Governor General’s Medal of Bravery Award Awarded to Blackcomb Aviation’s General Manager, Steve Flynn

January 16, 2008, OTTAWA, Ontario Canada – Earlier today, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, Governor General of Canada, announced 21 Decorations for Bravery. The recipients will be invited to receive their decorations at a ceremony to be held at Rideau Hall later this year. Among those named was Blackcomb Aviation’s General Manager, Steve Flynn.

The Citation honouring Steve, who shares the honour with Vincent Lawrence Massey of Whistler and Paul Anthony Skelton of Pemberton, reads as follows:

“On March 5, 2006, helicopter pilot Steve Flynn, search and rescue technician Vincent Massey, and mountain rescuer Paul Skelton teamed up to rescue a stranded ice sailor who had broken through the ice on Green Lake in Whistler, British Columbia. As he drove past the scene, Mr. Flynn realized that responding emergency personnel needed assistance and that a helicopter rescue was needed. He rushed to a nearby heliport where he met with Messrs. Skelton and Massey. All three boarded a helicopter and, within minutes, they flew to the scene. While Mr. Flynn performed a precision hover, allowing the aircraft to get close to the ice, Messrs. Skelton and Massey reached for the hypothermic victim and pulled him safely into the helicopter.”

Green Lake is located approximately 3 kilometers north of Whistler. It is a popular destination for year-round recreational activities including ice-fishing, ice-sailing and cross country skiing. The lake offers offering spectacular views of Armchair Glacier, Wedge Mountain, Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains, and is surrounded by heavily forested terrain.

Steve Flynn is a long time resident in the Whistler and Pemberton community. He is the original founder of Blackcomb Aviation’s helicopter division, Blackcomb Helicopters, which he co-owned and operated for almost two decades. Mr. Flynn has been flying commercially for the past 25 years and has 11,000+ hours, accident-free, as pilot in command on rotary aircraft.