Darcy Guyant

Darcy Guyant is a retired U.S. Coast Guard Commander with 25 years of military service and a former U.S. Army and U.S. Coast Guard helicopter pilot. His books draw heavily from the real-world experiences he gained during his years in aviation and search and rescue, bringing authentic adventure, courage, teamwork, and service to his storytelling.

The stories in his children's series, *The Coast Guard Adventures of Dolph and Gwen*, are based on actual search and rescue missions Darcy flew in an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter. Through these stories, he introduces young readers to aviation, Coast Guard rescue missions, STEM, courage, teamwork, trust, and the importance of facing adversity with determination.

Darcy is also the author of *Some Angels Have Rotor Blades*, a story based on his real-life experience as a Coast Guard rescue pilot. He flew Coast Guard Helicopter #1415, featured in the story, while stationed in Port Angeles, Washington. Today, that helicopter is on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.

His inspiration for storytelling is deeply personal. His granddaughter, the real-life inspiration for the character Gwen, has been a major influence on his writing and his love of sharing stories with children. Darcy especially enjoys reading with her and creating stories that families can experience together.

Darcy also brings his experiences directly to young readers. He loves speaking with children about courage in the face of adversity, teamwork, trust, aviation, and the lessons that can be found in real-life adventures.

### Five Things You May Not Know About Darcy

As a child and teenager, Darcy was afraid of heights, making his eventual career as a professional pilot an unexpected turn in his life.

A television commercial featuring a float plane landing on a beautiful wilderness lake in Alaska inspired him during his senior year of high school to pursue flying and dream of becoming an Alaskan bush pilot.

Ironically, Darcy has never flown in a float plane, either as a pilot or passenger. He has, however, landed a helicopter on the water and spent years flying throughout Alaska as a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter pilot.

He has visited 49 U.S. states, with New Mexico remaining the only state he has yet to visit.

Before becoming a pilot, Darcy dreamed of becoming a farmer after enjoying time working on his grandfather's farm in Central Wisconsin. A television commercial ultimately changed the course of his life.

Today, Darcy continues to share his experiences through his books and in person, using real-life adventures to encourage readers, especially children, to discover courage, trust, teamwork, curiosity, and the possibilities that can come from following an unexpected path.