February 2018 Direct to FEBRR In this issue: Aviation Presentation Competition: Submit your entries! People in the Aviation Industry: Interview with Richard Hansel Happy National Aviation Day!
Ladies and gentlemen, It s now February! Doesn t time fly? (Pun intended.) You may now submit your entries for our Aviation Presentation Competition. Please see page 3 of this newsletter and our website for more details on the process, rules, age groups, adjudication scheme and other information. Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions. Our guest talk this semester will be presented by an air traffic controller from the Toronto Area Control Centre. The date is expected to be soon after reading week, at the end of February or the beginning of March, and will be determined based on the speaker s schedule. Please check our website and social media where the information will be posted as soon as it is confirmed. We have been in discussions with NAV Canada representatives regarding more ATC tours this semester. NAV Canada is currently experiencing a shortage of staff (if any of you are considering a career in ATC, go ahead and apply!), which makes it difficult to arrange tours. Because of this, we cannot get more than one tour this semester. We have requested a tour of the Toronto Area Control Centre for a bigger group than what we had last semester for the tours of the centre and the tower, and we will let you know when we hear back. UTIAS is currently doing renovations in their simulator hall. As a result, our simulator sessions have to be postponed to the end of the semester tentatively March 16 and 23. The finalised dates will be announced on the website, social media and in the March newsletter. Good luck on your midterms! Regards, UTAC executives Website: www.utorontoac.org E-mail: info.utorontoac@gmail.com Facebook: University of Toronto Aviation Club Twitter: @utorontoac Instagram: @utorontoac
UPCOMING EVENTS Aviation Presentation Competition 2018 Those who wish to participate in the Aviation Presentation Competition 2018 are now invited to submit their entries. Each presentation is to be 10-12 minutes long 1 and can be presented by an individual or a group of 2 or 3 people. Anyone under age 30 residing in Canada is eligible to participate. Presentations can be on any topic, as long as it is related to aviation/aerospace, and each is to be supported by a visual in the form of a PowerPoint. Evaluation will be on a 60-points scale as follows: - Keeping to the allotted time of 10-12 minutes (5 points) - Structure introduction, development of the topic, conclusion (10 points) - Oral presentation spoken delivery, audibility, speed, flow (10 points) - Audience engagement eye contact, interaction, keep attention (5 points) - Visual presentation relevance, ease of reading, complement to oral presentation (5 points) - Ability to answer questions post presentation (10 points) - Content, grasp of subject, originality (15 points) The default age categories are 21 and under, and 22-29 years old. These may change based on entries received 2. The winner of each age group will receive a prize. If there is only one age group, prizes will be awarded to the first and second place. Winners and runners-up will also be offered to attend a behind-the-scenes tour of Porter Airlines facilities at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. Winning presentations will be eligible to represent Canada in the Royal Aeronautical Society s Young Persons Lecture Competition 3. To enter the competition, submit your (group) details and an abstract of 200-250 words through the form below before February 25 (23:59pm). Top 10 presentations will be invited to participate in the final round on March 24 at the University of Toronto. Entry form: https://goo.gl/forms/3oxv2m4guxdfuhgn2 The following registration fees will apply to those selected for the final round: $25 for an individual entry, $40 for a group of 2 people, $45 for a group of 3 people. Refreshments will be provided. The final round of the competition will be followed by a Q&A panel with the adjudicators, who will be professionals from various areas of aviation/aerospace. Participants and audience members will be able to ask their questions about the industry and careers in aviation. 1 Please note that this is different from the originally announced length of 12-15 minutes. 2 If fewer than 3 entries are received in any of the age groups, the age groups will be merged. If at least 5 entries are received from high school students, there will be a separate high school category. 3 Presentations will be video recorded and forwarded to the RAeS along with 2000-3000-word written submissions that will have to be prepared by those whose presentations are selected. To be entered into the RAeS competition, participants will be required to become RAeS members. Current students are eligible for free student membership.
