Meet Your Board

MEET YOUR BOARD Like many of our members, aviation runs in the family. My father was a pilot for a regional flight operation back in the late ’80s and my grandfather was a paratrooper in the Korean War; needless to say, out of the two men, I am hoping that my relationship with flying looks more like my fathers did. I didn’t get behind a yoke until I was twenty-two years old and to this day I’m not sure why it took me so long to give flying a shot. Growing up, I constantly stopped in my tracks to stare at any aeroplane that happened to be passing nearby or overhead (which drove my friends a little crazy). The idea of becoming a pilot should have been a no-brainer! It wasn’t until 2017 when a co-worker took me on a scenic night flight over Victoria in one of VFC’s 172’s that I became hooked on aviation. After saving up for a year, I booked my discovery flight in April 2018.

I have always wanted to fly commercially, but over the past three years I have been mostly flying for fun as my focus first shifted to my post-secondary studies and, later, to my career as a human resources practitioner. However, with summer finally upon us, I am thrilled to be resuming my commercial flight training with the VFC! Now before I run out of page space, I want to share an experience that drove me to get involved with the VFC Board of Directors and that continues to motivate me now as your Vice President.

Shortly after I began my flight training, I was also hired onto the VFC dispatch team. If I’m being honest, becoming a Dispatcher changed my life. During my time at VFC, I've met people who have become lifelong friends and provided me with a sense of belonging, companionship, and community. Over the years, some of these amazing friends have moved on to other adventures, but what has remained are some of the best memories of my life. Now as Vice President, I want to help put the club back in the Victoria Flying Club so that others may create the same kinds of genuine connections through a shared passion for aviation.

While the past fifteen months have been incredibly challenging for the VFC (with our club almost closing for good) it is important to focus on the fact that we are still here. As we head into summer, it is once again time for props to turn, avgas to flow, and Dakota Café wonton soup to be devoured! I hope to meet more of you in person in the coming months, and I would love to hear your thoughts on how things are going with our club.

Adam Johnston

Get ready to meet your Vice President!