Kinkora, P.E.I. woman lands dream job with Royal Canadian Air Force’s Snowbirds

SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Avery Arsenault is aware of what she needs in life.
Many do. Only a few, nonetheless, find yourself taking a direct path from dream job to actuality. Cpl. Arsenault is amongst these few.
The Kinkora girl is a Snowbird. Extra exactly, she’s an aviation methods technician with the Royal Canadian Air Pressure’s 431 Air Demonstration Squadron (aka, The Snowbirds), based mostly at 15 Wing Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.
The Snowbirds, Canada’s iconic aerobatic staff, has delighted hundreds of individuals yearly since 1954, together with a teenage Arsenault, who watched in awe together with her father because the staff looped and spun by means of a 2015 efficiency at close by Summerside.
She nonetheless remembers the joys she felt as these planes soared over town, about 20 kilometres from her then dwelling, and the way skilled the entire unit was on and off the bottom.
“It simply appeared like a extremely cool commerce … I’d by no means actually noticed something like that earlier than,” she remembers.
From that day on, she needed to be one in all them.
First steps
Rising up, Arsenault was not what could possibly be referred to as mechanically inclined. She was way more curious about determine skating than energy instruments.
That began to vary after her epiphany on the air present. She now had a profession objective and set her thoughts to creating it occur.
“Once I began the highschool program, I barely knew tips on how to use a wrench,” she stated.
Her first step was enrolling in Three Oaks Senior Excessive College’s Introduction to Aerospace program. That introduced her into the orbit of trades teacher Donnie Gallant.
He remembers a quiet, however pushed, younger girl in his class.
“It’s a trainer’s dream to come back in and train somebody like Avery,” says Gallant.
He usually tells his college students who need to work within the trades {that a} sturdy work ethic is their most necessary ability, and he remembers Arsenault having that in spades.
“Nobody expects you to enter a job out of highschool and know tips on how to weld, or know tips on how to repair a automobile, or know tips on how to repair an airplane,” he says.
“Simply are available with a great work ethic (and) they’re going to show you. Lots of success goes to come back proper off of that. I simply suppose that’s most likely adopted (Arsenault) within the army and that’s most likely one of many the reason why they picked her (for the Snowbirds).”
After graduating from TOSH in 2017, Arsenault enlisted within the army and shipped out that summer time for primary coaching. She realized her commerce on the Canadian Forces College of Aerospace Expertise and Engineering at CFB Borden, Ont.
When she graduated from that program, she was allowed to make her high three selections for her first posting and, a lot to her delight, received her first selection of serving with the Snowbirds.
“I assumed it will be fairly distinctive to do whereas I’m younger,” she says.

The CT-114 Tutor jets utilized by The Snowbirds are a number of many years previous, so protecting them in tip-top form is a specialised job. Arsenault’s work entails a protracted listing of obligations, together with however not restricted to eradicating and putting in engines, sustaining touchdown gear, hydraulic methods and even taking care of the fan-favourite smoke machines that assist make the air exhibits so visually interesting.
“Principally, something that may get your arms soiled is what we’re doing,” she says.
On the job
Arsenault received her posting in 2019 however was unsuccessful in her preliminary software to journey with the Snowbirds for its 2020 season.
The tragic crash of one of many staff’s Tutor jets that 12 months, that resulted within the loss of life of Capt. Jenn Casey, grounded the Snowbirds for the 2021 season, whereas the investigation into that incident passed off. It has since been decided the crash was brought on by an engine stall, ensuing from a chicken strike.
The staff goes to fly once more this summer time and Arsenault is scheduled to hitch them for not less than 5 exhibits in August and September. Every airplane travels with a pilot and a mechanic, aside from one airplane, which carries a public relations officer.
It’s the mechanic’s job to “child the crap out of” their planes whereas on tour, says Arsenault.
All the things she’s heard from her extra skilled colleagues is that travelling with the present is a gruelling, however rewarding, expertise.
“I’m a bit bit anxious,” she admits. “It sounds overwhelming … however I’m actually excited. Proper now, issues are beginning to ramp up actually quick … you’ll be able to really feel the vitality getting larger and better; folks sort of operating round extra and getting stuff prepared. It’s so much, but it surely’s a great vitality.”
She’s assured in her talents and the help of the staff although, she provides.
“The army is known as a household away from dwelling, all of us take care of one another.”

Lengthy-term, Arsenault’s objective can be to take part in an airshow again dwelling, in Summerside. She’s going to come shut this summer time, as one of many Snowbirds’ stops can be an air present in Debert, N.S. However coming again to P.E.I. together with her staff would carry her full circle in a variety of methods, she says.
“I feel it will simply really feel good to be flying round your hometown. It sounds tacky, however I feel it will be fairly neat.”
Perhaps one other younger individual will see her staff working and resolve to take pursue the identical sort of sky-high dream Arsenault did.
In that case, she would encourage them to go for it. They gained’t remorse it – she definitely doesn’t.
“Attempt to study extra about airplanes – it’s cooler than it even sounds. From somebody who didn’t have any expertise to now, it’s fairly loopy and it’s very doable.”
Colin MacLean is a reporter with the SaltWire Community in Prince Edward Island.