Go Bold #35: Stories from the Cockpit: Capt. Troy Maa and flying the Sea King and Cormorant helicopters (Part 2)

We rejoin for Part 2 with our guest, 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.In this episode we discuss more about the Cormorant helicopter, and how Search and Rescue missions were dispatched and conducted at 442 Squadron, which includes coordination with fixed-wing aircraft.We also discuss one of Troy's last Search and Rescue missions where he and his team were dispatched on a night mission to rescue a climber who had fallen and was stuck on cliff at 10,000 feet! 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!-------------------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.------------------Our thanks to Capt. Maa for sharing his insight on flying the magnificent Sea King and Cormorant helicopters!Go Bold!