Tom Larkin signed by Voyageur Airways as King Air Medivac Pilot—Sean Larkin qualifies as Voyageur Captain

 

As perhaps one of the best presents one could

expect, Tom Larkin was signed by Voyageur

Airways on December 21^st to fly as a Medevac

pilot on the King Air.  Tom will be the third

Langley Flying School graduate to be picked

up Voyageur, following Nick van Empel and

Tom’s son, Sean Larkin. 

 

 

“And if you want to hear something interesting,”

says Langley Flying School’s Chief Flying

Instructor, Dave Parry, “Nick was Tom’s

Flight Instructor—and Tom was Sean’s Flight

Instructor—I mean we are talking about an

impressive big circle thing here.”

 

And if Tom’s news wasn’t enough to make it a

great New Year for the Larkin Family—

Sean Larkin successfully completed his

upgrade to King Air Captain, also during the

week before Christmas. Sean has been a

King Air Medevac pilot with Voyageur since

January, 2008.

 

 

Company training Tom is scheduled to begin on

January 5^th in North Bay for groundschool,

while the simulator training will be conducted

in Moncton.  Tom hopes to join flight opera-

tions at the beginning of February and anticipates

being initially based in Sioux Lookout.  “I'm going

to be 10 days on and 4 days off,” says Tom,

“and it’s only a five-hour drive from our farm

near Winnipeg.”  In Sioux Lookout Tom will

likely stay at Voyageur’s Crew House with

Sean, “but they won’t allow us to fly together,”

says Tom.  “It’s company policy not to let two

family members fly on the same the flight, and it

makes sense to me.”

 

For Tom, however, the real prize is the possibility

of returning to Africa to work—but this time as

a pilot.  Tom served in Namibia with the UNTAG

(United Nations Transition Assistance Group—

April 1989 and March 1990) as a security

specialist, along with other members of the

RCMP (". . if you ever get the chance—ask Tom

about his Namibian snake stories," says Parry). 

Now Tom—and perhaps Sean—have the

opportunity to eventually transition to Voyageur’s

African flight operations where the company

specializes in air support for disadvantaged com-

munities, providing security and infrastructure

related supply.

 

Tom first began flying as a student with Langley

Flying School in the summer of 1997, eventually

completing his Commercial Pilot Licence and

Instructor Rating.  Tom was a staff Flight

Instructor for 6 years, and, in his final year

with Langley Flying School, became the

School’s first Safety Management Officer.

 

Posted: January 4, 2009.