Mount Royal University (MRU) flight instructor Reyn Johnson was laid to rest on Friday at St. Michael's Church during a service involving family, friends and members of the school community.

Johnson was one of two pilots killed on February 13 when they crashed in a small plane that was part of MRU’s training fleet. The plane went down in a wooded area northwest of Cochrane and the wreckage was found by Highway 40 near Waiparous.

MRU aviation student Taylor Jackson says Johnson's impact on the lives of his students extended beyong the classroom and cockpit.

“Growing up, I never really had a grandfather,” said Jackson. “When I came here in September that was one of the first things I actually thought about when I met Reyn.”

“He was so much more than an instructor. He was a student as much as an instructor. He was always willing to learn.”

Johnson’s career spanned more than three decades with years spent flying for Jazz Airlines and working as a private instructor before joining MRU as a flight instructor in 2016.

Luc Sinal, one of Johnson's students, has warm memories of his fallen instructor.  "From the minute I met him he was immediately a friend. He was such a kind person.”

“He would always make his way (into the student room) and the first thing he would do was shake everybody’s hand and say hello. He always remembered past conversations so he would check-in on stuff that we had talked about a week or two before.”

David Docherty, MRU president, said the loss of Johnson and his fellow instructor Jeff Bird  has had a devastating impact on the school and the families of the pilots.

"These are people who died following their dreams and instilling dreams in our students,” said Docherty. "It's clear the lasting mark that they made."

A memorial was held at MRU last weekend for Jeff Bird. Both men were experienced pilots and were flying in an area normally used by the school for training.

The Transportation Safety Board is schduled to provide an update on the plane crash on Monday. The board previously stated the investigation would be complex and will take weeks to complete.