Dale Maher from Kamloops is seen in a screen grab in his latest YouTube video "How I Fly - Engine Failure."
Image Credit: YOUTUBE
January 03, 2021 - 3:31 PM
A Kamloops man with a passion for aviation is sharing flying tips with fellow pilots while also, more importantly, sharing aerial views of some of B.C.’s natural beauty through the power of social media.
Dale Maher, armed with various GoPro cameras he’s strapped to his aircraft, has been posting YouTube videos of himself in his Van's RV-6A for the last five months.
He got the idea after he didn’t see what he was looking for on the social media platform when he was researching planes himself.
His latest video, posted Dec. 24, discussed what to do if a pilot’s engine fails.
“About two or three videos ago, I had somebody… ask me what do I do in the event of? And I said ok, I’ll hop in the plane one of these times and talk about it… you need something to land on. These airplane engines are extremely reliable and engine failure is very rare but you also have to train on what happens (if it fails)" he said.
He follows valleys around the province as they almost always have clearer areas to land on in the event of an emergency.
“The Coquihalla is a great way to follow if you fly down to Vancouver or Vancouver Island,” he said.
Testing an engine failure also allowed him to learn that his plane falls at a faster rate of speed than he initially thought.
Maher's passion for flight stems from his childhood.
“I’m originally from the East Coast… ever since I was 12 or 13 years old, this is what I decided I wanted to do,” Maher said, adding he worked in aviation with Transport Canada and eventually found himself in a position at NAV CANADA as a flight service specialist. He recently got back into flying himself.
He doesn’t do it for the followers, he said, choosing to share his experiences on social media to highlight B.C.’s beauty.
“The scenery is absolutely staggering out here… and that’s kind of what I want to show off. I don’t want to show off the fact that I’m a pilot or that I own an airplane, I’m trying to show off B.C. It’s gorgeous out here,” he said.
And his YouTube channel has slowly been gaining traction, he said, adding that views and followers have been slowly increasing. He’s also started sharing his videos on Reddit and Instagram.
Check out his YouTube channel "How I Fly" here.
Maher said he will continue publishing videos as long as people want to keep watching them.
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