Riversides flying club was treated to a one on one talk with an aircraft mechanic, as well as pizza and free toques.
Dale Floyd is a floatplane pilot with thousands of hours under his belt and was kind enough to pay a visit to Riverside’s own flying club this past Friday. The flying club, which is sponsored by Ms. Teena Della, is quite popular amongst Riverside students who are interested in aviation. Floyd himself got into airplane maintenance quite by accident, hanging around the hangar with other engineers and asking questions. Finally, the head engineer put him to work, starting his apprenticeship. Though Floyd had been interested in aviation long before that, as he already had his glider license. ”I’ve been interested in airplanes since I was quite young; I was lucky enough to fly occasionally and I used to watch the Beavers (a type of plane) go in and out of the Nanoose Navy base in front of my house,’’ said Floyd.
Floyd and Della also have a strong friendship, as Floyd is her airplane mechanic. ”Dale and I met about seven years ago when he helped me find and purchase my plane, a Piper Comanche.’’ Della explained that her eventual goal was to fly across Canada and that the plane Floyd recommended was perfect because of its capacity to carry luggage and supplies. ”Dale is a good friend as well. He takes the time to sit down and chat when needed, even though he is a very busy guy!’’ To make sure her aircraft is airworthy, it costs about three thousand dollars annually for inspection/maintenance, something Floyd and his crew are happy to service.
Floyd also commented on his favorite aspect of the aviation community, which in his opinion is the people itself. ”It’s the people; we have a very diverse and interesting group of people in the industry as well as the private owners who come from a wide range of backgrounds.’’ He also had good advice for any student wanting to get into the aviation field currently as a lot of students are interested, but as Floyd commented, ”Unfortunately not all are willing to put in the effort required to get into the industry.’’ When asked about advice for students wanting to enter the field, Floyd kept it simple, ”Work hard, get a good education and make sure it is your passion.’’ Good advice!
