SUMMER 2021 PLEASE TAKE YOUR COMPLIMENTARY COPY ∂ Find “The Missing Piece” by Vancouver street artist iHeart in the alleyway behind 5 East 8th Avenue IN•FLIGHT REVIEW THE POWER OF THE EDITORIAL PAINT Helijet’s Learjet is back in business BRUSH CREW PROFILE Vancouver Mural Going above Festival builds and beyond in community one Nanaimo paint stroke at a time Also inside: YOUR SUMMER READING LIST PACK THE PERFECT PICNIC Scan this code to read IFR on your mobile device SUMMER 2021 PAGE 16 IN•FLIGHT REVIEW Contents Summer 2021 • Volume 14 • Number 2 FEATURES PACK THE PERFECT PICNIC TOP TIPS FROM LOCAL CHEFS Mural: Jocelyn Wong / Photo: Gabriel Martins 14 VANCOUVER MURAL FESTIVAL A CELEBRATION OF BOTH Photo: Tourism Vancouver / Hubert Kang ART AND COMMUNITY 22 IN EVERY ISSUE 06 08 10 20 Cover photo: GUEST CREW PROFILE SUMMER INVIGORATE: Vancouver Mural Festival EDITORIAL By Sue Dunham AGENDA Beach reads By Amundeep Annie Hayward, By Stephanie B.C.-published Nahal, Chief Pilot Lead Agent - Cunningham books for your — Fixed-Wing Client Relations What’s happening summer reading Back in Business: at Helijet in online and in per- list Helijet’s Learjet Nanaimo son in Vancouver, puts the “Jet” Victoria and back in Helijet around Vancouver Island En Route with Helijet Spend more time where you want to be 2 1 3 4 VANCOUVER 5 STRAIT OF GEORGIA (Salish Sea) Departure Bay 8 NANAIMO 7 Boundary 9 Bay United States 6 W Canada British Columbia ashington 10 VANCOUVER ISLAND 11 15 Gulf Islands 12 16 13 14 24 17 Points of Interest 18 25 1 Downtown Vancouver 16 Salt Spring Island 23 Harbour Heliport 17 Fulford Harbour 2 Stanley Park 18 Moresby Island San Juan Islands 3 English Bay Sidney 19 19 26 4 University of British 20 20 Victoria Airport 22 Haro Strait Columbia 21 James Island 5 Vancouver Airport 21 22 Sidney Island 27 6 Point Roberts 23 Turn Point Light Station 7 Nanaimo Heliport 24 Waldren Island 8 Gabriola Island 25 Orcas Island 9 Valdes Island 26 Roche Harbor 10 Galiano Island 28 27 San Juan Island 11 Mayne Island 28 Chatham Islands 29 12 Saturna Island VICTORIA 29 Discovery Island 13 North Pender Island 31 30 30 Trial Islands 14 South Pender Island 31 Victoria Harbour Heliport 15 Ganges Strait of Juan de Fuca This map is not intended for navigation SUMMER 2021 IN•FLIGHT REVIEW SIKORSKY S-76A In-Flight Review Magazine Managing Editor: Stephanie Cunningham Graphic Design: HELIJET FLEET Brent Foote Contributors SIKORSKY S-76C+ (BC AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE) Stephanie Cunningham, Sue Kernaghan, Sue Dunham, Heath Moffatt For information on display advertising opportunities, email: [email protected] Published by Archipelago Media SIKORSKY S-76C++ 1248 Woodway Road Victoria BC V9A 6Y6 Tel 250.380.3961 archipelagomedia.com Complimentary Copy ISSN 1916-5080 In-Flight Review Summer 2021 Vol. 14 No. 2 LEARJET 31A/ER In-Flight Review (IFR) is a quarterly magazine published by Archipelago Media Ltd. for Helijet International Inc. All published material is the copyright of Archipelago Media Ltd. No part of this publication, in whole or in part, may be reproduced with- out the written consent of the pub- lisher. The written and photographic material published in In-Flight Re- view does not necessarily reflect the EUROCOPTER AS350 B2 views of the air carrier or the pub- lisher. Information and images pro- duced in the magazine are believed to be accurate and truthful, but the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors. Advertising in In-Flight Review magazine does not indicate an en- dorsement by Helijet International Inc. or Archipelago Media Ltd. PILATUS PC-12NG GUEST EDITORIAL By Amundeep Nahal Chief Pilot — Fixed-Wing, Helijet Helijet’s Learjet 31A/ER is a high-speed business jet with a range of 1,800 miles. Operating up to 51,000 feet at Mach Back in 0.81, it can reach most destinations in Western North America in a matter of hours. Photo: Heath Moffatt BusinessHelijet’s Learjet After almost a year of job hunting I was alerted to a posting at Helijet for the position of Chief Pilot — puts the “Jet” back Fixed-Wing, flying the company’s Learjet 31A/ER (C-GHJU). Competition for the position was fierce, in Helijet but I was fortunate to have the balance of manage- ment and relevant business jet experience the com- pany was looking for. I joined the company in March ooner or later, the fickle finger of fate taps of this year and after several weeks of company indoc- everyone on the shoulder, for better and worse. trination and aircraft training I was appointed Chief In March 2020 I was a First Officer flying a Pilot — Fixed-Wing and Captain on the Learjet. Boeing 767 for All Nippon Airways (ANA) in Japan. The