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Chris Hadfield, a Canadian astronaut and former commander of the International Space Station (ISS), has been confirmed as the keynote speaker for the gala dinner at the 10th-anniversary CHC Safety & Quality Summit.
The Tuesday, April 1, dinner at the Westin Bayshore hotel is expected to attract 600 guests – many of the people attending what is recognized as the world’s premier safety conference for rotary-wing aviation.
Before becoming an astronaut, Commander Hadfield was a fighter pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force for 25 years, amassing experience flying more than 70 different aircraft types. He later progressed through senior roles at NASA, along the way becoming the first Canadian to walk in space and to command the ISS.
Commander Hadfield also is a talented musician and has become a social media star, in part as a result of his rendition of David Bowie’s song “Space Oddity,” which he performed from the ISS on the eve of his return home after five months in space. The video subsequently posted on YouTube has been viewed more than 20 million times.
Commander Hadfield’s strong background in aviation safety in the most demanding environments, combined with a quick and clever sense of humour, is expected to make for an enlightening and entertaining evening.
Past speakers at the CHC Safety & Quality Summit’s gala dinner speakers have included Simon Sinek, Capt. Chesley Sullenberger, Commander Fred Baldwin, Dr. Scott Shappell, Dr. Jerry Cockrell and Sergei Sikorsky.
Details about the dinner, including how to purchase tickets, are available at www.chcsafetyqualitysummit.com.
