INNISFAIL – Benjamin McAmmond is a young man who has already seized a career dream at an age few could even imagine.
McAmmond just graduated Grade 12 through home schooling at his parents acreage 12 kilometres southeast of Innisfail and he's already pursuing a career where the sky is literally the limit.
At the age of 18 he also graduated this year with a commercial pilot’s licence with a multi-engine rating, which allows him to train to fly big passenger planes if he chose to do so.
However, he has his eye on some day piloting private jets, either for an individual or a company.
In the meantime, McAmmond has also earned an instructor’s rating to become the youngest flight instructor in Canada, and possibly North America.
Prior to McAmmond’s achievement, the youngest known flyer to earn an instructional rating in Canada was Calgary’s Godly Mabel who earned her flight instructor licence in 2022 at the age of 19.
“I find that quite an honour and very interesting; definitely,” said McAmmond.
He was flight-schooled by Sherry Cooper, co-owner of Springbrook’s Sky Wings Aviation Academy.
Cooper said McAmmond had all the right stuff to finish his instructor rating in early July.
“Three days later I had him flying with cadets,” said Cooper, a past winner of the David Charles Abramson Memorial Flight Instructor Safety Award as the best flight instructor in Canada. “To my knowledge, he would be the youngest. I don't know too many instructors that finished that early.
“Ben started with us at quite a young age, and basically the minimum that you could start training and he was just so good,” added Cooper. “He really wanted this dream of being a pilot.
“And he's worked really hard over the last couple of years to make that a reality.”
Back home his family is beaming with pride.
His mother Megan insists her son had the itch to be an airplane pilot since the age of five.
“Everything was airplanes; the books he wanted to read, the things he drew were airplanes. He would build LEGO and most of them would be airplanes,” said Megan.
“I’m just so proud of him; just to see him persevere,” she added. “It was a lot of hard work, and to accomplish it so quickly was amazing to me.”
Benjamin is a proud but soft spoken young man over his early accomplishments in life.
His path to success was methodically planned out; first the pilot’s licence, then earning his commercial ticket and finally his instructional rating.
As far the flying itself he thinks carefully about how he feels when he's in a plane; the sensation of flying and the earned success at such a young age.
“It's interesting and challenging; definitely mentally challenging sometimes and physically as well, especially if we have high winds or if there’s low visibility” said Benjamin. “That's the time to be out because it's the most fun, although it’s nice to be out in beautiful mornings where there’s no turbulence.”
But since early July when he became a flight instructor the responsibility of his chosen profession climbed to a higher level.
It’s also a chance to pass on the skills and knowledge he worked so hard to learn and seize.
Benjamin is with students, young or old, who depend on calm, restrained and professional tutoring when they are learning how to fly 5,000 feet up in the air.
“Especially when I'm with a student I have to be that calm aura,” said Benjamin. “I am comfortable and confident with my flying ability, so to help somebody else even if they are nervous. I love to do that.”
