A Canadian helicopter pilot who flies with the Royal Air Force in Britain was honoured by Queen Elizabeth on Wednesday for bravery and courage during his mission in Afghanistan.

Flight Lieut. Chris Hasler was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross at Buckingham Palace in London. He is the first Canadian to win the medal since the Korean War.

Flight Lieut. Chris Hasler stands outside Buckingham Palace in London Wednesday.
(Fiona Hanson/PA/Associated Press)

Hasler, 26, born in Jasper, Alta., but raised in Halifax, tried to enlist in the Canadian air force shortly after he graduated from high school but was turned down. He said he thinks he was considered too young at the time.

After studying at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick for two years, he applied to the Royal Air Force as a Commonwealth citizen, was accepted, and flies Chinook helicopters, the workhorse of the RAF fleet.

"I always wanted to fly. I was quite lucky," Hasler told CBC News. "It is quite exciting. Nothing compares. It's a sport of kings, really. It is quite fun."

Hasler received the medal for his work in two operations in Afghanistan. In a news release, the British Defence Ministry said he displayed "great courage and composure in a most demanding and high risk environment" while operating in Helmand province.

The first operation involved flying a Chinook helicopter into a Taliban firefight to pick up wounded British soldiers on July 7, 2006.

"It was a site that was surrounded by buildings on all three sides and we had to land with one of the front blades overlapping one of these one-storey buildings, on our back wheels with our front wheels in the air, so we wouldn't hit it," Hasler said.

The pilot said he squeezed the aircraft between the buildings to reach the wounded. "I certainly didn't have time to think about it. I was concentrating so much on not crashing, just landing."

But Hasler said it was not a one-person job.

"It's unfortunate the whole crew couldn't be recognized. Being the captain, you're always going to be the one in charge, and the one in the spotlight, unfortunately, but you know, it wouldn't have happened without the three other guys, and the rest of the team, the engineers."

The second operation involved landing his aircraft while under attack from small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire on July 14, 2006, allowing troops to disembark and reinforce other ground troops already under threat from Taliban forces.

Hasler said he knows that the job involves risks, but he tries not to dwell on them.

'Somewhat based on luck'

"You really don't have time to think about it. You make a plan, you pick your spot, and you go for it, and you hope it's the right choice. It's somewhat based on luck," he said.

Group Capt. Sean Reynolds, a RAF base commander, said the medal is well-deserved.

"Not only is it a very brave act, it requires a very high degree of flying skill. He was flying the aircraft at the time. They were very close to some obstructions, buildings and some trees, and technically, broke the rules," he said.

Reynolds said the RAF is proud that Hasler is being honoured.  "We have to hang on to talent like that," he said.

He said the medal is given only in special circumstances. "We don't hand them out very readily, and if you've got one, you can wear it with a lot of pride," he said.

Hasler was one of five British Royal Marines, army and RAF personnel honoured Wednesday for "gallantry" in Afghanistan during 2006.

With files from the Canadian Press