If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong
Lt Amanda Montour on what being a USCG pilot means to her.
As part of its celebrations for the 100th anniversary of Coast Guard Aviation, the US Coast Guard (USCG) has released a video of pilot Lt Amanda Montour saying what the role means to her.
Montour, who pilots MH-65 Dolphin helicopters out of Air Station Houston in Texas, clearly loves flying. “If you’re not having fun then you’re doing it wrong!” she says. “There’s really no sense of freedom that I can compare.”
“I can’t think of a lot of jobs,” she continues, “where you come home thinking, ‘I had such an awesome day today – I got to fly’. It can be hard work, and there can be some sacrifice, but the sacrifices you make, the hard work you put in, just pale in comparison [to] what you can give back and what you get back in the missions you’re able to do and the people you meet.”
Apart from flying, Mantour also enjoys taking part in community outreach activities, saying that she’s motivated by the possibility of inspiring young people to have a positive impact on the world.
And what does it take to make it as a USCG pilot? Ethnicity, gender, socio-economic background and sexual orientation are not what matters, Mantour explains. What matters is having the heart and the work ethic to focus on being part of a great team.
The USCG traces its aviation roots to 1916 when Elmer Stone became the first Coast Guard aviator to attend Naval flight training.