Yesterday.

Yesterday was a sad day. The aviation community lost a brother in a helicopter crash. We heard about it at work well before it hit the news. News like that travels fast. I still don't know all the details and I don't know the pilot personally but it has still occupied a large part of my mind over the past 24 hours. He will be dearly missed and I can't help but think about my loved ones when something like this happens. I know that I had to do an inventory of all of my friends that fly that particular type of aircraft and confirm that they were not involved. Even that process of hoping it wasn't one of your buddies sours your stomach. Because that means that it was someone Else's buddy, husband, son or father.

Even though the statistics speak for themselves that flying isn't inherently dangerous, that driving is, that we're more likely to be run off a logging road on our way to the job site than die doing our jobs; it's still a crystal clear reminder that what we do comes with risk. And sometimes a lot of risk. I really try not to think about it too much. But it is certainly there and at risk of speaking for someone else, we all know it's there. We do our best to mitigate the risks and be as professional as we can. Calculate the risks and rewards. In doing so we count on each other. We count on the engineers to be thorough and double check their work and each others work. They count on us to do our daily pre-flights. We count on other pilots to make good position reports while we're flying. We count on our cross shift pilots to not abuse the aircraft that we both fly. We count on our companies to provide a safe work environment and choose wisely when it comes to selecting overhaul shops and service providers. I could go on and on but it really comes down to the fact that we are all human. We are all able to make mistakes and sometimes the machines we build break. But we will not stop flying for love or money... because we do it for both.

Now I'm going to go and clear my mind because I have to concentrate for a few more hours today while we keep our helicopter flying logs to the landing...

The Snowbirds Tonight!

We're going to go and see the Snowbirds tonight flying above the harbour in Nanaimo. As a helicopter pilot, I am often asked how I got started flying. Did I learn to fly with the military? Do I fly airplanes too? I think I had the same thought as most people when I was growing up, that helicopter pilots were the guys that moved up from flying airplanes...I can hear the groans now from the fixed wing guys...but seriously, I had no idea that you could learn to fly a helicopter without even having to ever see the inside of a Cessna. My other thought was that only ex-military pilots flew helicopters. The only thing I really knew for sure when I was a kid was that I wanted to be pilot. Of anything. Not necessarily a career pilot; owning my own plane or helicopter would have been fine too... Little did I know that owning my own aircraft was probably the biggest pipe dream of all! Nearing the end of high school, the military recruiters show up to preach the virtues of a free education and career with the Canadian Military. I grew up like most boys in the '70's and early '80's, playing guns and war and absolutely loved it (enter an entirely new rant/blog on that subject) but really had no desire whatsoever to go off with the army and get my ass shot off, for real! But maybe the Air Force might be a real avenue to becoming a fighter pilot! So I inquired. I can honestly say that if those boys in the shiny boots could have told me that I would be a fighter pilot if I signed on the dotted line, that I would have signed on that dotted line and never been forgiven by my mother. But they didn't. They told me that I would have to go to Officer Training School, Flight School, blah, blah, blah and then and only then would THEY decide whether I would get to fly jets or Hercules or helicopters. The finishing blow was that it may even be possible that they decide that I was a better Navigator...Are you serious? I might go through all of that, just to have a rewarding career sitting behind the guys driving looking at the map?!?! By that point in my life I was well aware that I get car sick sitting in the back seat. Thanks, but no thanks. Off I go to SFU to major in track and field with a minor in sciences.

This started about the Snowbirds didn't it? I'll get back there, I promise. SFU was fine. In retrospect, I wish I would have stayed a bit longer. But I was lost. I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up. So the soul searching started over the SFU course calendar. Nothing, I mean nothing, caught my eye. So I came to the conclusion that I had to look seriously at becoming a pilot. Dream job number one was always flying fighter jets. I didn't want to shoot and kill but I sure as hell wanted to loop and roll and nearly black out from the g-forces! The guys in the shiny boots had already put that dream in perspective. Flying an airliner never even made it into the dreams (until I got older and started to dream of a secure job that didn't involve living in the bush). But helicopters, those looked cool. So I started to look into the fixed wing colleges with the idea that after I had my pilots' license I would get my helicopter rating. That's when I found out that I could go straight to helicopter school and it would only take about 6 months and a ton of money! So I dropped out of University after two years and started saving my money.

The lead up to and completing flight school is certainly a blog on its own. To this day, I would still give my eye teeth to even go for a ride in an F-18 and take the controls. In my mind though, the Snowbirds have THE coolest job in the world. They are quite obviously the best of the best and very dedicated to their trade. They make Canadians proud from Coast to Coast and you rarely hear even the whiniest of tax payer or environmentalist attack the Snowbird program. They flew over our house in formation yesterday afternoon while we were getting ready for the family bike ride. It gave me shivers...real shivers. There I was, looking up and pointing wildly to get the kids attention so they could have that 2 second glimpse as they came into view between the tree tops. I'm sure they didn't share the same excitement for the same reasons as me, but I know they could feel my excitement! So tonight we're going to go and watch the Snowbirds. I hope it will inspire my kids to dream. Not necessarily to be pilots but just to dream. I know I'll have shivers and the dreams will be flowing for me...anyone want a set of well cared for eye teeth?

The Virgin Post

I just finished writing my blog description and I'm wondering if I should have saved most of the description for this first post.... I have carried the idea of starting a blog for quite sometime now. I must admit that now that I've started, I'm really looking forward to unloading some of the stories I've been building in my head. This also comes with a certain apprehension of what you will all think when you read these stories. Like being an adolescent and of the age that you are finally aware that other people are judging what you do. How is this going to sound to other people? Are they going to see the same humour in this that I do? Is it going to change anyone's opinion of me for the worse? I can honestly say that over the past few years I have come to care less and less what other people think of me. This is a revelation for someone who has always been somewhat driven by public opinion. I've never really been afraid to go against the grain or make a spectacle of myself but have always had one eye on the sidelines for the reaction. I think I've finally come to believe completely in my loved ones around me that they will continue to love and admire me for who I am. Thus the lack of fear to put this out there for you all to read.

You can be certain that the stories to come will not necessarily follow chronological order. And they may not be proof read as carefully as they should. Interruptions are another certainty; I have had to walk away from this post several times already to break up fights, answer the phone, stop my youngest from standing on a stool with a sucker in his mouth...you get the idea. My plan is that this blog will be accomplished mostly while I am in camp. It is sure to kill a few hours of boredom during fog days and between logging cycles. My thoughts will certainly follow the winds of how I'm feeling at the time of writing.

The time has come to tap the "publish post" button... We're heading out to go for a family bike ride. I'm sure I could write a complete post on that subject but for now, I'm going to go enjoy myself and enjoy a father's pride in watching my children relish in the freedom that comes with being 6 and 4 and powering your own vehicle.