J. Goss + Associates is a proud supporter of the Webster Memorial Trophy Competition. Promotion for this year's contest is in full flight with the release of Dave O'Malley's poster. O'Malley, a J. Goss associate and the president of Ottawa-based Aerographic Creative Services, always donates art to the cause.
On March 4 the competition's co-ordinator Wayne Foy updated supporters:
Winnipeg Visit: A couple of weeks ago Amy and I. courtesy of our sponsor Air Canada flew out to Winnipeg, Manitoba to spend a few days arranging for accommodations and working with Harv’s Air and the Manitoba Aviation Council (MAC) to prepare for the Webster nationals August 19-24.
We perhaps could have selected a better time as the weather for two of the four day trip was horrendous with temperatures hovering around –40 the entire time and on one day with winds close to 70 KPH and severe blowing snow. Nevertheless the trip was successful on all counts and much was accomplished. Courtesy of Brenda Howes of The Howes Group four hotels from a larger group submitted were selected and examined. One was off the list immediately; one was excellent but had no banquet facilities available; one was at the top of the list but will be going through complete renovations at the time and one was also at the top of the list and exceptional on all counts.
Our accommodations in Winnipeg this year will be announced formally later once the final contract is signed however, they are located downtown, close to so many of Winnipeg’s attractions and also within easy access of an efficient route to Harv’s Air. The rooms are excellent, the banquet area is perfect with associated pre-banquet cocktail area linked to an outside patio overlooking the city. One of the biggest pluses is a free shuttle service at any time to and from the airport, thus alleviating a great deal of transporting of finalists and guests for our team and volunteer drivers. The hotel also has a top chef on staff therefore the banquet is expected to be up to Webster standard.
We were considering the Western Canada Aviation Museum as a site for the banquet due to its aviation ambience, however heat within the hangar during the summer could be a major problem. We are anxious however to have them participate in Webster week and therefore are hoping to set up a tour and reception for one of the evenings. They have the most fantastic display of Air Canada history. The museum is established in the old Air Canada terminal from the 50’s era and they actually use the original TCA/AC ticket desk as a working unit.
An excellent meeting took place with Dan Bereza from Harv’s Air in St Andrews along with Ron Cole and Jerry Roehr from the MAC on the Monday. Unfortunately Adam Penner was snowbound in Steinbach (as per the weather description above) and couldn’t make it, however we had another excellent meeting with him two days later on Wednesday. The facilities and aircraft at Harv’s Air are outstanding. Briefing rooms are in large supply, a great classroom for the initial briefing, restaurant, isolated marking room for the judges and large bright lounge area for the waiting competitors are all available and airspace restrictions are not a problem for what we need to do.
Harv’s Air is what a flight school should look like. Many logistical subjects were discussed surrounding the competition itself as well as the setting up of media and other events for Webster Week. We have already had a commitment from ATS for a tour of Winnipeg ACC and the St. Andrews tower. As Adam Penner stated, they are very excited that we are coming ----- and we are very excited to be doing so.
Webster Posters and Reaction: The first series of Webster posters are now out across the country at all the Flight Training Units and other selected organizations and we are already seeing results with a number of enquiries and five solid applications received thus far. Five applications may not seem like much, but for this time of year it is excellent as we usually do not see many until late March. The first series of posters are designed around a central theme courtesy of WINGS magazine and always feature a picture of our current finalists. The poster is also linked to the Hamilton Watches congratulatory ad which receives a great deal of initial exposure. The two linked together form an association and complement each other. The second series of posters are about to be printed within the next week or so and will be going out near the end of March as Spring breaks open and flying levels increase. The second series are the beautiful retro-style designs from the formidable imagination of Dave O’Malley, president of Aerographic Creative Services. This year’s version is attached for your review. Beautiful, isn’t it?
