Pilots:roar and soar in the mountains THERE WAS THUNDER. And there was rain. Bui despite the moist weather, ihe air show went on at the airport Sunday, July 23, giving the thousands pre- sent plenty to cheer about. Overcast skies actually made it easier to view some of the aerobatics. Clockwise, from top left: CF-18 pilot Capt. Scott "Frag" Greenough climbs down from his jet after performing a series of aerobatic manoeuvres; three-year-old Hannah Kirk was one of the spectators who had to shield her ears as a CF-18 fighter jet roared by; parachutists from a Buifaio search and rescue aircraft dropped in to say hello; the Snowbirds gave a daz- zling 30th anniversary performance; Captains Jay “Dallas” Steele and John “Streak” Waugh recline on the wing of their T-33 Shooting Star Jet. savours the rush of riding the sky. THIS IS where Matt Bar- lee wants ta be. About 100 feet off the ocean, flying at about 300 knots an hour at his con- sole in a long-range patrol aircraft, tracking a sub- marine below the surface. “When the aircraft is Shaking, going up and down, you don’t need to ‘pay me to do that, It’s a rush,” says Barlee, a cap- tain in the Canadian air force. ‘Barlee is a tactical co- ordinator on an Aurora long-range maritime patrol aircraft based at Comox on Vancouver Island. “.He's the quarterback, drawing together all of the “information provided by a variety of electronic and Capt. Matt Barlee other sensors on board the Aurora. There are five Auroras at Comox, 18 altogether in the air force, and they are the country’s only long- range maritime patrol air- craft. Built to track submar- ines during the Cold War, the Auroras now perform seatch and rescue duties, track illegal fishing activ- ity far offshore, check for pollution, do sovereignty patrols and assist the RCMP in anti-drug smug- gling operations, Last year, and again this year, the Auroras also look for migrant smuggling vessels, Their sensors, hi-tech cameras and- powerful searchlights make them the ideal aircraft for such an activity. Just'31 years old, Bar- lee has been in the air force for more than 12 years. He was one of several Canadian Forces officers on hand two weekends apo at the Terrace-Kilimat air- show. to give information on the forces. Born in Richmond and raised in the Okanagan, Barice has a degree in physics and oceanography. “[ have the best job in the world,” he says. “They paid me to go to university and now they pay me to go all over the world.” “The armed forces is for people who like adventure’ and travel, a challenge.” "You'll have the uppor- lunity to go places and do all sorts of adventurous things you don’t have a chance to do in civilian life.” Barlee decided upon an armed forces career after graduating from high school as the way to fulfil his prime desire of flying. His one piece of solid advice for young people considering a career in the armed forces is to first stay in’ high school and get good marks. That’s important for the armed forces relies on spe- cialized -equipment and needs well-trained people to accomplish its tasks, For the past several years, Barlee has been stationed at Esquimalt, where he co-ordinales the various aircraft in the air force on the west coast. They're all based at Comox and include the Aurora, the Sea King heli- copters based on naval fri- pates and jets used in combat training exercises. Cumox is also the home of the search and rescue squadron flying Labrador helicoplers and Buffalo fixed-wing aircraft. Barlee’s career has also taken him to places out- side of his tactical train- ing. ‘In 1995 he was selected as the team leader to climb Gascherbrum, the eighth-highest mountain in the world’ in the Hima- layas. Ait a camp at 24,000 feet and with the summit in reach, one of the team developed altitude sick- ness. “It was a life-threaten- ing situation,” reculls Bar- lec. “He would have. died within four or five hours.” Although there was a vicious storm outside, Bar- lee carried the team mem- ber back down the moun- tain, For that action, Jai received the furced#ear torious Service Medal. Barlee never did reach the summit. “It Il always be there,” he says, Barlee has: one more -year in Esquimalt and will return to the Auroras at Comox, adding to- the 2,000-plus hours he has spent in the aircraft.