Sunrise Aviation, run by John Erickson the chief flight instructor and owner, held a wing presentation night on Nov. 10. Cocktails and dinner were enjoyed at the Skyline Motor Inn.
Twenty graduates either earning their wings or being recognized for their first solo flight were celebrated. The winter weather kept a few people from attending, but overall there was a large turnout including supporters from the Flying Club.
Laughter emanated from the room as Erickson relayed stories of past students and odd talk on the radio. Particularly humourous was the use of the word apparently. In aviation they often use the word, currently; but, radio chatter had Erickson hear someone state they were "apparently" over a certain area.
Speaking that evening was Aaron Elmy, Erickson's first commercial student. He relayed his experiences learning and flying up north. He is now situated in Weyburn and is starting his own business called Sharp-Tail Aviation.
"It's a good time to be in aviation," Elmy explained.
Elmy is able to trace his career back to Sunrise Aviation and the opportunities he had with Erickson.
The flight test is marked out of 124, with a majority of Erickson's students scoring an average of 100. Erickson was very proud of his students who all received their wings that night.
"He does instill confidence, is motivating, and knows what he's talking about," Sharon Elliot of Weyburn said. She continued to explain her aviation schooling may not have continued if she had not found such an instructor.
Erickson has been flying since 1968 and first developed Sunrise Aviation in 1992. Beginning as a way to train pilots and make use of the Estevan Airport. Flight training grew from recreational, private, and commercial training to include multi I.F.R. training as well.
In 2008 Erickson moved his business to Carlyle as an opportunity to sell in Estevan developed. At the time he had 15 students in Carlyle and the move just seemed to make sense.
Now Sunrise Aviation welcomes new students. They are also able to offer charter flights to areas within 800 miles of Carlyle. Erickson also has experience in Low Level Surveillance of Power Line and Pipeline.