Webster Finalists – Where Are They Now?: Amy and I have been involved with Webster now since the end of 2006 and hopefully for a few more years yet. After five competitions we began to think about what has happened to all those finalists over the past five years, after all there are well over forty of them by now. So, a survey went out as they are all alumni and with one or two exceptions all their e-mails have stayed the same and the question was asked. Where are you now and what are you doing? Approximately half have responded resulting in a very impressive result. This resulted in an extensive article being written which is featured in the first section of the latest issue of COPA FLIGHT.
It was also translated and then shot-gunned to all available aviation trade and on-line publications in English and French. The competition is for the Top Amateur Pilot in Canada but we all realize that Webster has an influence on those wishing to go into commercial aviation. What our finalists have accomplished in a short aviation time span may just encourage a larger number of potential competitors to enter. I have attached the original article above for your interest. I am seriously thinking of doing a follow-up article from submissions by our alumni prior to 2007. So many of them have established and exciting careers. (See the full article at the end of this post)
Air Canada Hires Webster Finalist: Unfortunately, Trevor LeMarquand, 2008 runner-up was too late getting his announcement in for the article above, however we have just received a statement from him that he is starting his training programme with Air Canada. Trevor has currently been flying with Skyjet out of Montreal with another Webster finalist Thomas Clark. Trevor is the first Webster finalist within the past five years to have been hired by our sponsor and we are extremely proud of him. We are also aware of at least one other finalist involved with interviews with the airline. There is also a very special young lady who, although she was never a competitor has been a phenomenal supporter of the programme encouraging numerous pilots to compete over the years. We wish them both well.
New Webster Website: I have indicated in past updates that a new website is being developed and it is. The final draft design has been rendered and approved with approval to go ahead. It should be quite slick and will include a rotating “carousel” of moving Webster ads and features on its main page. All other pages within the website are rather long in the tooth and looking rather stale so they also will be upgraded as well as we go along. There is no final date for implementation as yet however it is hoped that it will be fairly soon.
Early Bird and Flight Instructor Draws: We are still looking for donations to the annual Early Bird Draw and Flight Instructor draws. We have some pretty nice stuff however we could use some more items to fill it out more. In the past and again this year we have had headsets, flight bags, aviation jackets, upscale model aircraft, gift cards, etc. Anything like that would be greatly appreciated. The Early Bird Draw is designed to encourage competitors to get their applications in before May first making processing near the end of the competition less of a hassle for us. The Flight Instructor Draw is to thank the instructors for their participation in the encouraging and often additional training of Webster competitors. The finalist get good stuff but the instructors who trained get nothing, so this is a way for us to thank them for their efforts. The instructor gets one ticket in the draw for each competitor encouraged to enter the competition.
Nav Canada Meeting: Nav Canada (NC) is an enthusiastic financial supporter of the Webster programme and Amy and I have just concluded a wonderful meeting with them very recently chaired by Larry Lachance, Assistant VP Operations. One of the problems NC still has is with proper communication between pilots and controllers on both sides. They are addressing the problems with their controllers but last year were looking for assistance with getting information out to the pilot population. One way was to design an insert which we happily included in all our competitor and FTU acknowledgement letters. This year as part of our very productive meeting NC will develop a short exam for the Webster finalists based on established witnessed problems within the ATS system. Furthermore as part of the competition there was discussion about establishing an NC trophy with a plaque for the finalist with the highest score. Perhaps in a year or so it can become an on-line test open to all Webster competitors. NC has also offered to donated to the Early Bird and Flight Instructor draws as well. We thank Nav Canada for their support at all levels and look forward to incorporating this new aspect of the competition into the programme.
In Memoriam: It is with great sadness that I have to announce to those who do not already know, the recent passing of Grant Fabes, National Past President of the Air Cadet League. Grant was an ardent supporter of the Webster programme and will be sorely missed.
Wayne Foy reported on March 4, 2013.
Webster Memorial Trophy Competition
www.webstertrophy.ca
Previous J. Goss posts on the competition
Webster Finalists ---- Where Are They Now?
