Captain Jon Phipps, a helicopter instructor at 3 Canadian Forces Flying Training School (CFFTS) in Southport, found himself thrust from the routine of training into the heart of the Manitoba wildfire crisis this past weekend.
Alongside fellow aviators, he piloted a CH-146 Griffon helicopter on a critical mission, airlifting evacuees from the fire-threatened northern Manitoba community of Pukatawagan to safety.
Assigned unexpectedly on Friday, May 30th, Captain Phipps and two other CFFTS crews rapidly deployed their Bell 412 helicopters, capable of carrying about 12 people or significant payloads. They arrived at Pukatawagan – referred to as "the Pas" or "Puck" by crews – by 1:00 PM, establishing operations at the local airport, the community's only viable escape route after wildfires severed rail access.
"We arrived to work last Friday, May 30th, I believe," he recounts, "And unaware of anything other than our normal training day, where you do very much the same thing every day. So it’s a surprise when you get a tasking to leave our little sandbox and go help the larger military organization and the provincial and federal governments to do something that we call Operation Lentus, which is in support of firefighting operations."
The mission involves evacuating civilians from Pukatawagan and transporting firefighters and supplies into the fire zone. Captain Phipps describes vast fires burning aggressively, starting about 50 miles south near Flin Flon and stretching towards the community. The primary airborne challenge becomes the volatile smoke conditions.
"Within 5 minutes, you can have vastly different weather, winds and smoke depending on the fire conditions and how fast the fires are increasing in size," he explains. "It was very challenging getting into the park. It was marginal VFR, you know, sometimes it’s down to 1/2 mile viz... When the winds blow the smoke into your area of operation, it can quickly turn to those IFR conditions."
Navigating perilous skies and coordination
Operating in rapidly shifting visibility between Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) demands constant vigilance and contingency planning from the crews. The remote location adds complexity, with difficulties filing flight plans and communicating with Winnipeg air traffic control. Captain Phipps emphasizes the critical need for robust safety procedures and decision-making.
"Crews needed to be very nimble in their decision-making. They had to have pretty robust courses of action - Plan A, Plan B, Plan C - to mitigate those scenarios and keep the crew, passengers, and their aircraft safe."
The operation quickly scales up, with over 30 aircraft converging on the small Pukatawagan airport. Coordinating diverse Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) units and civilian aircraft in tight airspace under marginal conditions requires exceptional teamwork. Daily briefings become essential to establish safe flight corridors and altitudes.
"Lots of units having to come together, coordinate and then figure out a way to deconflict their routes... Everybody was very appreciative when we got together and did those things and got on the same page. That just bolsters the safety of all those operations."
Swift action amidst crisis
The tension peaks on June 1st. Multiple helicopters are inbound to Pukatawagan or preparing to depart with passengers when visibility plummets without warning.
"On June 1st, we had multiple... helicopters for sure that were already out inbound to the puck or at the puck airport getting ready to load passengers... the paw visibility deteriorated to... 1/4 of a mile in just 5 minutes. All those aircraft airborne with and without packs... had to immediately divert to different airports. Some went to ground and had to wait it out."
Captain Phipps' crew, utilizing an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) approach, becomes the only one able to land at Pukatawagan ("Puck") as conditions deteriorate. Unable to return to the main staging point at "The Pas" (Pauingassi First Nation Airport) due to zero visibility there, they reroute their evacuees directly to Thompson.
"That was a very quickly changing situation and put a lot of emphasis on how difficult that is for the crews to manage their aircraft and their passengers in those situations."
Mission success and essential support
Over three intense days, the three CFFTS helicopters fly approximately 24 sorties – each round trip taking about 2.5 hours. They successfully evacuated roughly 270 members of the Pukatawagan community while also delivering vital firefighters and equipment to the fire lines.
Captain Phipps, drawing on pre-military firefighting experience, highlights the effective risk management.
"We felt that we were very effective, and we were utilized well to use our payload to bring out passengers. The management of dealing with the fire, dealing with the risks associated and mitigating those risks to still accomplish the mission I thought was very well done by all crews at The Pas."
He reserves special praise for the ground crews, whose logistical support was indispensable.
"For aviation to work in the air, we need robust people on the ground to handle the logistics of fueling, loading... We had brought one extra crew member and she was instrumental in ensuring all those background things were happening while we were in the air. That's overall what we had; people leaning forward, helping out the air crew to accomplish their mission. That’s where we generated the success from because without that, nothing really works."
Captain Phipps and the crews from 3 CFFTS exemplify the rapid response and professionalism of the Canadian Armed Forces, stepping seamlessly from their training roles into a vital life-saving mission amidst the Manitoba wildfire emergency.
They do this all while demonstrating some of the best that Portage and Southport have on offer.