FLIGHT PATH QUICK FACTS
Patrick Bory
Groupe SAF (Secours Aérien Français), French Alps
CURRENT JOB
I’m a helicopter pilot with 4,000 hours specializing in aerial work, mostly sling, including wire
pulling. I also work in assembly, construction, mountain flying, and firefighting operations.
FIRST AVIATION JOB My first job was at
Héli-Tremblant with Jean-Benoit Daigneault, president of the company and a pilot. He gave me my first chance to increase my hours, in an R44. My first real aerial-work position was
with François Ricard, director of flight operations east at Canadian Helicopters Ltd., as a bush pilot.
FAVORITE HELICOPTER
My favorite helicopter to fly and handle is the AStar, but the Bell 212 has a special place in
my heart because, growing up, I would always see the 212 on TV.
How did you decide helicopter aviation was the career for you? Since the first time I saw helicopter EMS oper- ations in Saint-Étienne, France, where I was born, I realized helicopters can do what air- planes can’t. But it was too expensive a voca- tion to pursue in France, so I gave up for a while. Ten years later, as an engineer with the
LEARN MORE About Groupe SAF
French army, I met a civilian pilot in Kandahar, Afghanistan, where the United States subcon- tracted Canadian helicopters for sling work. He told me about an affordable Canadian training school as well as some promising job opportu- nities. Four months later, I got a Canadian visa and left everything behind. I was in Canada, living my dream.
What are your career goals? My career goal is helicopter hoist operations and search-and-rescue work in the mountains. But for now, I’m continuing to evolve in my mountain-operations experience and fostering the type of mentality needed for longlining in this rugged environment.
54 ROTOR MARCH 2022
What advice would you give someone pursuing your path? Never give up. Stay diligent and humble.
Who inspires you? When I started in the industry, my chief pilot with Canadian Helicopters, Stacy Lamoureux, inspired me with his rigor and precision. I remember him saying, “62 knots isn’t 65!” He was so fair, and good; I thank him so much for that.
My training pilot, Dominique Deschamps,
taught me aerial work; pilot Denis-Claude Imbeau showed me how to sling; and, of course, Michel Côté, chief base engineer at Canadian Helicopters, who, though not a heli- copter pilot, helped me so much while I was training in the bush. In my current company, Groupe SAF, Alain Mermoud is a training-pilot legend in mountain rescue. The company’s senior pilots are also a continual source of inspiration to me. I’d like to thank all the people I’ve met along
the way in the industry who’ve offered their advice—those discussions over coffee are so
“Flying in the mountains is always a challenge, even if it is really beautiful. I’m never satisfied with my precision.”
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