Darcy Guyant

Darcy Guyant

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Show notes

In this interview with former US Army and Coast Guard helicopter pilot, Darcy Guyant, we talk about the inspiration behind his new picture book, Into the Storm: The Coast Guard Adventures of Dolph and Gwen. Since retiring, Darcy has found his passion volunteering at a local elementary school where he works with first graders. Encouraged and mentored by the school’s teachers, Darcy wrote this book which is based on a real search and rescue case from his flying career. 

Of course, I love that Darcy chose to make the pilot a woman, and to anthropomorphize the ‘Dolphin’ helicopter as ‘Dolph’. Dolph is the narrator of this action-packed story, and Gwen is a capable and confident pilot-in-command, directing her crew, Mike, the Flight Mechanic, and Sam, the Rescue Swimmer. They all work together to rescue the fishermen from their sinking vessel in the storm while facilitating discussions about teamwork, fear, courage, cooperation, and trust.