The Times Advocate, 2008-06-25, Page 104
Crossroads
10
Times -Advocate
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Mechanic shows skill in the air and on the ground
By Pat Bolen
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
LUCAN— While she can't
explain where her desire to
fly came from, Lucan pilot
Gwen Barker is becoming
more accomplished all the
time both in the pilot's seat
and maintaining every part
of an aircraft, as a gold
medal for aircraft mainte-
at the
nance won
Skills
Canada
competi-
tion held
in Calgary
in May
shows.
Barker said
when she was 11 years old
her father took her up for
her first flight.
Despite an engine fire,
which she says should have
scared her from flying, she
was set on a path that saw
her achieve her pilot's
license five years ago.
While there was a lot of
build up to her first solo,
Barker says it was just a cir-
cuit around the airfield.
While taxing back to the
ramp and watching her
instructor standing waiting
for her, she remembers
thinking "that was it?"
But flying is "an amazing
feeling," says Barker, who
flies a Cessna 172 out of
Huron Park airport and has
150 hours logged.
After getting the license,
Barker says she wanted to
know more about the theory
of flight and the internal
workings of an aircraft.
To combine the two inter-
ests, Barker enrolled at the
aircraft mechanics course at
the Stevenson Aviation and
Aerospace Training Centre
in Manitoba, which is the
only one of its kind in
Canada.
The course gives Barker a
mix of school and appren-
ticeship which she says
allows her to immediately
apply what she has learned
while working at Purple Hill
Air in Thorndale.
While at school earlier this
spring, Barker's instructor
suggested she apply for the
Skills Ontario competition in
Waterloo, from May 5-6
which sees 1,500 competi-
tors from across the
province compete
hi over 50 con-
tests in skilled
trades and
technolo-
gies.
After being
tested in skills
such as electrical
trouble shooting, diagram
reading and sheet metal,
Barker came away with the
silver medal.
After the gold medalist was
unable to make the trip to
compete in Calgary at the
Skills Canada event, Barker
was selected and given 10
days to prepare for the com-
petition which was May 25-
28.
Forty different trades were
represented at the competi-
tion with Ontario doing well
by bringing home 37 medals
including seven gold.
While there is an interna-
tional competition that will
be held in Calgary in 2009,
Barker, who is 26, will not
be eligible due to the age
restriction of 22.
Barker says the training in
aircraft maintenance has
given her more confidence
while flying and her goal is
to obtain her commercial
pilot's license, and own her
own float plane to charter
people into areas such as
fishing camps.
Her dream plane is the de
Havilland Beaver and says
while she has flown in one,
she has never piloted one
yet.
Highly skilled — Pilot and aircraft mechanic student Gwen Barker (left) of Lucan recently came back
from the Skills Canada competition in Calgary with a gold medal.Above, Barker completes a daily inspec-
tion on a Cessna 185 during the test while below from left, are Ontario medalists Lori Martin (bronze
medalist for brick masonry, from Conestoga College), Barker from Stevenson Aviation &Aerospace
Training Centre representing the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities) and Jennifer Speers (silver
for Industrial Mechanic Millwright, from Conestoga College). (photos/submitted)