Cecil Sampert: The flight path to success

You might say that Cecil Sampert has always had his head in the clouds.

Born in Northern Alberta, Sampert moved with his family to Richmond, B.C. when he was three years old. The constant stream of planes criss-crossing overhead may have driven someone else a little crazy, but Sampert began dreaming of flying one of those aircraft himself. “I was the only one in my family to catch the flying bug.”

His first airplane ride at Vancouver Chief Pilot Cecil Sampert (Sarah Needley)International Airport convinced him that one day he would become a pilot. In his teens, he joined the local Air Cadets with an eye on getting into the regular Air Force. “After my first flight in an armed forces aircraft and having my hands on the flight controls, I was hooked on flying.”

Sampert’s original goal was to be a fighter pilot, but his career path veered in another direction: the RCMP. He liked the job, but the allure of aviation endured. Within a few years, he found himself flying on skis and floats in Northern Ontario. He eventually joined Transport Canada Aviation in the Pacific Region where he flew Twin Otter and Beaver aircraft for 21 years as a Civil Aviation Inspector. He also spent four years in the Caribbean working with the Jamaican Civil Aviation Authority, where he was mainly responsible for check pilot duties involving turbine and jet aircraft.

In June 2000, he joined Harbour Air and within six months rose to the position of Chief Pilot. It’s his job to train new pilots and to maintain superior flight standards, but more than any other aspect of his work with the company, he’s attracted to the comfortable, homey environment it provides. “One of the best parts of our job is the friendly relationships that we establish with our regular clientele and providing a new experience to the first-time seaplane traveller.”

Flight is Sampert’s mantra. Whether it’s driving golf balls into the ether, zipping across Gulf Island waters in his powerboat or gliding down mountains on skis – activities he enjoys with his wife and 12-year-old son Troy – Cecil spends his leisure time with the wind at his back and his sights set on a distant horizon.

His passion for the world of small aircraft, exceptional service and West Coast life keep him airborne: “I’m proud to be a part of the day-to-day operation of flying seaplanes in the most beautiful part of the world. Harbour Air is simply the best there is.”