From spectacular coastlines to dense forests and snow-capped mountain peaks. The Canadian wilderness has a lot to offer. Right in the middle of it all: Marcel Frimmel, who is 27 and works as a helicopter pilot in the North American country. He told us what challenges helicopter missions entail and what fascinates him so much about flying.
Marcel, how did you end up in Canada?
I’m originally from Mainburg. Because my family has always travelled to Canada a lot, I had a connection to the country early on. I finally moved to Canada after completing my training as an automotive mechatronics technician.
How did you get into helicopter flying?
The path to the cockpit is quite difficult, there are many hurdles and no guarantee that you will get a job as a pilot after your training. I first got a private pilot’s licence for fixed-wing aircraft and then collected flying hours to be able to get my commercial pilot’s licence. I then worked as a pilot and started my training as a professional helicopter pilot on the side.
After my training, however, I no longer flew, but worked as a flight assistant at the local helicopter company, refuelling the aircraft, cleaning, preparing equipment and keeping the base clean. The days often lasted from sunrise to sunset. After a while, I was allowed to take off as a pilot and familiarise myself with the various helicopter models.

What excites you about flying?
The fascination of helicopter flying lies in the interaction between man and machine. It’s impressive how precisely you can control an aircraft that weighs several tonnes.
What are the difficulties of flying?
The challenges of flying are of course the weather, especially strong winds in the mountains and snowy landing zones.
What thoughts accompany you when you are on a mission?
You have to keep a cool head when flying. As soon as the rotors start turning and the doors close, all that matters is flying. No matter how stressful the day was or how stressful the situation is, you have to shift down a gear and take things slowly. When emotions and feelings are involved, the risk of mistakes increases. And mistakes put yourself and the aircraft in danger.

Can you describe your everyday life as a pilot?
The day starts with checking the aircraft in the morning. I check the logbook to see if any repairs or maintenance are due. This is followed by a weather briefing and, if necessary, a crew briefing. Helicopter missions in Canada are very diverse. These include supply flights, passenger flights, forest fire missions, rescue missions and heli-skiing.
Which mission flight do you particularly remember?
I was a co-pilot on the rescue of a hiker. He had crashed on a very remote path in steep terrain and needed urgent medical treatment. However, the rescue via the winch proved difficult because the accident site was close to a steep face. While the rescuers were abseiling down, the rotor blades came extremely close to the rock face while hovering. In addition, the emergency call only came late in the evening – so we were fighting against the onset of darkness at the same time.
What are your next goals?
I’m still pretty much at the beginning of my flying career and don’t have much experience with mission flights yet because they are very complicated and demanding. Next, I want to strengthen my flying skills – you never stop learning when flying! I also want to gain flying hours on rescue flights and start fighting forest fires. I also want to practise flying with a load attached under the helicopter more often. But the most important thing is to have lots of safe flights and landings.