Spring pilots more than just his bobsled
Canadian bobsledder has future in aviation after acquiring licence in his downtime
Spring is in the air, literally.
Chris Spring, bobsleigh pilot on hiatus, is behind the controls of a Cessna 172. He has taken off from Squamish on a cloudy day in late October, bent on some upper air work; the spins and stalls, slow flight and deep turns that will build his skill set and the required solo hours necessary for the commercial pilot’s licence he covets.
It’s also a pretty happy place for a happy-go-lucky Australian-Canadian who hasn’t felt quite right at the end of most bobsleigh seasons.
His body needs the rest and a reset, so the 35-year-old has earned his private pilot’s licence and taken a job with Pacific Coastal Airlines, working the ramp at Vancouver International Airport. He taxis planes to and from their parking spots, loads luggage, ensures the planes’ weight and balance are correct. He’s that guy in coveralls and bulky headphones, for now. And he will have a career in aviation, for sure.
But Spring already knows, even before there has been a single World Cup bobsleigh race anywhere on the planet this season, he’ll be back at the controls of a sled in the winter of 2020.
“I know, more than ever, by not being around the team right now, that I already miss being a part of it,” he said. “I don’t regret my decision to take the season off and definitely my body will thank me in years to come. But I’m not done with sport and I still have a lot of goals and ambitions that I haven’t accomplished yet.”
He will eventually aim for the world championship and Olympic podiums that have eluded him, but to do that, he needs to address his health, which hasn’t been right since a horrific crash at Altenberg, Germany in 2011.
With Spring at the controls during a training session, the Canada 2 sled crashed violently in Turn 16. The sled was shredded. Three of the four crew members were injured, Spring included, as a shard of wood from the track roof sliced through his buttocks and hip. With his eyes on the 2014 Sochi Olympics, he didn’t take enough time away from the track to get himself fully healed.
“After that crash, I wasn’t diligent in my rehabilitation and it’s costing me now,” he said. “If I had it to do again, would I do it the same? I probably would because I rushed back to make the Games in 2014 and I’m glad to say I was part of that team. But it definitely has taken its toll on my body and I’m having a lot of hip and knee issues now and have been for many seasons.
“I seem to be able to arrive at the start of each competition season fairly healthy and in good shape and ready to go. But come the end of the season I’m really not doing so well and that’s where it’s most important for us. The Olympic Games or world championships always come at the end of the season and I have found that in the last six or seven years that I arrive at those competitions 80-per-cent healthy and I just can’t get over the line.”
Spring has already started working with a physical therapist in Vancouver and is happy with his progress. He’s also close enough to Whistler to satisfy his bobsleigh craving, and has slid recreationally, just to keep his hands nimble. He has also reached out to members of the Canadian team, assuring he’s available to talk about tracks and corners and sled preparation at any point.
And when he’s not throwing luggage around with other ramp workers, most of whom are also private pilots working on commercial licences, he’s in the air.
“I always had a fascination with flying, especially the unknown of how things work. And I wanted to make sure I wasn’t leaving myself high and dry at the end of my athletic career, so I figured it was a good approach to start flying now.”
He sees himself as a float plane pilot out in the bush, rather than a captain on the overnight from New York to London. During a recent introductory flight, he did a few takeoffs and landings on the water and loved the challenge. He has chalked up about 65 total hours, building toward the 200 necessary for a commercial licence.
“I’m slowly chipping away at it. I have a ways to go and a lot of learning to do in that time, and there are a few exams to do along the way as well. For now I’m just kind of enjoying flying and scaring myself a bit here and there as well.”