The second Prairie Rose Public Schools (PRPS) student-built plane from the Dave Rozdeba South Alberta Flight Academy is due to be completed and moved to the airport in December for ground runs and final inspection. Harry Jaeger, who is an aircraft maintenance engineer, came in to work with the Flight Academy at a point when the first build was stalled. Having worked on about 50 plane-builds, he brought with him the technical know-how to get the project back on track and completed.
Currently, due to the large number of Grade 10 students entering the Flight Academy this year, Jaeger has four groups of students each week that help with the second plane build. “The students enjoy their build time; they are very engaged and love what they are doing here. I’ve taught lots of classes to adults, coming into the student level of Grade 10, 11 and 12, I found this was exactly where I need to be,” stated Jaeger.
As Jaeger also has a pilot’s license and a background in flying experimental aircraft, along with having an in-depth knowledge of the student-built Vans RV-12, he is the mentor pilot for the plane. “I’ve flown many other customer’s airplanes to ensure things are good. I’ve set them up and performed calibrations to ensure everything works the way it’s supposed to and it’s safe. That is the end goal, it must be safe.”
PRPS has partnered with HALO Air Ambulance to utilize the first student-built Vans RV-12, which now has 300 flight hours on it.
This past summer, there were reports in Cypress County of the smell of smoke, but nobody knew where the fire was. This is the type of situation, said Captain Ryan Shrives of HALO, where the plane could have been used to scout the area.
“The reason we have the specific partnership with the plane,” added CEO of HALO Paul Carolan, “is because if the situation doesn’t require taking people out and being able to land and put them on the ground, the plane is a great asset to go look from an aerial reconnaissance perspective. It can stay up longer, is more affordable to fly and can cover greater distances. It is a great opportunity to have that under the program as well, plus Prairie Rose is deeply invested in the community and their support to be out there in emergency situations is a great way for them to give back.”
When HALO began working with Cypress County, the PRPS South Alberta Fire Academy had already started up. Thus, there was a natural synergy for HALO to partner with Prairie Rose. Additionally, the partnership allows Fire Academy students the opportunity to witness the EMS and helicopter side of emergency situations.
Story submitted by: Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer
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