REGINA, Sask. — A pilot who hailed from Regina has been identified as one of six people who was aboard an air ambulance jet presumed to have crashed off the coast of Massachusetts on Oct. 3.
In a news release, Prairie College in Three Hills, Alta., said First Officer Thomas Henry Farquhar, 23, was a 2023 graduate of Prairie Aviation Training Centre (PATC). The Latitude Air Ambulance jet, Heartbeat 104, went missing on Oct. 3.
The United States Coast Guard suspended the search for the missing plane the next day after debris from the aircraft was discovered.
Prairie’s flight training program operated in partnership with and under the leadership of Mission Aviation Fellowship Canada (MAFC).
“Learning of Tommy’s death has left a hole in many hearts. We mourn with the Farquhar family, his wife Kayla, and all his loved ones," said Prairie College president and CEO Mark L. Maxwell.
“We mourn with Peter Byl and the team at Latitude Air Ambulance, which includes many of our PATC grads, who lost four highly valued teammates [two aviation and two medical] in addition to the two passengers. Latitude Air has been a good friend to PATC and has become a favourite destination among our aviation graduates.
“We mourn with our partners at MAFC, who have invested heavily in our students, knew these students personally, and who also work closely with Latitude Air.”
PATC director Dallas Derksen added: “Tommy’s passion for life and the joy that he had was evident to everyone around him. His relationship with Jesus was very important to him, and his faith impacted every part of his life. Flying with Latitude gave him the opportunity to use his skill and ability and to help those in need, living out his faith in a very real and practical way.”
The college said Farquhar is remembered on campus as a bright and happy presence, always with a smile, whose musical talents contributed to chapel services, and good-natured and kind-hearted way blessed those around him.
In honour of his life and legacy, the Farquhar family has established the Tommy Farquhar Aviation Scholarship Fund at Prairie College. The college said the scholarship will support up-and-coming pilots who share Tommy’s passion for aviation and his commitment to using those skills to serve the needs of others.
The scholarship website states Farquhar came to Prairie College in 2021 to pursue his dream of becoming a pilot. At Prairie, he met his wife, Kayla, who was also an aviation student.
