The brother of Rune Kindtaler, the 46-year-old Danish helicopter pilot killed in a mid-air collision while battling wildfires near Psatha, described him as a deeply skilled and beloved aviator who considered firefighting flights among the safest work he had done.
Speaking to Danish broadcaster DR, Tue Kindtaler said his brother fell in love with flying as a child, after their father took them to Tirstrup Air Base and Brendstrup Airport. "He decided the cockpit had to be his workplace.
He was so talented and beloved by everyone," said Tue Kindtaler, himself a private pilot.
Rune Kindtaler left university to pursue his dream of becoming a helicopter pilot, eventually moving to Vancouver, Canada, where he worked in the timber and mining industries before settling in Terrace, British Columbia.
He devoted much of his career to aerial firefighting, alternating a month on duty with a month off.
"He genuinely believed it was very safe to fly for firefighting operations," his brother said.
Mr. Kindtaler and a Greek flight coordinator died Sunday when the two helicopters collided in mid-air; the cause remains unclear.
Tue Kindtaler said he had spoken with his brother the day before the crash, when Rune sent a photo of the slightly larger, more powerful helicopter he was about to fly, expressing pride in the assignment.
Mr. Kindtaler had received an award from Canada's civil aviation authority for completing 5,000 accident-free flight hours, which he gave to their mother; it remains displayed on her mantel in Fredericia, Denmark.
His family is now coordinating with Danish and Greek authorities to repatriate his body. He is survived by his partner in Terrace and her two young children, who his brother said played a major role in his life.