Column: Why Maine game warden pilots are a special breed

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 20, 2026

Sooner or later, most career game wardens place themselves in harm’s way in the line of duty. The same can be said for game warden pilots, perhaps even more so. Maine warden pilots are often called upon to assist from the air in searches for missing people. More often than not, the weather is nasty, and warden pilots find themselves flying in dangerous conditions close to the treetops. On May 12, Maine game warden pilot Joshua Tibbetts, 50, lost control of his Cessna 185F and crashed near Schoolhouse Pond north of Farmington. He did not survive. Other Maine warden pilots were involved in fatal crashes in 1956, 1972, 2003 and 2011. Tibbetts, and all the Maine game warden pilots before him, are a special breed. We appreciate their sacrifice. ~ V. Paul Reynolds