Episode 69: The Rescue: Air Tindi crash survivors in the NWT – Conducting a CC-130H Hercules rescue, Part 1 – Jason Shaw & Vincent C-Benoit

The Pilot Project Podcast

In this first installment of The Rescue, Captain Jason Shaw and Sergeant Vincent C-Benoit of 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron take us inside the world of Canadian search and rescue operations. From their early days in the Canadian Army and Air Force - including deployments to Afghanistan and Bosnia - to the rigorous training pipeline for pilots and SAR Techs, Jason and Vince share how they became leaders in one of the most demanding trades in the RCAF.

They walk us through the skills, mindset, and teamwork required to fly the CC-130H Hercules into some of the harshest environments in Canada. Along the way, they recount intense training experiences, mountain rescues, operational jumps, and life-or-death missions that prepared them for one of the most dramatic rescues of recent years: the Air Tindi crash in the Northwest Territories.

This episode is Part 1 of their story, focusing on careers, training, and earlier rescues that set the stage for the high-stakes mission at the heart of this two-part series.