A plane is down. Help is needed. You get the call. What is it like to know that seconds count? What happens when you're fuel critical and have a patient that needs to get to a hospital? What does it take to earn the coveted Cormorant Trophy? Paula Findlater is a Search and Rescue pilot in the RCAF. She has over 1000 hours on the CH-146 Griffon flying with 439 Combat Support Squadron in Bagotville, Quebec. We'll sit down and hear about the day her crew earned the Cormorant Trophy on this latest episode of The Pilot Project Podcast ..read more

What is it like to take overwatch on Canadian troops on patrol in Afghanistan? What was it like when Kandahar Airfield came under attack? What is the future of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) in Canada? In this episode, we sit down with Carson Choy, an Air Combat Systems Officer who flies on the CP-140M Aurora. Carson did two tours in Afghanistan flying the IAI Heron, one with the RCAF and one on exchange with the RAAF. We'll learn about all these things and more in this episode of The Pilot Project Podcast ..read more

Where has the show been? What's been happening with Bryan's career and mental health? What will the show look like moving forward? We'll answer all these questions and have some fun along the way in this week's episode of The Pilot Project Podcast ..read more

Hey everyone! We'll be taking a short pause in releasing episodes while we deal with some circumstances outside of our control. Rest assured we will be back up and running ASAP with the same great content you expect from us! Cheers ..read more

What is it like to help save a life? What does it take to hoist a SARTech onto a ship in rough seas, at night, in a storm? Why is it so important to treat aviation like a team sport? Paul has flown search and rescue out of Goose Bay, Labrador and Greenwood, Nova Scotia. He has conducted many rescues and SAR missions, and has had to learn some tough lessons along the line. Now, he's learning to instruct helicopter pilots to get their wings at 3CFFTS in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. You can't save them all. Sometimes a mission outcome will not be what you want. Sometimes you'll be terrified of t ..read more

What is it like to airdrop cargo into a Forward Operating Base in the middle of a firefight? How does it feel to find out you're going to an active warzone? What is it like to regularly be exposed to rocket attacks? What's it like to attend dozens of repatriation ceremonies? For Mike, all these things became part of normal life as he went through his 7 tours in Afghanistan. Mike has flown cargo all around the world, has instructed students (including me!) to get their wings in the RCAF, and taught instructors how to do their jobs. Mike has definitely been there and done that. Mike will share h ..read more

What do the Advance and Safety Pilots do for the Snowbirds? What is the tryout process like? What does it feel like to eject, and how do you come back from the tragedy of losing a friend and teammate? Rich Macdougall has flown NORAD and air refueling missions around the globe as a Tanker Commander on the CC-130H Hercules. Later, after instructing on the CT-156 Harvard II, he decided to give his lifelong dream a shot and became a member of the Snowbirds.  However, during Op Inspiration in 2020, tragedy struck as Rich took off from Kamloops BC, when a bird strike occurred and an ejection be ..read more

What was it like to deploy with the Canadian Helicopter Force Afghanistan (CHFA)? What is it like when your door gunners engage the enemy, or to be shot at while flying in a firefight? What do you do when your helicopter gets shot up and you still have to make it to a safe place to land?  Greg has been a Tac Hel instructor, and deployed early in his career to fight in Afghanistan with CHFA; flying nearly 600 combat hours in many sorties.  Greg will share his adventures and his struggles in Afghanistan plus much more on this episode of The Pilot Project Podcast ..read more

Did you know the third Friday of every September is Military Family Appreciation Day? What is it like to be a spouse or partner with someone in the RCAF? What are the challenges? What are the things that make it great? What advice would a spouse give to a new pilot to help them have a successful family life? What is it like if your new husband deploys? What about when you have a newborn, or you're pregnant? We will explore all these challenges and more as we sit down with 4 spouses to hear about the RCAF homefront on this episode of The Pilot Project Podcast ..read more

This week on The Pilot Project Podcast, we’ll explore the events surrounding September 11 as viewed through the eyes of three air traffic controllers who were on duty on or following that day. Each provides a unique perspective. What was it like for a Canadian military controller working in New York at the time? What about a civilian controller working in Gander, a town of 9000 that took on 6000 stranded passengers? How did an isolated NORAD detachment in Inuvik respond to the changing situation? We will hear these stories and more in this week’s episode of The Pilot Project Podcast ..read more