Holding Short

Episode 25- John Lindsay

John Lindsay returned to aviation after an 18-year hiatus.  On the verge of completing his PPL in 2000, John’s education path led him away from flying. He went to college to become a paramedic and has spent the last 18 years working as an advanced care paramedic and in various supervisory and management roles. 

Over the years John’s interest in flying never waned. In 2018 he returned to aviation and has since earned his PPL, seaplane rating and night rating.  With a little bit of luck, he will soon have passed his CPL flight test as well! John is actively working towards flying as a career, despite the current challenges Covid-19 has brought to the industry.

A member of the LGBTQ+ community, John has become active with NGPA, the largest organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender aviation professionals and enthusiasts from around the world.  He currently serves as Co-Leader of the NGPA Canada chapter.

John (@jwc152), the NGPA(@NGPA2), and the NGPA Canada Chapter (@NGPA_Canada) can all be found on Instagram. More information on the NGPA's work, and their chapters around the world can also be found on their website (www.ngpa.org). Their affiliate, Canadian Aviation Pride also maintains a website (www.aviationpride.ca) and an active presence on social media! Search for @canadianaviationpride on both Instagram and Facebook. 

Episode 24- Melissa Haney

Melissa Haney is originally from Inukjuak, Quebec. A small fly-in only community on the Hudson Bay. Flying in and out regularly growing up, she never thought of flying as a career. 

She attended Concordia University and was not too sure what she wanted to do for a career. She applied at Air Inuit as a flight attendant for a new challenge, September 11th, 2001 was her first day solo as a Flight Attendant. As much as this day was to change aviation worldwide, it made her realize how much she wanted to be a part of the industry. After a year working as a flight attendant, she decided to begin flight training having heard the stories from the pilots she worked with. 

She attended Cornwall Aviation and completed her commercial/multi IFR in 9 months. She started in the Air Inuit ground school for the Twin Otter soon after; now having the opportunity to work above and see the vast Nunavik tundra from a different view. 

After gaining experience she moved to the Dash 8 as a first officer. In 2016 she was promoted to Captain on the Dash 8 and was the first female Inuit Captain. In 2017 the Canadian 99s honored her with a commemorative stamp for this accomplishment. In the last year she has become the assistant chief pilot for Dash 8 operations at Air Inuit and is also the coordinator for the Sparrow Program which supports Inuit youth pursuing their pilot licence. 

Living in the beautiful Eastern Townships and raising 2 young children she also promotes women in aviation as the Quebec Ambassador for the Elevate Aviation Wing. Melissa can be found on Instagram @nunavikflygal and on LinkedIn by searching her name.

Episode 23- Stuart McAulay

Stuart McAulay has worked as an AME in General Aviation for over 30 years including specific roles as Safety Officer, Service Manager and Director of Maintenance. He has also navigated through years of experiencing various levels of mental illness in the form of anxiety and depression. Despite some personal setbacks, he has also managed to keep his career moving forward while constantly learning and contributing beyond his normal AME duties.

Stuart began to share his thoughts about working through these challenges about 10 years ago and has also considered the reality that the effects of his condition may be common to other AME’s and aviation professionals. This led to a series of articles, presentations and online posts concerning mental health in the aviation workplace and has sparked conversations that may not otherwise have happened. 

Stuart continues to work as the Quality Manager at the Brantford Flight Centre and remains active with the AME Association of Ontario. His mission of educating the aviation community on the importance of mental health and wellness continues to push new boundaries in aircraft maintenance.

The AME Association of Ontario can be found on their website (https://ame-ont.com/), Facebook and Twitter @AMEontario and Instagram @ame.ont . The CMHA's BounceBack program is available through their website (https://bounceback.cmha.ca/).