Learjet is a real pilot’s airplane: it’s nimble, re- SThe job was great, the experience unique, and my sponsive to a pilot’s hands and feet inputs, and the family was enjoying the expat lifestyle. The following performance is phenomenal. The aircraft is certified month I was unemployed with no job prospects and to fly at a speed of Mach 0.81 (81 per cent the speed no social safety net. Like hundreds of other Can- of sound) up to an altitude of 51,000 feet. The name adian overseas pilots, I went from having breakfast in says something, too. Learjet is a legacy aerospace Brisbane and supper in Singapore to an all-you-can- manufacturer with a reputation for proven, safe and eat dinner of disbelief. I returned to Vancouver with reliable business jets. my family and set about finding work, but air carriers Passengers also appreciate the aircraft’s capabil- everywhere were laying off pilots in droves and my ities. In corporate configuration Helijet’s Lear can professional future seemed doubtful. carry six people with personal bags up to 1,800 miles 6 IN-FLIGHT REVIEW | SUMMER 2021 in a matter of hours, making most airports in West- ern North America accessible, non-stop. Palm Springs, Las Vegas and L.A. are just a couple hours away, while most destinations in B.C. and Alberta can be reached in about an hour. And for a fast jet it has remarkable short-field capability; it’s possible to take off and land at airfields with runways as short as 4,000 feet. The privacy of the Learjet is particularly appealing to corporate clients wanting to conduct business en route to their destination(s). There is no risk of busi- ness class eavesdroppers listening in on confidential conversation. And being a charter aircraft it departs Robert J. Taylor, Executive Vice President whenever the client decides. Have an important meet- 604.714.4410 ing running long? No problem. Want to go to another [email protected] destination on short notice? Again, no problem. Another unique feature of Helijet’s Lear is that it can be converted from a corporate interior to an air ambulance configuration — with room for two stretchers — in as little as two hours. What’s more, Helijet has extensive experience conducting air med- ical transportation flights. In my first few months on the job I discovered Helijet is as unique and versatile as the aircraft it operates. The corporate culture is intimate and famil- iar, and many employees have devoted much of their ASPENGROVE SCH OOL professional lives to the company. Turnover is re- markably low. Getting to know my co-workers by Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 name, and developing friendships, is a refreshing Independent School in Nanaimo change from being just another number among 20,000-plus employees at ANA. I also appreciate the spirit of grit, determination and entrepreneurial creativity that pervades Helijet. Some air carriers have a narrow focus, limiting themselves only to what they know. Helijet man- agers and employees seem to relish challenges and problem-solving. If a client comes with a peculiar re- quest the initial response is always, “How can we make this work?” Such is the case with activating Helijet’s Lear. Like most air carriers, the company’s normal oper- ations were significantly impacted by pandemic trav- el restrictions imposed since March 2020. The result Academic Excellence is that scheduled service declined throughout the in- Innovative Thinking dustry, but private charters and air medical transport has actually increased in some respects. New and Global Citizenship unforeseen opportunities abound, and I look for- ward to what the future may deliver in the years ahead as we expand and grow Helijet’s fixed-wing [email protected] | 250-390-2201 flight department. SUMMER 2021 | IN-FLIGHT REVIEW 7 CREW PROFILE BY SUE DUNHAM Customers & Colleagues lot of young men and women eventually leave the small hometowns they grew up in, lured away by the bright lights of big cities. Not so, Annie Hayward, Helijet’s Lead Agent A— Client Relations in Nanaimo. She grew up in Che- mainus on Vancouver Island, and has no interest in leaving any time soon. “I was born and raised on the Island,” says Hay- ward. “I moved to nearby Ladysmith for a few years, but my fiancée and I recently bought a home in Che- mainus. We plan on settling down here. It’s close to both our jobs and we love exploring the Island in our truck camper on weekends — everywhere from Port Renfrew to Tofino, and points in between.” Hayward worked in the hotel industry and retail for several years after high school, but when Helijet opened its base of operations in Nanaimo in 2015 she jumped at the chance to join the company.