NEW CHIEF PILOT IN THE NORTH

Chief pilot Fred Jorgensen.

By Ted Delanghe

The sound of aircraft engines echoing over the vast forests and lakes of northern Saskatchewan dates back to 1924 when the Royal Canadian Air Force flew the first aerial photography flights in the region. This produced detailed area maps critical for air navigation, and soon aircraft were being used in forest fire suppression, with the province developing a highly efficient air attack system in the 50s and 60s operating from a chain of bases located at Prince Albert, La Ronge, Meadow Lake, Hudson Bay, and Buffalo Narrows. First were fire patrols and water bombing with Beavers and Otters, and eventually, Grumman Trackers, Cansos, and CL215 water bombers formed the backbone of the fleet.

As the newly appointed Chief Pilot for the Flight Operations Unit of the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA), Fred Jorgensen grew up in the north, where aircraft was a principal means of transportation and commerce. From an early age, Fred's interest was drawn to the skies.

"Ever since I was a little kid, I remember coming to the La Ronge airshow with my model airplanes and pretending to fly through the air with the airshow participants. I always had a fascination with aircraft and the ability to fly and thought that was something that not everyone had a chance to experience, so I wanted to be up there and be a part of that." Even though today, where many of the province's northern communities are linked by road and improved communications, aviation continues to play a critically important role in the region, not only in fire suppression but also in mining, recreation, resource management, and other commercial activities.

"Aviation is a big part of the La Ronge community where I was born and raised. Our house wasn't far from the airport, so every summer, I'd see the floatplanes fly over, and you could hear the growl of the radial engines of Tracker and CL-215 aircraft, and you'd know that springtime was in the air, and not long after that, the aerial attack fire season was on the way."

While aviation remained his primary goal, Fred realized that furthering his education would return solid dividends down the road, so he decided on a two-pronged approach, mixing flying with furthering his education.

"I started my private license in Ottawa when attending university, taking an aerospace and engineering course. Still, halfway through my third year, I decided I'd rather be out there driving aircraft than sitting behind some desk designing them. I took a break that Christmas and moved back to Saskatchewan, and finished my Private Pilot License course in Saskatoon at Mitchinson Aviation Centre in 1997."

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency operates several different aircraft types, including these CL-215’s.

An old adage says the opportunity is where luck and preparation meet. For many pilots, that also meant starting as a 'ramp rat,' refueling aircraft, handling baggage, and doing whatever was required outside of flying the aircraft. For Fred, it meant continuing his flying career and finishing his aerospace degree.

"In the summer of 1996, I worked the docks at Athabasca Airways, so the spring after I got my commercial license, Athabasca offered me a position on the Cessna 185. Soon after, they shipped me to Stony Rapids, where I spent two summers. For the winter months, I figured I needed that fourth year of university, so, over the next two years, I was flying in the summer on the floatplanes and then finishing my university degree in the winter. I graduated in 2000 and returned to flying in Saskatchewan, and I've been doing that ever since."

Making a move to aerial attack demands a lot from pilots. The companies and organizations providing water bombing services are very selective in choosing aircrew and ground crew. The job is appealing from the flying point of view and because they are virtually on the job for the entire season and at times in other jurisdictions.

Over the years, the job has taken me to New Mexico, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska. I started in the CL215 as co-pilot in 2006, held that position for four years, and then on to the Turbo Commander as Birddog. Since then, I've flown as Captain on the Commander, the 215, and the Convair. I enjoy flying all of them, but I would say the Turbo Commander is my favorite because of its high speed; and you get to fly at treetop level doing the Birddog work, but you still get to fly at a high level and get some IFR flight time. The move to Chief Pilot has also brought changes in his overall role. I've been acting Chief Pilot for the last year and a half, and as of April 1 of this year, the assignment became official. I won't be flying as much, but I must keep current on the Birddog and the two tankers so I can fill in for guys on their days off or as needed. But I also realize there will be increased managerial or administrative duties.

An essential part of the new assignment involves managing aircrew and ground crew, ensuring they are in the right place at the right time, and scheduling work periods with as few conflicts as possible. The uncertain nature of the timing and location of fires can often mean a plan one day becomes a different plan the next.

The crews come back in late March to late April, where we stagger the groups just a little, so we have more coverage and flexibility throughout summer and have coverage in the spring and late fall.

In any industry, keeping pace with technology is always part and parcel of strategic planning. With regards to aviation, in particular, the advent of the Global Positioning System (GPS) has revolutionized the way aircraft navigate around the world.

"I started on a Cessna 185 that didn't have GPS, and it was all Mark One eyeball map reading wherever we went. You had to get to know every lake and bay and island. Over the years, GPS has tremendously increased our situational awareness, not just locally but when we have to help out in other jurisdictions. That also means we can do the job more efficiently and economically than ever." ➤

Saskatchewan tanker 471 drops a load of retardant.

