The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

WOUTER'S WHIRLYBIRDS $10,000 -- Plus to take up a "toy" by Jane Camm Beg, borrow or steal. People eager to take Pan-Air Helicopter Limited's commercial pilot course will do anything to dig up the required $13,500 fee. "It's amazing how quickly students come up with _ that amount of cash once 'they've become addicted to flying," said Gil Wouters, co-owner and chief instructor of the school. "People have mortgaged homes or sold cars to get the money."' It's all a question of economics, he explained. A world-wide shor- tage of trained pilots has created a large demand in the field. Course completion takes two to three months and jobs are almost guaranteed. The school, situated on highway 31 near Metcalfe, is in an ideal location for Wouters. His house is directly across the road so he can walk to work. Flying a helicopter is safer than driving a car; it can land virtually anywhere. Wouters explained that landing in tight places where fixed-wing planes cannot is sometimes dangerous. Most ac- cidents occur close to ground, he said. Wouters has been a pilot for several years. He was hooked from his first ride and still 'loves' every minute of flying. '*Helicopters are really fun to fly. They are limited only by the pilot's imagination."' The pilot admitted he looks at helicopters as toys. The company has a fleet of six 'toys' costing $150,000 to $300,000 each. Pan-Air is jointly owned by Wouters, his father Andre and Ron Williams. Originally, the Wouters family had intended to build a small private landing strip and buy one helicopter. The idea became a million dollar invest- ment. The school is built on Andre Best Wishes of the Season from the Poras (Nick, Virginia, Nikki, Leanna, Sandra, Nicholas Jr.) and Staff at Continental Mushrooms Metcalfe . 1980 Looking forward to growing with the Castor area in DON MAY Electrical Residential © Commercial ® Farm FREE ESTIMATES 445-5332 93 Mill St. THE FEED STORE Pizzeria Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our customers and friends 445-2875 7 METCALFE PHARMACY LTD. Metcalfe -- 821-1224 REGULAR HOURS Monday through Friday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ROGER'S G RUSSELL ig ° BUSINESS STATIONERY & CARDS I © WEDDING STATIONERY N se TICKETS © FLYERS T se SILK SCREEN PRINTING 1 .® T-SHIRTS & CRESTS 445-5409 Evenings Wouters' property, adjacent to his home. The younger Wouters claims his father is the financial wizard of the trio. Business is not hindered by the incomplete state of the hangar and offices. Aside from the initial in- vestment, overhead is very high. Wouters would not venture an estimate of total overhead. '"'The figure would be astronomical," he admitted. Maintenance and operation of the copters plus salaries of six instruc- tors are only part of the overall outlay. Student fees are high for these reasons, Wouters said. In operation for four years, this is the first year any students have been trained. Previous years were spent flying commercially through a licensed subsidiary, Verrault Aviation Inc. There are currently eight students taking the course -- all of them men. "'Foe every call we receive from aman, we get one from a woman. Page 13 No women have signed up so far.' Most courses are taught during the winter while summers are spent flying commercially. Wouters proudly claims his 'toys' are well travelled. The average person may never take a helicopter ride. The im- possible dream of buying a helicopter coupled by the equally unfathomable prospect of renting - one, would discourage anyone. At a rental fee of $350 an hour a helicopter enthusiast could be set back about $1,000 for a short trip, said Wouters. There is hope yet for the eager but poor helicopter buff. The Ot- tawa Flying Club holds an annual Fly Day each fall. Anyone can get high for $5. All money raised goes to Ottawa's crippled children. Wouters warned greenhorns to use extreme caution. Many are sold on the first take-off and can- not rest until they beg, borrow or steal enough money to take the course. : Cancer Committee anxious to serve The Russell Branch of the Canadian Cancer Society received its charter at a recent meeting of the Eastern Ontario Cancer Socie- ty at Algonquin College. The local Branch then secured the support of a sponsor and entertained a group of 27 ladies at Russell United Church Oct. 16. The ladies had campaigned last spring raising over $2,000 to con- tinue the fight against the world's most dread disease. The dinner was a small token of appreciation for the campaign workers. The local cancer committee is anxious to be of service to cancer patients in Russell. Should anyone Billage Painters Paper Hanging- Painting-Staining -- General Repairs-- -- Wallpaper Sales-- --Free Estimates-- 445-2037 445-2030 Gordon Fleming itis require medical assistance or transportation to hospital for treatment, they are asked to con- tact the service to patient co- ordinator, Pat Warner at 445-2983. Similarly, the Russell Branch is able to provide guest speakers to address meetings of local service organizations. In this regard call Eric King at 445-5478. ORDER YOUR COPY OF POETS OF THE CASTOR NOW > Gre ce ae "SALESMEN COMMITTED & TO GIVING THE BEST POSSIBLE DEAL 443-3381 Z 5) »a.4 od ior 4.0) Bd ae Res Ee Boe Pas i Fa diy Service Manager rp 4 Bookkeeper A Receptionist Denis Brisson and his friendly staff sincerely look forward to another successful year of serving the people of the Castor area. Zs EMBRUN AMC/JEEP Fe | AMERICAN MOTORS DEALER AAR f MAUR f Be ae ase ee REPRE A "TOTAL OF 42 YEARS = MECHANICAL EXPERTISE : a Arthur. «: 92 # a3 a Lucien Labelle gevire J : Brisson ~ a Mechanic. - a. Salesman Denis Brisson ee ee a : General Manager- iB » Controller : é . ce J . ae : "~~ e Season's Greetings x x | a Georges Roger -: > Smith Huneault ; Smith Meilleurs Souhaits 'uneaut S r%5 de Il'année - Richard a Claude Roxanne Bouchard ain z Apprenti " ee Ménard saschenic 'SALES AND SERVICES : EMBRUN ONTARIO ; 443-3383