Driving Improved Outcomes with Innovative Technologies

Dillon Baycroft specializes in helicopter engineering and has more than two decades of experience in the field. He has worked for numerous companies across different parts of the world, like Canada, the U.S., Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand.

In an interview with Aerospace and Defense Review APAC, Baycroft sheds light on some of the emerging trends in the MRO space and the emerging technologies that hold the potential to shape the future of the industry.

What has your career journey been like so far in the engineering and aviation industries?

I started in the industry in 2002, and on my very first job, I worked on helicopters supporting wildfire suppression in British Columbia, Canada. Since then, I have worked for multiple helicopter and other aerial vehicle companies that deal with aircraft, both in aerial fighting and resource-based capacities. The journey so far has been highly rewarding, especially in regards to aerial firefighting, to be able to assist and help different people and countries battle wildfires.

As a director, what does a typical day at work look like for you? What are some of the major challenges that you face in your role?

On a day-to-day basis, I manage our crew of engineers, look at the operational requirements of the aircraft, and ensure people are on a scheduled shift to perform aircraft maintenance when they’re not needed for operational requirements.

Due to the constant, unpredictable changes in the weather, the working hours can be quite stretched out, which makes our crew members highly susceptible to fatigue. So, we try to manage our crew resources efficiently to prevent fatigue and maintain the regulated safety standards of our work, which is our highest priority. 

In regards to aerial firefighting, every day poses a new challenge because of high unpredictability, and we’re really at the mercy of Mother Nature.

We often rely on the weather forecast to get an idea of what the days ahead of us might look like, but since we don’t do scheduled flights or commercial transport operations, we never know when we’ll have to go out there and save the day.

How does your engineering team prioritize teamwork and ensure safety in the design and maintenance of aircraft and firefighting systems?

We run an equal-time roster with our staffing to allow them to have as much off time as possible. Typically, the employees have one week on, one week off, or two weeks on, two weeks off. When we indulge in fire activity, we get people started on the work at different time slots and push their finish time further into the evening or the afternoon since a lot of our aircraft are usually deployed for up to 12 to 14 hours a day. When the aircraft are unavailable, there’s not much that our engineering staff can do. Hence, we run more evening or afternoon shifts and keep on top of our crew rostering to boost the team’s overall safety.

"We Run an Updated Training Program within our Organization that runs throughout the Year to keep us on Par with the Recent Technological Developments in the Industry"

How do you ensure that you stay up-to-date with the latest advancements to drive continuous growth?

We run an updated training program within our organization that runs throughout the year to keep us on par with the recent technological developments in the industry. Moreover, we have  deployed numerous advanced technologies, most of which have to do with fire mapping and scanning. We use thermal imaging cameras on both our fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft to assist with hotspot mapping. We also train our employees on technologies that are not aircraft-specific but are part of our mission profile.

Are there any projects or initiatives that you are currently working on?

We are currently working on upgrading the thermal imaging system of our fixed-wing aircraft to include LiDAR, which will provide a detailed topographical map of an area under fire or of a potential fire hazard. With LiDAR capabilities on our aircraft, we’ll be able to extend additional help to the ground crew and improve their firefighting abilities by giving them a clear idea of the kind of situation they are up against.

Is there any advice that you would like to impart to your fellow peers in the industry?

We are witnessing a drastic change in fire activity due to longer seasons and varying climatic conditions across the world. In my opinion, keeping up with technological advancements is most crucial to keep a check on the rapidly increasing number of wildfires across the globe and successfully combating them.