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The prestigious 2018 David Charles Abramson Memorial (DCAM) Flight Instructor Safety Award has been awarded to Wayne Cave of Chinook Helicopters’ fixed-wing division in Abbotsford, B.C.
The award was presented by Adam Wright at the Air Transport Association of Canada’s annual conference and tradeshow on Nov. 14 in Vancouver.
Cave has been an aviator since the age of 17. Flight instruction quickly became his passion; his dedication and superior teaching skills clearly shine through.
His tenure of 14 years with Coastal Pacific enabled him to develop and update a variety of post-secondary curriculum for the Bachelor of Business Administration aviation degree program (BBAA).
He has personally influenced the safety training of a large portion of pilots who have trained at Abbotsford for well over a decade, and is now at Chinook Helicopters, where he started the company’s fixed-wing division.
Cave’s work ethic and commitment to safety are second to none. In his acceptance speech, he spoke of “finding some novel solutions to the ongoing shortage of experienced people to mentor and guide new instructors if we are to maintain our high Canadian standards of safety and training.”
To preserve the historical record of the award, the recipient’s name is engraved on the trophy and entered in the official logbook, both of which are on permanent display at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa.
Award organizers thanked the museum for its custodianship of the trophy as well as award sponsors for their support.
The mission of the DCAM award is to raise the profile of flight instructors by recognizing and honouring exceptional Canadian professionals who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of Canadian aviation safety.
Nominations can be submitted here at any time throughout the year.
