Go Bold #34: Stories from the Cockpit: Capt. Troy Maa and flying the Sea King and Cormorant helicopters (Part 1)

Our guest today is Capt. Troy Maa, an accomplished helicopter pilot who has amassed over 6,200 flight hours, 5,200 of which are with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).I first met Capt. Maa a number of years ago when he was flying the CH-149 Cormorant search and rescue helicopter at 442 Squadron, which is a tenant unit at Canadian Forces Base Comox, in British Columbia, Canada. 442 Squadron is a composite unit which until recently operated both the Cormorant and CC-115 Buffalo aircraft in the search and rescue roles.Troy was a Major and senior pilot on the squadron at the time, and as a Flight Commander he was focused on operations and operational training on the Cormorant. It wasn't just his role though -- he was passionate about operational training, and it was that passion that left a strong impression on me, and that is one of the reasons we asked him to be a guest here on Go Bold.After his time on the Cormorant, Troy transitioned to the Air Force Reserve where he assumed the rank of Captain which allowed him the opportunity to return to flying his first operational platform, the CH-124 Sea King anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter. Troy shares his thoughts on flying ASW missions and some of the unique nuances of the Sea King.It's important to note that Canada has retired the Sea King, but we wanted to discuss both platforms as a way to learn and contrast their capabilities, and to preserve stories about them.After his second stint of flying the Sea King, Troy then went to the civil side of aviation where he flew the Sikorsky S-76 on scheduled routes, and then to another company where he flew the S-92 in the Search and Rescue role.I'm happy to share that Capt. Maa is now back on active duty with the Royal Canadian Air Force and is flying the new CH-148 Cyclone anti-submarine warfare helicopter. We will focus on the Cyclone in a future episode of Go Bold, so please like and follow us so you don't miss any of our great guests and topics!We hope you enjoy this episode where we focus on Troy's motivation to serve and his approach to training as he shares his experiences flying the Sea King and the Cormorant helicopters.-------------------During our chat you'll hear us refer to the Buffalo fixed-wing search and rescue aircraft, which was part of 442 Squadron. The Buffalo has recently been retired, and its fixed-wing search and rescue role has been taken up by the CC-130 Hercules as an interim solution until the dedicated CC-295 Kingfisher fixed-wing search and rescue aircraft comes online.We have another interesting side note -- although the Sea King helicopter is an older platform, it is still relevant today! The United Kingdom recently transferred some of their retired Sea Kings to Ukraine where they will be operated by the Ukrainian Forces for search and rescue and utility roles. So even as surplus equipment, the Sea King continues its long and storied service.------------------Please look for Part 2 of our discussion with Capt. Maa in our next episode!Go Bold!