Getting back in the air

Confederation College president Jim Madder says flight students needn’t worry about lost hours brought upon by damage to four of the school’s training planes.

The damage, caused by Wednesday micro burst driven storm, has knocked the planes out of commission for an undetermined amount of time, he added, but the school should be able to make up any flight time in any number of ways.

Madder said because up to 50 evacuees were using the hangar at the college’s Aviation School of Excellence for shelter, school officials were forced to roll nine planes outside, where they ultimately met the heart of a storm that brought winds of up to 115-kilometres an hour.

“They got hit by the microburst. It flipped most of them over. We actually had four that were damaged significantly. Two need new wing tips, the other two are going through more thorough evaluations by engineers before we can say how long it take before we get them back into action,” said Madder, who took over the post earlier this month.

Madder noted the province has promised to cover the costs, should the insurance companies balk at the price tag.

“There’s insurance, but it will be a (question) of why were they outside under those weather conditions. I’m sure there will be a discussion between insurance and provincial authorities by the time we’re done.”

Madder said as soon as the weather cleared students were back in the air.

“If we had to borrow some or lease some we could in the short term. But our students are getting their hours back. It may mean a few extra flights in the evening hours, but they’ll make up the time.”

Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue Service chief John Hay said the move likely saved people’s lives.

“The night the storm went through we had people at the college. We either had them in tents or out on the tarmac when the storm came through. I will find someone to make amends,” he said, turning to his right to look into Premier Dalton McGuinty’s eyes.

For Madder, the damage to the planes is repairable, and that’s all that matters with so much at stake.

“As I said, you can fix the aircraft, so it was more important we’re going to protect people first and the aircraft second.”