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Providing flight training excellence since 1946, Mitchinson Flight Centre provides flight instruction, charters, scenic flights, testing, aircraft maintenance and inspections. The flight school is currently owned by four pilots, including Dan Glass (above), who purchased the business together in 2013.

Mitchinson Flight Centre: Bringing new pilot training opportunity to Prince Albert

Mar 14, 2016 | 7:20 AM

An exciting new aviation opportunity is coming to Prince Albert and it’s scheduled to begin this spring.

Mitchinson Flight Centre in Saskatoon has confirmed that they will be offering a satellite school in Prince Albert that will give Prince Albert and area residents the opportunity to obtain their Private Pilot’s License close to home and without the commute.

“We currently have a number of students that travel from Prince Albert to train with us here in Saskatoon, so we think that there’s more people that are interested in doing this right in Prince Albert,” said Dan Glass president and co-owner of Mitchinson Flight Centre.

The new satellite school is set to launch in Prince Albert in late March and it will continue until the end of June, giving participants the opportunity to begin their training and successfully obtain their Private Pilot’s License within a three-month period.

“If you are looking for a fun hobby that basically allows you to travel all over North America, depending on the type of airplane that you get, you can do that with a simple private license.”

Glass, who is originally from Prince Albert, has close ties to the aviation community in the city.  His father Floyd Glass started Athabasca Airways in Prince Albert in 1955, which later on partnered with La Ronge Aviation to become what is now Transwest Air. The Prince Albert (Glass Field) Airport is also named after Floyd Glass.

Glass said they plan to launch the new satellite school in Prince Albert in late March and it will continue until the end of June, giving participants the opportunity to begin their training and successfully obtain their Private Pilot’s License within a three-month period.

Mitchinson’s upcoming satellite school is set to operate out of the Transwest Air hangar in Prince Albert. All trainees will be required to complete a minimum of 40 hours of ground school and a minimum of 45 hours of flight time.

“It’s best to complete your training in a short time frame because if you stretch it out over a long period of time it could end up costing you more in the long run,” Glass explains. “And then you are coming back and re-learning what you already did in one of your previous sessions, because it has to be reviewed again.”

Glass encourages anyone that has considered getting their pilot’s license to take advantage of this new opportunity and register as soon as they can so they don’t miss out. He said during his years as a pilot he has never come across anyone that has regretted it.

“You will never hear anyone say ‘I wish I didn’t bother getting my pilots license,’” said Glass. “It’s relatively easy to do and it’s not as complicated as some people may think. It does require situational awareness but it’s not something that the average person can’t accomplish.”

Dan Glass, president and co-owner of Mitchinson Flight Centre encourages anyone that has considered getting their pilot’s license to take advantage of this new opportunity and register as soon as they can so they don’t miss out.

Providing flight training excellence since 1946, Mitchinson Flight Centre provides flight instruction, charters, scenic flights, testing, aircraft maintenance and inspections. The flight school is currently owned by four pilots, including Glass that purchased the business together in 2013.

“We’re all airline pilots for either Air Canada or WestJet and we came through Mitchinson as students at one point ourselves,” said Glass.

If a career as a pilot interests you, then obtaining your private pilot license is the first step required to achieve it. Glass said there are many exciting opportunities opening up today in the aviation field that are benefiting new pilots.

“It’s a fun and rewarding career and there are a number of different avenues you can take as a pilot,” said Glass. “You don’t necessarily have to become an airline pilot; you can also go into the military, become a corporate pilot, fly bush planes or even water bombers.”

Anyone interested in learning more about this exciting opportunity can email the staff at Mitchinson Flight Centre at info@flymitchinson.com or call the office at 306-244-6714.

Mitchinson’s upcoming satellite school is set to operate out of the Transwest Air hangar in Prince Albert.  All trainees will be required to complete a minimum of 40 hours of ground school and a minimum of 45 hours of flight time. For more details about the program requirements and price click here.

Anyone interested in learning more about this exciting opportunity can also email the staff at Mitchinson Flight Centre at info@flymitchinson.com or call the office at 306-244-6714.

“We want to get more people in Prince Albert flying,” said Glass. “It’s one of the greatest feelings you will ever experience, knowing that you have the ability to pilot an aircraft. It’s an accomplishment and it’s something that everyone can be proud of saying, yes – I did it, I can fly an airplane!”