Key Personnel

Heather McGonigal joined Keewatin Air’s management team in August 2017 in the capacity of Director of Flight Operations. She is responsible for overall safety, maintaining control of operations, and for setting and maintaining operational standards for flight crews and all aircraft operated.

Heather is a third generation pilot. She built a significant amount of her early flight time as a flight instructor while she attended university, graduating from the University of Saskatchewan in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. At this time, she moved to Calgary for full-time employment and taught Initial and Multi-IFR at Morgan Air. Later, she became Morgan Air's Chief Flying Instructor while still flying charters.

Prior to joining Keewatin Air, Heather worked at Transwest Air and Northern Shield Helicopters in Saskatchewan as the Director of Flight Operations, overseeing CAR 702-705 operations respectively. In addition to her Director of Flight Operations role, Heather was a line Captain and Training Captain. She implemented the company’s Safety Management System (SMS) and assisted in its oversight.

Heather’s experience in northern Saskatchewan gave her an appreciation for the challenges that people living in the north encounter on a daily basis. Her knowledge of multiple subparts of the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) reinforced the importance of effective documentation from a customer and regulatory standpoint.

Heather has a passion for teaching and as a result has voluntarily instructed at local community colleges for the Commercial Pilot Program as well as being a First Aid Instructor for the Red Cross.

She is currently the Chair of the Board for the Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC).

Terry McGonigal’s aviation career started in Lynn Lake, MB in the spring of 1988, working for La Ronge Aviation. Starting as a dock hand, he worked his way into the right seat of the DHC6. By 1989, he had obtained his first role as Captain on the C185. He continued to work for La Ronge Aviation as well as it’s merged companies until the fall of 2017, having served as Captain on several aircraft, including: C185, DHC2, BE55/58, PA3, DHC6 Also during this time, Terry relocated in 1994 to Saskatoon Saskatchewan where he obtained a position as co-captain on the Gulfstream I. In 1995, the Jetstream 31 aircraft was added to the fleet and he was trained as a Line/Training Captain on this aircraft. In 1998 he was awarded the Chief Pilot role while also continuing to fulfill the role as a Bae31 Line/Training Captain.

The summer of 2000 brought along the merger of Athabasca Airways and Air Sask Aviation (formerly La Ronge Aviation). In 2002, the Saab 340 aircraft was added to the fleet and he became a Line/Training Captain on the SF34. In 2003, he was once again awarded the position of Chief Pilot and continued in this role until the end of my employment in 2017. He was served in the role of Safety Manager in winter of 2015/2016.

In September 2017, Terry accepted the position of Chief Pilot at Keewatin Air, overseeing a team of pilots ranging from 40 to 60 people, including medevac operations. As part of his role at Keewatin Air, he was trained as a Captain on the LR35 jet aircraft. This position has given Terry an opportunity to learn how medevac operations are conducted by Keewatin Air in the Arctic regions.

Throughout his aviation career, Terry has spent numerous hours as a line pilot flying medevac missions, as well as managing line pilots conducting these operations. Terry firmly believes that the experience he has gained throughout his career enables him to “give back” to the younger generation of pilots, and assist these future leaders in aviation forwards in their career path and goals.