Constable dreams of flying for the RCMP

Page 14

Native people should reach for their goals and dreams no matter how high they are and what obstacles are in their way, advises West Steinhauer, a Cree special constable in Wetaskiwin.

He should know because his objective is sky-high, literally.

"My ultimate goal is to fly for the RCMP. They don't have any Natives at all for pilots," he noted.

Steinhauer, 34, joined the RCMP in 1977 after a string of jobs in Edmonton where he grew up.

After returning from RCMP training in Regina, Saskatchewan he was stationed in St. Paul and had to patrol Saddle Lake Reserve, Goodfish Lake Reserve and the surrounding aboriginal communities by aircraft.

It have him the idea that he should get a pilot's license. So Steinhauer persued the idea, wanting to be the first Native RCMP pilot and among the few Native pilots in Canada.

Now he has been flying for nine years and is qualified to fly anything that weighs up to 12,500 pounds. That means he can fly a Twin Otter and lighter aircraft.

In July of 1984, he got his pilot's license. The following year, Steinhauer got a commercial pilot's license and his "night-ratting", allowing him to fly at night.

"I had to drive (myself hard) to do this on the side," said Steinhauer, since he received no help from the RCMP.

"It's tough, believe me."

At times there weren't enough hours in the day to build up flight time in preparation for tests. Working 12 hours-a-day sometimes did not help much, he added.

As a special constable, he tours reservations and schools, facilitating drug and alcohol awareness with Nayo-Skan Human Resources Program, a treatment facility in Hobbema.

After Nayo-Skan staff tell the youth of the physical effects of drugs and alcohol, Steinhauer tells them of the legal implications if they are caught in possession of drugs or alcohol.

"I want to help steer them away from this stuff and look at a future, rather than going into the bars and wasting their lives," he said.

For Steinhauer, helping kids reach their goals and dreams exceeds what he originally joined the police force for -- to develop a career working with Native people in Alberta.