By Gerry Anderson
As boys growing up in Whitehorse, Yukon, Joshua and Matthew Kutryk were like-minded in their interests, not the least of which was their shared dream to become fighter pilots. When Joshua was 8 years old, he built a cardboard fighter plane cockpit in the basement, in which he and his younger brother sat and re-created the best scenes from the movie Top Gun.
The Kutryk boys came to Whitehorse from Elk Point, Alberta, in 1991. Their dad, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Inspector Barry Kutryk, was transferred to Yukon as the staffing officer for M Division. This was an administrative position that was a departure from his prior 20-plus years as an operational policeman, much of it in remote areas of G Division, which then composed the entire Northwest Territories.
Part of Barry’s new duties included visiting various detachments throughout Yukon, and he often took advantage of such occasions to bring his family aboard the police aircraft. He was mindful of the unique opportunity these flights provided for his wife, Kathy, and all four of their children to broaden their knowledge and awareness of far-flung places that for most Canadians remain forever unexplored.
The RCMP has had its own fleet of aircraft at bases throughout Canada, including the far north. The Whitehorse-based Twin Otter, registration C-FMPL, served M Division for 40 years beginning in 1971. It was this aircraft that occasionally flew Barry around the territory between 1991 and 1996.
During the 1990s, MPL was normally flown single-pilot, alternately by two pilots: Staff Sgt. Gerry Anderson (the author — Ed) and Sgt. Rick Aberson. Over the years, there were a number of youngsters, children of RCMP members, who were invited to occupy the copilot seat during flights. For some, such up close and personal experiences at the “pointy end” of the aircraft kindled a passion for flight, and a few went on to eventually become professional pilots themselves.
Joshua and Matthew were among those few, but each took that passion to a whole new level. Having had occasion to feel the controls during flight while aboard MPL, the latent spark within them was ignited. Both joined the Royal Canadian Air Cadets with 551 Squadron in Whitehorse, and following their subsequent move back to Alberta in 1996, they immersed themselves in the Air Cadet program with 341 Mundare Squadron. As they advanced through the cadet ranks and acquired their glider and fixed-wing pilot licences, their shared commitment and personal goals began to take shape and move in the desired direction.
By separate paths leading to the same goal, the boys finally saw the fulfillment of their childhood dreams that began with a cardboard make-believe airplane, and brought them to the cockpit of Canada’s premier military jet fighter. Both Joshua and Matthew have more than distinguished themselves as elite CF-18 pilots with the Royal Canadian Air Force.
While they both ultimately achieved their dreams, their paths were anything but identical.
Joshua was accepted into the Regular Officer Training Program (ROTP) in 2000 whereupon he attended the Royal Military College of Canada at Kingston, Ontario, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. Initial flight training followed at Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, before moving on to more sophisticated turboprop and military jet trainer aircraft at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. He was selected to fly the CF-18 in 2006.
From 2007 to 2011 he was assigned to 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron in Bagotville, Quebec. During that time, he deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, as well as to Trapani, Sicily. From a base in southern Italy, he flew the first Canadian combat mission over Libya in support of UN Security Council Resolution 1973.
Post-graduate studies earned Joshua a master’s degree in aeronautical science (space studies) from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, as well as a master’s degree in flight test engineering from Air University, Alabama. He also earned a master’s degree in defense studies at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto.
In 2012 Joshua studied to become an experimental test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base in California. At Edwards, Joshua received the Liethen-Tittle Award for being the top graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School. The last Canadian to do so was Chris Hadfield in 1988, who went on to become the first Canadian astronaut to walk in space.
Joshua went on to become a test pilot for the Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment in Cold Lake, Alberta. He worked on a variety of technical projects while conducting the initial flight test of automated navigation, flight control, and weapon guidance systems. During this time, he was responsible for safely conducting the initial airborne evaluations of new technologies and systems on the CF-18. He worked with a team of analysts, technicians, managers, and aerospace engineers, with the goal of maximizing the effectiveness and safety of the CF-18. As an instructor, he also taught other pilots how to fly the Hornet while instructing for 410 Tactical Fighter Squadron.
