Feature Article: Flying Their Flag

A conversation with Michael McGie

Since May 21, 2008.

Sort of. I took six years off because life stuff happened and I found that I just didn’t have time for it. Over my last few months flying on a regular basis I lost excitement for it and then one day I just stopped. I let my license expire and didn’t fly again until recently.

What's it like being back in the air? Oh God, it's amazing. I love flying.

Absolutely! I still have all my Hot Wheels toys. Planes, boats, and cars.

I just have my PPL. For now.

I always thought planes were cool, but then I started going to air shows. I love them. But this one pilot in particular, Kent Pietsch, had a routine that inspired me to become a pilot. He’s a comedy pilot. One of his main routines is that he takes off from the runway like he’s stealing it and everything goes wrong. Parts fall off, he hits the ground, wings and everything! The skill it takes to fly that badly—safely—is incredible! That routine is one of the most phenomenal things I’ve ever seen. I think he’s probably one of the most talented pilots in the world.

Not really. They always knew that I liked planes, and I always played flight simulators, so when I brought it up it was just a matter of booking it.

I like flying old school. New planes have all sorts of GPS and computer features—which are cool—but I love the nostalgia on older planes like the ones I learned to fly in.

My favourite thing to do is to have fun. My first priority as a pilot is safety, but my second is to have fun. Flying for me is fun. And my favourite all time flight is the one I proposed on! It was an evening flight and only had about forty-five minutes before twilight. I don’t have my Night Rating, so I had to time it right. My girlfriend was over from Vancouver and I told her I wanted to take a quick flight, which was almost a giveaway. So we’re about 2,000 feet up enjoying sunset and I asked her to reach back and grab pull something out of my flight bag. She asked what she was looking for so I told her it’s a small box. We were super casual, so I told her to open it up and I said “You should just put that on now.” And she said, “I think I will.” So that’s literally how I proposed. When we landed the dispatcher asked how the flight was. I said that it was pretty good, but that I went up with a girlfriend and didn't have one anymore. The dispatcher looked worried, but then I told them that I had a fiancée now. It was great. We’re not together anymore, but it’s still a really great memory.

I learned to fly up in Qualicum and plane issues were a regular thing. On my first solo flight about halfway through the flight one of my wing fuel tanks started leaking. Not the end of the world, but I when I landed in Port Alberni and shut the plane off oil started pouring out of the engine. Generally, oil is supposed to stay in the plane, so that was fun. I’ve also had cases where both of my radios failed. Not super unusual. The really big one though, was one time I went up with my instructor to do some circuits and when we came in to land one of my flaps fell off! Like most pilots, I prefer when flaps stay on the plane. We managed to land and while it wasn’t a great experience it goes to show that even with a good pre-flight check stuff can happen that you’ll have to adapt to! I’m glad that this kind of thing doesn’t happen at the VFC. We take good care of our planes here.

It can be weird at times, but working with older pilots makes it really easy to learn from their experience. If I don’t know the answer for something, someone at the VFC does!

Yep! Being non-binary means that I don’t really see myself as a man or a woman. I'm just me.

My pronouns are they or them. Or Mike. And don't worry: I’m still getting used to it myself! If someone gets it wrong it’s not a huge deal.

Oh, it hasn’t affected me at all. Everyone’s been super supportive. The response has always been very positive whenever I go out presenting feminine. Everyone at the VFC has been great.

Yeah, earlier this year. I’ve always been very feminine, but it’s only recently where I really embraced it. I think that I owe a lot of that change to the way my previous relationship went and to Dungeons & Dragons. In my marriage, there wasn’t much pressure to be manly, but I always felt like I should be more masculine. My exwife is teeny-tiny, and I’m a big dude, so it felt like what I should be. But after we broke up, I started experimenting a bit more, like by playing female characters in D&D, and it really opened me up to how I really felt about myself.

Clothes don’t have genders. It’s only a woman’s dress if a woman owns it. If I own a dress it’s my dress. You should wear what’s comfy. Wear the clothes you like. Be who makes you happy. Be who you’re comfortable being.

I’m half Ojibwa through my dad. It hasn’t come up, really, but it’d be nice to learn more about my language and culture, though it wouldn’t really have much bearing here, as my people are from the opposite coast. I’d like to connect with some of the communities here. I’d love to be a bush pilot and fly to northern BC or the Yukon to bring in supplies to the remote communities. Knowing more about Indigenous culture is important when you’re flying into those areas so that you can experience and respect their way of life. Eventually, I’d love to learn some of the languages but there’s so many that it feels impossible to learn them all!

It’s a lot of fun! The job is engaging and I get to work with interesting people with a wide array of experience, from airline pilots to fighter pilots to everything in between. Being around people who like flying or are learning to fly… there’s so much passion. I love it.