Young Inuit take to the skies in pilot training program with dreams of serving Nunavik

An enthusiastic applause greets Melissa Haney arsenic she walks into a schoolroom astatine Iguarsivik precocious schoolhouse successful Puvirnituq, Nunavik. She was just introduced arsenic the archetypal Inuk pistillate to skipper a Boeing 737. 

The students bent connected each connection arsenic she recounts her communicative — a puerility imagination that seemed retired of reach, but yet came existent acknowledgment to perseverance. 

"Who wants to go a pilot?" she yet asks the students. One, two, 3 timid hands spell up. 

Then 1 of them speaks up and asks, "What if I fail?"

"Failing is portion of becoming successful," says a teacher. "But thing is intolerable if you judge successful yourself." 

A lifeline for communities

Hanley regularly flies Air Inuit's way betwixt Montreal and Puvirnituq. Originally from Inukjuak, a colony supra the 58th parallel, she knows firsthand what beingness is similar successful the assemblage for these students. 

"We cognize determination are galore challenges for younker successful the North," she told Radio-Canada. "There's a spread successful acquisition levels and infrastructure close from simple school. They request a spot of a helping hand. Our connection is that, 'yes, you tin bash it and we're present to assistance you'."

In summation to being a aviator for Air Inuit, Hanley besides coordinates the airline's Sparrow grooming program. The initiative, which started successful 2014, is meant to summation the fig of Inuit pilots flying successful Nunavik. Each year, the hose selects a fistful of candidates and sends them to a flying academy successful the Montreal area. The candidates are besides guaranteed a occupation with the hose if they successfully implicit the training. 

"We're astir 240 pilots astatine Air Inuit, but hardly 10 per cent are really Inuit," says Hanley. "It's important for Inuit from Nunavik to enactment here. It's their airline."

Unlike galore different smaller airlines, Hanley says Air Inuit isn't seen arsenic a stepping chromatic for section pilots. 

"Inuit pilots privation to enactment successful the North," she says. "That means bully employees that instrumentality astir longer." 

It besides means the pilots are already well-adapted to flying conditions: 35 knot winds successful -35 C, blowing snowfall crossed gravel runways, and constricted crushed services. 

"You person to emotion flying and moving successful the North due to the fact that the conditions are extreme," says Hanley.

For many, piloting successful the North isn't conscionable a job, it's a calling. In Nunavik, aerial question isn't considered a luxury similar it is successful galore different parts of the country; it's a lifeline that connects isolated villages dotted crossed the immense landscape, beryllium it for food, supplies, oregon services.

The 4 students presently successful the Sparrow programme are good alert of this responsibility. 

"Working for Air Inuit means you're helping radical successful communities and you spot the results," says Geneviève Whiteley, 1 of the participants. Flying is simply a household matter for Whiteley — her brother previously completed the grooming program. 

Lifelong dreams

Nicolas Pirti Duplessis, different student, is besides dedicated to helping his community. 

"For me, it's astir serving my people, my friends, my family," helium says. At 35, he's the oldest 1 of the cohort. 

"My ma had to instrumentality the level to springiness commencement to me. Two weeks later, she was flying backmost home," helium said. Aviation, helium adds, "has ever been fascinating to me, a passionateness since I was young." 

Growing up, Duplessis remembers travelling by Twin Otter and being seated close down the pilots, watching their each move. He'd past effort and replicate those gestures astatine home. 

Siinasi Tassé Dion is different student. His look lights up erstwhile helium starts talking astir airplanes and flying. 

"I've ever wanted to go a pilot," helium said. "That thought makes maine truly happy." 

Growing up successful Kuujjuaq, his begetter was successful complaint of maintaining the airport's tarmac. He remembers going to enactment with his begetter connected days erstwhile schoolhouse was closed owed to a snowstorm and riding on successful the plow to wide the runway. 

Later, Tassé Dion became a baggage handler and would daydream of 1 time sitting down the controls arsenic helium was loading bags onto a Dash-8.

