ST. PAUL - There was a hum of activity in the sky above St. Paul as more than 30 aircraft flew in from all points across Alberta for the Alberta Air Tour stop at the St. Paul airport. St. Paul was the second stop on a three-community tour that began in Lloydminster for breakfast, followed by lunch in St. Paul and winding up at the Cold Lake Regional Airport.
This unique event was born during the time of COVID when several people passionate about flying came together at a time when there were no air shows, no fly-in breakfasts – none of the typical social events that draw pilots together, according to one of the organizers Dina Jammaz. Together they came up with the idea of touring small community airports.
Jammaz, an air traffic controller who is also involved with Elevate Aviation, a non-profit group which promotes women’s success in aviation careers, said the concept grew from there into seeing an opportunity to promote Alberta’s communities on a broader scale and the Alberta Air Tour came into being.
“It brings the town out and it brings their attention to the local aviation community and the economic development that could happen at each airport could be a huge benefit to each of the towns. Everybody is on board with this,” Jammaz said. “What an amazing turnout. This is exactly what we picture when we do one of these.”
She said the tour is usually capped at 40 aircraft with about 35 participating in Saturday’s event.
The event drew a large crowd of people eager to see the planes land and the opportunity to take a close look at the aircraft lining the tarmac, talk to pilots and enjoy a marketplace featuring local wares set up in the mechanic’s hanger. The Twisted Fork restaurant was on hand serving up food which got a “two-thumbs up” review from Jammaz, who said that alone was a good reason to make a return flight to St. Paul.
For the pilots it was a chance to get together with others who share the passion for flying.
“We instruct in the school, there’s people who own their own planes, those who are in a different trade, but they are all pilots, and we don’t get to meet each other so often,” Gaurav Kashyap, a flight instructor at Villeneuve said.
“It’s a lot of fun,” commercial pilot Tom Giesbrecht said of the event. “We all enjoy what we do. It’s a great way of networking, getting together with other pilots. The aviation community is a very small world, you will meet someone along the line that knows someone who you know.”
Several dignitaries were on hand to welcome those in attendance.
Sherri Chisan, president of University nuhelot’įne thaiyots’į nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills, brought greetings from the Board of Governors.
“I want to acknowledge this is a fabulous day. It’s a great turnout of planes and people and we’ve had several conversations with Town and County about developing our partnerships and talking about some interesting things around the airport,” Chisan said, adding, “Because we are a university, and this is an airport … what about a flight school?”
These types of discussions are exactly what events such as Saturday’s Air Tour hope to inspire.
Local organizer Linda Sallstrom, the economic development officer with St. Paul/Elk Point Economic Development Alliance (STEP), made the connection with Jammaz and worked to get the Alberta Air Tour to include St. Paul in their flight path, recognizing it as a way to promote both the local airport and the larger community.
Mayor Maureen Miller said it was “just amazing” to see the number of people on hand.
“I appreciate you taking the time to showcase St. Paul. We just redid all our runway lights in the last two years, and we are proud of our airport.”
MLA Dave Hanson, who holds a private pilot’s license, commended the organizers for their work in bringing the Alberta Air Tour to the community and the pilots for flying in for the event. “It’s great to have you here in St. Paul,” he said.
“Today we have the opportunity to showcase our airport and to give recognition to small airports in Alberta. I’d like to thank Linda for all your help in coordinating this event,” Maxine Fodness, representing the County of St. Paul, said. “Not only are the planes flying high, the people of this community are, too. We are thrilled you came.”
