John Driftmier (November 24, 1982 – February 24, 2013) was a Canadian documentary director. His works included ''

Dangerous Flights ''Dangerous Flights'' is a documentary-style reality television show that airs on the Discovery Channel. The show follows the pilots of C.B. Aviation as they ferry light aircraft to their new owners across distances the aircraft weren't design ...

'', ''Licence to Drill'', and ''

Ice Pilots NWT ''Ice Pilots NWT'' (known in the UK and the US as ''Ice Pilots''''Ice Pilots''
at Quest TV) is ...

''.

Early life

Driftmier was born in 1982 in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

to parents David Driftmier and Sophia Lang.Renzetti, Elizabeth (March 19, 2013). "He was hungry for adventure: Calgarian tracked Arctic oil drillers, Atlantic salvage ships and, ironically, risk-taking pilots", ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', p. S6. He graduated from Simon Fraser University in 2007. While studying film at SFU, Driftmier produced and directed the film ''The Story of a Lifetime,'' both a tribute to and using footage shot by his grandfather, Frederick, who as a teacher in 1941 had shot amateur films in

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

. Driftmier married Carolyn Allen in 2010. They lived in Ottawa, Ontario.

Career

Driftmier worked in more than 30 countries. He shot a company of northern Canadian pilots in the television series ''

Ice Pilots NWT ''Ice Pilots NWT'' (known in the UK and the US as ''Ice Pilots''''Ice Pilots''
at Quest TV) is ...

''. In ''

Highway Thru Hell ''Highway Thru Hell'' is a Canadian documentary TV series that follows the operations of Jamie Davis Motor Truck & Auto Ltd., a heavy vehicle rescue and recovery towing company based in Hope, British Columbia. Quiring Towing, Aggressive Towing, ...

'', he documented the stories of a towing company involved in salvage operations in the British Columbia interior in extreme weather conditions. He co-created ''Pyros'', a TV documentary series looking at people who create firework displays. In 2013, while in Africa to film an episode of ''Dangerous Flights'', documenting the experiences around the world of pilots delivering used commuter airplanes, Driftmier was killed at age 30 in a plane crash in Mount Kenya Forest. The documentary series '' Cold Water Cowboys'', which Driftmier co-conceived with Tyson Hepburn, debuted in February 2014.Lederman, Marsha (February 24, 2014). "'The most dangerous profession in the world': The new series Cold Water Cowboys, which follows Newfoundland fishermen into treacherous waters, has a tragic backstory", ''

'', p. L3.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Driftmier, John 1982 births 2013 deaths Canadian documentary film directors Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Kenya People from Calgary Simon Fraser University alumni Film directors from Alberta