E361: Electric Planes, Forest Fires & Vancouver Island: A Canadian Pilot's Unconventional Path

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Canadian pilot Mike Andrews has never taken the direct route — and that's exactly what makes his story worth hearing. Growing up in Southern Ontario, Mike got his start through Canada's Air Cadet program, earning a glider license at 16 and a private pilot license at 17 before nearly going the Canadian Armed Forces fighter pilot route. A heart murmur medical delay, a backpacking trip to New Zealand, and a hard reset later, he found himself building a flight school from scratch on Vancouver Island with one airplane and a jacket that said "ask me about flying."

Now based on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Mike is one of Canada's leading instructors on the Pipistrel Velis Electro — the country's first electric aircraft approved for primary flight training — and he's about to embark on a brand new chapter as a bird dog pilot doing aerial wildfire fighting in BC's rugged mountain terrain.

In this episode, Justin and Mike dig into the Canadian pilot training system, what it's actually like to fly and teach in an electric airplane, the unique aviation culture of the Pacific Northwest coast, and what draws a variety-hungry pilot to a career where low-level mountain flying meets public service. Plus — Mike shares what it was like to nearly make it into Canadian fighter pilot selection before a three-day paperwork deadline changed everything.

Topics Covered:

• Canada's Air Cadet program and glider scholarships
• Canadian vs. American pilot training and instructor rating systems
• Flying the Pipistrel Velis Electro — Canada's first electric flight trainer
• Electric aviation: where it works today and where it's headed
• Aerial wildfire fighting and the bird dog role
• Building a sub-base flight school on Vancouver Island from the ground up
• The TBM 960's "Home Safe" emergency automation features
• Why variety — not the airlines — has driven Mike's entire career