Matthew was similarly motivated to serve Canada as a fighter pilot, but was initially unable to meet the medical requirements for Royal Canadian Air Force pilot applicants. It was a disappointment and, had it occurred to a less determined young man, could have been the end of the story. Refusing to give up, Matthew charted a path borne out of his resolve to overcome these challenges and keep his dream alive. Through intense physical training, determination, and perseverance, disappointment was transformed into opportunity when, applying for a second time, in 2006, he was accepted into the RCAF.
A delay in the Air Force’s training system saw pilot candidates waiting for several months prior to commencing flight training. Matthew embraced this opportunity to take on the challenge of the Royal Canadian Navy’s Ships Team Diver Course. He became one of only a few Air Force officers to ever complete the physically demanding program, from which he graduated at the top of his class. He spent the remaining year prior to flight training actively diving as a dive lead with Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic.
In 2008 Matthew began military flight training at Portage la Prairie before moving on to the next phase at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Identified as fighter pilot material, he was thus selected to fly fast jets. He was further selected to complete the remainder of his jet training in a unique exchange program with the U.S. Air Force at Sheppard Air Force Base, Wichita Falls, Texas. He completed this training on the USAF T-38C and graduated in May 2012, realizing his lifelong dream of receiving his RCAF pilot’s wings.
Upon Matthew’s return to Canada he was assigned to 410 Tactical Fighter (Operational Training) Squadron at 4 Wing Cold Lake for training on the CF-18 Hornet. He completed training in 2013 and was then posted to 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron at 3 Wing Bagotville, Quebec, where he is currently serving as the deputy operations officer. He is a graduate of the Fighter Electronic Warfare and Advanced Radar Program, section lead, a level three tactical instructor pilot, and has achieved the rank of captain.
Matthew has actively trained throughout Canada and in the United States with the CF-18 Hornet, and has served on NORAD missions across Canada, including the high Arctic. In October 2014, he was selected to be one of the initial pilots to take Canadian fighter jets to Iraq for Operation Impact, Canada’s contribution to the coalition against ISIS. Matthew has completed 21 combat missions in Iraq, with more than 113 combat flight hours in hostile air.
In 2016, Joshua applied to the Canada Space Agency in a competition that pitted him against nearly 4,000 applicants all of whom had aspirations to one day explore the heavens as an astronaut. After an exhaustive year of traveling between different venues in which each stage of the selection process saw one aspirant after another fail to advance, only two remained; Joshua Kutryk and Jennifer Sidey were both selected by the Agency and on July 1, 2017, were formally introduced to Canadians by the prime minister during Canada Day ceremonies on Parliament Hill.
There could be no prouder mother that day than Kathy, who was present with the prime minister, governor general, Prince Charles, and other dignitaries when, coincident with the public introduction of her first-born, Joshua, her second-born son’s CF-18 roared overhead in the traditional Canada Day National Anthem flypast. Matthew had been selected by the RCAF from all the CF-18 pilots to be the 2017 demo pilot, flying at air shows all over North America to demonstrate the capabilities of man and machine. The selected Hornet he flew that day and throughout the year had received a dazzling paint scheme featuring Canada’s symbolic red maple leaf spread across the entire top surface of the aircraft. The markings were designed in celebration of Canada’s 150th year of confederation.
On July 29, 2017, Matthew performed the first of two shows by the demo team at the Springbank Airport west of Calgary, Alberta. Gerry, long retired from the RCMP, and his wife, Cyndy, were there, hoping to see Matthew for the first time in more than 20 years since his last flight in MPL at Whitehorse. Their hopes to greet him were exceeded as the entire family was present: Kathy, Joshua, daughters Laura-Anne and Natasha, as well as Joshua’s fiancée, Heather. It was a great reunion, and many memories were rekindled as the past and present quickly merged within the space of a few hours.
Just days later, Joshua began his adventure at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. He and Heather arrived just in time to be flooded out of their house with the untimely arrival of Hurricane Harvey!
