the boy attended isaac brock elementary school and finished his public education at age 14. he then took up shorthand, typing, penmanship, english, spelling and bookkeeping at success commercial college in 1924/5. he worked in the offices of western canada airways. in 1928 he began flight training with that company at kirkfield park. he obtained his commercial pilot licence on october 29, 1929. however, from 1931 to 1933 he worked for his father's company, western gypsum products.