Now moving to marque that imagination a reality, helium said, "I've ne'er been truthful motivated successful life… It's what you're going to beryllium doing each time and paving a roadworthy for the kids. It's a feeling that ne'er gets old."

'Every time is thing new'

However, the aspiring pilots inactive person overmuch to learn. Their grooming is the aforesaid arsenic others enrolled astatine the academy — a difficult, demanding and rigorous two-year process that's capped disconnected with Transport Canada exams, known for being precise pugnacious to pass. 

Students walk hours successful the schoolroom learning astir assorted flying-related subjects, including regulations, the principles and dynamics of flight, vigor communication, and weather. 

"There's truthful much. Lots of information. Every time is thing new," says Tassé Dion. 

Andrew Watt, a chap pupil who's besides from Kuujjuaq, echoes that point.  

"Once you start, it's consecutive on," helium said. "It's rather overwhelming to beryllium honest."

Together, the 4 Sparrow students tin both lean connected 1 different erstwhile needed, and propulsion each different to succeed. 

The challenges besides widen beyond the classroom. 

"Moving present is hard," says Watt. "You know, you're distant from family, you're homesick. I've been calling location each day."

Once the Christmas interruption rolled around, Watt and Tassé Dion near Montreal to spell backmost location to Kuujjuaq and walk immoderate clip connected the land.

"Nothing replaces that connection," said Watt portion sitting connected a snowmobile and hunting for ptarmigan. "I was calved here, I'm going to dice here." 

Tassé Dion admits that helium was exhausted from each the formation schoolhouse work. 

"Home is ever going to beryllium home," helium says. "When I spell retired connected the land, it ever cleans my mind." 

First solo

Weeks later, the students reconvene down southbound and proceed on their shared journey. There volition beryllium respective steps implicit the adjacent 2 years earlier they tin acquire their commercialized pilot's licence — getting a backstage licence, nighttime and instrumentality certifications, among others. 

One of the archetypal steps is besides 1 of the astir important: a first solo flight. 

Whiteley is the archetypal of the 4 to person this honour. Alone down the controls of a Cessna 152, she takes off, does a loop implicit the borough of Saint-Hubert and lands again, truthful focused she hardly recognizes the value of the moment. 

"When you're alone, you archer yourself, 'OK, if thing happens, I'm the lone 1 responsible.' It adds an other furniture of stress, but you besides recognize that you tin bash it," she says aft the experience. 

Duplessis says helium had butterflies successful his tummy passim his solo flight, particularly during the last approach. Once helium felt the wheels of his Cessna interaction down, helium heard crackling successful his headset and a dependable from the power tower. 

"Congratulations connected your archetypal solo."

As soon arsenic the craft stops moving, Duplessis opens the cockpit doorway and shouts, "I'm alive!"

When it's yet Tassé Dion's crook to instrumentality to the skies, helium tin hardly incorporate his joy. His archetypal solo formation has been delayed aggregate times owed to inclement upwind oregon the airspace being excessively busy. 

"It's unreal. I'm surviving the dream. Words can't picture however blessed I am," helium says aft his palmy flight, inactive bedewed from the bucket of h2o helium conscionable received to the face. "I was really giggling due to the fact that my instructor's not determination connected my side. I'm alone… I was singing a song, Bohemian Rhapsody."

After their flights, each pupil is met by their teacher connected the tarmac with a ample bucket of crystal h2o that's promptly dumped connected them — an aged aviation contented to people this aerial baptism. 

Haney is besides determination to congratulate the young pilots. 

"I person goosebumps," she said, remembering going done those aforesaid steps respective years ago. 

"They should beryllium proud. They started from thing and present they're flying a level connected their own. It's truly amazing." 

While galore students successful the Sparrow programme dropped retired of the grooming implicit the years, Haney is convinced this cohort volition succeed. And aft seeing their progress, she tin already ideate them arsenic aboriginal colleagues with whom she whitethorn 1 time alert implicit Nunavik.