Jack and Angela Pinsent

I had graduated in 1960 but after getting my exam results it was quite evident my future
for a secondary education looked pretty bleak. After some "consultation" with my parents
about my academically challenged results, I agreed that repeating Grade 11 to improve
my marks may not be such a bad idea.Because I had graduated, this gave me the
opportunity to apply for jobs that became available while attending school. As a result I
was offered a position as an Air Traffic Control assistant the day I wrote my last exam.
I finished school at noon, had lunch, and started work at 1:00 PM.

A few years later, I became a full fledged Air Traffic Controller and married my childhood sweetheart, Angela. We had 2 boys and lived in Gander until the late 80’s. When the boys
left home we pulled up stakes and moved to Cornwall ON where I became an ATC instructor
at the Transport Canada Training Institute. The day I started work, my father told me that
I would be eligible for full retirement with DOT after 35 years at the age of 53 and that is
exactly what I did. I retired in January, 1997.

My nomadic lifestyle started at that point. We sold our house in Cornwall and bought a
place in Florida. Since then we spend May-Sept at our summer place in Ladle Cove NL
and Oct-April at our winter place in Daytona Beach, FL. We are listed in the phone book
at both locations for anyone in the area who would like a cold beer or a hot cup of tea.
Both our sons work as airline dispatchers, one with Jazz in Halifax NS, and the oldest is
Chief of Flight Operations with Cougar Helicopter Offshore Services in St. John’s NL. No grandchildren (that we know).