Episode 22- Christine Mortine

After a twenty-five plus career performing, teaching and conducting classical music, Christine S. Mortine switched from conducting instruments to flying by them! The dust has never settled since she realized aviation needed to be a second career getting her private pilot license. Christine is currently a FAA appointed Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) who continues to slip in dual instruction, especially tailwheel endorsements. Prior to the pandemic, Christine was an AOPA Safety Seminar presenter and Flight Instructor Refresher Course (FIRC) instructor. She owns a Cessna 185, which she flies throughout the country, and her newly acquired 8KCAB Super ‘D’ for dual instruction.

Always investing in the GA community, she has served as a board member to local EAA and 99s chapters. She is a current board member of WOSU Public Media, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), and Professional Pilots Association (PPA). Educationally driven, Christine chairs her local 99s Scholarship Committee, is a tailwheel endorsement contributor for the Ladies Love Taildraggers Scholarship, and donates sightseeing flights. Christine has flown for Angel Flights, Young Eagles, and was a Hospice volunteer. One of her favorite volunteer roles is state liaison for the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF), which combines her love of the outdoors, hiking, travel, adventure, developing airfields and hanging with other adventurous pilots.

Christine can be found on her website www.christinemortine.com/

Episode 21- Elise MacGlashing

Elise MacGlashing is a New Brunswick native and has been involved in aviation for over 20 years.  Her aviation journey began as a student at Moncton Flight College (now MFCtraining) in 1999, where she completed her PPL and Night Rating.  At this time, she began dispatching, which soon transitioned to the Chief Dispatcher position.  In 2001, she took on the role of Director of Recruitment and Admissions at MFC.  After a few years hiatus to raise her young children, she returned to work and is now Program Manager - Domestic Operations.  MFCtraining is part of the EIC group of airlines.

As Program Manager, she has 200+ students in three full-time Integrated Commercial Pilot programs, overseeing training from orientation to graduation. Elise is also a designated Transport Canada Licensing Officer, able to sign off licences and ratings for the students and celebrate these important milestones.

After hosting the Webster Memorial Trophy Competition in 2019, Elise was asked to take on the role of National Administrator and to join the Webster Team as they search each year for Canada’s Top General Aviation Pilot.  She resides in Moncton, New Brunswick with her husband Dave, a Class 1 instructor and Pilot examiner from MFCtraining, along with their three children. 

 

MFC Training can be found on their website, facebook (@Flymfc), instagram (@mfctrainingcanada), and linkedin.
The Webster Trophy can be found on their website, facebook (@WebsterTrophy), and Instagram (@webstertrophy).

Episode 20- Erika Holtz

Erika has been involved in aviation all her life, beginning her career in 2003 as an EIT with International Aero Products where she became general manager and person responsible for quality to Transport Canada. In addition to her work on the 9000lb gross weight Otter STC, including prototyping the wing and modifying the aircraft for physical and test flying, in 2007 Erika completed her professional engineering status with EGBC.  She later lead the negotiation for Harbour Air to obtain the 9000lb gross weight Otter STC, as well as all other related Design Approvals.

Achieving her delegation status as a structural delegate under the Design Approval Representative Program with Transport Canada, Erika became one of only eight structural DARs in the Pacific Region and started her own engineering company in 2010. In 2012, she accepted a position as the Engineering and Quality Manager for the Harbour Air Group of Companies, where she created a production control system for the manufacturing department, acquiring design approvals, and manufacturing a significant number of parts.

Erika is also the Project Manager and Lead Engineer for the electrification of the DHC-2 Beaver project, successfully obtaining the first electric flight of a commercial aircraft in December 2019.

If you'd like to see more of Erika's work on the E-Plane follow along on Harbour Air and Harbour Air Aerospace Services websites, or their social media on Facebook and Instagram @harbourair or Harbour Air Aerospace Services on Facebook @HarbourAirAerospaceServices and on Instagram @haaerospace. 

