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The Air Time Canada Story
Some of you are reading this page because you want to know.
Most of you are here because you're skeptical about Air Time Canada and figure we're up to no good.
We understand. It's hard to believe anything can be free. So .. let's spill all the beans and see if we
can put your mind at ease ..
How it Started
Some 23 years ago, the devilishly handsome founder of our program (we have to be nice - he pays the bills) was doing volunteer work in a Youth Detention Center - tutoring kids in high-school math and physics. There he met a man who forever changed his life - a psychiatrist and amazing human being who had developed a program using cameras and photography as a tool to help troubled kids learn about leadership and responsibility.
Intrigued by the possibilities that Aviation might offer along those same lines, our generous-to-a-fault patron (did I mention devilishly handsome?) worked with the good doctor to develop the original Air Time Canada program. It was carefully designed to give troubled kids a chance to interact with positive role models and develop self-esteem, leadership skills and a sense of responsibility.
It took 7 years of fighting an uphill battle against government red-tape to realize that the program would never fly (pun intended) within the corrections system. So, our brilliant and determined (and charming) founder ran it in a church basement, funded out of his own pocket, with troubled kids sent to him by police officers and social workers met along the way. The program was completely free - including the classroom, flights, supplies, taxes .. even snacks and lunches.
It was a huge success - and was attributed by dozens of kids and parents as being the turning point in their lives.
But .. trouble was brewing ..
One day, our kind patron awoke to find protesters outside his home. A group of militant moms (yes, this is a true story) were on his front lawn to make the point that Air Time Canada should be available to all kids - not just kids that have been in trouble with the law. "It wasn't fair", they said, and they were not going to leave until this injustice was corrected.
Most people, at that point, would have moved, changed their phone number, and learned a lesson about how good deeds never go unpunished. But no. Not our intrepid patron. He got back together with the kind psychiatrist and designed a new version of the Air Time Canada program for regular teens (he also got a new unlisted phone number).
The new Air Time Canada program, working with regular kids, was an even bigger success than the old one. It was changing lives in ways we would never have expected. The power of believing in one-self can be - well - mind blowing.
The program has been running for over 15 years now - and it has evolved in many ways. It is now for teens and adults of all ages and all walks of life. It has been modified from its original 6-week course into 2 separate 1-day courses (the basic and advanced). It's almost 16 years now - and we've graduated almost 1600 co-pilots. But one thing has remained the same - it's still free .. because the (generous & handsome) founder continues to pay for it. Participants pay nothing. The cost of the classroom is usually paid by sponsors (flying schools that hope you'll be hooked). But everything else: supplies, snacks, equipment, aircraft, pilots, fuel, insurance, taxes, and .. yes .. even lunches, is paid for by Mr. Generous.
There is no sales pitch, no sharing of names or email addresses, no selling Amway, no pressure (or even suggestion) to take flying lessons, no secret back-room deals or kick-backs. Nothing. One of the local flying schools donates the classroom space - and for sure, they are hoping that the fun Air Time Canada program will hook a few new students for them - but they don't usually even come into the class to say hello, let alone sell anything.
But why Free?
We have asked him the same question. The glib answer he always gives is: "I was very bad in a past life, I need to do lots of good to balance my karma".
All kidding (and being nice to the boss) aside: there is a mundane (and corny sounding) explanation: He's been fortunate in his life and has a generous nature (you should hear some of the nice things we've seen him do for people). The man just wants to give something back and doesn't seem to think that spending tens of thousands of dollars to do so is unreasonable. The more cynical among you will find that hard to believe. The 1500+ people who have been through the program, met him - they know it's true.
So .. now you know.
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