For my Community Connections project I interviewed helicopter pilot Jarrett Lunn. I chose to interview to interview Jarrett because I’m interested in becoming a helicopter pilot. I’m only in grade 9 so I have no clue what I want to do for the rest of my life but becoming a helicopter pilot has definitely caught my eye as a potential option.
The Interview:
Why are you passionate about your job?
“I am passionate about my job for a few different reasons that come to mind. First off, I am lucky enough to be able to help people in need (I do a lot of Search and Rescue flying which can be quite rewarding helping out others). Another reason I am passionate about it, is because this job has let me continue to explore this beautiful planet we live on! I have flown all over Canada (including up in the arctic) and I have seen so many places, and so many things not many other people are lucky enough to see in their lifetime. I also work with a great group of people. Working with likeminded, passionate people can make it easy to enjoy your job and it makes me appreciate it that much more.”
What obstacles have you faced to get you where you are today?
“Some obstacles I have faced to get to where I am today would be the initial challenge of saving enough more (and I also needed to take out a loan) to pay for flight school. Once flight school was complete in the end of 2007, the economy crashed in 2008 and that made finding work initially very difficult.I did manage to find work, but it meant spending upwards of 9 months per year, for my first 4 years in the industry away from home. I do consider myself lucky, since I went to flight school with 5 other people that year and I am the only one that was able to make a career out of it. I believe the economy crash was a big reason why, but I am sure other factors played in as well, as some people could not afford to spend 8-9 months away from home at the time.”
What advice would you pass on to someone interested in what you are doing?
“Do your research, learn what the job really entails. Many people think flying is JUST FLYING, but there is a lot more that goes along with it. This could include spending hours and hours landed, sitting in swamps waiting for your customers. Days sitting in a hotel in a small town, waiting for the weather to improve, or even lots of office work, and paperwork required for your employer.If aviation truly is something you are passionate about, and you enjoy spending time outdoors exploring the world, it could be a great career!”
What kind of training do you need to get where you are (Post-secondary education, work experience, volunteer hours)?
“In Canada you need a Commercial Helicopter Pilots Licence to be a working pilot. This requires 100 hours of flight training, several exams, and a flight test to validate your training. There are many flight schools in B.C which offer a full package of flight training, ground school, and even accommodations at some of them.
The tricky part is, once you have a licence, you somehow need to gain experience in order to become a valuable pilot to employers out there. This is typically done by working as a “ground crew” member at a helicopter company once you have finished your flight training. You would learn from the veterans as you help with whatever is needed(pump fuel, wash the helicopters, help out however you can). Slowly the management will give you some flights here and there, under supervision and help you gain the experience to get out flying on your own! For me, it was about 3 years of working as a part time pilot, part time ground crew until I became a full time pilot (Of course I still help with washing the machines now!!!)”
What’s the hardest part of your job/what’s your least favourite part?
“The hardest part of my job is the mental aspect. When I am flying, I am responsible for everyones lives on-board that aircraft. 90% of the time, the flying isn’t very difficult, but when things get difficult, you always need to be ready to act. Sometimes the hardest part is being able to say “no” to a client who is pushing me to fly in bad weather. You need to be confident and strong mentally to keep a level head through the ups and downs, and through the easy parts and the hard parts along the way.
My least favourite part? thats tough, there isn’t much I don’t like… Maybe just the fact that my work is so busy in the summer, I don’t get much time off while the weather is nice! We do a lot of fire fighting, which can be quite fun, but it is still work… I rarely get a summer holiday, I always plan to take time off in the spring or fall, never summer.”
Would you be open to further contact from Riverside students and if so, how can someone contact you?
“I am happy to discuss more with you if you have more questions. Also feel free to share anything from this email with other students if they are interested.” (However at the moment he is really busy so if anyone did want to contact him they would have to wait a bit until he was less busy).
This interview told me a lot of things that I would not have known if I had not used this opportunity to ask Jarrett these questions. Almost all of his answers I had not known from prior knowledge but I also learned that this job could definitely be for me as I love the outdoors, and I think it would be really cool to be up in the air every week. Despite the obvious hardships that come with the schooling and finding a job part of becoming a helicopter pilot, I would definitely consider this to be a future career.
Thanks Jarrett for letting me interview you!
Resources:
Jarrett Lunn