Joshua will retain his rank and standing with the RCAF as a lieutenant colonel throughout his initial two-year astronaut qualification course and beyond. While this is the beginning of a very long and challenging regimen that could last up to 10 years or more before eventually reaching space (and maybe the moon, Mars, or an asteroid!), Joshua feels he is exactly where he wants to be.
“Life in Houston is busy, to say the least, but all in a very good way,” he wrote in a recent message to Gerry. “I’ve never felt happier, nor felt more appropriately challenged. There is a lot to learn; I may have under-estimated it. The space station truly must be the most complicated thing mankind has ever built, and it doesn’t take long for one to realize why it is not unusual for folks to spend seven or eight years training for a single mission. I’m very lucky for every minute of this new life I get to experience. Working at NASA as an astronaut in training is not easy, but it is incredibly satisfying. Every day truly is a gift, both professionally and personally.”
As a child, Joshua was fascinated with space and just knew he would explore it someday. Now, from the perspective of a seasoned fighter pilot, his Canada Space Agency bio says he is motivated “to serve Canadians in a way befitting my aptitudes and interests. I have always wanted to leave the world a better place than I found it. Above all (through space exploration) I want to help humanity broaden its collective horizon.”
Matthew, having recently completed his 2017 air show duties as Canada’s most jaw-dropping airborne ambassador aboard his awesome flying machine, has resumed his squadron duties at Bagotville. He participated with the American forces during NORAD alert missions overhead during the 2018 New Year’s celebrations, which he describes as a “uniquely memorable experience.” Even more unique and memorable is the fact that his fiancée, Capt. Hilary Anderson, is also a CF-18 pilot with the RCAF and was also assigned to that same mission. “Not many fighter pilots get to fly with their spouse as their wingman,” Matthew said.
This may well be another first to be chocked up to the Kutryk legacy; Matthew and Hilary met soon after both had been young Air Cadets in Alberta.
Sadly, Barry died in 2016 after a valiant battle with cancer, but not before seeing all four of his children well on their way toward reaching (and exceeding) their goals and expectations in their respective careers.
Both Joshua and Matthew credit their parents for the many sacrifices they made to ensure their children were exposed to several developmental activities while growing up. They were encouraged to set their sights high with determination, and it was these principles that enabled all four to accomplish their goals and achieve their dreams. This guidance extended into everything they did.
“As I look back at the challenges and opportunities that got us here, we really have to give a huge thank you to our parents,” Matthew said. “It’s funny how you don’t have that perspective growing up as a kid. But it was our mom and dad that guided, motivated, and inspired each of us to try things that were not necessarily in our comfort zones, and to embrace these challenges with our best efforts. I know my brother and two sisters feel the same way.”
From the perspective of a couple of now-retired RCMP pilots, Gerry and Rick marvel at seeing how things have unfolded for the Kutryk boys, and indeed, their younger sisters. Remembering the two young lads who once sat in the police aircraft, and then took their dreams and aspirations far beyond what we could have imagined, is enormously gratifying.
If there is one thing pilots have in common, it is the memory of a time, place, or people who perhaps in some small way contributed to the genesis of their fascination with flight. Far from claiming any credit for the Kutryks’ success, Gerry and Rick count themselves as privileged to have played, even unwittingly, a very small part in the development of boyhood dreams that were realized through their own determination, dedication, and commitment to excellence in everything they have done.
Now, it is Joshua and Matthew’s example that youngsters will follow. As they continue to be in demand as motivational speakers at schools and other venues throughout Canada, their audience will undoubtedly include many of the next generation who will one day look back on their example as pivotal in daring them to dream even bigger dreams.
As Gerry and Rick salute their accomplishments and wish them Godspeed in their future endeavors, we, like typical old aviators, are reminded that most of our earth-tethered experiences, however pleasant, must forever yield to the truth of the well-worn phrase, “I’d rather be flying!”
Keep flying high, boys! As per the RCAF motto: Per ardua ad astra, through adversity to the stars — literally!
For more about the Kutryks’ story, view this video that Gerry compiled after reuniting with the family at the Springbank Air Show in July 2017.
This article is featured in Bits and Pieces, EAA’s newsletter for builders and aviators in Canada. Subscribe here >>