The Webster Memorial Trophy Competition has been in existence since 1932 and taking in to account periods where it was suspended due to various reasons, it has certainly produced an amazing number of finalists over that long span of time. If you the reader were to go to the Webster website and click on to the competition link within the masthead and then follow that by clicking on past winners, you would see an impressive list of those winners and runner-ups, posted in bold who had pilot careers with our sponsor Air Canada. One of those winners Gordon R. McGregor went on to become president of the company when it was known as Trans Canada Airlines.
At the end of 2006 the organizing of the competition was given over to Amy Foy as National Administrator and joining her was Wayne Foy as a Webster judge and aviation technical assistant. During the following years the competition has grown quite substantially in stature and gained considerable awareness and involvement within the aviation community. Approximately 50 finalists have had the Webster Week experience and many have also gone on to careers in professional aviation. The Webster Team considers our finalists and alumni as family and efforts are continually made to remain in contact through news updates and other means.
A recent request was sent out to all of the Webster finalists of the past five years from 2007 to 2012 inclusive to find out where those individuals are in their aviation pursuits. The competition is for the Top Amateur Pilot in Canada and some have elected to stay as amateur pilots but many have gone forward into all sectors of commercial aviation. The Webster competition had given many of those finalists’ opportunities to link up with influential people connected with our sponsor and various supporters and to receive sound advice and guidance.
The Webster Team is proud of every one of our finalists and would like to share with the aviation community what many who responded to our survey are doing. It is very impressive. The following comments are from our finalists as they were submitted.
Finalists – 2007
Andrew Midcalf (Winner): I am currently a First Officer on a Gulfstream G150 with Chartright Air. I generally fly all over North America with the odd flights to Mexico and the Caribbean. Prior to the Gulfstream I was type rated on the C510 Mustang. Before I was employed at Chartright, I was working as a Class II flight Instructor at the Brampton Flying Club. I still keep in contact with the great friends I made during the competition and have gained a wealth of networking from the competition.
Lisa Klassen: I work at Allied Wings in Southport, Manitoba as a Primary Flight Training Instructor providing training to military pilots. I am also the Contractor Flight Safety Officer for Allied Wings. Since the competition, I have obtained my float rating, class 3 instructor rating and class 2 aerobatic instructor rating.
Dave Mountain: I am flying again now with Execaire Aviation. I am based out of the Canary Islands (which are owned by Spain but are located about 100 miles off the western coast of Africa) I just received my upgrade so I am now Captain on the Citation Ultra. I absolutely love the job, we fly throughout Africa and Europe. I have flown in 17 countries in the last 18 months including 2 oceanic crossing.
Alex Cameron: I'm working in Timmins for Thunder Airlines, Captain, King Air 100. We spend most of our time flying in Northern Ontario, specifically the James Bay coast. We have a scheduled passenger service 7 days a week, plus charters and cargo on top of that. I've been with Thunder for 2 years now. Before that I was instructing and teaching at Ottawa Flying Club for 2.5 years.
Dave Blackman: I've just been upgraded to captain on the Dash 8 flying as a UN contractor for Voyageur Airways of North Bay Ontario. So far have had the opportunity to work in support of several UN missions in the African countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, and Somalia. Life is great!!!!
Finalists – 2008
Sandeep Nagpal : (winner) I work for Air Georgian based out of YYZ. I'm a first officer, but hopefully will upgrade over the next few months. I have an ATPL, with a Beech 1900 type rating and a Class 3 flight instructor rating.
Mark Psutka: First Officer with the Saskatchewan Air Ambulance Service. Type rated on the King Air 200, with Proline 21 glass cockpit.
Jason Gregg: Skylink Express. Beech 1900 Captain, ATPL with Class 2 instructor rating.
Finalists – 2009
Cory Raby: (winner) I'm still with Bearskin Airlines as a First Officer. Still working on getting the ATPL, with about 250 hours to go.
Kevin Dhaliwal: (runner-up) I am currently a class 2 instructor at Coastal Pacific Aviation in Abbotsford, BC.