GPS is also of particular importance in aerial attacks because, in a lot of areas, the aircraft need to work, there are no other navigation aids, and when you're flying over thousands and thousands of square miles of forest country, that looks a lot the same, it becomes more and more challenging to navigate in a direct line from point A to point B.

"In our situation, you're not just going from the airport to airport, you're going all over the place, and whether it be our land-based aircraft operating from airstrips or our skimmers refilling in lakes, the quicker we get to a location, the better we can help combat a fire. And many of our experienced pilots can pass along exact GPS information they've learned over the years about specific lakes, whether they are suitable or not, if there are any dangers like sand bars, logs, or the like."

Accurate GPS information also allows the dispatch center to send out an aircraft in response to a call from a camp or cabin owner who may be concerned over a nearby fire and to check out the location and wind direction to ascertain the degree of danger to buildings and other structures.

In all areas of aviation, safety has become more and more a central and strategic part of any operation. It makes good sense not only from a personnel and equipment point of view but also because avoiding accidents or incidents means having more resources at your disposal.

"We do everything we can to improve what we do and how we do it. We've greatly enhanced our Safety Management System (SMS) operations in how we communicate within the organization and with other organizations such as Transport Canada and those in other jurisdictions. The more efficient we become in our interactions, the better, where we work together to develop options to do everything safely and as best we can."

For Fred Jorgensen, being a northerner has meant that community service is an integral part of living and working in the north, where communities need to pull together when faced with the challenges of dealing with emergencies brought on by a temperamental Mother Nature.

"I enjoy giving back to the province, of being part of emergency services. On the side, I've spent 20 years as a local firefighter from La Ronge, so I feel that being in the fire service as part of the provincial air attack team is just an extension. And part of the job is being ready to react quickly on a 24/7 basis when people, property, or resources are directly threatened by fire. So, we're all there to serve and protect the public to the best of our ability."

Kyler Burke and one of the many aircraft he has flown over the years.

Growing up on Catalina Island in Southern California, helicopters became a mainstay in Kyler Burke’s life at an early age. His mother owned a business on the mainland and would often take the 15-minute flight to the mainland instead of the hour-long ferry ride. As the story goes, she was light, and he was small, so the pilots frequently found enough room for him to tag along. As if this wasn’t enough to convince young Burke to learn to fly, he was also childhood friends with the son of the founders of Island Express Helicopters. Burke explained that his friend’s dad was one of his childhood heroes.

During his junior year of high school, Burke met the girl who would later become his wife. Though they went to different schools, they quickly became serious about their futures, and as Burke kicked around a plan of possibly joining the Army to pursue flight school. She explained that she had zero interest in becoming an Army wife. Faced with the daunting notion of trying to become an aviator in the Army and the growing desire to one day make this lady his wife, Burke decided to take the civilian flight training route but shelve his rotary wing dreams for a while and look for a regular job right out of high school.

One day, while living and working in Orange County, California, Burke arrived at work, and a co-worker looked at him and said, “Hey didn’t you tell me you wanted to be a helicopter pilot?” Burke replied, “Yeah, I don’t recall mentioning that, but yes, I do.” His co-worker continued, “well, I heard a commercial on the radio this morning, and they say they’ll take you from zero to flight instructor, and then you can become a commercial pilot… I’m even thinking about doing it.” Burke couldn’t attend the seminar announced in that advertisement but decided to hop on his motorcycle a few days later and ride up to Chino to check things out. “I was 19 at the time. I didn’t know a lot, but I had a hunch that piecemealing my way through flight training and paying by the hour as I was able probably wouldn’t work for me. Then Silver State came along and said, we’ll take you from zero to hero for $60k, and I thought, well, I can get financing, go after it, and get it done. So, that’s exactly what I did.”

It was a slow start for Burke and the first batch of trainees in Silver State’s Chino program. There were roughly 120 students and only one R22 at the time. “In the beginning, all we did was study and put time on the simulators,” recalls Burke. Eventually, the program began to work out its early kinks, and Burke and his classmates progressed through their flight training and later became flight instructors working for Silver State. Burke had been working for the company as a flight instructor in Jacksonville, FL, for about eight months when one day in December of 2007, he and a student had an Overspeed in a practice autorotation in a Robinson, and Burke was fired because of it. “Which was probably the best thing they could have done to me because I moved back west to Redding, CA, and took another job as a flight instructor. By February of 2008, Silver State folded, and 350 of my friends were out looking for jobs on the same day. Unfortunately for some, what happened with Silver State ended their careers.”

Luckily for Burke, the summer of 2008 ended up being a hectic year for fires on the west coast, and that summer, tons of aircraft showed up at his airport to battle the SHU Lightning Complex Fire in the Shasta Trinity National Forest. “I had never really considered firefighting; I thought the idea of flying long line fighting fires was nuts.” He explained.

One day Burke met up with a pilot flying a Huey for Withrotor. After going out to lunch with that pilot and his crew, he and the pilot exchanged their contact information. A week or two later, word got back to Burke through another Withrotor pilot that the company was looking for a relief copilot on S61s. ➤

ROSENBERG, TX

Kyler and his family pose with a Helicopters Express Bell 407HP.

