Local kids will have the chance to soar above Squamish this weekend as the Squamish Flying Club hosts its third annual Discover Aviation Day on July 4, at the Squamish Municipal Airport.
The free event, sponsored by the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA), offers youth aged 8 to 18 the opportunity to go up for a short flight with a local volunteer pilot, at no cost to families.
Kathy Cormack, a volunteer with the Squamish Flying Club, said the event was designed to introduce young people to aviation, whether as a future hobby or career. COPA provides the insurance that allows the club to take kids up in the air.
“It’s just to let people who haven’t previously had that opportunity to be exposed to be able to get out,” Cormack said.
Cormack, who is not a pilot herself but comes from a family steeped in aviation (her husband and son both fly, and the family keeps a small plane at the airport), said the event has been a big hit. Nearly 200 kids attended each of the past two years.
“We get a lot of kids out, and this year, we’ll have the most capacity we’ve had yet,” Cormack said, thanks to the 10 volunteer pilots offering flights .
Each flight lasts between 20 and 30 minutes, giving kids enough time to take in views of Howe Sound and the surrounding mountains. Cormack said seeing the local landscape from the air offers a different kind of beauty than seeing it from the ground, and kids often light up spotting familiar landmarks, including their own homes.
“It’s a whole new level of beauty because you can just see how connected all of our natural landscape is and you just feel so close to it,” Cormack said. “It’s really special, the kids will be like, ‘oh look, there’s my house.'”
The day runs from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Registration opens first, where parents sign waivers for their kids, followed by a short safety briefing covering headset and microphone use and basic aircraft etiquette. Flights run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Even kids who are not yet old enough to fly, or families who simply want to look around, are welcome. Attendees can explore aircraft up close, check out helicopters and equipment from Squamish Search and Rescue and BC Ambulance, along with helicopter companies serving the area.
“It’s kind of like a day that’s fun for kids of all ages, whether that be the grownup kids that have always loved planes or whether it be the younger ones,” Cormack said.
Cormack said the event is also a chance for the wider community to appreciate the airport itself, which many Squamish residents may not realize plays a critical role in local emergency preparedness.
“It’s actually a really crucial link for our community in terms of emergency preparedness,” Cormack said.
The Squamish Flying Club’s service area for the event stretches from Lions Bay to Whistler. Cormack encouraged any interested families to come out, even just to look at the planes or talk to pilots about what it is like to fly.
“I think if I was a child and I was allowed to go flying and see my hometown and all this surrounding geography that I see every day, I think I would be very excited by it,” Cormack said. “I know as an adult, every time I’m out flying it’s exciting for me, I’m just glued to the window the whole time.”
