A new aviation course in Edmonton is generating a lot of conversation amongst high school students. J. Percy Page High School is the first school in Edmonton to offer the course and has seen a large amount of interest since it started in January. “One of the most popular questions I get is, are you doing this again next year? Absolutely,” says David Williams, an air force veteran and instructor of the course at J. Percy Page.
Partnered with the Edmonton Flying Club, the course offers an introduction to the industry and serves as the ground school for students who are interested in becoming a pilot. Williams says that the course material offered for free at J. Percy Page is the same as a student would receive at the Edmonton Flying Club, which costs thousands of dollars. At the end of the course, students take their PSTAR exam which is like getting a learners driver’s license. “Here they get that opportunity, with zero dollars laid out and they can actually see hey is this something that I want to do?” says Williams.
The course covers topics like air laws, meteorology, navigation and communication with traffic control officers and the general functions of airplanes. There are no prerequisites for this class, but Williams says that having strengths in math and physics classes would benefit a student wanting to take this course.
The course also offers several opportunities for future pilots to network. “The intent is to have relationships with other external agencies to say… these guys are looking at you, or this is a direction you can go,” says Williams.