People in the Aviation Industry Interview with Richard Hansel Richard Hansel is an aviation technician apprentice working for Porter Airlines. He spends his working days at the hangar of Toronto's Billy Bishop Airport, ensuring that aircraft are safe and fit to fly. Richard received his avionics maintenance technician diploma from Centennial College. UTAC: How did you become interested in aviation? Richard Hansel: When I was a kid, my dad used to go to the airport at least three times a week to monitor his cargo that he was sending; and he kind of just brought me along with him, let me see all the planes in that airport that he had his cargo on. Then one day, one of his staff asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up, and for some reason I answered that I wanted to do something that would let me see planes every day. After I grew up, and stopped going to the airport as often as we used to, I was still interested in planes, they are just something we do not see every day, and they attract me somehow. I was introduced to the aircraft maintenance program, and turned out I loved it! UTAC: What's a typical day like in the airport where you are stationed? RH: My main duty right now is overhauling aircraft's DC Generators. What I usually do in the morning is checking the status of my generators, whether they are ready to be sent out, or still need time running on the testing machine. After that, I would check if I have any generator that needs to be overhauled. If there is, I would start working on it right away. If none of this exists, I would stick around my coworkers' stations, whether it is engine, propeller, blades, wheels, and miscellaneous. I would not know what I would do until I actually arrive at my work and see for myself what I have on that day, so it is like a surprise for me every day! Always something new to learn every day and that makes my job even more exciting! UTAC: What made you choose to be a mechanic? RH: I choose to be a mechanic because I love working hands on. I love getting my hands dirty and I love planes. Do I need to say more? UTAC: What career path do you hope to pursue? RH: My anticipated career path would be apprentice, licensed AME, ACA, MOC, and finally director of maintenance. Apprentice is who I am right now. I have to work 30 months as an apprentice before being able to apply for the license. It is usually 48 months, but since I graduated with accreditation, I only have 30 months. The difference between apprentice and licensed aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) is that an AME can sign off their own task that they have completed on a plane, whereas as an apprentice you would need a licensed AME to sign off your work. An AME holding aircraft certification authority (ACA) can sign off the whole aircraft as airworthy. They will take full responsibility to say that a certain aircraft is safe and good to fly. Maintenance operations coordinators (MOC) usually deal with maintenance scheduling, and keep track of the defects of each aircraft in the fleet. They also sometimes check the work on some critical parts of the aircraft.
People in the Aviation Industry UTAC: What do you enjoy the most about your job? What is the most challenging part of your job? RH: I enjoy being able to meet other people with different backgrounds and experiences. I enjoy sharing my knowledge with the others. I also enjoy working on something new every day. The most challenging thing at work is the fatigue. We sometimes have shifts as long as 13 hours, or even more in some cases. It is hard to stay awake at 3 in the morning when you are tired. UTAC: What was the most interesting or most memorable moment on the job? RH: My favourite moment was when I had to fix 17 galley trolleys and 15 coffee jugs in one day by myself. It was a lot of disassembling and reassembling, but in the end of the day, I finished all of them and I earned this feeling of accomplishment when my coworkers told me that nobody had ever done that before. Also, I was happy when I got my certification stamp in only 3 months, whereas everybody so far earned their stamps in 4 months or more. UTAC: Do you have any advice for people interested in a working as a mechanic? RH: Pay attention to details! Always double, triple check every time! Because in the end, it is you who is responsible for the plane you signed out for. Second, invest in good tools, might be expensive in the front, but it will last you lifetime. Last, always do your best. Aviation is a small industry.
National Aviation Day in Canada is coming! It is on February 23, the day of the first powered flight in Canada. On 23 February 1909, J.A.D. McCurdy flew the Silver Dart in Baddeck, Nova Scotia. In 2009, the first National Aviation Day was designated to celebrate Canada s aviation safety strength success. Many events are held on that day every year. For example, there were photo contests in 2014 and 2015, and an aircraft display last year. Don t forget to check out what events will take place on this National Aviation Day!