B.C. AERO’s First Training Event

By Mike Davenport

Saturday April 23 was a busy day at the office for BC AERO.

Sigmund Sort instructing the BC AERO volunteers on border crossing requirements

The workshop and hangars of West Coast Pilot’s Club at Langley Airport were filled with volunteers and guests. This was the site for the first ever training session for members of the BC Airlift Emergency response Operation, hosted by Sean Heaps, President of BC AERO and led by Sigmund B. Sort, Chief Preparedness Officer. The day also included a well-attended open house where guests toured the facility and met the volunteers.

The exercise included loading and unloading an aircraft

Volunteer pilots spent the Saturday learning what and who BC AERO is, what has been accomplished and what will be expected of them as participants when the ‘big one’ occurs. The day-long sessions covered a range of need-to- know subjects, from pilot qualifications to cross border requirements.

A hands-on session that included loading and unloading an aircraft, with emphasis on safety, as well as weight and balance and gross weight concerns, rounded out the day. Experienced staff from the November event provided the expertise.

The leader of the ground crew reviews the loading process

All of this effort was in preparation for the first international cross border disaster exercise to be held in cooperation with ‘Operation Thunder’, planned for Saturday, June 18. The Washington based DART and California Cal DART groups will be testing their ability to respond to a simulated tsunami by flying supplies and personnel across Washington State in a dawn to dusk operation. BC AERO’s contribution will be their ‘real time’ experience responding to the 2021 disaster in Southern BC.

Canadian pilots will be flying from Langley to Bellingham and beyond, carrying some 30,000 pounds of donated emergency food stocks to Washington State. This requires the coordination and cooperation with not only customs officials on both sides of the border but the FAA and Transport Canada.