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Katelyn Rozdeba, right, is the newest teacher at the Dave Rozdeba Southern Alberta Flight Academy, named after her father. (Photo Courtesy Meghan Cobb)
teaching at flying school named after her dad

Katelyn Rozdeba following in her family’s flight path

Jul 20, 2022 | 1:01 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Katelyn Rozdeba is no stranger to airplanes.

“My grandpa was in the air force so my dad grew up watching him fly. And then my dad would take me to different kinds of air shows growing up so we’ve always been around planes.”

Katelyn is the latest teacher to join the Dave Rozdeba South Alberta Flight Academy.

The program is named after her dad who passed away in 2017, and gives students the chance to work towards their pilot’s license while earning high school credit.

It’s her first teaching job and a childhood dream.

“It’s definitely a unique experience,” she says. “I know growing up I always wanted to be a pilot or a teacher. So this is really exciting for me that I get to have the opportunity to do both.”

Katelyn is preparing for the fall by spending the summer learning things like how to build a plane, survival skills and drones.

She knows the important role teachers play in the program and hopes to be able to help her students reach their goals, just like she has.

“It’s just dreams coming true,” says flight academy graduate Lindsay O’Connell. “I never imagined any of this coming out of high school, but once it’s a passion it doesn’t feel like work.”

Student Ethan McCaig started dreaming of this many years ago.

“When I was a kid I went on a lot of big commercial flights with my family so I saw a lot of pilots and I always wanted to be that guy,” he says.

The Rozdeba name is already synonymous with aviation in Medicine Hat. Katelyn plans to add to her dad’s legacy in her own way.

“I hope that I’m able to expand this program, maybe through Alberta or even Canada. I don’t think there’s many schools that you can say you got your pilot’s license through high school.”