Interview with George Dowler

Narrator: Dowler, George, 1948- Interviewer: Shelby Andrews Interview Date and Location: 28/02/2025 & 02/03/2025/ Victoria, over zoom. Synopsis: George Dowler came to Canada in 1960, when he was 12 years old. Despite coming from an impoverished background, he was able to attend flying lessons before his career in the military. However, as he ran low on funds, he joined the Canadian Air Force to continue his training. Initially, he became a navigator, flying out of both Trenton, Ontario and Summerside, PEI. He was even able to go on a Ship’s Divers Course during this time. He became a Searchmaster in PEI, and was expected to “wear many hats” meaning he was responsible for many day-day requirements of his transport and SAR Sqd. During this time, he remembers the relationships he formed, not only with other aviators, but also with the Coast Guard and other marine governments institutions, and how those relationships were overall positive. After his time in Summerside, he would be posted to Moosejaw to earn his pilot’s license. While he would continue to fly in fighter squadrons, we would return to SAR over a decade later to fly the Labrador. Later on in the interview, George describes training requirements for aviators, the day-day operations and physical and mental challenges of the job. He uses his experiences to back up his knowledge, particularly in his experiences liasoning with the CBC or explaining the troubled Kingfisher procurement plan. George has a wealth of experience and was an asset to the RCAF. 0:00 - 2:10 - George’s childhood and his immigration to Canada from the UK 2:10 - 13:20 - George’s early career, his duties and responsibilities as a navigator and his time as a diver 13:20 - 19:00 - George’s time as a search master in Summerside and what a typical mission may look like 19:00-23:42 - George’s personal experience with the Canadian Coast Guard and other Marine Government Departments 23:30 - 26:10 - George’s experiences with poor weather on SAR operations 26:10 - 28:25 - While George was operating out of Summerside, he frequently flew to other bases on the East Coast 28:25 - 32:25 - George earned his pilot wings in 1977 and joined fighter sqds for the next portion of his career. Eventually, he would request to be posted to Comox to fly the labrador. 32:25 - 33:00 - Comparisons between the East and West coasts (or lack thereof) 33:10 - 37:25 - George’s favourite mission, rescuing a hiker on the mountains 37:56 - 50:15 - A very detailed overview for training requirements for both navigators and pilots. Also delves into specialized equipment. 50:15 - 50:56 - Day to day operations of a SAR unit 50:56 -60:00 - The physical and mental challenges of the job 60:00 -63:00 Leadership is a huge component of military units, and George discusses how he aids his men in managing their stress levels and maintaining order in the Chain of Command. 63:00 -65:00 - Types of positions within the aircrew 65:00 -69:00 - What happens when a SAR unit receives a distress signal 69:00 - 71:00- George describes a mission where they were looking for a float plane. While it starts off fairly benign, he ends by affirming all members aboard the plane had died, and circled back to the psychological impact of the job on his own. 71:00 -73:00 - PR liasoning with the CBC 73:00 -78:00 - George goes into the specifics of what it is like to fly the Labrador. Also discusses the specifications of the Cormorant 78:00 -85:00 - George acknowledges that while the CAF has a procurement problem, he never really suffered from it. 85:00 - Conclusion The best tools to use on the labrador (eyes and emergency electronic transmitters)