06/01/2026
It is with great sadness we say goodbye to Peter Kwan, March 7, 1946 - May 29, 2026
Ode to Peter Kwan
By
Eric Kwan
The world lost a good man today, as we said goodbye to my Dad, Peter Kwan. Surrounded by me, Amy, Dominique, and his wife Anne, he passed peacefully, as Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ played in the background (requested by him in past conversations).
As tough as it was to let him go, it was unfortunately time to do so. His illness (Pulmonary Fibrosis) took a highly-capable person and turned him into a shell of himself, with the most noticeable decline happening over the past 6-8 months. He was a trooper throughout the 6-7 year battle with the disease, and never complained or expressed any anger about his situation, which is typical of who he was.
‘Papa Kilo’ led a distinguished lifetime career in fixed-wing and rotary-wing aviation, spanning over 5 decades from 1965-2017, and even when he retired, he continued to be involved in aviation-related activities, giving back to the industry in a volunteer capacity with various organizations. His work took him to many countries around the world in various roles. He had close calls - a flame-out necessitating an auto-rotation, a wire strike, and an ‘argument’ with a logging truck and its load; however, he was skilled and lucky enough to walk away from them all. Throughout his career, he received numerous recognitions, including awards from Bell Helicopters and the Helicopter Association International for Pilot Safety, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources (NSDNR) for Outstanding Contribution to Nova Scotia’s Wildfire Program, and the Newfoundland Government Air Services Memorial Award from the Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AME) Association - Atlantic. Peter considered his crowning achievement to be the successful completion of a fleet renewal program while with the NSDNR, which replaced a mixed fleet of a Bell 212, MD 500’s, and EC120B helicopters with four Airbus Helicopters H-125’s. He retired shortly after this accomplishment.
In April of this year, my Dad was honored with the David Douglas Snedden Memorial Award by the AME alongside an induction into their Hall of Fame. I think this was a fitting way to recognize his dedication to aviation, and am beyond proud of him. Link to his full bio here: https://amec-teac.ca/team_member/peter-kwan/
Outside of aviation, Dad was just a great human being. He had an unwavering sense of fairness and a true moral compass. I don’t think I have ever met anyone who has said a bad word about him. He was even-tempered and reliable, and somewhat of a workaholic. However, he felt like he got paid to do his hobby, so it wasn’t really work to him. He was a gadget guy, and would learn every detail about the things he was interested in. When he got something new, he would read and learn the manual from cover to cover. He was a jack-of-all-trades, and was able to fix pretty much anything. Dad was happiest tending his bee hives, mowing the lawn (and the occasional plant/tree that Anne was growing) or using ‘BamBam’ the tractor around their property.
The ‘Riverhouse’ truly was his favorite place to be, and it was where he took his final breath.
Dad - thank you for being the best role model and example, and for always supporting and encouraging me. Your job here is done (and done well), so now it’s your time to be at peace, without worrying about everyone else before yourself. I love you and will miss your presence, but know you will be watching over us. You are my hero!
