Staff Profile: Russell Graham

STAFF PROFILE: RUSSELL GRAHAM

Dispatch / Flight Instructor

It's no secret that the Victoria Flying Club has some of the best staff in the aviation business. Here's the first (of hopefully many) profiles that celebrate them and share their stories with you.Let's start with Dispatch's own Russell Graham!

How long have you been flying for? What's an early or vivid memory of flying that jumps out at you?

I started flying in April 2017. My initial instructor and I get along like a house on fire, and he used a lot of humour to make lessons memorable. One instance really stands out. We were practicing forced approaches, he was demonstrating. Everything is going according to plan, and upon reaching the passenger briefing he turns to me and says “Okay, a clown just hit the propeller. It was pretty funny, but now our engine is dead”. I’m probably the only person who finds that funny. Regardless, it stuck with me and I’ll never forget to brief my passengers on the day my engine decides to die.

What made you want to become a pilot?

I fell in love with airplanes when I was a kid. Some kind of gatefold or poster in a magazine, National Geographic I think, of the cockpit of either a 747 or 777, I can’t remember which. It was my favourite toy for what feels like months (it may have been a day, hard to know for sure), I loved all the buttons and knobs and levers. Movies, airshows, and TV shows. All these things made airplanes seem even cooler.

Near the end of high school I looked into a career as a pilot, balked at the cost, and didn’t pursue it. That wasn’t a mistake. I wouldn’t have wanted 18 year me to attempt to become a pilot.

I traveled to Uganda in 2016 as a participant in a Canadian government funded internship program. Being there cleared my head. While I was there I dreamt that I was flying a plane. Nothing more, not strange or difficult like dreams usually are. The organization that sent me, VIDEA, emphasizes developing their participants’ career, so the day after my dream I spoke with the Executive Director about becoming a pilot. She was intimately familiar with the process, one of her sons is a pilot. She encouraged me. I went for a Discovery flight later in 2016, was absolutely hooked, organized my finances, and started flight training in April of 2017

What was your training like? And what licences have you earned? Which was the most challenging?

I have a CPL and a Class 4 Instructor Rating. Becoming a Class 4 Instructor was the most challenging so far because of all the prep work for lessons. It’s surprisingly difficult to break down how one flies certain maneuvers into bite-sized chunks.

What about becoming a pilot was the most surprising, challenging, or rewarding for you?

Surprising and rewarding was how much I learned about things other than handling and flying an airplane. When people ask about pilot training I say that part of it is flying the airplane and the other part is personal growth.

There is a level of confidence, dedication, and fortitude that must be developed during flight training. I think it’s absolutely impossible to be a professional pilot without going through that development.

What's your favourite plane (or any vehicle) of all time? Fictional is fine.

T-65B X-Wing space- superiority starfighter. I’m stretching the definition of “air vehicle” here, but you did say “fictional is fine”.

In terms of real airplanes, my favourite bounces around between a selection of classics. Spitfires, Mosquitos, Q400s, CT-114 Tutors - I’ll have a different favourite depending which day of the week you ask me.

Do you fly for a living? Would you want to?

I do! I’m an instructor at the Flying Club. Next stop, work my way through the airlines, and then return as a part-time instructor in the far-flung future.

What is the most important thing for a pilot to possess?

Two things: the ability to self-reflect and the will to be humble. Looking back at successes is easy, looking back at non-successes is more challenging, and is a necessary part of becoming a pilot.

Humility is essential because the pilot needs to be ready to learn whenever the opportunity presents itself, especially when they make a mistake. A private license will keep you safe, and at the same time it is a license to learn. I made mistakes during the 100 hours of PIC time I flew while working toward a CPL, and I learned more about myself as a pilot and as a person because I spent time reflecting on them.

What's your favourite flying animal? The goose? The duck? The bumblebee?

Eagles or parrots. Different ends of the spectrum, I know, but they’re both fascinating. That said, parrots make for easier pets.

Tell us a joke. It doesn't have to be about aviation, but we can't deny that those jokes have wings.

How do you know you’re in a room with a pilot? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you.

Why do you think people become pilots? What draws us to the skies?

I think it’s fascination with the unknown or seemingly impossible. We aren’t born with wings (or SCUBA gear, so that matter), so we are drawn to the air just like we’re drawn to water because we want to experience what we can’t naturally do.

What do you enjoy most about flying? Is there anything you don't love or that gives you trouble about it?

I love the mental acuity required. It’s a challenge, every time. What I don’t love is some of the attitudes I see in other pilots. It’s easy to get used to the relative safety of the flight training environment, seeing little real danger or misunderstanding what danger one does see.

So many lessons about flying are written on tombstones, everything from how and why we conduct pre-flight inspections to specific radio phraseology, come at the expense of human life in preventable accidents.

What is your favourite place to fly / aerodrome to visit and why?

I like Qualicum Beach for the restaurant. Basic, I know. Sooke training area is great, too. I like how much space there is out there.

If you could fly or visit anywhere (and I mean anywhere) where would it be? Any plans to head there soon? Why that destination?

Antarctica and Uganda. The former because it would be an adventure, and I hear penguins are pretty neat. The latter because I enjoyed my time there so much and I owe the country for getting me started as a pilot.

What is your favourite club aeroplane?

Toss-up. WLY because I did my PPL flight test in it, or BMO because I like the way it flies and it has a nice GPS. FGIM is a nice one, too, being the youngest in the fleet by total air time.

What was the hardest thing about becoming a pilot? Is there anything you don't like about it?

The hardest part is the mental attitude and honest self-reflection. Gotta’ be capable of 100% honest self-critique without being self- deprecating.

How has flying changed your life?

Allowed me to prove to myself that I can follow through on the things I want the most.

Do you have any advice you’d pass along to other pilots? Share your wisdom with us!

Go for a check ride with an instructor once in a while! Most of the members are really good about annuals or 30/60 day recurrency training, and it would be awesome if every member was really good about them.

Flights with an instructor are some of the most valuable. There is always room to improve, so get out there with a qualified instructor and improve!

Tell us a memorable flight or experience you've had.

The first time I flew over BC’s coastline on board what I think was one of Pacific Coastal’s planes. It became abundantly clear why most of BC’s coast is uninhabited: the mountains begin almost immediately from where the ocean ends.

How do you think aviation is changing? Where do you think it's going? Is this a good thing? Bad? Mixed?

Aviation is trying to change toward a more efficient model, whether that’s fuel efficiency or time efficiency. That isn’t a bad thing on its own, it’s the execution that matters most.

What's your favourite part about belonging to the VFC?

Co-workers and members. We have a delightful little community here. There are many members with whom I’m on a first name basis. The staff are great people to me too, every one of them has stories to tell and there’s a lot we learn from one another.

Thanks for letting us get to know you a bit better, Russ! The next time we're at the VFC, we'll be sure to say hi if we see you at Dispatch or are looking for a flight instructor!