Captain Canada flies from Steinbach to Vegas for Worlds

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This article was published 18/11/2023 (893 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Pilots who are bored with flying rightside-up may be inspired to take a lesson from Harv’s Air chief flight instructor Luke Penner.

The Steinbach pilot was the top Canadian at the 15th World Advanced Aerobatic Championships in Las Vegas. He was also the captain for Team Canada at his first Worlds.

Canada came in fourth behind France, Romania and the United States.

This was the first time the Canadians were flying in front of these judges, with seven of eight being from Europe, according to Penner. He said the different grading system may have affected the scores, with what he described as a “nasty call” on his penalty for flying too low that dropped him 10 spots and left him at 20th overall out of 49 flyers.

“I’ve been competing for eight years now and I’ve never had a low call penalty, ever,” he stressed, adding he learned some things for future events.

There is also government-funded training in France and Romania, who have hosted Worlds before.

“Whereas here in North America it’s kind of a free-for-all. Everyone tends to own their own airplanes individually. And it’s much more difficult to get coaching,” explained Penner.

“All things considered we did about how I expected.”

While Penner is used to flying against his fellow Canadians, the sense of camaraderie came to the fore in Vegas.

“I’ve known these guys for a very long time, basically for as long as I’ve been in this sport,” said Penner.

“It was neat for the last year we’ve had a team mentality, which in years prior I’ve been trying to take these guys down and try to beat them. It’s different because now the sharing of information is so much more,” he explained.

The sport is pretty collaborative, but being on Team Canada took it to a whole new level, according to Penner. He said that bond stood out among the teams.

And those pilots from 17 other countries did get to know them well at their tent.

“Team Canada seemed to be where people wanted to hang out the most. We had kind of the most fun, open, inclusive tent. That was kind of the vibe we were trying to put out there, just relaxed and friendly and welcoming,” said Penner.

Penner was able to enjoy the experience overall. He visited the new Sphere attraction and flew over amazing sights, getting a unique perspective from above the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley on the way to competition.

Getting back was a bit of a different story. Needing to get back to Steinbach to his day job as an instructor, Penner hit some bad weather and left his prized plane in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. His wife drove down to pick him up, but he planned on hitching a ride with his pilot brother to get it back.

Penner plans to take the next step on the world stage, going for the highest level of aerobatic competition: unlimited. It would be the first Canadian team at that level ever, he said.