Paradise pilot recognized for impressive flight record

By Mark Squibb

Captain Tim Burrill of Paradise was recognized by Sikorsky at a tradeshow in Atlanta this March for logging 10,000 flight hours on the S-92 helicopter.

As impressive as that statistic sounds, it doesn’t even tell half the story – since receiving his commercial helicopter license in 1976, Burril has accumulated more than 27,000 accident-free flight hours, an average of about 500 flight hours a year.

“It was an ambition out of high school to be a pilot,” said Burrill, who hails from Nova Scotia. “I started out training in airplanes. Then I eventually specialized in helicopters, and liked that a lot better.”

Burrill started off flying a three-seat Bell 47 with plexiglass bubble, a single-rotor helicopter popularized by the war time comedy drama M*A*S*H.

The Sikorsky S-92 Burrill flies today, meanwhile, can seat up to 19 passengers, and boasts a large stand-up cabin and automatic flight control system. The S-92 is specially designed to handle well even in messy weather, and can land in foggy conditions, to a point.

Burrill’s career has taken him all over the world flying helicopters. He moved to the province and began working with Cougar in 1997, flying workers back and forth to the Hibernia oil rig, and works with Cougar to this day.

He has passed down his passion for flying to his children. His son, Luke, works for Cougar in the company’s Search and Rescue division. Another son, Peter, flies 767 Boeings for Air Canada.

Meanwhile, a grandson in Ontario, Simon, says that he wants to be a pilot when he grows up as well.

“I guess they saw how nice a job I had, so they pursued those careers,” said Burrill.

Burrill and son Luke even had the opportunity to pilot an S-92 together in 2020.

While he’s flown hundreds of times over the years, it’s a flight that he wasn’t on that Burrill says he’ll never forget— Cougar Helicopter Flight 91.

“I was flying when Cougar lost their helicopter offshore, which is a bad day in our history,” said Burrill.

Burrill flew out at 8 a.m. on the morning of March 12, 2009. Flight 91 flew out an hour later at 9 a.m., and went down at 9:48 a.m. Of the 18 onboard, only one survived.

“You never know where you’re going to be on the schedule, and you don’t get to choose your own aircraft, so it could have very easily been me that lost their life,” said Burrill. “But the good Lord decided that it wasn’t my time to go. So, I remember that day for sure.”

For anyone considering piloting as a career path, Burrill says it requires a significant upfront investment, but it pays off in the long run.

“When I did my training, it was only $10,000, and I thought that was a lot of money,” said Burrill. “Now, it must be well north of $150,000. Most of that’s the cost of renting the helicopter and the instructor. And you need 100 hours of training. It’s a difficult field to break into, but it’s the equivalent of getting a university education, but you can do it all in one year instead of spreading that expense out over four or five or six years.”

Others, said Burrill, opt to join the military in order to learn to fly.

While most of us are content to sit in the passenger seat and leave the piloting to others, Burrill, and others like him, are drawn by the excitement and feeling of freedom that piloting promises.

“If flying is your dream, pursue it,” said Burrill. “One lady at work, who lived in Labrador, she told me the other day that her passion was to be a helicopter pilot when she grew up. And today she is. So, it’s attainable for anyone. I tell people, if you can ride a bicycle, you can fly a helicopter.”

Additionally, if you’ve ever thought of taking to the skies yourself, now might be a good time.

“There is a shortage of experienced pilots in the helicopter industry,” said Burrill. “There’s also a big shortage in the airline industry. So, there’s never been a better time to pursue aviation.”

Most young pilots starting out, said Burrill, ought to expect to work in more remote areas.

“I would recommend the career,” he added. “It’s been a good career for me.”

Burrill lives in Paradise with wife, Ruth. He’s recently completed his yearly exam, and so he’s been cleared to fly for another year, barring any medical complications.