Bradley Friesen is a helicopter pilot who shares his aerial adventures on Youtube.

Ayat Al Krad, Omer Simi and Hozan Abou Zeid are refugees from the Syrian civil war now living safely in B.C.

As a Sesquicentennial project, Friesen decided to show the three newcomers a part of the province in a completely new way.

I had a dream to fly

Simi's family left Syria in 2012. They spent a year trying to get into Turkey, once going six days without food. Eventually, Simi came to Canada and his family stayed in Turkey. Flying over Lake Widgeon was something he could ever imagine.

"I had a dream to fly, now my dream came true."

[EMBED]

For Al Krad, the sound of helicopters is a frightening reminder of the war. Seeing B.C. from above was a way to face her fears and familiarize herself with the "amazing nature" of Canada.

"I was excited to come to face my fear and see the amazing nature of British Columbia from the sky."

[EMBED]

Zeid passed through many countries before landing in Canada. After confronting places with so much uncertainty, he was surprised and relieved to be in a place where, he says, "people's rights were protected."

[EMBED]

"This is the best day in my whole life."

[EMBED]

[EMBED]

[EMBED]

Special thanks to Sky Helicopters of Vancouver for their assistance with the shoot.