The Pilot Project Podcast
The Pilot Project Podcast is an aviation podcast that aims to help new pilots learn what it takes to succeed in the world of flight, to help people in the flight training system learn what they may want to fly, and to give Canadians and the world a peek into life on the flight deck in the RCAF. We want to help pilots succeed and thrive! We interview real RCAF pilots for their exciting stories as well as the lessons they've learned along the way. We'll learn their tips to develop resilience and the tools it takes to make it in flight training.
- Update frequency
- every 12 days
- Average duration
- 57 minutes
- Episodes
- 69
- Years Active
- 2022 - 2025
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 running ASAP with the same great co…
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 like a team sport?
Paul has flown se…
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 like to regularly be exposed to…
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 of losing a friend and teammate…
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 flying in a firefight? What do you do…
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 challenges? What are the things …
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 on or following that day. Each p…
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? Blake has flown the CT-156 Harvard…
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 make yourself an attractive appli…
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 the Cyclone around the world fr…
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 world in the Aurora, and gone to …
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 with Brigadier General John Alexand…
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 volcano, or to explore the globe on …
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 extensive experience as an Air Combat…
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 survived. After a long day of re…
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?
For this special Mental Health Awa…
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 experiences instead of stumbling bl…
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 flying change the way you train,…
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, largely sourced from you, our fans…
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 need of Medevac. That's where …