Pilot Sigmund Bering Sort has been logging plenty of air miles lately 鈥� all for a good cause.
The flight instructor, based out of the Qualicum Beach Airport, has been flying his Cessna 172 four-seater to different areas of B.C. to provide assistance to communities severely impacted by devastating floods.
With towns and communities seeing highways and major arteries shut down due to mudslides, sinkholes and broken bridges and people stranded or separated from families for extended periods, Sort immediately offered his services via social media.
He learned the West Coast Pilot Club based out of Langley started an aviation relief mission. A fellow club member informed Sort that a plane owner, Mark Ahnert, from Pitt Meadows was looking for an experienced pilot to fly people out of the flood-ravaged areas. Sort immediately called Ahnert, who organized an air service centre at his Kia dealership in Coquitlam.
Sort said he flew to Pitt Meadows the next day but the Ahnert鈥檚 plane was not ready. He was asked if he was willing to use his own plane to help evacuate some stranded people in Hope, so he did.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 how I got started,鈥� said Sort. 鈥淥n my first flight, I evacuated a lot of single moms who were trying to get back to their children who are home alone. One lady was away from most of her kids for four nights. It was surreal, like a war zone. It was a mammoth operation.鈥�
Sort eventually got to fly Ahnert鈥檚 plane to help evacuate people and then joined the West Coast Pilot Club in Langley where, flying his own plane, he was assigned to transport food and essential supplies to various cut-off communities such as Hope, Chilliwack, Boston Bar, Lytton and Merritt. Sort said his small plane carried approximately 350 to 400 pounds of goods per trip.
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鈥淚 have never met so many people who are trembling, weeping and shaking, so happy to see you,鈥� said Sort. 鈥淚t has been a crazy human experience. It hits you in the core, big-time.鈥�
Those communities, Sort said, will continue to need assistance. He noted there will be no 鈥榥ormal鈥� anytime soon for many British Columbia communities.
鈥淭hese people don鈥檛 have milk. They don鈥檛 have eggs. They don鈥檛 have produce,鈥� said Sort. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no highway to bring it in and there鈥檚 no government helicopter or whether it鈥檚 provincial or federal. There鈥檚 no airlift except for us little airplanes coming in. We鈥檙e all scratching our heads. And when I say 鈥榳e鈥�, it鈥檚 lot of people in this mix, whether it鈥檚 air traffic controllers, pilots or boots on the ground loading and unloading these planes.鈥�
Having previously experienced flooding at his home in Parksville, Sort knows too well the recovery process will take some time.
鈥淲hen the water recedes, you鈥檙e just beginning that long road back towards normal,鈥� said Sort. 鈥淎nd after you have cleared your house of mud and debris, you have to replace your floors, the damaged goods, furniture鈥� on and on it goes. All the people who had flood water and mud in their homes, their businesses and their farm buildings, they鈥檙e going to be at it for months and months and the general public will kind of forget about them.鈥�
Sort said he will continue to volunteer but with the winter weather, flying every day might not be possible.
鈥淚t has put a wrinkle on just how many loads of stuff we can get out to these communities now,鈥� he said.
Another Qualicum Beach pilot, Greg Howard, has also been volunteering his plane to the relief operations when he is free from his work commitments as a town firefighter.
Anyone else wishing to donate or become pilot volunteers can contact Shaun Heaps at 604-866-6705. Donations can be sent via e-transfer to Langleyjets@gmail.com (Password: helicopter).
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