Flight Academy students almost ready for takeoff in their own plane

Judge joined the academy in Grade 10, the first step toward his planned career and his need for speed. He’s been around aircraft all his life and his dad has been a helicopter pilot for 36 years, the bulk of his 41 years in the military. He applied to the military recently but wants a slightly different path than what his father was on.

“Flying fighter jets, it’s always been my dream. I just want to go fast.”

The academy is run through Eagle Butte High School and Super T Aviation. Students come to the airport to work on the build, which allows them to earn school credits.

One of the academy leaders, Katelyn Rozdeba, says Eagle Butte is the only program with a flight academy in Canada so it’s a select number of people who get this experience.

“I think it’s a pretty amazing thing that the students can say they built it and then later on that they can fly that plane too,” says Rozdeba of the academy named after her father.

She says by learning about the actual structure of the plane and how it is built is beneficial for students because they can transfer those skills to their other studies.

Flying at 17 is just an amazing, amazing opportunity. _{-Sam Judge}

This is the first build for the program but hopefully not the last, says Rozdeba. They want to build a new one each year.

“So you start in Grade 10 and then you work your way up with it until it’s finished,” she says. “Then we’ll keep the planes and the students when they graduate with their license will have the opportunity to fly and build up their hours with the plane they built.”

This year’s plane is a Vans aircraft model RV-12iS. Build manager Harry Jagger says it has a 100 horsepower Rotax engine capable of running on car gas using fewer than four gallons an hour on cruise and has a completely electronic engine.

He says the plane is perfect for students to learn on, from putting it together piece by piece to flying high.

“Great aircraft to build on, it’s an aircraft that is super stable, real easy to fly, real easy to land. And it’s high-end technology – so it’s all electronic screens, it’s a fuel-injected engine.”

Judge says he’s honoured to be in the flight academy and pursuing his passion so young.

“Like, the opportunity, like most nobody gets this opportunity and like I feel really lucky to have it. Flying at 17 is just an amazing, amazing opportunity.”

The flight academy is hosting an open house and information session on Sunday at 3 p.m. at Super T Aviation.

by Chris Brown

Flight Academy students almost ready for takeoff in their own plane

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