My name is John Kydd and at present I’m a captain on Boeing 737NG with WestJet airlines.  I’ve been very fortunate in my 22 years of flying, a career that started by gaining my PPL at Mitchinson’s in the spring of 1993.  I’ll never forget my very first 0.7 hours in a C152 with Bob Pearson.

I had always wanted to be a pilot for as long as I could remember. As a child I’d listen intently to endless stories from my father about his days flying bush aircraft for Athabaska Airways over the vast and infinite shades of green that made up Northern Saskatchewan.  His tales were of the late 1950’s to early 1970’s and only solidified that burning desire to fly.

At Mitchinson’s I began my journey to create my own stories. I received expert instruction from the likes of Guy Devenny, Bob Pearson, Wayne Hicks, and Gerry Gelner.  Those highly experienced pilots equipped me with the tools I needed to succeed. I was able to begin my career at Osprey Wings, WAMair, and then progressed to Athabaska Airways, Royal Airlines/Canada 3000, Kewatin Air, Canadian Global Air Ambulance and finally WestJet Airlines.

Thank you Mitchinson’s, I made it!  It’s fun to watch my own sons roll their eyes at another one of my tales!