Photo Courtesy Prairie Rose School Division

By Regan Tate

HALO and South Alberta Flight Academy to pursue partnership

Mar 27, 2023 | 10:25 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB -A special airplane built locally by students at the South Alberta Flight Academy could soon take flight for an important mission.

At the Academy’s Wings over Southern Alberta gala on Saturday night, it was announced the Vans RV-12 aircraft may be added to the HALO Air Ambulance fleet for fire spotting and search and rescue operations.

The two-seat, single-engine plane is known for being economical to operate, fun to fly and easy to maneuver. This plane model, commonly used for flight school training due to its efficiency and reduced maintenance costs, was something that caught the attention of HALO Air Ambulance pilots.

As the only dedicated Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) program in southern Alberta, HALO responds to various emergency calls for service.

While most calls are for emergency response and patient transfers, HALO is also actively involved in fire spotting and search and rescue. The organization currently performs these operations using a BK-117 twin-engine medium-duty helicopter.

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HALO CEO Paul Carolan says there are instances where there is a benefit to use other types of aircraft for this work. “The Vans RV-12 is a good fit for this type of work and HALO is eager to explore the potential of developing a program in partnership with the South Alberta Flight Academy.”

In exchange for using the academy plane for search and fire operations, HALO could provide South Alberta Flight Academy and the recently announced South Alberta Fire Rescue Academy students with training and mentorship. It is a partnership where each organization could benefit, resulting in enhanced service to both students and residents of southeastern Alberta.

Prairie Rose superintendent Reagan Weeks says the vision is “always looking for ways to bring hands-on, real life experience to our students. It is not very often a high school student can say that they helped build a plane that is saving lives and making a difference in their community.”

The student-built Vans RV-12 is the first for the South Alberta Flight Academy program. The build took three years to complete and was done under the supervision and instruction of an aeronautical mechanical engineer and Super T Aviation. The aircraft passed inspection on March 18 and requires 25 flight hours by a test pilot before final approval is provided for other use.

Super T Aviation CEO Terri Super says the partnership with the Prairie Rose School Division is creating great opportunities for students and the aviation industry. “This latest opportunity for our students to contribute to emergency services work in southeast Alberta is just one example of that work.”

Flight Academy students will also have the chance to pilot the plane after completing their pilot training at Super T Aviation. The academy has already purchased another plane which students will begin working on later this spring.