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?