Positive Rate.

These fine words mean that I have officially arrived in Paradise. Another great day at the office; so much that I wanted to share it with you.

This was my first of four shifts this week. All except one are 0900 starts. Usually the 9 shift doesn't get to do all that much in the way of flying, but today was a different kind of day! After the usual walk around and weather check, we were sent on our way to Île-à-la-Crosse to drop off a patient. This is one of our "usual" spots, and today it was beautiful. 26 degrees, sunny, and full of bugs! 

Upon our arrival in Saskatoon, we were advised that there may be a trip involving a pickup in Regina, over to Edmonton to drop our team and then back to Saskatoon. The plan called for about a two hour wait in each city and with the way our duty time for the day was looking, we would only have time for one delay of that duration.

Our phones rang and we were off to Regina to do our thing. It was a slightly longer wait than they thought, about 3.5 hours, but we could still make it to Edmonton to leave our team and head home empty.

Positive rate, gear up. Off we go from Regina to Edmonton. This one is my leg, so I get to have all the fun! As we get cleared on course, I fire up the weather radar to have a look at what's ahead. We could see some building stuff on the horizon ahead and we wanted to get the full story! It turned out that we were facing a line of VERY active thunderstorms along our route, severing our direct track.

 Deviations approved! The choice was to head north and try to pick our way around the cells, or head down south into clear skies then scoot around the backside of the 40,000 foot tall clouds. No thought necessary. South it was, to the tune of about 150nm off track!



Zoomed in on the action. 



This weather system was responsible for damage to power lines in the Saskatchewan that have yet to be restored, two days later. Places like Prince Albert have had to throw away all of the refrigerated food supplies in their stores!

Still deviating south of track at FL200. .

Once we passed the storm, we were cleared direct Edmonton City Centre. Now, I won't get all political on you, but I must express my thoughts about the scheduled closure of this airport. I do believe that closing CYXD is a tremendous risk to critically ill patients. Many of them can just barely tolerate the flight in to Edmonton, but riding in the back of an ambulance stuck in traffic for another hour from the International Airport... Let's think about that. I digress.

Cleared to land! Flying down the virtual glide path created by our magic machine, I'm in power management mode, assuring our speed stays in the acceptable range for approach and Vref. Through 500 feet AGL, autopilot OFF, full flap is set and final checks are completed, and I bring our medical team and sick person to the surface with a squeak!

Another flight down, many more to go...!

Approved for line flying.

 Well it's been a long time since I've posted anything on this blog, and lots has changed! Where to begin.. Since my last post, I have completed all of my training, flown the Level D King Air 200GT simulator for 14 hours, and passed my check ride. My type rating is now displayed proudly on my licence, and I'm now fully in the swing of line flying!

All of my work that started in February was very much worth the time and effort expended. The training department here is top notch, and we left FlightSafety with a detailed knowledge of the 200 that I draw from every day. It's a beautiful flying machine. Sexy lines, smooth handling, and she smells of the sweetest perfume, Eau de Combusted Dino! Let me take you on a journey through a typical day on duty...!

Work starts either at 0700, 0900, 1900, or 2100 on scheduled work days. We work twelve hour shifts that could take us virtually anywhere in western Canada or the United States. On this particular day, I reported for duty at 0900. I start every shift with the same routine when I walk in the door. Firstly, say hello to the people in the building, all of them are fine individuals who share the same love for the job! Part of this greeting with my coworkers involves a shift handover briefing. This is basically just a summary of how their shift went, what the aircraft status is, and they let us know of anything that might be a concern (weather, NOTAMs, etc).

After my chat with various people, I take my headphones and jacket, and head into the hangar to inspect my aerodyne. The preflight on our King Air 200's is pretty typical of most other airplanes. We do a cockpit setup to make sure the various aircraft systems are functioning (autopilot, fire detection, oxygen, etc) and then we make sure the medical systems are in their proper configuration for flight. The exterior check is just like checking out any airplane, general condition of the aircraft, fluid levels, tire inflation, and all the other stuff.

Once the walk around is complete, I head into the pilot office and check the weather for the western half of Canada, and when that is complete, the waiting begins. It didn't take too long on this particular day for a call to come in. Being on the 9 o'clock shift, we are the second crew on call for the day. The 7 o'clock crew gets the first call that comes in. Today the first crew was out on a trip when our call came in. I don't recall where they were, but since they were away from base, it was our turn to fly.

Lifeguard 4, ready for another mission.

The phone calls are received in the coordination centre at the other end of the hangar. The person staffing that position is a qualified flight nurse. When the calls come in, they assess the situation and determine if our aeromedical team is needed. If they decide that we are the best option for patient care, we are put into action. Coordination pages us on company phones, and I go to work planning the flight. As I'm spinning the numbers for the flight, the Captain is usually in the hangar pulling the plane out and getting it ready for the trip.

Today's trip was to Pinehouse, a small community in the north of Saskatchewan. Once the flight plan is filed, we head out to the plane, and set out into the great blue! The trip to Pinehouse was very smooth. It was a nice day for flying! I can't tell you what the patients problem was, but we were a much needed ride.

Upon completion of this trip, we were told that we'd be heading to Vancouver. I was thrilled to go out and smell the ocean air! The variety of this job can be amazing. One trip into a small gravel strip, then next into one of the busiest airports in Canada! 

28,000 feet above the mountains!

Nothing really beats this job. I get to fly awesome aircraft, and I feel like I'm making a difference in the communities that I serve. It's a great feeling to help as many people as we do. In most cases, we are the only option for critically ill people in isolated communities.

That about sums up a great day in the life of an Air Ambulance pilot. I love my job...!