Owen Sound Flight Services operates year round to provide Flight Training, Charter Flights and Sightseeing Flights over beautiful Grey and Bruce counties. Our friendly, professional staff will work with you to make sure all of your flying experiences are enjoyable, and all of your goals are achieved!
Dave Kalistchuk
Chief Flight Instructor
- Class 1 Flight Instructor
- Commercial Pilot Licence
- Instrument Rating
- Multi Engine Rating
- Float Rating
- 4,000+ hours flight experience
- 20 years teaching flying
- Transport Canada Authorized Person
- ISEDC Radio Examiner
- Maintenance Manager
Dave Kalistchuk is the Owner of Owen Sound Flight Services, as well as the Operations Manager and Chief Pilot of Charter Operations, and Chief Flight Instructor for Flight Training. He began his flight training in Owen Sound 25 years ago in March ’95 when his uncle Dan Vachon took him on his first flight.
Dave completed his Recreational Pilot Permit at 16, and went on to finish his Commercial Pilot’s Licence 3 years later. At 19 he became a Flight Instructor and started teaching others to fly. At 20 he completed the Multi Engine and Instrument Ratings, and in 2006 at age 25 joined his uncle Dan Vachon in co-running the flight school; Owen Sound Flight Services. Almost 9 years later in February of 2015, Dave transitioned into the position of full owner and plans to continue to grow the business on the model that him and Dan have cultured over the last decade! His passion in flying is deep rooted, and is only surpassed by his enthusiasm in teaching others to fly.
Mark Agombar
Assistant Chief Flight Instructor
- Class 2 Flight Instructor
- Commercial Pilot Licence
- Instrument Rating
- Multi Engine Rating
- 3,000+ hours flight experience
- 19 years teaching flying
- ISEDC Radio Examiner
- Remotely Piloted Aircraft System examiner
Mark grew up in the Grey-Bruce area and has always had a fascination with aviation. He started flying in 1992 at the Hanover airport when he was 15. He became a Flight Instructor there in 2002 where he worked his way up the ranks to Chief Flight Instructor. He now assists with CFI duties in Owen Sound, as we utilize his years of experience to continue to grow the school through advancement in our training programs.
In addition to Flight Training, Mark is highly involved in Drone Training, where he teaches the required course material for aspiring private and commercial drone operators. Mark brings a passion to flying and teaching that is second to none.
Peter Bryce
Flight Instructor
- Class 3 Flight Instructor
- Commercial Pilot Licence
- 3500 + hours flight experience
- Over 40 years in aviation
Peter took his first flight at the age of 10 in Algonquin Park in a de Havilland Beaver, and has been driven by his passion for aviation ever since. After becoming a Commercial Pilot in the early 80’s he was working as a Flight Instructor and Charter Pilot flying Single and Multi Engine airplanes for over 6 years. Transitions in life led him down the path of the corporate aviation world where he worked on financing aircraft for the last 3 decades before returning to his original passion for teaching flying.
Peter returned to flying as a Charter Pilot for OSFS in the summer of 2017, and renewed his Flight Instructor Rating in May, 2018 where he is now back in the right seat imparting his knowledge of aviation to the next generation of pilots. When asked what brought him back to flying he responded; “it’s the pursuit for precision combined with the ultimate freedom found in piloting your own small airplane…it has a way of sparking the imagination that few other pursuits we may have can do”. We’re fortunate and excited to have him on our team!
David Lye
Flight Instructor
- Class 1 Flight Instructor
- Commercial Pilot Licence
- Glider Pilot Licence
- Seaplane Rating
- 2500+ hours flight experience
- Over 50 Years in Aviation
David Lye got his first flying experience in 1970, in a Slingsby T.21 glider, with the Air Cadets in England. He won an RAF flying scholarship which led to a PPL in 1973 (at a very young age). He then flew with the Bristol University Air Squadron (part of the RAF) while attending university to study aeronautical engineering. In 1981 he moved to Canada to work as an engineer for de Havilland Canada (DHC) at Downsview, and in the flying club there he earned his CPL and Flight Instructor Rating. He’s been instructing part-time since 1987, and still enjoys teaching students how to fly. He has a glider pilot licence, and a seaplane rating, and has flown taildraggers (including a few years of glider towing). In 2016 he moved to Grey County, and is now semi-retired, but still working part-time for DHC, from home. In 2023 he joined the OSFS team, as a part-time instructor.
Blair Whitehouse
Flight Instructor
- Class 4 Flight Instructor
- Commercial Pilot Licence
- Instrument Rating
- Multi Engine Rating
- 500+ hours flight experience
- 7 Years Flying
Blair is the newest addition to our team in 2024, bringing with him some exceptional skills and enthusiasm for flight training. Blair started his flight training journey in Owen Sound completing his Private Pilot Licence and Night Rating. Because OSFS did not offer the CPL course at the time, Blair finished his studies at Conestoga College, completing the Commercial Pilot Licence with Multi Engine and Instrument Ratings. Blair returned to Owen Sound to complete the Flight Instructor Rating and we’re so excited to have him on board with us having come full circle.
Now in his early twenties, Blair is doing what he was born to do and loving it. When you fly with Blair you will see that his passion for aviation is contagious.
Andy Plater
Flight Instructor / Charter Pilot
- Class 3 Flight Instructor
- Glider Instructor Rating
- Airline Transport Pilot Licence
- Instrument Rating
- Multi Engine Rating
- 5000+ hours flight experience
- 14 Years Flying
- Type Rated on Pilatus PC-12
Andy has a long history with Owen Sound Flight Services. He has been teaching with us since 2017 where he was a full time Flight Instructor until 2021. Andy currently works for an Air Carrier in Thunder Bay flying charter in a PIlatus PC-12. When he is not working hard as the Assistant Chief Pilot for the operation up North, Andy remains passionate about Flight Training and spends some of his down time back in Owen Sound teaching with us.
Andy brings a wealth of aviation knowledge to our team, and although we don’t see him every day, when he is here he is providing a superior level of training to all of his students, imparting his expertise from a wide range of aviation experience.
Dan Vachon
Airbooks.ca | Exam Invigilator
- Class 1 Flight Instructor
- Airline Transport Pilot Licence
- Instrument Rating
- Multi Engine Rating
- 10,000+ hours flight experience
- 30 years teaching flying
- Industry Canada Radio Examiner
- Transport Canada Exam Invigilator
His extensive flying experience began in 1985 and he became a flight instructor in 1987. Dan is a Class 1 instructor, and has taught more than 100 students to be commercial pilots and over 50 commercial pilots to be instructors. For over 10 years Dan was a Flight Test Examiner for Transport Canada, which gave him unparalleled insight into what it takes to be a pilot.
Dan brings years of practical pilot experience from thousands of hours of flying with Air Canada Jazz. While piloting turboprop Dash 8’s he acquired extensive 2-pilot crew experience and gained critical insight into the demands of pilots and aircraft operations. It is with this expertise that he founded airbooks.ca – our cloud document and dispatch software of choice.