Down from the clouds with Dan Adamus

Any time we hear of an airline crash like the one that happened in February in Toronto ‒ the Delta plane that flipped over on the runway ‒ it makes us feel, to say the least, anxious. Could that have happened to us? Might that happen next time we take a flight?

No worries

Dan Adamus, retired commercial airline pilot for Air Canada Jazz, puts our fears to rest.

Dan is a local homeowner and the happy recipient of Lagois renovations. His career spanned 40 years of flying experience throughout Canada and North America. He served as Vice President of the Airline Pilots Association International (ALPA -Canada) for 4 years and President for 12 years. He represented pilots with government bodies, Transport Canada, and safety boards.

So when Dan tells you airline travel is safe, he, far more than most, knows what he’s talking about.

Swiss cheese

“There are many redundancies involved,” he explains, “so many safety factors that for an accident to happen you have to have a lot of things go wrong at the same time.”

He likens it to Swiss cheese. “A slice of Swiss cheese has lots of holes in it,” he says. “If you line up five pieces, the chances of all the holes lining up exactly is almost zero.”

And that’s why there are so many aviation redundancies in commercial flying ‒ “to make sure they can’t line up if there’s a breakdown in one area.”

First class safety requirements

Training of pilots is another area that ensures safety.

“You have to learn about the specific aircraft you’re flying,” Dan says. “You have to know the electrical system, the hydraulic system, the mechanical system, the landing gear.”

Pilots need up to 20 hours of training in a flight simulator when transitioning to a new aircraft type consisting of many different kinds of system failure scenarios. This is called a Pilot Proficiency Check, or PPC. And to maintain that PPC, pilots must go back to the simulator every six months for another flight test. They have to do a written exam every year on the aircraft’s systems. And if that isn’t enough, Transport Canada shows up at random to observe them.

Excellent pilots

At first, when Dan was a new pilot, this six-month check was daunting. But “over the years you gain confidence in yourself. You know that you know the job.”

Still, even after all his years of experience, he welcomed it.

“I always thought that simulator training was my opportunity to learn something more,” he says. “The day when you think you know it all, that’s when you’re in trouble.”

What makes a good pilot?

Dan says it has something to do with personality. The job requires someone who is calm, and someone who can “operate in a multi-discipline atmosphere.” A pilot needs good math and computer skills, but also needs good coordination to be able to fly a plane without any automation.

He says he was fortunate to be able to retire early, because he has other interests. At first he did some aviation consulting. And then he had the chance to spend time with something he really loves to do: woodworking.

From flight deck to woodshop

A couple of days a week he works with a friend who owns PROlocker, which Dan calls “an absolutely fantastic product”. PROlocker designs, builds, and installs beautiful wooden locker rooms for teams or varsity programs for every sport.

This is more fun than work for Dan, who has been a keen woodworker for years.

Because he knows quality woodworking, he appreciates the work Lagois has done on his home.

“From the moment I met Herb Lagois,” he says, “I could tell he was so prepared. And that kind of approach gave me confidence right away. It wasn’t that far into the conversation when I realized how knowledgeable he is about the industry.”

He adds: “And it goes from there. There’s no cutting corners with Lagois. Everything’s by the book. You always know you’re going to get a quality product.”

Dan has spent a huge part of his life in the sky. He got his private pilot’s license when he was in high school, went on to a private flying school for his commercial licence and multi IFR (instrument) rating. He was a flight instructor before he was hired by Austin Airways, which eventually became Jazz Aviation.

Retired now for a little more than three years, Dan’s life is on the ground. His career, from flight deck to woodshop, has been about precision, knowledge and confidence.

He knows the sky is safe… and that there’s nothing better than fine craftsmanship.