The Pilot Project Podcast

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!

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 the conditions. Hear about all these things and many more on this latest episode of The Pilot Project Podcast. Links to stories that Paul has been involved in: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/yarmouth-county-canoeist-body-found-1.5876353 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/military-helicopter-grand-manan-1.6745475 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-naufrage-fisherman-search-1.5143017 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/search-for-villa-de-pitanxo-crew-continues-1.6353419 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/missing-fisher-canso-nova-scotia-search-jrcc-coast-guard-1.6383442 https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/air-force-helicopter-bear-1.5744778

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 his adventures in Afghanistan as well as his struggles to process those experiences; he'll tell us about how Remembrance Day has changed for him over the years as a result of his time in Afghanistan, and much more in this episode of The Pilot Project Podcast.

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 became necessary; resulting in severe injuries for Rich and the death of his friend Jenn Casey. Rich will tell us about his experiences that day, his injuries and recovery, his return to the Snowbirds and much more in this episode of The Pilot Project Podcast.

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.

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.

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.

What does it feel like to instruct the next generation of RCAF pilots? What about flying on the Snowbirds? How can vulnerability lead to new learning opportunities? Blake has flown the CT-156 Harvard, the CT-155 Hawk, been an instructor at 2CFFTS, flew with the Snowbird demonstration team for several seasons and now recently completed his training on helicopters to go fly the CH-149 Cormorant. Blake will talk about his methods for succeeding and thriving while you’re in flight training, his area of expertise. We’ll learn about how getting comfortable with being uncomfortable can help you deal with your mistakes and much more on this latest episode of The Pilot Project Podcast.

What are the paths you can take to join the RCAF as a pilot? How much time will you have to serve? What are the eyesight requirements for a pilot? What can you do to make yourself an attractive applicant? Paul has flown the CP-140M Aurora and most recently been posted to Canadian Forces Recruiting Group in Borden, Ontario. There he became extremely well-versed in the ins and outs of recruiting; and gained a passion for helping applicants to succeed. Paul will talk about his advice for successfully joining the RCAF as a pilot, answer the questions kindly supplied by listeners and the Canadian Forces Subreddit and much more on this latest episode of The Pilot Project Podcast.

What does it take to land a helicopter on a pitching ship deck at night in bad weather? How do you come back from tragedy and the loss of good friends? Corey has flown the Cyclone around the world from the decks of Royal Canadian Naval ships. He also instructs the helicopter course at 3CFFTS in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. Corey will talk about his experiences flying the Cyclone and his journey to recovery after the Stalker 22 crash. He’ll talk about why growth happens on those dark and stormy nights when your NVGs fail and much more on this latest episode of The Pilot Project Podcast.

What does it take to make it as a submarine hunter? What about as an instructor on the Harvard II at the Big 2 in Moose Jaw? Davis has seen it and done it around the world in the Aurora, and gone to many amazing places in the Harvard. After years of flying the Aurora, several tours overseas and instructing at Moose Jaw, Davis has transitioned to civilian life, but he has a ton of great stories and advice to help you thrive in adversity whether that be in flight training or life. Hear about how accepting that you will fail can be the key to succeeding more often, and much more in this latest episode.

The RCAF has frozen the hiring process for direct entry officer (DEO) applicants. Why are they doing this? What does it mean? How long will it last? We'll sit down with Brigadier General John Alexander, commander of 2 Canadian Air Division to answer all these questions and more. John has flown several helicopters around the world including a stint flying the Puma with the RAF. He has deployed in many theatres and is now in command of 2 CAD which handles all training and education in the RCAF. He'll answer a ton of questions asked by you, the audience, and the Canadian Forces subreddit.

What is it like to fly Canada’s tactical airlift fleet? How about showing up as the fleet’s only female pilot (at the time)? How does it feel to land by an active volcano, or to explore the globe on one of Canada’s busiest fleets? After flying all around the world as well as instructing on the CC-130J Super Hercules, Skye has been there, done that, and thrived in the RCAF. Skye will talk about why a stick of gum and a whole lot of knowledge can get you out of almost any situation. She’ll also talk about taking part in evacuations during Alberta’s wildfires, overcoming imposter syndrome, and how she overcame the biggest scare of her flying career through openness and honesty.

