Two of our Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AME), Shane Davis and Shaun Radford are celebrating major milestone anniversaries with Pacific Coastal Airlines. We are pleased to let them share their stories about working with our airline.
Shane Davis – Maintenance Lead – 20 Years
Shane was introduced to the aviation industry at an early age. His father, who owned Lindair Services, which was located close to the South Terminal airport, would bring Shane along to work. Shane recounts being about five-years old and coming to the South Terminal prior to the installation of fences, and watching the construction of the Flying Beaver, an iconic food and beverage spot frequented by the local aviation community today. One of his fondest memories as a child was exploring the Sea Island roads on his dirt bike while his father worked on Saturdays.
Shane tagged along with his father every summer until about the age of twelve when he started learning about aircraft maintenance. Upon graduation from high school, he worked full-time in his father’s shop. He briefly considered becoming a firefighter, but knew his father needed his help so decided to become an AME instead.
His father knew Daryl Smith, founder of Pacific Coastal Airlines, having worked with him for many years at West Coast Air early in his career. Shane considers himself lucky to have met Daryl’s son Quentin Smith, now President of Pacific Coastal Airlines many years ago, and has many fond memories of his early days with the airline.
To Shane, PASCO is a family. Looking back at what he appreciates most about his twenty years with Pacific Coastal, “it is the people and you feel very secure here. People can come here and feel supported and I always have. While I may feel a bit different as I knew the owners, anyone coming in here is treated the same way.”
Shaun Radford – Line Maintenance Supervisor – 15 Years
Shaun began working for Pacific Coastal Airlines as an Apprentice Aircraft Maintenance Engineer in the spring of 2005. With his leadership skills and field expertise, he eventually developed into the role of Line Maintenance Supervisor. Shaun enjoys every day in the Maintenance Department because it is always different – from conducting basic inspections to replacing a compressor turbine disk inside the turbine engines. He values the variety of aircraft in PCA’s fleet because it allows AME’s to receive both their M1 and M2 license while working with the same airline.
Looking back at on the past fifteen years, Shaun remembers a special event in particular. “In 2016, during Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Royal Tour of British Columbia, a Pacific Coastal Airlines Saab 340B was chartered to fly the royal couple up to Bella Bella. I was asked by maintenance management to go with the aircraft as the flight engineer. It was an honour and opportunity of a lifetime, especially when Prince William came up to the flight deck after the flight.”
When chatting further about what he appreciates most about working at PCA, he echoes a sentiment shared by his co-worker Shane. “It’s the people. My favorite thing about working for Pacific Coastal Airlines is the people I work with. The maintenance department is a like-minded group that takes the job very seriously. We all have a high sense of pride in what we do, which makes it a fun and rewarding place to work.”
Story by Jodie Sanheim
Photos, left to right, Shane & Shaun, Shane Davis, Shaun Radford (photo credits: Jodie Sanheim), Duke & Dutchess (photo credit: Rachel Fuller)