we're all waiting around, we have a break, throw a football around.

"Sometimes we'll just go flying with another instructor to have some fun and just to relax a little bit. Or if we're getting ready for a flight test, we'll take somebody else along and kind of goof around and have some fun."

Cool in bad weather

The pressure and stress level varies depending on the weather and the time of year. Occasionally I'll feel stress if I'm getting into bad weather and I have to get down on the ground.

If I get into bad weather, I deal with it by keeping cool, knowing I have the training to get out of whatever's happening. I just have to trust in that and rely on what my instructors taught me and on what I've learned.

Tests stressful

In the summer when I have students getting ready for flight tests, it's a little more stressful. On the day of their flight test it can be very nerve-wracking for me, sitting around, waiting for them to come down to see how they did.

Instead of waiting around during a flight test, I like to be flying with somebody else so that my mind's not focused on what my student is doing.

Patient communicator

To teach, you need to communicate and deal with people one on one.

You also need patience to do this job. I think that's the most important skill, because flight instructing can be a long process.

People always said I had a lot of patience and that definitely helps me in instructing. I don't get freaked out as quickly. I can work well with students who are having more difficulty and I can just keep cool.

Work can take over

Sometimes I don't have much of a home life. Any flying job is not nine to five. I work when I have to fly, so sometimes I'll have really long days and other days I'll have not as much.

I think the key is to make sure I plan my time off, so that on Saturday when I'm know I'm going to be off, I do whatever I want; I don't work. It's important to have a schedule and the ability to say ‘no' to things to balance my life.

Started dispatching

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"I got my commercial licence and my multi-rating and I was looking for other jobs. It really wasn't working out because I didn't have any experience.

"I was dispatching at the time here. I decided I'm going to do my instructor rating because I liked the idea of sharing the dream of flight with people. I also enjoy teaching, so I got into instructing that way."

Liked physics, not math

Probably my favourite courses in high school were Music Band and Choir. I also enjoyed English and Physics. I especially liked the practical work in Physics, with batteries and magnets and other things like that.

I never really liked Math a whole lot although I did okay in Basic Math. I did Calculus and I wasn't very good at it. I always went for extra help so I made it through.

One year of college

After high school, I decided to go to Bible College for one year. I had several friends who were going and I just wanted to do one year of college because I was interested in the courses.So I did a Certificate of Biblical Studies at William and Catherine Booth College.

My education after that was all the flight training at Harv's Air Service.

All about flying

I found out about Harv's Air at the Air Show. I went around to all the different booths at the Show and got all the information from all of them. I emailed Harv's and they emailed back the same day. I went out for a Discovery Flight and I really liked the atmosphere here.

I learned all of my basic flying there. I had the same instructor most of the way throughout my training because I found I worked really well with him.

Other jobs helped

I was a Sunday school teacher for about ten years. I also worked at a summer camp with kids going nuts for a week. Both those jobs gave me experience that has helped me with flight instructing.

I learned about customer relations from being a cashier at a gas station for four years. As a dispatcher at Harv's, I learned a lot about this business, doing everything from office work to fuelling and moving planes on the ground.

Future in flight

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"I love it so much that I don't ever want to stop unless for medical reasons I have to, which I hope never happens.

"I don't really have a desire to fly big aircraft for a big airline. The money is there so if you want to make money flying, it's kind of got to go there, but I think I can probably see myself instructing for quite a while because I really do enjoy it."

More training

I think I will continue with my flight training. I want to get more ratings and more qualified to teach because I really enjoy teaching.

I'm hoping to do another class of instructor rating and then I'll be a Supervising Instructor. At that point I'll have the newer instructors reporting to me and telling me what they're doing with their students and I will help them out along the way.

Advice to get started

I think the most important advice I can give is to not give up on your dream. If you really want to fly, keep going through with it.

You also need to make sure you're financially ready to do it. If you have to stop in between courses because of lack of money, it'll delay your training a bit. If you come back to it three months later you'll have forgotten some of what you learned before.

Travel fan

I also like to travel. I'm trying to do it more now, to visit friends and see new places. There are quite a few places around the world I want to go.

I plan to travel to New Zealand and Australia some time to see what it's like down there.

Bright outlook

The outlook for this job is good because there are always going to be people who want to learn how to fly.

The need for different skills will change as the technology changes. As airplanes get more technologically advanced, even the basic trainers will have to become more advanced to keep up, as they have to learn how to operate the new aircraft.

Job market info

The links below take you to federal and regional government information on employment, education, salary ranges and long range prospects for this career.

The official title for Sandra's occupation is "Air Pilots, Flight Engineers and Flying Instructors" and its NOC* code is 2271.

Manitoba Job Futures

Manitoba Labour Market - Who Hires

*Each occupation has an official name and unique number called the 'National Occupation Classification' code or 'NOC'.

Education

High School

Useful high school subjects:*

- Math
- Physics
- Geography
- Computer-related courses
- English

* Source: Job Futures.ca

For those out of school, Adult Learning Centres can help you get or upgrade your high school diploma, including adding subjects that are required for work or further education. All Manitobans are normally entitled to 4 free courses.

After high school

Providence College and Seminary - Otterburne

Aviation Training Program (4-year Aviation program)

Red River College

Aviation Management (two-year diploma program)

Stevenson Aviation and Aerospace Training Centre
offers a program in Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs)

The Canadian Air Force

Undergraduate Pilot Training System

Private flying clubs

Harv's Air Service Ltd. (Steinbach)

Brandon Flying Club (Brandon)

Custom Helicopters Limited (Winnipeg)

Interlake International Pilot Training Centre (Gimli)

Maple Leaf Aviation Flight School Services

Perimeter Aviation Flight School (Winnipeg)

Shoal Lake Aviation Limited (Shoal Lake)
General Delivery, Shoal Lake, MB, R0J 1Z0
Tel./Fax: 204-759-2395

Winair Academy (Winnipeg)
54024 Rpo Courts. Winnipeg. R3J 3Z3
204-888-6242

Winnipeg Aviation Company Flight Training School (St. Andrews)

Yukon Helicopters Limited (Winnipeg)
PO Box 45003 RPO Regent
Winnipeg MB R2C 5C7
Based at:
St. Andrews Airport 204-339-1163
Island Lake 204-456-2480

Skills

Useful Skills/Experience:*

- Report writing
- Interpersonal communication skills
- Supervisory experience

Source: Job Futures.ca

There is not yet an Essential Skills* profile for this occupation.

*For more information on Essential Skills and their importance to this occupation, go to: Essential Skills.

Professional resources

Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA)
As the recognized voice of general aviation in Canada, the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association supports and defends the right of Canadians to enjoy the freedom of Canadian airspace. COPA raises the awareness of important issues facing the flying community, promotes air safety through education and works to lower the cost of flying.

Manitoba Aviation Council (MAC)
The Manitoba Aviation Council's mission is to promote, facilitate, and protect the development of all facets of aviation in Manitoba. The Council serves as an "umbrella group" to represent all groups, as well as interested individuals and businesses in aviation related matters.

Related careers

Air Traffic Control and Related Occupations (NOC 2272)

Ground School Instructors (NOC 4131)