William Hilts
1977 – 2015
William Hilts died on Friday May 22nd, doing what he loved, flying a water bomber fighting forest fires in northern Alberta. He was 38. He leaves behind his parents, Maria and Stewart Hilts, his younger brother Matthew and his wife Paula, his sister Katherine and her husband Darryl, his nephew Jaxson, and his grandmother Rosa Gallo, as well as many other aunts, uncles and cousins. He also leaves a very strong network of friends in BC and elsewhere, many with ties to the flying community.
William took his pilot training at Confederation College in Thunder Bay, later flying for Kenora Air Services, Turtle Airways in Fiji, Harbour Air out of Prince Rupert, and Wasaya Airways in northern Ontario. He worked his way to his dream job flying water bombers for Conair in BC and Alberta starting four years ago. He was part of the team fighting the Cold Lake fire when his plane went down.
The family would appreciate stories, memories and photos from his friends. If you feel so compelled, donate to a charity of your choice in memory of Will.
If for some reason you are unable to post pictures, tributes or stories, please feel free to email Katherine at ksaynor@outlook.com or Matthew at oldbill_667@hotmail.com and we will be sure to post them on your behalf.
Tributes
Leave a tributeWill, I wish I could have one more beer with you to talk and see this accomplished man who reached is dream job of bombing for Conair. I am sure that you had sparkles in your eyes until the very last few seconds of your life.
I will never forget you my friend.
His eyes were so bright and excited when he talked about becoming a pilot. And I can clearly remember my fear when he said he wanted to fly water bombers, but he wasn't one to give in to fear. He lived his dream and never stopped encouraging (let's be honest, lecturing) me to live mine. In fact, he was doing just that in one of our last conversations. I am proud to have known and loved him. And I am so grateful that even though we lost touch from time to time during the past 21 years, that we were always able to reconnect and catch each other up about our lives.
When I left for university he made me a mixed tape and being the sappy sentimentalist that I am, I still have it. He laughed and got a real kick out of that fact when I told him about it a couple of years ago. The lyrics from one of the songs are:
"Wherever I go, I take you with me."
And I always will. Rest easy, my friend.
It was an honour to work with you my friend.
I will always remember and savour those memories!
You will be missed!
I will remember Will as a gentle soul who had a great laugh and the enviable quality of knowing exactly what he wanted to do with his life. Rich and I pass along our deepest condolences to his family and friends. He was a great guy, and he will be missed.
You were a shining light in my life when I desperately needed someone. You took my hand and led me out of the darkness I was in. You never judged and were always there to listen and encourage me. You are the kindest gentlest man I have ever met and I am privileged to have known you. You will be sorely missed and I am broken hearted that I didn't get to spend more time with you. I know you are flying high in the sky doing what you love most. I will always remember you.
Love Sandra
High Flight
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings,
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a thousand things
You have not dreamed of - Wheeled and soared:
And swung High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and
Flung my eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long, delirious burning blue air
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew.
And, while silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space;
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
RIP Will.
Heathe
Will became my right hand man for many years and I appreciated his common sense approach to problems. With very few words he would hit the nail on the head. Will brought Brodie Campbell to our team. The two were inseparable. Kuby called them Jodie and Wilt and after correcting and objecting, they finally just accepted it and remained Jodie and Wilt forever. Kuby passed away the day after Will.
I flew with Will on several occasions. He flew just like Jack. Quiet, controlled, confident, reassuring to the passenger. His hand movements were like a ballet, slow, calm, deliberate, practised, no jerky, alarming movements. His landings were perfect and you had to look down to see the water splashing over the floats because you could never tell if you were on the water. Customer after customer praised his airmanship.
Will had a bit of a shrine to his pilot grandfather in the "Hilton" and shared those memories with us. He had a sentimental side that not everyone was allowed to see.
Will was a gifted photographer. We often talked of him making a book out of his pictures of planes. I'm looking at one of my favourites on my wall right now. A rainbow and his first plane, beached, at the end of the rainbow. His love of flying shone through the pictures. I wish I knew how to share his pictures with you. I would post them if I could.
I treasure the fact that Will phoned me about 2 years ago and we talked for over an hour.
I lost my friend and first pilot but aviation lost a natural. It's a tough one.
Fly high in the heavens. God Bless you
I am so glad I have these memories. xo Susan
Will was my First Officer for part of a season, on the Convair. He was a great airman and a joy to work with. God speed, Will. You will be missed and forever in my thoughts, buddy!
