Transport Canada delays threaten to derail dreams of pilot trainee from Liard First Nation

An Indigenous woman working to become a pilot has been grounded due to a delay in getting her medical certification, and the impending closure of her flight school in Faro, Yukon.

Twenty-five-year-old Amber Jensen, from Liard First Nation, is taking part in a special initiative out of the Northerners Taking Flight School. It's a partnership between Alkan Air, Ross River Dena Council and the Liard First Nation. The goal is to train Indigenous youth from the Yukon to become commercial pilots.

Jensen said she has been waiting nearly 10 months for a medical certificate from Transport Canada, which is required to fly solo. The longer it takes for that certificate to arrive, the less likely it is she will be able to complete her training. The flight school she attends is slated to close at the end of November when its contract with the federal government expires.

Jensen said when her First Nation put out the call for the flight school, she jumped at the opportunity.

"I just want to be free like the eagles, free like my cousins, my clan, the crow clan," said Jensen. 

She's done most of her training at the Faro airport, a small airstrip tucked between forest and mountains. The program secured a special license with Transport Canada to operate the flight school there temporarily.

"I try to fly every day, as much as I can, as much as the weather permits," Jensen said.

Nicolas Doustaly, Jensen's flight instructor, said he's been very impressed by her. 

"Amber is very smart," he said. "She's a lion in the left seat. She's very strong — and she will get it."

Jensen grew up in Lower Post and Watson Lake, and previously worked in the mining industry. She said learning to fly has been more technical than she expected.

"There's a lot of math. I thought you just take off, go, and land," she said. "But there's so much more — flight planning, safety, everything." 

Doustaly said she can be hard on herself, but that "it's been inspiring to watch her take on the challenge." 

Jensen's father, James Jensen, said he's delighted to watch her fly. 

"She took us out to Drury Lake and back," he said. "It was a hard landing because of the wind. But other than that, it was good. I'm proud — very proud of her."