Comox

[Robert Bergeron]

Hello friends on the Island and Mainland.

I am back in Comox after felling a moose in Québec. Meat in the meat locker for the winter months...

Met with Roberta aka Universalgirl. Very nice person, a Vet and lot's of knowledge. She lent me Nigel Watson's books for me to read . I have already been through volume II of course because I own one . There are some very interesting stuff in Vol III that I am discovering. Thank you Nigel wherever you are for doing this monumental job !

I will be on the Mainland teaching over at CFB Jericho Beach or what is left of it Nov 11-12-13 and plan on meeting with as many of the Western command bunch as I can when I am in town.

Will keep you posted. MLU is a great meeting place for fellow enthusiasts.

[Robert Bergeron]

Here is a great view of Vancouver I was fortunate enough to have on a recent flight on a venerable CC-115 Buffalo .

Underneath us the port facilities.

Stanley park, the green spit on the northern right foreground .

To the rear , downtown with all the skyscrapers.

[Robert Bergeron]

Remembrance Day is coming up.

I thought I should post this in order to explain why my SARTECH colleagues do the crazy things they do to save lives.

Sometimes they pay with their limbs and even their lives in order to respect this oath.

I took this picture in the SARTECH section of 442 Sqn hangar , the Snakes.

It humbling to say the least , that some of our fellow citizens would take this oath and live their lives by it.

Thanks you for your service Sartechs.

[Robert Bergeron]

Just to give you another idea of what is going on here in Comox.

The other asset of 442 Sqn here is the CH-149 Cormoran.

It is a purposely built Search and Rescue helicopter acquired by Canada about 12 years ago.

During a recent training flight ( yesterday in fact ) I took a few pictures.

First we see the asset on the tarmac . Second we see the very happy young pilot , Capt Y. P. who is from of my part of Canada .

Yann still cannot believe he is being paid to have so much fun !

Then on the other we see the flight engineer ( FE ) peering out the side door watching for obstacles below and to the side before we land on Texada Island BC. I still can't believe he would get out the side door of a moving helicopter to do that !

[Robert Bergeron]

Speaking of getting your body out of a flying helicopter.

In the first shot we see Dom , a Sartech on the opened rear ramp of the Cormorant .

Closer up we is attached by a monkey strap or tether to the airframe but still It is quite innerving.


This most courageous and deserving service member is from the same small town in Québec than my wife ! Small world .