"Driving Recovery" Conference - June 5-7 Dinner Keynote, Dave Curtis, Prince George
We're very excited to announce that Dave Curtis will be the Dinner Keynote Speaker at this year's "Driving Recovery" Conference. Dave will be presenting his thoughts on the future of aerospace and propulsion systems.
Dave recently retired from his position as the CEO of De Havilland Canada, President and CEO of Viking Air, and was also the Executive Chair at Longview Aviation Capital. Dave began his tenure with Viking in 1983, becoming President and CEO in 1991. Under his leadership, Viking grew to become a prominent global specialty aircraft company, and the only company to successfully re-launch an out-of-production aircraft, bringing the Series 400 Twin Otter back into production in 2010.
Dave was also instrumental in executing the vision to build a leading Canadian aerospace enterprise, including spearheading the acquisitions of the CL-215/415 water-bomber program in 2016, and the Dash-8 aircraft program in 2019, bringing together the entire original product line of the De Havilland Aircraft Company.
DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 400
Join us at the new Courtyard by Marriott Prince George for our Driving Recovery Conference - June 5-7. Event Registration, Accommodation and Travel Partner details (including promotional discount codes) can be found HERE.
Read our DRAFT Agenda (attached) to learn more about our other speakers and moderators, the discussion panels and presentations, activities and entertainment. There's something for everyone!
(Source: Submitted, De Havilland)
Update - New Courtyard by Marriott Prince George Guaranteed Rate
Coming to our June 5-7 Conference? The guaranteed $169 Promotional Conference Room Rate at the New Courtyard by Marriott ended Sunday the 14th. However, if after that date you call the hotel directly and politely say that you are with the BC Aviation Council, you may still get the discount. Call . In addition, right now you can still get the promotional rate by reserving Reserve Online.
(Photo/Courtyard by Marriott Prince George)
BCAC's May Hangar Hangout
May 25th, 2023, at Pacific Rim Aviation Academy, Pitt Meadows
Welcome to Hangar Hangout, BCAC’s Youth Engagement Committee's monthly aviation and aerospace community initiative! Here you’ll have an opportunity to connect and converse with fellow aviation enthusiasts and professionals in the BC aviation and aerospace community. Join us on Thursday, May 25th, 2023, from 6pm-8pm for our in-person casual get-together. BCAC's Youth Engagement Committee works hard to create an inclusive, friendly, and inviting environment for everyone to meet new people, socialize, and connect in the “hangar” setting.
This event is free and open to all. Donations to BCAC's growing Scholarship Fund and other Services/Programs are graciously accepted. Tax receipts will be issued for any personal donations. If you're planning to attend you must sign up on our Registration Page.
Special thanks to Pacific Rim Aviation Academy for hosting this exciting event!
We look forward to seeing you there!
(Photo/Submitted)
BCAC Conference 2024 (May 27-29)
We're pleased to announce that next year's annual conference will be hosted by the Nanaimo Airport on Vancouver Island (YCD). Mark your calendars! In 2025 we'll be returning to Kelowna, probably May 26-28 and a new venue. 2026 we're exploring Cranbrook and 2027 Campbell River would like a crack at it.
(Photo/Nanaimo Airport Commission)
The Centre is the proud owner of one of only four De Havilland Mosquitos (pictured right) in the world, and one of only two in flying condition.
Inside the KF Centre for Excellence
In August 2022, KF Aerospace opened the doors to its brand-new Centre for Excellence in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, right next to the Kelowna International Airport. The 60,000-square-foot building — designed to resemble the fuselage and wings of an airplane — features an impressive aviation museum with a rare aircraft collection and interactive exhibits, along with an airfield viewing gallery and conference facilities.
A non-profit organization, the KF Centre for Excellence aims to celebrate the people and history of the aviation community, and promote career development through education and training support. Skies recently sat down with KF Centre for Excellence executive director, Paula Quinn, to hear about the Centre’s beginnings and what future plans include.
Skies: Tell us about your role as executive director of the KF Centre for Excellence.
Paula Quinn: My role as executive director — as an officer of the society — is to uphold what the board of directors has tasked me with, which is, of course, the day-to-day operations, the administration, and keeping the corporate side of society consistent. But it’s also ensuring that the stories that are shared with us are shared with everybody else, and having the artifacts to go along with that — and keeping new artifacts and aircraft coming in so that it’s exciting for people. Plus, the role includes promoting the Centre, whether that’s through events or social media, to keep it alive with people.
The KF Centre for Excellence was intended to be the shape of an aircraft, with the main part of the building being the “fuselage” and the two hangars being the “wings.”
Skies: What did the process of building and opening the Centre look like over the past several years?
P.Q.: The idea for the KF Centre for Excellence was conceived by our founder, Barry Lapointe, around six years ago. Barry always knew he wanted to build a legacy for aviation in the Okanagan so he could showcase and be an advocate for the industry, but he didn’t know what that was actually going to look like. And then it was six years ago that he took me to lunch and said, “Paula, I now know what I want my legacy to look like, and I want you to run it for me.”
So, he actually borrowed a little notepad from the waitress, and he drew me a very simple form of what he saw his legacy looking like — of the building we now have today; it had to be the shape of an aircraft, it had to be made of mass timber, and it all had to be sourced from B.C.
So, we then had to figure out how we were going to do it. We held charrettes for two days with a multitude of different subcontractors to see what ideas they could come up with. From those two 10-hour days, we managed to get a team together. READ MORE
(Source: SKIES Magazine, Photos/Shawn Talbot)
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