Dan feels very fortunate to have made a living from what he loves – flying airplanes. 

 

Over the years, he has flown a wide range of aircraft, including gliders, military aircraft, high-performance jets, corporate jets, and warbirds. And on the ground, he is a seasoned instructor, team leader, evaluator, and mentor. And the fun doesn’t stop there, as Dan is also an experienced skydiver, motorcycle enthusiast, and offers thrill rides to the public in his air show plane. 

 

A native of Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada, Dan began flying gliders at age 16. That early passion led him to the Royal Canadian Air Force, where he refined his skills until leaving the Forces in 1989, and then became a corporate pilot until retirement in 2022.

 

Dan is most passionate about his ‘spare time’ flying. Early on, he was introduced to formation & aerobatic flying, and he was hooked. This led to serving as Chief Pilot for the Northern Lights Aerobatic Team in the 2000s. 

 

In 1996, he began flying a Chinese Nanchang CJ-6A and spent the next decade honing his aerobatic skills. In 2006, he began performing air shows in his CJ-6A and has participated in air shows across Canada and the northeastern United States.

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In 2008, he co-founded YakAttack Airshows, which now operates as Time Flies Airshows with partner Mario Hamel. Today, Dan is hired by air shows both as a solo pilot in his Nanchang CJ-6A under Dan Fortin Aerosports, and as a dual act under Time Flies Airshows. .

 

With over 10,000 hours of flight time logged, Dan holds a Transport Canada Airline Transport Pilot Licence, Unrestricted Statement of Aerobatic Competency (SAC Card) and has logged over 1,500 hours in the CJ-6A.

 

Dan is a lifetime member of the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA), a lifetime member of the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, and co-founder and lifetime member of Warbirds Canada. He also serves as an Aerobatic Competency Evaluator for the air show industry’s governing body, the International Council of Air Shows.

 

Outside aviation, Dan is an avid motorcyclist who has traveled extensively on two wheels, including Coast-to-Coast rides in both Canada and the USA, rides through Europe, and Africa. He is also a Canadian Sport Parachutist Association skydiving coach. 

 

Dan currently lives in the lower Laurentian mountains, northeast of Montreal.