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The 2017 Webster Memorial Trophy Competition was hosted by Mitchinson Flight Centre in Saskatoon, Sask.
A spokesperson for the competition said the Mitchinson staff were exceptional throughout a magnificent week of activities, and of course, the competition itself.
Throughout the week, the finalists and judges were treated to breakfast and lunch, courtesy of Mitchinson and their sponsors. Mitchinson’s aircraft were pristine, the facilities organized and the scheduling and dispatching of the flights was flawless.
A special accolade went to chief flight instructor Reed Willison for his time and effort throughout the year to ensure that Webster week would be the success that it was.
For the finalists, Webster is more than just a competition. Organizers strove to provide them with a fun experience, and this year was no exception. With visits to the Saskatchewan air ambulance Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS), the NavCanada control tower, Transwest Air, the Saskatchewan Aviation Museum and near the end of the week, a BBQ at Reed’s house, which sits on the property where “Mr. Hockey,” a.k.a. Gordie Howe, was born.
All had a relaxing time sitting around the fire enjoying the clear skies of the prairies and recounting all that had transpired during the week. A special thanks went out to local Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) volunteers who donated their time, not only helping out whenever they were needed, but providing transportation to all the events.
This year saw a dramatic shift in the way the finalists were assessed on the flight and simulator portions of the competition. In past years, the marking was exercise-based and also based on the Private Pilot Licence Flight Test Guide.
This year the assessment was scenario based. Several scenarios were given to the candidates throughout the flight and based on how the candidate handled the scenario, an assessment was made.
With a scenario based approach, the candidates were all on a level playing field, as they did not know what the scenarios were going to be until flight time. The feedback from the finalists was extremely positive and organizers thanked them for providing ideas so next year’s scenarios can be improved upon and made even more challenging.
The winner of the 2017 Webster Memorial Trophy Competition was Liam Cohen from eastern Ontario. Liam is currently a student at Seneca College in Peterborough, Ont.
He had the highest aggregate score across the flight assessment, simulator assessment, written examination, and interview. He was also the recipient of the NavCanada Trophy for Excellence by achieving the highest score among all regional competitors on the NavCanada written examination.
The runner-up was Owen Titerle, of British Columbia. Titerle is currently flying at Coastal Pacific Aviation in Abbotsford, B.C.
The Webster winner receives numerous awards and prizes from Webster supporters, including two tickets from Air Canada anywhere within North America and the Caribbean, a development day with the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, and a fantastic aerospace watch from Breitling Canada.
The runner up also received a Breitling watch and all of the finalists received superb prizes which can be reviewed in the application package on the Webster website.
In addition to prizes that the finalists received, FlightSafety International provided a $2,000 grant to the school of the winner.
Organizers said is through the generosity of competition sponsor Air Canada, and many supporters from the entire spectrum of the Canadian and United States aviation community, that Webster is able to continue to flourish and grow.
All of them deserve to be acknowledged for their time, efforts and financial assistance, organizers said.
A list of all of these companies and individuals can be found on the Webster Memorial Trophy Competition website.
“Without their help this competition would not be the success that it is,” said a competition spokesperson.
The 2018 Webster Memorial Trophy Competition has already begun and next summer the competition will be hosted by Seneca College in Peterborough. Exact dates have yet to be finalized, but will be posted shortly.