We didn't know you, but your loss is still felt in the communities you were working hard to protect. Your wife, your family, and your friends are in our prayers.
his brother, at our cottage times at Sand Lake. Their mission was to create the perfect luge run and Will and Matt would try skiing, snowboarding and sledding over jumps that were just scary and shocking to me as a little girl. I loved those times and hanging out with my older cousins. Also remember when I fell in the lake after fishing and my jeans got stuck on me... Will had to pull them off me and I had to be maybe 8, I was so embarrassed that he saw me in my underwear!! You will be so greatly missed Will, you died a hero and I know you are at peace with Nana and Grandpa. Xo Jane
Leave a Tribute
Fishing again
We waded up from the bridge north of town, floundering a bit, teaching ourselves to fly fish. We separated and will found his way through the shallows, upstream to the far bank. He rested on the shore and spoke to a man walking a dog.
soon after, he gathered his things and headed my way. When he was part way back, the man arrived on the bank again, with a golf club and balls. He set up and teed of, launching a ball our way.
Will said “ he thinks he owns the river, let’s go.”
he continued to launch balls at us as we headed down river. He never really got close and Will never really got mad about it, he just laughed it off. I don’t think we caught any fish that day. I don’t suppose it really matters. Eventually we spread out a bit, found new watersand even landed a few fish.
The Backstory
A few years later, on our trip to Newfoundland, the boys got a chance to fish for capelin (like sardines). When the 'capelin were in', the locals would bring their nets and pails down to the beach and fill a pail to freeze for the winter. The boys took their simple nets down to an already crowded small beach and successfully pulled out forty or so small fish. Matt, in his enthusiasm went too far in and a local simply grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and hauled him back to safety. I think there was almost more fun later as the boys gleefully cut the heads off the fish and rolled them in flour. Then we had a big feed of capelin, bones and all.
On the same trip the boys got to try their hand at 'jigging' for cod. Jigging for cod involves no bait and no fishing rod. You simply drop a line with a weighted hook over the side of the boat and pulled it up in short little jerks, 'jigging it', hoping to snag a fish. We went out on a fishing boat and the boys caught several small cod. But the highlight was when our tour guide, in a trick I'm sure he had done many times before, threw a fish high in the air and a Bald Eagle came swooping out of nowhere to grab it as it hit the water. None of us will forget that moment!
The highlight of my fishing memories is our trip to Alaska. First there was a tumbling stream on the Alaska Highway where the boys clambered down over the boulders to catch a small grayling or two. Then, not far east of Fairbanks, we joined locals at a fishing access point, and this time it was Will's brother Matt who caught the best fish, a huge King Salmon nearly 3 feet long!
But it was the 'combat fishing' in Valdez that I remember most. Fishermen were lined up shoulder to shoulder down the pier, and Kate, Matt and Will all lined up. The salmon were running, and they pulled out salmon as fast as they could throw their lines back in, a fishing experience of a lifetime. At this point Kate was 10, Matt 14 and Will 17.
Finally as we travelled the Skeena Highway home east of Prince Rupert, we turned off at the Hazeltons, determined to find a tributary small enough to fish in safely. We made our way to the Kispiox River and the boys finally managed to fish in a beautiful northern river, donning hip waders and getting out their fly fishing gear. And they each caught a fish too, trout as I remember. Thus their lifetime love of fishing was built.
So those are my memories of the back story to Brad and Will's summer of fishing on Haida Gwaii.
A Fish Tale
Id been volunteering to run a sub base out of Masset for North Pacific Seaplanes in the summer months. The first year was pretty slow but the next year was quite busy, busy enough to have the Otter come over on weekends to do lodge work.
Well Will and I used that opportunity to spend almost all our free time fishing that summer. We did so much fishing. I've never done that much fishing before or ever since.
We fished every river, creek and stream on Haida Gwaii. Walked so far up Yakoun I can't remember all the pools we fished. We had both bought ourselves new Sage fly rods and reels. Even had our names engraved on them from the factory. It was epic.
Trout, and every species of salmon. I remember 20 pound spring salmon in the Pallant Creek stripping our reels down to the backing in less than 2 feet of water. It was so much fun. Bears stealing our fish off the landing, so many fish in the river you could feel them rubbing against your waiders as they swam upstream. Both of us physically exhausted from catching fish.
We caught so many pink and chum salmon in the Copper that we just didn't count or even more astonishingly didn't keep score. This was before the age of cell phone cameras and no serious fisherman caries a camera in the middle of the river. It would have been nice to have some pictures. I can still remember the smiles and happy exhaustion that came from hours of successful fishing and the drive back in the dark to the crew house.
I can say with certainty that I've never had such a wonderful summer as that one, never caught so many fish, never dedicated so much time to the art of fishing and learning the rivers. I've never been back to most of the places, and the fishing is done in some of them forever. It was a much happier and simpler time back then. Just flying seaplanes, nothing fancy, home every night, familiar with everyone.
Writing this from the other side of the world I can say have no regrets with my career and the adventures and where I'm at now, but I can honestly say without hesitation I'd trade it all for one more summer like that with Will. Just a summer dedicated to two friends and the art of fly fishing.