What does it take to switch from a different trade to pilot, and what is the process? What does it feel like to be in flight training in the RCAF right NOW? After extensive experience as an Air Combat Systems Officer (ACSO) Scott decided to join the good guys and be a pilot. He just finished a shortened Phase I course and has began his training in Phase II. In this episode we check in with him to hear his experiences as an ACSO on the Alpha Jet, doing electronic warfare, and what it’s like to be a pilot trainee right now in the RCAF. Scott talks about what it's like to turn 'n burn in an Alpha Jet and the importance of Electronic Warfare in the battlespace, as well as the importance of teamwork during flight training. He'll talk about student life, what it's like at the mess, and why preparation and visualization (chair flying) are critical to success.

Imagine you are on a training flight and you get a call that there has been a crash. As Combat Support, you respond to the scene to find the worst - the pilot has not survived. After a long day of recovering remains and securing the crash, you find out the person who died was one of your best friends. What would you do? How do you recover? Vic will tell us about this experience firsthand. Vic was featured in our episode about Phase III Helicopter Training, and while that episode is not 'required listening' before checking this out, we highly recommend it. Vic is a highly experienced helicopter pilot who has flown Combat Support, done lots of SAR work and currently instructs students on the Phase III Helicopter course. Vic will tell us about Combat Support, about his hardest day, and what it took to recover and thrive through this incredible adversity.

What happens if you have mental health issues as a pilot in the RCAF? What does it look like to navigate that system? Is there a large stigma against coming forward? For this special Mental Health Awareness Month episode, Bryan will sit in the guest seat and his wife Melissa will take a turn interviewing. Bryan has flown around the world in the CP-140M Aurora, but the missions that left their mark indelibly ended up being in Iraq against ISIS. Bryan will talk about his journey from good health to a mental health injury, the struggle of accepting a diagnosis, as well as what he has learned about identity, what it means to be a pilot, and what he has gained and lost along the way. Through it all we will do our best to provide good information on what it is like to navigate the mental health system in the RCAF, and to provide great resources for anyone who is struggling. Remember, if you or a loved one are a CAF member and in need of assistance, the Canadian Forces Member Assistance Program is there for you. Canadian Forces Member Assistance Program - 1-800-268-7708

What is it like to fly Canada’s largest aircraft? What was it like to be part of the evacuation of Afghanistan? How can you make sure your failures become learning experiences instead of stumbling blocks? After flying all around the world in the C17 and now instructing on the Phase III multi-engine course at 3CFFTS, John knows what it takes to succeed as a pilot in the RCAF. John talks about his adventures around the world in the C17, but he’ll also talk about why he believes it is critical to take ownership of your own professional education and stay in the books to maintain a high level of readiness as an Air Force pilot. He’ll also emphasize the importance of shared experiences among peers to keep each other sharp. We’ll culminate with an exciting account of evacuating refugees from Afghanistan as the country fell to the Taliban.

What is it like to refuel a fighter over Iraq? What about going straight to one of the largest aircraft in the RCAF from a small twin engine turboprop? How can chair flying change the way you train, and how do you do it properly? Jeff will tell us all these things and many more. Jeff walked into the RCAF with zero flight experience. Now, Jeff has flown all over the world in the CC-150 Polaris. He has immense experience and is now a qualified multi-engine instructor at 3 Canadian Forces Flight Training School. Jeff will talk about what it's like to fly royalty, Prime Ministers, and other dignitaries around the world. He talks about the importance of stress outlets, mental rehearsal, and support structures, as well as the importance of taking things one day at a time.

What are the wait times like in the RCAF pilot training system? Are they long? What is being done to make them shorter? We'll answer these questions and many more, largely sourced from you, our fans! In this special episode we sit down with Lieutenant-Colonel Colin Peek and Colonel Chris "Morty" Morrison to chat about training delays as well as some of the future plans for pilot training in the RCAF. Colin flew the CH-124 Sea King, and Morty flew the CH-146 Griffon. Both have extensive experience as pilots, leaders, and as commanding officers. Now both are involved in the training, both pre- and post-wings of RCAF pilots.

On January 20th, 2019 Al-Qaeda forces conducted a complex attack on a FOB in Aguelhok, Mali which left several UN peacekeepers dead and others wounded and in desperate need of Medevac. That's where Jackie and her crew stepped up. Hear the story for the first time ever, now. What is it like to fly the largest helicopter in the RCAF? Jackie has flown the CH-147F Chinook all over Canada and Mali, and now instructs new pilots on the Chinook. She'll talk about flying the Chinook as well as the tools she developed to go from failings tests from pre-test jitters to teaching new pilots. She'll also tell us the incredible story of flying medevacs in Mali, including after an Al-Qaeda ambush. CBC article on medevac