Legendary Canadian instructor Jan Rustad, famed for his expertise in training helicopter pilots in mountain flight, has died at the age of 75.
According to an obituary in the Penticton Herald, he had been battling cancer.
Born in Vancouver, Rustad became a pilot in 1968, and joined the Canadian Helicopters School of Advanced Flight Training (now known as HNZ Topflight) in Penticton, British Columbia, as an instructor in 1977.
There, he played a key role in developing the school’s mountain-flying program, rising to serve as chief flight instructor and manager of business development at the school. Over the years, the school’s mountain-flying program became recognized as one of the very best in the world, and the quality of Rustad’s instruction was recognized in 2001, when he received Helicopter Association International’s Outstanding Certified Flight Instructor award.
During his career, he trained pilots from around the world who worked in every sector of the industry — civil and military.
Rustad retired from his roles at HNZ Topflight in 2014, having completed almost four decades at the company and with over 19,000 hours in his logbook.
