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Closing Date: (Applications are accepted until 11:59 PM Atlantic Time)

About Us
Nova Scotia’s natural landscapes demand a special kind of pilot. The Department of Natural Resources manages the province’s forests, parks, wildlife, and Crown lands—but it’s ourAviation Services teamthat brings these missions to life from the air.

With over 70 years of operational excellence,Aviation Servicesprovides helicopter support for wildfire suppression, inland search and rescue, public safety, and natural resource management. Our pilots are tactical operators, not just transporters—tasked with delivering precision results under pressure in rugged and remote terrain.

About Our Prospect
We are looking for helicopter pilots who want to use their highly skilled utility flying experience for mid-career upgrade. Join the public service and enjoy the perks of a full- time, year round, stable, unionised position with all the benefits in beautiful Nova Scotia.

We’re hiring line pilots to join our small, experienced team operating high-performance aircraft with a primary focus on, wildfire response and emergency response, as well as Natural Resource external load support, remote bush operation and intense unprepared landing areas. You'll be flying for the public positive, in well-maintained aircraft, under an organization that values professionalism, precision, and purpose.

If you're an external load specialist, wildfire veteran, and bush pilot ready for stable government employment—but not ready to slow down,we want to hear from you.

Primary Accountabilities

Fly Recent H-125’s helicopters on mission-critical provincial operations: wildfire suppression, longline operations, remote landings, public safety, and search and rescue

Operate in challenging VFR environments across forests, wetlands, and coastal terrain

Sling gear into tight LZs, drop buckets on active wildfires, and assist ground crews during high-tempo missions

Respond to missing or lost persons requests, rescue injured citizens from remote areas and assist local law enforcement with fulfilling their duties

Collaborate with engineers, ground support, public safety officers, and conservation teams

Perform pre/post-flight planning, documentation, and compliance in accordance with CARs

Qualifications and Experience
You’re a skilled bush or utility pilot with thousands of hours in the logbook—and still hungry for challenge. You thrive in demanding flight environments,



understand the responsibility of external load and Fireline work, and have the composure to operate with limited support in the field.

You want your flying to mean something. And you want to be part of a tight-knit team where skill, safety, and service take priority.

Required Qualifications:

2,000+ hours PIC on helicopters, including 1,500+ hours on turbine helicopters

Recent experience in external load, wildfire suppression, cargo slinging, and remote and unprepared landing operations

Valid Category 1 Medical

Familiarity with CARs, and safe bush operating practices

Nova Scotia Class 5 driver’s license or equivalent

Strong Assets:

Time on Airbus AS350 / H-125

Current PPC on AS350B3E

Longline experience (100 ft and above)

CRM / PDM course completions

Knowledge of EO/IR camera systems, aerial surveillance, and flight tracking software (ForeFlight, Cirro)

Public outreach and community engagement experience

Why Join Us?

Mission-based flying with minimal customer pressure

Aircraft based indoors, high dispatch reliability, and safety-first culture

Compensation for overtime and, on-call

Be home most nights —even during the fire season

Equivalency
Applicants relying on education and experience equivalencies must demonstrate such equivalencies in their application.

Based on the employment status and union agreement, the Government of Nova Scotia offers its employees a wide range of benefits such as a Defined Benefit Pension Plan , Health, Dental, Life Insurance, General illness, Short and Long Term Disability, Vacation and Employee and Family Assistance Programs.

This is your chance to take your field-tested skills and apply them in a role where yourprecision, safety, and judgment matter every single day. No chasing customers. No air travel commuting. A wide variety of flight portfolio. Just real flying with real purpose.

What We Offer
Career Development where you have access to career guidance, tools, resources, and ongoing training for every stage of your career.

Engaging workplace. Our Employees feel valued, respected, connected, and tuned in.



We have forward-thinking policies and strategies.

Countless career paths.

Pay Grade:

Salary Range: $4,715.34- $5,358.34Bi-Weekly

Employment Equity Statement: Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the citizens we serve. The Government of Nova Scotia has an Employment Equity Policy, and we welcome applications from Indigenous People, African Nova Scotians, Persons of African Descent, Racialized Persons, Persons with Disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ Persons and Women in occupations or positions where they are under-represented. If you are a member of one of these equity groups, you are encouraged to self-identify on your electronic application.

Accommodation Statement: We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. Candidates may request accommodations based on any grounds protected by the Human Rights Act.If you require an accommodation throughout the recruitment process, please contact us at [email protected].

This is a bargaining unit position initially restricted to current civil service employees represented by the Nova Scotia Government Employees Union (NSGEU). If applying from outside a government office, employees must apply correctly via this link:

Failure to apply correctly means that your application will not be given first consideration as a bargaining unit applicant, and will only be included if external applications are pursued.

External applicants and current casual employees will only be considered if there are no qualified civil service bargaining unit candidates.PLEASE NOTE: Candidates will not be considered for an interview if applications are incomplete or are missing information.

If you are receiving a pension from the Nova Scotia Public Service Superannuation Plan (PSSP) or any related plans, you cannot receive pension payments while contributing to the same plan. If you accept a position that requires PSSP contributions, your pension payments must be stopped. Please contact the Nova Scotia Pension Services Corporation for more information.

Offer of employment is conditional upon the completion of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials, the results of which must be satisfactory to the employer. We thank all applicants for the interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. All questions and concernsmay be directed to [email protected].

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📌 Helicopter Pilot 3 (Nova Scotia)
🏢 The Government of Nova Scotia
📍 Nova Scotia