Mesmerized by the miracle of flight at an early age, Shawn Trotman turned his childhood passion for aviation into a career on the airfield at Winnipeg Richardson International Airport.
As a kid, Trotman visited YWG frequently with his granddad to watch planes take off and land - sparking his deep love for the industry. He would also go into work with his dad on the weekends to gain a bird’s eye view of the airport from an office just north of the campus. Years later, he’s now working on that same airfield, day and night, helping to support the airport’s strong security culture.
“My very first memories of the airport were in my granddad’s car,” said Trotman. “It was my dream to work at the airport since I was young and I just kept pursuing it. Once I got my foot in the door, I never looked back and ran with my dream job.”
As part of the Airfield Safety Officer team for Security Resource Group Inc. (SRG), Trotman actively patrols the perimeter of the airfield. This task involves diligently monitoring all 22 kilometres of the airfield’s boundary to help keep the environment safe. With 17 years of experience in the role at YWG, he starts and finishes each shift with an unwavering passion for the job.
“I love being out on the airfield as it is my favourite place in the whole world to be,” said Trotman.
Another way Trotman contributes to YWG in his role is by making sure employees from different organizations are trained to safely drive in all areas on the airfield. Trotman is a lead in this area as he knows the airfield environment extremely well and enjoys building strong connections with the many partners who operate at the airport.
“We are all one big team here at the airport and good working relationships go a long way with all of the different tenants,” said Trotman.
Upon starting out at the airport working on the ramp for an airline in 2002, Trotman’s relationships and passion for the industry have both continued to grow with time. He actively follows online aviation forums, airline route development, tunes into the air traffic control radio and has been further growing his knowledge of the cargo sector to always stay on the pulse of what’s happening at YWG.
“I can’t wait to see this cargo expansion once it is all complete, it’s going to be phenomenal,” said Trotman. “I have maps of the airport from back in the 1970s and I’ve seen it develop a lot over the years. I love watching it grow and spread its wings, it’s fascinating.”
The airport environment called to Trotman a long time ago, and to this day, he’s answering that call working in what he refers to as “his second home” out on the airfield at YWG.
Faces of YWG is a profile series on the people working around Winnipeg Richardson International Airport who help Winnipeg Airports Authority go above and beyond.
