Teens receive flight licences

Sabrina Kooistra
Times Jr Reporter

 

Home to the 903 Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron, Strathmore boasts several recipients of a power flight or gliding scholarship which gets hopeful pilots off the ground.
The road to becoming a pilot as part of the Air Cadets is a long and arduous process, but no doubt is very rewarding.
Each prospective pilot, who is required to be at least 16 years of age to apply for a gliding or power pilot scholarship, is obligated to successfully complete ‘Ground School,’ which is four months in length.
Instructed by Captain Barry Duffield, candidates must receive a passing mark on the fourth test of a series of practice exams, attend 80 per cent of events and meetings, after which they may write an entrance exam.
The final mark of the examination, the cadet’s school marks, their Cadet attendance, and their success in an interview by a panel of three, comprised of a combination of military personnel and Air Cadet League members, are all part of the process to ensure the cadet is a worthy beneficiary of the scholarship.
If the potential pilots advance beyond this phase they will be considered to receive a scholarship to join other cadets from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Northwest Territories in Gimli, Man. for glider training, or to one of three aviation schools in the area to study powered flight. The course is approximately two months in duration.
Joining this aviation industry are members of Strathmore’s Cadet Squadron. Some of these pilots-in-training have dreamt of this opportunity from a young age out of interest, and others have made it their current career plan.
Alex Hering, an 18-year-old, now has his sights set towards a commercial pilot licence after achieving his private pilot licence this past summer with the assistance of a power flight scholarship. Clocking many hours in flight, he is currently practicing for the Transport Canada exam, which is the subsequent step to reaching a commercial licence and instructor’s licence.
“This was probably harder than school in a lot of ways, but was also an achievable goal for me. The best thing was probably that in the end, I got the one thing that was my goal from when I joined air cadets six years ago”, he said.
With this scholarship comes many other obligations and alternate time restrictions. Pilots-in-training through this Cadets scholarship receive eight to 16 per cent of the time allotted to flight students outside of the scholarship, so consequently, anxiety is very common. Because of this, there are several supports available to Cadets including summer programming, effective speaking, fitness, and ceremonial courses, along with assistance from mentors, to ensure that all students are successful in the program.
An additional option for prospective pilots is the glider training program. It is a six week long course involving both ground and in-flight training, preceded by entrance exams and interviews like that of the power flight scholarship. For Sgt. Rachel Gagne, a 16-year-old glider pilot from 903 Squadron in Strathmore, the gliding course was far from simple.
“Overall, I wasn’t really the best candidate to become a pilot … I get overwhelmed fairly easily … [and] I’m also very timid, and that is only made worse when you’re controlling a 1000 lb aircraft,” she said. “But I think I’m proof that if you want it bad enough, you put 120 per cent into everything you do, and just keep smiling, you can get through anything.”
Chiefly, each student was able to test their resilience and prepare for their future with both aviation-related and universally-desired career skills, while exiting the course essentially debt-free, with a flight licence under their belts.