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Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1332052
58 BCBUSINESS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 to Kamloops, spend the morning there, spend the afternoon in Edmonton, fly home. How many times do you get a consultant's or partner's undivided at- tention for an hour and a half, two hours?" There are other work purposes, too. "One time our team was in Fort St. John and needed a bunch of material they couldn't get," Ross remembers. "So, following our dan- gerous goods certificate, we were able to bring the material up. It would have been two weeks, but we didn't have to go through all the shipping stuff—just put two barrels of special paint in the airplane, and it was there in two hours." Ross graduated from UBC with an integrated en- gineering degree but has been to flight school more than a few times since then. The latest was a trip to become certified to fly a six-seat Citation CJ3, which Cape upgraded to from its previous model, a King Air C90. "The way the flying world works is, if it's over 12,500 pounds or has jets on it, you need a specific licence for that make and model," Ross explains. "It'd be like saying, Oh, you have to go to school to learn how to drive a Honda Civic." The jet investment ties in with the company's plans to expand into Eastern Canadian cities like Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa. His younger brother lives in the na- tion's capital (which he calls a "strong rental mar- ket"), and Ross dreams of a non- COVID reality where he can "fly over, scoop him up, take him back home for the weekend," he says, chuckling. To that end, it's not all work- and family-related endeavours: "Went up to Yellowknife, down to Phoenix, flew over the Grand Canyon," he says. "Flown all over the West- ern part of the continent. Well most of it; haven't made it to Mexico yet." So, is he ever fright- ened up there among the clouds? "When I first started, I was a little scared," Ross admits. "But it's like when you're first riding a bike. You're scared of getting on it, and then you're like, Whatever, it's a bike; I know how to ride it. When you become more efficient, there's less to be scared of. "Now I'm more scared driving to the airport. Cars blowing by you, people swerving on the highway…none of that in the air." • A F T E R HO U R S DINNER DATES Restaurants need your business more than ever as the pandemic continues, so don't miss the 19th annual Dine Out Vancouver Festival. Spanning 31 days, the 2021 edition features hundreds of dining establishments. Besides meals for a range of prices, patrons can expect special menus from local chefs and gastronomic experiences that comply with provincial COVID-19 health rules, as well as special offers and takeout options. Remember: no dining with people from outside your household. Dine Out Vancouver's charitable partner is the BC Hospitality Foundation, which supports hospitality industry workers facing a finan- cial crisis because of a health condition. February 5–March 7 dineoutvancouver.com SPECIAL OPS Want to get your mind off COVID? We have just the ticket: the Vancouver Art Gallery's current exhibition of paintings, sculptures and tapestries by Victor Vasarely, known as the father of op art. This rare look at the range of Vasarely's work from the 1960s and '70s shows the movement's characteristic optical illusions, which the Hungarian- French artist deployed to reach a wide audience. It's paired with Op Art in Vancouver, featuring works by Joan Balzar, Brian Fisher, Michael Morris, Bodo Pfeifer, Gordon Smith and Takao Tanabe. Until April 5 $6.50 to $24; Tuesday evening admission by donation; complimentary admission for VAG members; visitors must book a timed entry ticket and wear a face covering • FROM TOP: HUBERT KANG/TVAN; IAN LEFEBVRE, VANCOUVER ART GALLERY IS A BOUTIQUE INVESTMENT FIRM RIGHT FOR YOU? Learn how the needs and interests of our clients remain paramount. ballantynecap.com