All Episodes
Displaying episodes 1 - 29 of 29 in total
In-Flight Announcement: A short pause
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 run...
Episode 27: The Guardian: Helicopter Search and Rescue in the RCAF and the CH-149 Cormorant - Paul
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 lik...
Episode 26: Remembrance Day: Tactical Airlift and the CC-130H, Remembering the Fallen - Mike H
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...
Episode 25: The Advance Party: Flying with the Snowbirds, Ejecting from the CT-114 Tutor, and Remembering Jenn Casey - Rich
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...
Episode 24: The Deployment: Afghanistan Stories - Greg
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 flyin...
Episode 23: Military Family Appreciation Day: Spouse Perspectives - Melissa, Janet, McKayla, Lyndsay
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 ...
Episode 22: Remembering September 11, 2001: Canadian perspectives - Rob, Shelley, Bert
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 ...
Episode 21: The teacher, The Snowbird, The Student: A life as a pilot in the RCAF - Blake
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? Bl...
Episode 20: The Recruiter: Everything you want to know about joining the RCAF as a Pilot - Paul
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 m...
Episode 19: The Sailor: Maritime Helicopter and the CH-148 Cyclone - Corey
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...
Episode 18: The Hunter: Long Range Patrol and the CP-140M Aurora - Davis
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 w...
Episode 17: The Freeze: Everything you want to know about the DEO Pilot Hiring Freeze - John
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 wit...
Episode 16: The Hauler: Air Mobility, Tactical Airlift, and the CC-130J Super Hercules - Skye
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 volc...
Episode 15: The Student: Part 1 - Life on Phase I and the Grob G-120A – Scott
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 exten...
Episode 14: The Support: Combat Support, the CH-146 Griffon and Thomas “Toast” McQueen – Vic
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 ...
Episode 13: The Cost: My journey with PTSD, anxiety, and mental health in the RCAF - Bryan and Melissa
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?Fo...
Episode 12: The Heavy: Air Mobility, Strategic Airlift and the CC-177 Globemaster III - John
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 exp...
Episode 11: The Tanker: Air Mobility, Air-to-Air Refuelling and the CC-150 Polaris - Jeff
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 ...
Episode 10: The Wait: Training Delays and how we'll fix them - Colin and Morty
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, la...
Episode 9: The Valkyrie: Tac Hel, Mali, and the CH-147F Chinook - Jackie
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...
Episode 8: The Explorer: Arctic flying and the CC-138 Twin Otter - Ryan
What is it like to fly over the Arctic in a twin engine aircraft? How do you succeed in competitive flight training as a group and an individual? Ryan talks about his ...
Episode 7: The Grunt: Tac Hel and the CH-146 Griffon - Pete
What is it like to fly at 15 feet over the deserts of Iraq? How about aiding in disaster relief when the fires struck Fort McMurray? Pete shares his experiences flying...
Episode 6: The Teacher: Part 5 - Phase III Fast Jet Training and the CT-155 Hawk - Jules
What does it take to make it in the intense world of fast jet flight training in Moose Jaw? What does courage and honesty have to do with excelling in flight, and stay...
Episode 5: The Teacher: Part 4 - Phase III Multi-Engine Training and the C90B King Air - Dan
What does it take to excel in Phase III multi-engine flight training in Portage la Prairie? How can you stay positive even when you don’t get the job you hoped for? Da...
Episode 4: The Teacher: Part 3 - Phase III Helicopter Flight Training and the Bell 206 and Bell 412 - Vic
What does it take to make it through Phase III Helicopter flight training in the RCAF? Phase III Helo instructor Vic Weston shares his experiences with us and talks a...
Episode 3: A Very Special Deployed Christmas Episode: Afghanistan, Haiti, Iraq, and home - Greg, Rob, Mom, and Jack
What is it like to be deployed at Christmas? How do CAF members stay positive when they are away from family? Do they get Christmas dinner in the desert? We’ll answer...
Episode 2: The Teacher: Part 2 - Phase II Flight Training and the CT-156 Harvard II - Lauren
What does it take to make it through Phase II Flight Training at Moose Jaw? What is it like to fly into Baghdad in a C-17? How do you takeoff in formation and stay sa...
Episode 1: The Teacher: Part 1 - Phase I Flight Training and the G120A Grob - Dawn
Is Phase I flight training a weeding out process? What does it take to pass? What's it like to fly the G120A Grob? How is the course run? Former Phase I Grob Flight ...
Episode 0: The Pilot Episode - Trailer and Introduction - Bryan
In this episode, Bryan introduces the show, and himself. Learn about the host, his experience in the RCAF, and what the show is all about!