Colonel Todd O’Malley continues our four-part look at the history of Canadian tactical and special operations aviation. In Part 2, the current Director Air and Space at CANSOFCOM returns to his first operational years with 427 Squadron, flying the CH-135 Twin Huey on deployments to the Sinai Desert and Honduras.

Todd describes navigating the Sinai with paper maps, demanding nighttime approaches, a fatal helicopter crash, and the challenges of low-level jungle flying during the final years of the Cold War. He also recalls the culture of Canadian tactical aviation in the 1980s and the experimental introduction of night-vision goggles, when crews developed procedures while learning the technology in real time. From driving a Jeep on NVGs to leading 12-ship formations at night, the episode captures a pivotal transformation in Canadian military helicopter operations.

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Chapters

(00:00:00) Introduction and Welcome
(00:01:53) First Deployment: The Mission in the Sinai Desert
(00:04:26) Navigating the Desert with Paper Maps
(00:07:02) Flying Over the Sinai’s Unforgiving Terrain
(00:09:30) Dangerous Nighttime Approaches in the Desert
(00:13:08) A Helicopter Crash in the Sinai Desert
(00:20:15) “What Are You Doing Friday?” Deploying to Honduras
(00:21:34) The Canadian Helicopter Mission in Honduras
(00:23:24) Living “On the Economy” in Honduras
(00:25:47) Which Is Harder: Desert or Jungle Flying?
(00:27:29) The Challenges of Low-Level Jungle Flying
(00:28:55) Did Flying in Honduras Feel Like Vietnam?
(00:29:27) Playing Cat and Mouse with a Three-Letter Organization
(00:32:09) Tactical Aviation Culture in the 1980s
(00:35:19) Did Tactical Aviators Feel Stuck?
(00:37:37) The Early Days of Night-Vision Flying
(00:40:41) Crew Rest in Tactical Aviation
(00:42:15) Flying 12-Ship Formations at Night
(00:45:02) The Physical Cost of Flying with NVGs