Born in Halifax and raised in Fall River, NS Erik was a Cub and Boy Scout before joining 342 Bedford Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Cadets in 1980 where he discovered the joy of flying. Completing the Cadet Glider Pilots Course in 1982 he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1983 under the Regular Officer Training Program and graduated with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from Dalhousie University in 1988. Selected for rotary wing training Erik completing pilot training in 1989 and was posted to 427 Sqn Petawawa where he flew the CH135 Twin Huey and participated in Op SALON (the Oka Crisis), Op HURRICANE (Support to CFS Alert), and Op DELIVERANCE (CF Ops in Somalia).
Posted to 408 Sqn in Edmonton in 1994, Erik was employed as an Instructor Pilot and Night Vision Goggle Specialist and deployed in1996 with the UN Mission in Haiti. Upon return to 408 Sqn, he conducted conversion training on the CH146 Griffon and in 1997 joined 1 Wing HQ in Kingston and was instrumental in the planning of aviation ops in Canada, Haiti, Bosnia, and Kosovo.
In 2001, Erik joined the Wolf Pack of 403 Sqn in Gagetown and deployed as Operations Officer of the Task Force Bosnia-Herzegovina Helicopter Detachment from Sep 2002 to Mar 2003. On return to Canada, Maj Manchester assumed the position of Deputy Chief Instructor at 403 Sqn.
Erik deployed to Haiti in Mar 2004 with Op HALO as the J3 Aviation of the Coalition HQ that preceded the establishment of a UN mission in Haiti. Promoted to Major on return to Canada in Jul 2004, Erik was posted to Ottawa as a member of the J3 International Plans staff of the DCDS Group at NDHQ, focusing on the CF mission in Afghanistan. With the stand-up of Canadian Expeditionary Force Command in 2006, Erik continued to provide planning support to the Afghan mission as a member of the J3 Branch.
Erik deployed to Afghanistan from May 2008 to Feb 2009 and worked as operational planner within the Task Force Headquarters and was Wing Operations Officer with the standup of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan Air Wing in Dec 2008.
Erik returned to Afghanistan in a flying role as the Deputy Commanding Officer of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan Helicopter Squadron from Mar to Aug 2011. Upon return to Canada Erik was a member of the Air Staff at NDHQ until 2013 when he returned to 403 Squadron in Gagetown, NB as Operations Officer. Erik deployed to Kuwait as the Plans Officer of Op Air Task Force – Iraq (Op IMPACT) supporting air operations in Iraq from Jun to Dec 2015.
Erik has maintains a residence in Mount Albion, PEI where he retired in Jul 2016 and enjoys exercise, gardening, and woodworking in his spare time.