John Painter: Skynorth Air, MU-2 and King Air 1st Officer (Medivac).
Aaron Lehman: After the competition I flew a 185 and a Beaver on floats for 2 seasons. Now I'm captain on a Navajo flying for Skycare Air Ambulance in Sioux Lookout, ON. We fly charter's all over Ontario and Manitoba, and also provide medivacs in Metro 2 aircraft.
Nicholas Sneider: I am currently the Lead Pilot at BT&E (an oilfield based company in Alberta) while attending the University of Alberta full-time in the Bachelor of Commerce degree program.
Phiroze Contractor: I am now a first officer with an Indian based airline called jet airways. I fly the Boeing 737-700/800/900. I’ve been flying for almost a year and a half now and done about a 1000 hours on the jet.
Thomas Clark: I am currently working for a company out of Quebec called Skyjet. I am copilot on the King Air 200. After Webster, I completed my commercial, multi-IFR and also a class 4 instructor rating. I did a bit of flight instructing in Quebec as well.
Finalists – 2010
Cameron McLean: (runner-up) I am currently flying in northern Saskatchewan in La Ronge. I am a co-pilot on the twin otter flying wheels, floats and skis and loving every minute of it!
Cody Neill: I flew last year a pa-22 on floats for a fishing outfit out of Kenora called Canada Outfitters. This upcoming season I will be flying a Cessna 185 on floats for Nestor Falls Fly In. Probably doesn't fit your traditional Webster alumni aspirations but it’s my dream job!
Finalists – 2011
Kevin Aalders: (winner) I'm instructing at Centennial Flight Centre. I am still a class 4 but soon to be a class 3. I had managed to accumulate about 400 hrs. in my first six months of instructing though so as soon as the weather starts cooperating I hope to be back on that track.
Matthew Duplan: I am currently finishing up my last term at the University of Waterloo in the Geography and aviation program. I have my Group 1 Multi IFR and am beginning to look for a job in northern Ontario.
Oliver Darroch: I finished my commercial. Haven't flown since March. I am in Australia escaping the cold teaching sailing, working at a bar and sailing. Planning on getting things going in April when it isn't negative 30 or negative 40 like it was last weekend in Ottawa. It's positive 30 to 40 here.
Joshua Shea: I'm currently a Class 3 instructor working for the Ottawa flying club with just over 510 hrs. and working towards my Group 1 instrument rating.
Finalists – 2012
Andrew Woods: (winner) I'm currently in my fifth and final semester at Confederation College, and will graduate in April. Since the Webster, I have completed a multi-engine rating and I had my commercial ride in late November. The ride went very well, and I'm just flying off a few hours before I submit my application to TC. After grad I'm hoping to get a position at the college as a flight instructor.
Peter Heron: I'm still employed with Kenn Borek Air as a dispatcher. In about 4-6 months I'll be trained as a First Officer on either a Twin Otter or King Air 200.
Andrea Marrocco: I'm still working at the Ottawa Flying Club as a flight instructor Class 4. I teach a few ground school classes and am working on my multi initial as well.
Robert Forrest: I am currently enrolled in my final year at Greenwood Flight Centre and I hope to finish with my Commercial Multi-IFR by the summer of 2013.
Shane Lanouette: Basically since the competition I have just been working, with air Canada still, and doing lots of traveling. I have completed most of the hours I need for my CPL and have done a fair amount of studying for the written. I hope to eventually hopefully get on with a local commuter or sky diving company.
Many of our finalists credit Webster with building their self-confidence and also assisting them in jump-starting their careers. Is this where you would like to be someday? Perhaps Webster could help. Compete.
Wayne Foy reported on March 4, 2013.
Webster Memorial Trophy Competition
www.webstertrophy.ca
Previous J. Goss posts on the competition
Webster Memorial Trophy Competition
www.webstertrophy.ca
Previous J. Goss posts on the competition
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