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My life in aviation

This perspective will include the aviation industry as a whole and how its ebb and flow affects all of us. We will also discuss the ever-changing technical advances we see in our aircraft and how they can make our industry safer, more efficient and reliable. And finally, we will touch on the ever-growing need to effectively promote our industry to a younger generation and ideas for how we can encourage them to undertake a career in aviation.

For my first column, I would like to take a moment to introduce myself and explain a little of my history and experience. I began my aviation career at the age of 18 when I obtained my private pilot’s license. From there, I started working for General Airspray, an aerial application company based in Lucan, Ont. During that time, I enrolled in Canadore College’s Aircraft Maintenance Technician program. Upon graduation, I moved to Yellowknife, NWT, where I began my apprenticeship at Buffalo Airways, cutting my teeth on many unique and historic aircraft. Following my time at Buffalo, I worked for various operators including Hicks & Lawrence (Now MAG Aerospace), Supermarine Aircraft and Sander Geophysics (SGL). My work at SGL gave me the opportunity to travel to such places as Greenland, Europe and the high arctic.

During this time, I earned my M1/M2 Aircraft Maintenance Engineer license, as well as my commercial pilot’s license with float endorsement and group 1 instrument rating. Next, I contracted with Enterprise Air working on the Basler DC-3T aircraft. This brought me to many more unique destinations, such as Canadian Forces Station Alert, the North Pole, and various other northern locations. My journey then led me to Kenn Borek Air Ltd. where I continued work on the DC-3T as well as DHC-6 Twin Otters. I continued my travels with Borek where I assumed the role of Base Engineer in Resolute Bay and completed two tours to Antarctica, including two months at the Amundsen Scott South Pole station.

The Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association flew its beautiful aircraft to Anderson Aviation’s annual

Following a decade of travel, I was ready to move home. In July 2011, I purchased Glen’s Terry Air in Centralia, Ont., a company originally founded in 1982 as Terry Air. I renamed the company Anderson Aviation Services Inc., which offers a variety of aviation services such as maintenance, parts, sales and consulting. I now operate Anderson Aviation with my wife Nicole, who is a very accomplished AME and pilot herself, with more than two decades of experience. Nicole is also my main editor and a major contributor to my articles. She truly is my better half and, no, she did not edit to add that part in.

More recently, Nicole and I have had the privilege of sharing our passion for all things aviation through our roles as professors at Fanshawe College, Norton Wolf School of Aviation Technology, in London, Ont. We are excited about the high caliber of both aircraft maintenance and avionics programs and we feel fortunate to be a part of this growing school. Through our work at Fanshawe, we have had the opportunity to meet many bright new faces who will become the future of our industry. It affords us the opportunity to view the industry from a new and unique perspective. We have come to realize that the future viability and quality of Canadian aviation relies on embracing and including the very people who will follow in our footsteps.

There are so many facets to our industry and each facet has its own share of achievements, challenges and future possibilities. I look forward to bringing a taste of each of these segments to you through this new column and hope to inspire ideas and dialogue.

I hope you enjoy reading this column as much as I will enjoy writing it.