Hi, everyone! My name is Trace and I am in my final term of Geography & Aviation at the University of Waterloo. My goal in this blog is to give an overview of myself and provide some tips that will help you as a first-year student in aviation. I grew up in Brantford, Ontario, and was lucky enough to travel to the Caribbean a lot throughout my childhood, which is what got me interested in becoming a pilot. In 2018, I started to explore different aviation programs across Ontario, and Waterloo stood out to me the most. Along with obtaining my Commercial Multi-IFR, I always wanted to pursue a university degree in something I was interested in. The Geography & Aviation program was a perfect fit for me as it allowed me to obtain my licenses as well as learn about something I am passionate about.
Here are some tips that will help you in your first year of aviation studies:
Plan ahead –Recording important dates in a time planner/calendar makes it easier to manage due dates, scheduled flights, class times, etc. Having a clear picture of what your next couple of weeks will look like allows you to stay ahead and be successful in flight training and your assignments.
Be diligent – I think this is one of the most important things that will help your training go smoothly. Before each flight, have a good idea of what exercises you are practicing and what you set out to achieve. If you are flying with your instructor, ask them ahead of time what you will be practicing. Study the maneuvers you will be doing so you have a general idea of what the flight will look like. One resource in particular that helped me during my PPL flight training was the purple Transport Canada Flight Training Manual. It outlines all the key exercises that you will be learning and is a great resource!
Be resilient – Everyone has bad days and makes mistakes. It is not the end of the world! What matters is how you respond to your mistakes. If you don’t get a good mark on an assignment or are having trouble with a certain air exercise, don’t panic! This is all part of the learning process and is bound to happen. Ask your instructor or professor what you can do to improve next time, and spend some time focusing on improving where you went wrong. They are there to help.
Get involved – This one is super important. Waterloo has some great opportunities for aviation students to get involved with WISA, UWAS, recruitment events, etc. Getting involved allows you to meet other people and contribute to something meaningful. There are a variety of roles so everyone can find something they are interested in!