- I'm Captain Jackie Ruis from Ottawa, Ontario,
a pilot at 450 Squadron
here at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa in Ontario.
- The missions of Canada's military pilots are as varied as the airframes they fly.
(Ruis): My role in terms of the Chinook,
we transport either troops, equipment or supplies,
whether domestically or deployed on operations.
It's such a great tool for the Canadian Forces and so fun to fly.
There's various different platforms.
In terms of helicopters, there's search and rescue as an option.
You've also got tactical helicopter,
and you've got maritime support, so, various different roles for the helicopter.
The fixed-wing job is mainly for troop transport
as well as supplies overseas.
We also have fast jet.
The role of the F-18 is to intercept other aircraft
and to drop ordnance when required.
- Pilots work with sophisticated technology like precision tactical navigation,
advanced communication,
sensor and counter-measure systems,
as well as the latest high-tech weapon delivery systems.
They plan and execute tactical air missions
in support of civil authorities or military objectives.
It can be tactical aviation support to the Army with Griffon and Chinook helicopters,
or tactical airlift with Hercules and Globemaster aircraft.
For the Royal Canadian Navy, they provide aerial support
with Cyclone helicopters and Aurora long-range patrol aircraft,
while CF-18 fighter aircraft defend Canadian and NORAD airspace
from enemy incursions and offer close-air support
to Canadian soldiers that find themselves in combat overseas.
There are also humanitarian and disaster relief missions at home and abroad,
as well as search and rescue support from coast to coast to coast in Canada.
(Ruis): It never becomes mundane.
I love what I do, I look forward to coming to work every day,
and every day is a new challenge.
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Roger.
Military aircraft are just so fun.
The job, right? It's always changing.
There's always something new and it's exciting.
Being a pilot in the military, you're going to get a lot of opportunities,
so you'll have deployments,
which you can't do necessarily as a civilian pilot.
You'll also get to have a little bit more fun.
The coolest part about flying the Chinook helicopter
is getting to fly low and fast, so I get to do river runs.
I get to fly with awesome people
and the rush of tactical flying is amazing.
So you're going low and fast, potentially evading a threat and doing your job.
- Once they complete their basic officer and primary flight training,
new pilots get assigned to one of three paths.
Based on their performance and on current needs,
that could be fast jet, rotary-wing or multi-engine.
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On completion of that phase of their training,
pilots receive their wings and are assigned to an operational training unit
where they will continue training with the aircraft
in the role that they've been assigned.
After that, they'll be posted to an operational squadron.
(Ruis): So it's an incredible responsibility to be in charge of an aircraft,
you're responsible for the safety of everyone on board
to include passengers and the crew.
So just making sure that you're doing your job appropriately,
and whether that's flying low or flying high,
whatever it may be, you just need to make sure
everyone gets there safely, and that you can get home as well.
One of the most amazing experiences for me
was my deployment to Mali, so I really felt like I was helping people there.
You know, whether we were out flying every day
or just waiting to go,
it meant that the people on the ground knew that they could do their job
and if required, we would come and get them.
So for me, that was very rewarding.
If you want adventure and excitement and a challenge,
then being a pilot in the Canadian Armed Forces is for you.