South Alberta Flight Academy to pursue partnership with HALO Air Ambulance event
Super T Aviation and Prairie Rose Public Schools’ South Alberta Flight Academy to partner with HALO Air Ambulance in first-of-its-kind aviation agreement
Residents can soon expect to see a shiny new plane cruising the skies of southeastern Alberta, but don’t let its sparkly gold exterior fool you. Before leaving the ground, the South Alberta Flight Academy’s student-built Vans RV12 aircraft has been recruited for an important mission. In addition to being one of the planes used for academy flight school training, the RV-12 may soon be added to the HALO Air Ambulance fleet for fire spotting and search and rescue operations.
The Vans RV-12 is a small two-seat, single-engine plane 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.
“The BK-117 is a multi-purpose helicopter that is a key tool for the work HALO does,” says HALO CEO Paul Carolan. “There are instances however, such as search and rescue and fire spotting, that we benefit from the use of other aerial aircraft. 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.
“In Prairie Rose Public Schools we are always looking for ways to bring hands-on, real life experience to our students,” says Superintendent Reagan Weeks. “Exploring this partnership with HALO is such an incredible opportunity for 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 18th and requires 25 flight hours by a test pilot before final approval is provided for other use.
“The partnership between Super T Aviation and Prairie Rose School Division has resulted in many incredible opportunities for local students and the aviation industry,” says Super T Aviation CEO Terri Super. “As the only program of its kind in Canada, the success of the partnership is getting noticed. 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.