Nunavut man can't wait to fly home now that he's a certified helicopter pilot

Kelly Owlijoot first thought of becoming a helicopter pilot while working as a wildlife technician based in Arviat, Nunavut. 

At the time, he was working with biologists from the Nunavut government's Environment department, studying the migration and habits of Qamanirjuaq caribou herd. Sometimes that work would take him to the skies, riding in helicopters over parts of Nunavut's Kivalliq region, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. 

"I would be in the back, tallying what the biologist would say, like, 'a cow, cow, bull, bull, calf, yearling, yearling.' And I had to write them down and I couldn't even look out at the caribou and stuff," Owlijoot recalled.

He did that work for a couple of years, before realizing there was another career he really wanted. 

"I started thinking, why am I not sitting up there? Like, maybe I could become a biologist or a pilot? So I had to pick between the two."

He chose to be a pilot.

In 2020, Owlijoot was accepted into Prairie Helicopters Inc.'s flight training program in Gimli, Man., 90 kilometres north of Winnipeg. 

But he also needed to find the $97,500 to pay for the training. 

Owlijoot applied for scholarships and funding through the Nunavut Government and the Kivalliq Inuit Association. He wasn't sure his application would be accepted, but it was and he ended up receiving financial support from both.

"I didn't know what to say. I was kind of speechless."

Owlijoot left his job as a wildlife technician and headed to Gimli just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit. He expected it would take him five to six months to complete the training, but it ended up being a lot longer.

"I had to go home to my kids' weddings, two of them got married, so I had to isolate twice. And so, you know, it's worth it, though," Owlijoot said. 

On Jan. 18, he became certified to fly a Bell 206B Jet Ranger helicopter with Prairie Helicopters, which also operates a charter service.  

"I'm 46 and I didn't really think I would end up becoming a helicopter pilot. But anything's possible, the sky's the limit. Doesn't really matter how old you are," he said.