Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Barry Petten said Monday that if pilots responsible for water bomber and air ambulance operations in Newfoundland and Labrador want their workplace situation to improve, they should tell him how to do it. “We’ve got a major [turnover] of chief water bomber pilots, and that’s a concern to me. So obviously, there’s a root cause to that,” Petten said. …Petten’s comments follow reports of the resignation of the province’s chief pilot in the Air Services branch. A letter, attributed collectively to Newfoundland and Labrador Water Bomber and Air Ambulance Pilots, highlighted issues in the sector to government last week. If a chief pilot isn’t found … Transport Canada could issue a suspension of Air Operator Certificate … which could ground water bombers without a solution. …Petten said an interim pilot could be in place as early as Wednesday — telling the House the department was “very close” to hiring a chief pilot.