“He put me in touch with the owner, and I brought my resume - three days later, I was flying in an S61 as a relief copilot, and that’s what catapulted my utility career.”

Burke continued to work at Withrotor for the next couple of years. While it was still several years before he could make a decent year-round income, that job was an excellent opportunity for him to build time, learn to fly Hueys and long lines, and gain much more exposure to utility flying.

Burke took whatever gigs he could get for five to six years to build his skills and hours. Luckily, many of his contracts gave him turbine and medium time. Unfortunately, that was not always the case. There were also times when he had to return to flight instructing, making just enough money to fill his gas tank, and he augmented his income with web design and graphic design work. Undaunted, he continued to hustle until he finally hit 1500 hours and managed to get on year-round as a line pilot with PJ Helicopters. There he flew missions like aerial firefighting, LiDAR inspection, and patrolling power lines to law enforcement recon and shorthaul and charter work.

Like many others in the business, some of his greatest personal satisfaction comes simply from ending a day of safe operations, primarily when he has supported the men and women on the ground, protecting lives and property.

As Burke’s career has progressed in utility and firefighting, in recent years, he found himself transitioning from being a line pilot to spending time as the Chief Pilot at two different helicopter operators in the Northwest. Burke explains that the biggest challenge of being a Chief Pilot is what energized him the most about the role - acting as an advocate for the pilots and the company. “At the end of the day, what the company wants from the pilots is safe, profitable operations and loyalty. What the pilots want out of the company is compensation, safe aircraft, and career stability.”

Burke's career has taken him all over the country, flying dozens of different aircraft types.

Not so different in their ideals, but there can be quite a bit of maneuvering involved in getting the two sides to line up, even if it doesn’t align perfectly every time.

Burke also notes that as he returns to the line, his perspective has forever shifted from one of just personal logistics such as: “Is my aircraft airworthy? What is my project today, and where are we ending the day?” to one of a wider field of view and greater introspection with thoughts like; “Who am I? What are my motivations? Who are we as an organization?” Burke enjoys weaving into his consideration the cultural aspects and values of the company, right alongside his mindset and beliefs. “Weirdly, I liked forming SOPs; I also loved the responsibility of hiring, placing, and mentoring people in their new positions. Those guys have remained friends and colleagues to me, and it feels really good to help make a great team.” He hopes to continue doing these things, regardless of role or title. Much like one of his mentors Gary Wiltrout, Burke takes to heart his faith and strives to exemplify that in how he flies, relates to people, and serves the people around him. “I hope that when it’s my turn to retire, people will similarly think of me. I am grateful for my encouragement and what I was able to teach and share with them because of how grateful I am to Gary for having that influence on me.”

Burke believes that one of the greatest things instilled in him by his mentors was the encouragement to stick to his guns and his values. There are always opportunities to cut corners to get the job done or save money, but he feels like those points can also be tipping points leading to potentially unsafe practices. “It was difficult at times to follow my convictions and do what I felt was right, but later finding out that people noticed what I did and echoed that I did the right thing is a really good feeling. It’s probably one of the biggest things that have kept me safe and alive. It’s not always easy to stick to it, but it’s the right thing to do.” ➤

No matter what the mission, Burke has risen to the occasion and enjoys the challenge of being chief pilot every day.

It took a lot of varied experiences in different types of aircraft to get to where he is today. For those interested in exploring fire or utility flying, Burke suggests that bringing a positive attitude, a willingness to work hard, and wearing multiple hats can mean the difference between getting those golden opportunities during a flying career or not. “Back when I was a low timer, I did graphic design and IT work for one of the companies I flew for, and that convinced the owner to keep me on through the winter when many of the other pilots were just seasonal. Even today, they wear the t-shirts I designed 13 years ago.”

Finding ways to make yourself more profitable to the company and showing your loyalty can be crucial and make the company want to invest more in you. He also advises that it’s easier to pay one’s dues and do those low financial reward opportunities when “you’re still young and energetic” because it’s harder to afford to do them later on. The experience gained will pay dividends later on and likely develop a career faster. At nearly 4,000 hours into his career, Burke still feels most at home behind the controls of many of the Bell products found over fires in North America. Specifically, he is most fond of flying the Bell mediums, especially the 205, UH-1, or 212. “Whether it is utility work or fighting fires, I love how they feel and maneuver. There’s something so cool about getting in that groove and flying buckets or doing various lifts in a Bell medium all day.”

Not surprisingly, while the flying he’s done has evolved over the years (and continues to evolve today), he continues to enjoy the fulfillment of the many great relationships he’s formed while loving doing what he has always known he was meant to do. “You don’t get into helicopters because you think it’s lucrative or prestigious; there are no guarantees; it takes a lot of hard work and hustle. You get into helicopters because you believe at your core, regardless of how logical or illogical it is, that flying helicopters is what you were meant to do and maintain the conviction to stick to it.”

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