Cadets earn their wings

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This article was published 26/08/2023 (773 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On a perfect day for flying, 29 students — all under the age of 19 — received their glider pilot licences during graduation day at the Brandon Cadet Training Centre (CTC).

There were more than 100 cadets from across Western Canada and the Northwest Territories who applied to take the flight training and went through a rigorous selection process that included passing a 45-hour online ground school course and interview.

Zander Fernandez was one of those who was accepted, and on Friday afternoon he received his completion certificate and a pin for his uniform.

“I’m wearing my glider pilot’s wing,” Fernandez said. “So, it was seven weeks with a lot of hard work and dedication, but I finally got my wings.”

To be accepted into flight training, applicants must belong to the Canadian Cadet Program, open to youth aged 12 to 18, which encourages leadership, good citizenship and a focus on physical fitness.

The program is delivered by the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces, in partnership with the Navy League, Army, and Air Cadet Leagues of Canada and local communities.

Fernandez, now 16 years old, said he set his sights on flying when he first joined cadets about four years ago in Winnipeg.

“I was 12, my superiors in my squadron had the wings, and they looked pretty cool on the uniform, so I was like, I have to get one. But back then, I was small, and I didn’t have that much confidence. But through the years with the cadet program, I learned to build myself more and more, and here I am now, reaching for the skies,” Fernandez said as he laughed.

This is the second year the Brandon CTC has been in operation at the Brandon Municipal Airport. Previously, training was held in Gimli.

Classroom and office space, accommodations and meals were provided at Brandon University, whereas instruction on the field and above ground was held at the Brandon Municipal Airport.

The ratio was three to four students per instructor, said Lt.-Col. Tami Marchinko, the commanding officer of Brandon’s CTC.

“Of the seven weeks, about four weeks of that they had ground school for half the day and flying for half the day, then they did a Transport Canada exam. After the Transport Canada exam, we just flew, flew, flew, weather permitting. So, each student would have flown at least 29 dual air missions with an instructor, and 20 solo flights,” Marchinko said.

Beyond the pin ceremony and graduation exercises, Marchinko added, their goal is to prepare youth for adulthood.

“We want to teach them about leadership. We want to teach them about citizenship, and teamwork and responsibility. And we can do all of that while giving them a licence because the gliding field requires teamwork with tow planes, crew, maintenance and support staff, and staff back at the quarters,” Marchinko said.

One of the aims of the cadet program is to encourage interest in the “air elements” of the Canadian Armed Forces, said Capt. George A. Kays, the unit public affairs representative with the Brandon CTC.

“There are no recruiting sessions, and it doesn’t cost anything to join cadets — it’s completely youth development. I’ve been across the country with cadets, and I’m now an officer with the program. We went to France, for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings. Those are opportunities that wouldn’t be available to most people across the country,” Kays said.

Marchinko agrees, and added there are many military and even commercial pilots who got their start with air cadets and shared a story about an Air Canada plane passing over Brandon just a few weeks ago.

“There was an Air Canada flight going overhead and the pilot could see the gliding operation going on, and they gave them a shoutout on the radio. So, the cadets heard on the airfield that an Air Canada flight was calling to the glider operation and giving them a shoutout,” Marchinko said.

As Fernandez joined the rest of his cheering classmates, he had his wings on his uniform and tucked under his arm, a certificate recognizing him as the top cadet in Manitoba.

“For now, I am going to continue all the way through until I’m aged out at 19. Then, I’m thinking about commercial aviation, or private, or helping the cadet program. But the armed forces is also an option. I made so many friends, and I tried to set a higher standard for myself. That’s also something I learned here: to aim higher than what you think you can do.”

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

» X: @enviromichele