Shelbey Savoie is proud of her performance at the competition this week. (submitted photo/Shelbey Savoie)

By Derek Cornet

aircraft engineer

Northerner competes at international aerospace event

Apr 12, 2019 | 4:50 PM

It was an experience like no other for La Ronge’s Shelbey Savoie who recently took part in the Aerospace Maintenance Competition in the United States.

The event was held in Atlanta, Georgia, from April 9 to 11 and included 84 teams from Canada, Italy, Australia and the U.S. Savoie was part of an all-female, five-person Canadian team with fellow members coming from Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec. Savoie stated it was the first time they had all met when they arrived at the competition, but they were able to learn more about each other beforehand through Facebook group chat.

“We all met Monday after registration, then we started competing Tuesday morning together,” she said. “We did some practicing and training on our own time to brush up on our skills.”

The competition involved all aspects of aviation including aircraft structures, troubleshooting, electrical wiring, tooling, painting and more. Savoie noted there were a series of different tasks each team had to complete, adding they had to finish them within 15 minutes. For example, one task included working on aircraft tires which was set up as though the work was being done in a real hangar.

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While Savoie’s team didn’t end up placing within the top 10, she was proud of their performance and the time she spent there. She was particularly happy to experience the camaraderie between all the participants, stating everyone was friendly and willing to help each other. It was the first time Savoie competed at the event and she hopes to go back in future years.

Shelbey Savoie, right, competed in the event earlier this week. (submitted photo/Shelbey Savoie)

“I was so nervous going into it because I’m still a student,” she said. “I haven’t actually been in the workforce and I’m brand new to it all. I was really worried if I knew everything I needed to know or if I could even do what was required of me. We had such an amazing team and we were just there to learn, try a new experience and have fun.”

Savoie is in her final year of aircraft maintenance engineering at the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies in Saskatoon. Her passion in the trade began years ago when she had the opportunity to be a summer student at Northern Air Operations in La Ronge. She plans to move back to the tri-communities when she’s finished the program.

“I want to come back home,” Savoie said. “I want to work in the North and see where this career takes me.”

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno