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>> Forces pilot brings the lost, hurt and stranded home alive

by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Captain Willem Hadders

Age: 29

Occupation: Search and Rescue pilot

Salary: $65,000 per annum

Bio: Next time you find yourself lost in the Arctic or Mount Royal Park and are freezing/starving to death, Willem is the guy you are going to want to see. This Canadian-born, Dutch-raised stud has been flying a Hercules for the 424 Squadron of the Canadian Armed Forces for two and half years now and has rescued many a hapless wanderer who has lost their way in the woods. Based in Trenton, Ontario, the 424 Squadron cover all of Quebec and Ontario up to the North Pole. Curiously, Willem says he likes living in Trenton.

How often the 424 Squadron are called upon to search for people: At least once a week during the busy summer season.

Who they go out looking for: Lost hikers, downed aircraft, and boats that have overturned, gotten lost or run out of gas in large bodies of water like Lake Ontario or Lake Huron.

Do lost people have to pay for the expense of their search party? Not in Canada. Getting lost in some U.S. states can cost you a few bucks though. "It's not cheap to send out a search party. It takes a lot of resources."

Something all smart hikers should carry with them: A PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) that can track a person's location via satellite. "It really helps a lot. Except there are so many of them being used right now that every five seconds one of them is going off somewhere--and 90 per cent of the time it's a false alarm."

Do rescued individuals tend to feel stupid for getting lost in the first place? "Some probably do." But, as a pilot, Willem never deals with them directly.

When people see his plane coming do they jump up and down and wave their arms excitedly about like on Gilligan's Island? No. "They're always happy to see us but if it's a plane crash they are usually severely injured so nobody does a whole lot of jumping around."

The downed aircraft he sees most frequently: Cessnas and little twin engine planes flown, by recreational pilots, in weather conditions they are not trained for.

Best part of the job: Saving people's lives. "It makes you feel pretty good."

Worst: Showing up at a crash site and discovering everybody is dead.

Does his squadron ever get bored during the slow season and find they are kind of hoping someone gets lost so they will have something to do? No. "We always have lots of things to do around here."

Hopes and dreams for a better tomorrow: That people will learn to treat the environment with a little more respect.

Something he likes to do: Play soccer.

Last book read: A Boy Called It by David Pelzer.

Musical preferences: Janet Jackson and "normal pop music," stuff he hears on the radio.

Some recent films he's liked: Shrek, U-571 and Pearl Harbor--"even though the love story was too dominant and the movie wasn't very realistic."

Favourite TV shows: CBC Morning News, Everybody Loves Raymond.

Philosophy: "Stay responsible and live a happy life. If not, take some action."