Langley Flying School Instructional staff in August, 2003 (left to right): Dave Beals, Dave Woollam, Ron Reynolds, Peter Waddington, Tom Larkin, Rita Methorst, Dave Parry, Patrice Gagnon, Brandon Dryer, and Adam Katagiri.
Langley Flying School Graduate and former Flight Instructor Patrice Gagnon has completed his first 6-months as a Dash 8 300 pilot with Air Canada Jazz.
Patrice, who now resides in Quebec City, completed his Private Pilot Licence, Commercial Pilot Licence,
Multi-engine Class
Rating,Group 1 (Multi-
engine) Instrument
Rating, and Instructor
Rating with Langley
Flying School, and began
as a staff Flight Instructo
r in 2000. In 2004 Patrice
left teaching and worked
as a Piper Navajo pilot,
and later as a King Air
Medivac pilot in Sas-
katchewan. Patrice, a
former Canadian Olympic
athlete, is originally from
Quebec. "It is nice for us
to live near family again,
we had been on the road
for 3 years now going
from job to job."
Patrice says his work on the Dash at Jazz is great, and he is currently preparing for his first PPC recurrency. "I love the work and the people, says Patrice, ". . no more fuelling , loading bags, flight planning and de-icing."
"The SOP are so integrated in the operations that you can fly with any pilot, the flow is just the same, " says Patrice, "and the best is, no pressure...safety first!"
Reflecting on his career progression from single-pilot IFR on a Piper Navajo to flying with the airline, Patrice says it's funny how the work becomes easies as you step up from flying. "It's a long haul for everyone but perseverance and commitment has it's reward!"
Posted January 4, 2008.