Reaching for your dreams

Miriam Ostermann
Times Associate Editor

 

At just 12 years old, Gunnar Raycroft had his whole life mapped out and knew just how to make his dream come true – by joining the 903 Royal Canadian Air Cadets in hopes of becoming a pilot in the military. Throughout the years, Raycroft’s ambitions landed him on the fast-track, excelling in his fitness levels, joining the ground school program at 13 years old – two years earlier than is usually accepted – and receiving every recognition and medal he strived for. So when he applied for the Glider Pilot Scholarship in 2015, one of three steps to achieving his goals – glider pilot license, power pilot license, and the military – he was a shoe in.
Yet shortly after receiving the scholarship and passing his mandatory aviation medical, Raycroft ended up in the hospital, losing a significant amount of body weight in four hours and was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes – ultimately disqualifying him from the scholarship and driving a permanent wedge between him and his dream of serving as a pilot in the military.
“That was a pretty rough year,” said Raycroft. “In the beginning I achieved everything I wanted to. It was smooth sailing. I got the Glider Pilot Scholarship and thought, this is perfect, everything is working out. Right as I thought I was home-free life threw a curve ball and said ‘just kidding.’”
While Raycroft and his family fought to defeat the legislation set forth by the Department of National Defense and Transport Canada that was prohibiting the young cadet from pursuing his ambitions due to his medical condition, only Transport Canada reinstated his medical. Without the green light from the Department of National Defense, Raycroft wasn’t able to obtain his glider pilot license. Nonetheless, the keen cadet pressed on. He took part in ground school training for the fourth year in a row, where he achieved top marks and was awarded the highest honour of Chief Warrant Officer first class two weeks ago. Despite unfavourable odds, Raycroft also applied for the International Air Cadet Exchange – a program that selects roughly 40 candidates from the region made up of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Northwest Territories and requires its candidates to have achieved all milestones including the pilot license. The 903 Royal Canadian Air Cadets have only been successful once in sending one of their cadets on the exchange. Then, Raycroft became the second.
“These people were so impressed with him coming forward and going through the process and being very adult about this at 17 years old,” said Captain Barry Duffield, commanding officer with the 903 Royal Canadian Air Cadets. “He came forward knowing full well that his chances of becoming glider pilot would be reduced. It’s crushing. It’s life, and it’s a really good life learning experience but when you have a cadet who has put everything into the squadron and all they ever wanted to do was go flying, as an aviator myself, I can appreciate that. But then to have the rug pulled under him for something he has no control over, it’s tough.”
Unable to fulfill his initial plan of attending the Royal Military College, Raycroft is now entertaining other options of a post secondary education. Although the pricey aviation program would’ve been covered at the Royal Military College and played a key factor in him attending the aviation program, Raycroft hasn’t completely ruled out becoming a pilot outside of the military. For now, he is planning his trip to Belgium with the International Air Cadet Exchange program and taking on his new responsibilities as chief warrant officer.