Parents: Lannie and Julie Martiniuk
Siblings: Jay and Tim Martiniuk
Current Location: Toronto
Graduated: 2006
Award: Robert McDowell Scholarship
Chris’s Story
I graduated from SOSS in June of 2006 and was very fortunate to receive the Robert McDowell Scholarship from the Enrichment Fund Society. After graduation I attended Simon Fraser University in Vancouver as a history major. Though I enjoyed university and life in Vancouver, I realized that my head was still in the clouds and knew I wanted to pursue my dream since I was five to be an airline pilot.
I took the next year off from school to work for my parents, Julie and Lanny Martiniuk on the family vineyard and build up some funds for the very expensive schooling that is training to be a pilot.
In the summer of 2008, I started my private pilots license at Southern Interior Flight Centre in Kelowna and finished it by the end of the August to enter into the two year Commercial Aviation Diploma Program through the flight school in conjunction with Okanagan College.
After my first year of the program, I had completed my commercial pilots license and worked on my flight instructor rating so I would have a job once I finished my diploma. I was very fortunate to be offered a job as a flight instructor before finishing my program in May of 2010. Getting to teach people how to fly in the Okanagan was one of my favorite jobs in my career thus far as I was able to enjoy beautiful BC from the air and the ground for over two years.
I moved on from instructing in the winter of 2011 to fly cargo for Fedex based out of Calgary. I flew what would have been a 20 passenger aircraft stuffed with boxes throughout Saskatchewan, Alberta, and BC. I was promoted to a captain position and eventually became a training pilot and base manager. I thoroughly enjoyed learning a more complex aircraft and flying in difficult terrain but was ready to move on to doing what I always had wanted, flying passengers.
I started working for a small charter airline in Calgary flying Dash 8s to the oil sands in early 2014. I flew for them for close to a year before flying the Dash 8 for Canadian North Airlines in the high arctic based out of Yellowknife and Iqaluit. One of the highlights of my career was flying in a part of our country that very few people have visited and learning what it is like to live in northern Canada.
After a brief stint at Canadian North, I left to move south again and fly for Jazz Aviation under the Air Canada Express banner. I felt that I was finally in the big leagues, flying the Bombardier Q400 into many big cities and small towns from Victoria all the way to St. John’s Newfoundland. At this point I was ready to make the big move east to live in Toronto where the ultimate goal lay ahead. Flying for mainline Air Canada. I was fortunate to have met my partner there who I am now engaged, and many other friends along the way.
I was with Jazz for close to three years eventually leaving in early 2018 as a training pilot and simulator instructor to move to Air Canada. I had finally made it! I have now completed over a year at “Big Red” and couldn’t be happier and would not be where I am today if it was not for the support of all the people along the way. My teachers at SOSS, my parents, brothers, Jay and Tim, my grandma and my amazing fiancé Nick. I look forward to continuing to travel the world for both pleasure and work. If you have the dream you can achieve it. I’ve seen it happen.
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SOSS Enrichment Fund Society golf tournament fund raiser will be held at Fairview Mountain Golf course with a start time of 12:00 noon on Saturday April 6th and a start time of 10:00 am on Sunday April 7th.
If you would like more information about participating in this popular golf tournament contact Susan Capyk at 250-498-4336.