Job Category	Maintenance and Trades	Watch Video Profile   Read Video Transcript
Employee	Dan Rotary Wing Pilot Aviation Services
Ministry	Ministry of Natural Resources
Region	North
City	Sudbury

Before I joined the OPS, I … had a wide array of occupations including working as a police officer, supply teacher, Bell Canada installer and as a ski instructor. I obtained a geography degree from the University of Guelph and have been in the commercial helicopter industry for 23 years.

I began my career in… the Northwest territories flying a bell 47 helicopter.

And now I am … flying a state of the art helicopter here in Sudbury and supporting to keep our natural resources safe and protected.

A day in my shoes… might begin with a call early in the morning to action a fire called in late the night before. I would get to the hangar with lunch and dinner in hand and prepare the helicopter for the mission. This entails the daily inspection fueling and any passenger briefings. The fire crew would then load the machine and board and off we go to the fire. After the scouting report was complete I would find a place to land safely on the fire, unload the crew and gear and head back to the airport to load up for the next fire dispatch.

I have chosen to work for the public service because… of the opportunity to continue to fly and partake in current aviation training on a regular basis. I enjoy a very diverse work environment as well as having diverse tasks. We work to combat fire, conduct moose surveys, tag geese on Hudson’s Bay, dart polar bears, fish stock and conduct photo flights and assorted forestry missions.

The thing that has surprised me the most about working for the OPS is… the amount of variety and diversity of tasks and responsibilities involved in the day to day operations. It makes everyday challenging, different and stimulating.

Outside of work, my most memorable achievement is/was... obtaining my Bachelor of Arts from the University of Guelph.