Canadian Helicopters Bell 212 in Afghanistan

Well it finally happened… I’m going to Afghanistan to fly helicopters.

I’m finishing ground school tomorrow and off to Dallas, Texas for my 212 endorsement.  In just under 4 weeks I fly out to Afghanistan for my first tour.

The job is flying a 212 as a First Officer (two pilots are not normally required for day VFR flying but it is a requirement of the contract).   For security reasons I really can’t say much more about it than that.

I’m new to the 212.  It’s very exciting to finally be moving up to a medium… and a medium twin, to boot… even better.  I’ve wanted to move to a medium for several years now but never got the chance.

The tours in Afghanistan are 4 weeks on, 4 weeks off.  I travel on my days off.

There are many ‘challenges’, however, to this job:

Firstly, this is pretty much the hottest time of year for Afghanistan.  Temperatures are around the 45 Celsius mark.  That’s gotta be hotter than the surface of the sun.  Between the hot temperatures and wearing a flight suit and flak jacket, I’m hopeful I’ll lose some weight.

Secondly, there’s a bit of a war going on over there.  So yes, there is a certain element of danger there.  My justification for doing this is one fact:  Canadian Helicopters has been doing this contract for nearly 1 1/2 years with great success (there has been a single incident which I can’t discuss but it all turned out okay).  Given the good track record, I’m pretty confident I’ll make it back to my loving wife and favourite sushi restaurant in North Van).

There are two very positive aspects, however, to this opportunity:

First, the pay is pretty substantial… and I’ve got debt to kill and a house to save for.

Second, the experience I’ll gain over there will be immeasurable and I’m confident it will set me up for a great career path in the future.

So there you have it….

Am I nervous?  Sure… and I’ll probably be even more nervous as my departure date draws nearer… but I’m also extremely excited for the opportunity to gain some valuable experience as well as some badly needed dough.

So it finally looks like 2 1/2 years of tours in Ft. Simpson is finally paying off.