Shawn Coyle

Since I began flying at age 17, and had my private pilot license before I had a driver’s license, I guess flying was a first priority! I joined the Canadian Air Force and graduated from Royal Military College with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering then went to pilot training. I flew the Canadian version of the UH-1N in a tactical support role with the Army. Empire Test Pilot School took up 1979, and I stayed in England on an exchange tour with the Royal Air Force at their test squadron flying 6 different types at once –ranging from the Chinook to the Gazelle. After returning to Canada for two years at Cold Lake, I joined Bell Helicopter for the model 400 project in Fort Worth and did a lot of instructing on the Bell 206. That was followed by nearly 4 years instructing test pilots at the US Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River. England lured me back in 1989 to the International Test Pilot School for more flight test teaching. After a couple of years consulting and free-lance flying, I worked at Transport Canada as a certification test pilot on the Bell 407, 430 and 427. In 2001 I moved to California to teach at National Test Pilot School, and then went to Mercy Air to fly an EMS Bell 412. In between all of these, I wrote for Rotor and Wing, Helicopter World, and now Vertical magazine. My book, ‘Cyclic and Collective’ was updated in 2005. I’m currently between houses and working for Marinvent Corporation in Montreal, teaching short courses and providing expert advice on legal cases involving helicopters. I’ve got over 6,500 hours on 60 different types of helicopters and fixed wing airplanes.