BC AERO: General Aviation Disaster Airlift

Flying BC - Pilot Stories and Aviation Adventures

"Our 206 landed in the community and they were on rations because nobody knew about them. We found out about them so we put a bunch of stuff together and flew it out to them. They were literally crying."

When parts of British Columbia were cut off due to flooding in November 2021, General Aviation came to the rescue. Aviators and volunteers quickly banded together to provide highly adaptable relief, offering lifelines to isolated communities and filling gaps in the supply chain.

In the aftermath came a desire to formalize the effort, to ensure that emergency planning agencies took General Aviation services into account. Spearheaded by Shaun Heaps from Langley, and bolstered by a group of experienced volunteers, a formal entity has now been created in the form of BC AERO: British Columbia Airlift Emergency Response Operation. On this episode I speak with Shaun Heaps, Sigmund Sort, and Mike Davenport about the airlift, the formation of BC AERO, and what the future has in store. And most importantly, how you can get involved.

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COPA elections for BC & Yukon Regional Directors are open for voting on April 4th. I'd appreciate your vote so I can continue in the role for a full term and serve the BC & Yukon community! You can read the nomination bios and cast your vote on the COPA Elections webpage.

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