Episode 19- Brady Parcels

From a very young age, Brady Parcels has been fascinated with all things transportation. While advancing through the Air Cadet program he developed a keen interest in aviation. By the end of high school, his career choice was solidified. Since then, Brady has completed an integrated CPL and MIFR program in conjunction with a Bachelor of Science from Mount Allison University. He majored in aviation and completed a minor in economics. 

During his flight training, Brady represented the Atlantic provinces while competing in the 2019 Webster Memorial Trophy. After various tests of flying skill and character, he earned the designation of Canada’s Top General Aviation Pilot. Upon completion of his flight training in early 2020, Brady elected to advance from an amateur aviator to a professional and pursued an instructor rating. He has recently been certified as a class IV instructor.

When industry conditions permit, Brady aspires to advance as an instructor and eventually move into the flightdeck of an airliner. While his end goal is the left seat of a large airliner, he would like to experience and learn from the myriad of flight operations that can be found all across the Canadian aviation industry.

Brady can be found on Linkedin or on Instagram @br_parcels . The Webster Memorial Trophy Competiton can be found online at www.webstertrophy.ca and on social media @webstertrophy

Episode 18- Allison MacLean

Allison moved to Toronto from Thunder Bay in early 2013 to join Porter Airlines. Prior to her promotion to Director, SOC, Allison also held the positions of Duty Officer and Manager, System Operations Control Centre (SOCC). 

While paying her way through university, Allison did some part-time work in the wee hours of the morning as a ramp attendant loading Dash 7s destined for northern mines and fishing lodges. From there, she was offered a job to help an airline with logistics at remote bases. The job became a passion and the rest is history. Allison spent the next decade and gained most of her operational experience in Northern Manitoba and Ontario as a Dispatcher and Operations Manager. 

Allison's interests include listening to her extensive vinyl collection, water sports, the outdoors, and of course, travelling.

Allison can be found on Linkedin.

Episode 17- Cassandra Hepp

Cassandra Hepp is just 25 years old and has been a licensed M1/M2 Aircraft Maintenance Engineer for almost 2 years! She took aircraft maintenance at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary, then doing her apprenticeship in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories. During her time at SAIT she was the President of the Aviation Student Association, received the SAITSA gold award, and the Dean's Choice Award. 

Since graduating, she has worked the majority of her career in the Canadian Arctic. Cassandra absolutely loves living in the Northwest Territories. She currently gets the honor of working on a beast of an airplane, the 737-200.

Ambitious, and a real go-getter, Cassandra is passionate about promoting women in aviation. She is the Northern Ambassador for Elevate Aviation, an organization focused on promoting and encouraging women to choose careers in aviation. Most recently, she spoke at the Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Association of Canada virtual conference on behalf of Elevate. Working on aircraft is a rewarding and exciting career for Cassandra, and she hopes to continue gaining knowledge and experience in the industry.

Cassandra can be found on Instagram @cass_hepp

Episode 16- Christina von Bulow

Christina has had a love for aviation since she was young. Once she was old enough (and tall enough) she pursued her Private Pilot License during high school at the Brampton Flying Club. She then attended Trent University where she graduated with a BSc. Geography. While attending University, Christina purchased her 1963 Cessna 150 and has enjoyed many fun trips with family and friends for fun building hours. Upon graduating, Christina completed an Aerobatic Upset Training course with Patty Wagstaff which she attributes a lot of her success to when she pursued her Commercial Pilot License and subsequent ratings. Christina was a finalist for the 2019 Webster Memorial Trophy Competition representing the Central Ontario Region. 

Christina started her career as an Aerial Survey Pilot flying all over North America in a Cessna 172; building hours and gaining valuable PIC experience and pilot decision making skills. She currently works as a Medevac First Officer on the Metroliner II and III based out of Sioux Lookout servicing Ontario’s North. She looks forward to continuing to give back to the aviation community through outreach and mentorship as she values the mentors who have helped and continue to help her along her aviation career. 

Christina can be found on Instagram @christina_von_bulow