The Pilot Project Podcast

For episode 100, we have RCAF Commander Lieutenant-General Jamie Speiser-Blanchet on some early lessons learned from her career, modernization, global threats, and the future of Canada’s Air Force.

In Part 2 of this conversation, Captain Niels Olson takes us inside his first deployment as a CH-124 Sea King pilot with 443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron - and the reality of life at sea that no one fully prepares you for.
After completing his training, Niels went almost straight from the Operational Training Unit to deploying aboard HMCS Ottawa. 
Niels opens up about the moment he realized he might not want to be a maritime helicopter pilot at all, and how he realized he was right where he wanted to be.
This episode breaks down what life is really like on board a Royal Canadian Navy frigate - from how helicopters are loaded and maintained at sea, to the realities of food, sleep, and day-to-day routines during long deployments.
He also shares the challenges of landing on a moving ship, the steep learning curve of early deployments, and what it takes to adapt and succeed in one of the most unique flying environments in the military.

Captain Niels Olson didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming a military pilot. In fact, while living next to CFB Chilliwack as a kid, he remembers watching soldiers train and thinking, “I’m never doing that.”

In Part 1, we cover his early life, joining under CEOTP, the long training pipeline, and his first exposure to maritime helicopter operations before even starting flight training. Then we'll get into a high-level look at what life is like at sea with the CH-124 Sea King operating on Royal Canadian Navy frigates.

This week, inside project SEEDCORN: P-8 training, RAF operations, and the future of Canada’s long range patrol fleet. 
In Part 2, Matt and Dylan break down the P-8 Poseidon conversion process, RAF operations, and how SEEDCORN is preparing Canada for the future of long range patrol aviation.
They also share real-world operational experiences and what it’s like flying from the UK near global hotspots.

In this episode, Capt Matt Chretien and Capt Dylan Gilje-Allan share their journey from early flight training to operational flying on the CP-140 Aurora, leading to their selection for SEEDCORN and transition to the P-8 Poseidon.
They discuss flight training challenges, Aurora operations, deployments on Op NEON, and real-world intercepts in the Indo-Pacific.