Matthew Goodine came by his love for helicopters honestly.
At a young age he watched his grandfather Leo Gladesdahl take off in a gyrocopter or an airplane he'd built from scratch, and that planted the seed.
It took him years to build up his hours in the pilot's seat, but Goodine stuck it out and he was realizing his dream to fly helicopters for a living when it all ended tragically March 30 in a crash near Canmore, Alta.
The 28-year-old Goodine died while on a 20-minute flight northeast from Canmore to the South Ghost Lake area for a snowshoeing tour. His four passengers, two couples from England, walked away from the wreckage and were picked up on the side of a mountain.
At 20, Matt started taking the necessary steps to earn his license at Tech Helicopters in Prince George. By 2005, he'd bought his own helicopter, taking his friends and family on memorable flights. Matt inherited his grandfather's mechanical ability and had a reputation for being able to fix anything.
"His mind never quit, he was an incredible kid," said Mike Goodine, Matthew's stepfather. "He could operate anything. At the age of six or seven he was taking remote controls apart and adding pieces to them to reform a truck with a trailer on the back of it.
"He loved fishing, camping, sledding, and flying - he had all kinds of interests, and he had so many friends. Matthew could make a friend at a mailbox, he was that kind of kid. He was like a magnet, people were drawn to him. He had a smile that could light up a room. We're very proud of his accomplishments."
Matt held his helicopter pilot's license for eight years. Greg Sanders started out teaching him the ropes as his flight instructor at Tech in 2003, and before long they were great friends, riding snowmobiles together.
Matt took over the junior pilot's position at Pacific Western Helicopters from Brent Vansickle and worked there for about two years. They had become friends at Tech and Vansickle knew from Matt's Facebook posts how excited he was to get hired by Kananaskis Mountain Helicopters in Canmore. He'd used his holiday time at CN Rail to travel around Alberta looking for a flying job.
"I knew he got that job and I was pretty proud of him, it's a very difficult industry to get in to," said Vansickle. "Those people on that helicopter walked away because of him."
Matt attended school at Austin Road elementary and Kelly Road secondary, graduating in 2002. Guy Boudreau was Goodine's best friend for 13 years and fondly recalls the fishing trips they took to Trembleur Lake, Matt's favourite fishing hole.
"Ever since we were kids in high school he had the electric planes and helicopters we'd fly in the schoolyard," said Boudreau. "He was an honest, standup guy and a bit of klutz. He was always hurting himself or in some kind of predicament, but he loved to fly and everyone wanted him to follow his dream."
Brad Deutch, in his eulogy, talked about the nickname that best describes Matt - Goodtimes - and how he lived up to the name of his first boat - A Hard Act to Follow.
"If he was around, a good time was guaranteed for all," said Deutch. "Joining our baseball team a few years ago, we thought an athletic young man would be a great addition. Little did we know, he was a master of the swinging bunt. He brought so much laughter and good times to not only us, but to every team in the league."
"He made everything fun," added longtime friend Levi Bachand. "It's a tough loss. I don't think I ever want to go fishing again."
Transport Canada began its investigation into the accident this week and the cause of the crash is still unknown. Two of the passengers phoned the Goodine family to say he died a hero.
"They were taken aback by this young pilot and the amazing job he did to make sure his passengers were safe," said Mike Goodine. "They feel that guilt - why did they survive and this young man didn't? Matthew was like a captain with his ship. He made sure his passengers were first and he was second. He's been like that his whole life, a very loving, caring gentleman.
"He went, doing what he wanted to do. We're happy he got to do what he loved doing."
Matt is survived by his parents, Mike and Bev Goodine, his father Brent Potter, brother Derreck and sisters Kelsey and Jessica.
His employer plans to place a plaque in Matt's honour at Ghost Lake later this summer.
"People had high confidence in Matt as a pilot and he had that chemistry between people," said Kananaskis Mountain Helicopters co-owner Rjean Lavoie. "He'd meet people for less than an hour and they'd be best friends."
