The Sunshine Coast Royal Canadian Air Cadets – 858 Skookumchuck Squadron – held an All About Flight open house at the Sechelt Airport on Sept. 24 to highlight and promote careers in aviation, showcase the Air Cadets program and offer something fun for the community.
Trish Scott, chairperson of the 858 Skookumchuck Squadron parents sponsoring committee, said one of the aims of the organization is to get cadets out to the airport more often so they can learn about aviation firsthand from working pilots.
“We’d like to get [cadets] more involved with the pilots and learning from people who fly for a living – for what type of careers are available and to get hands-on experiences about air equipment and operations,” Scott said. “We fundraise a lot to operate flying experiences for them. We want them up in the air for free, or fundraised for by the parents.”
Joan Thibault – the original founder of the 858 Skookumchuck Squadron – said cadets who pursue a career in aviation can obtain their pilot’s licence by 18 and their gliding licence by 16.
“They’re not paying for that out of their pocket,” Thibault said. “They’re learning through the cadet program. So if they really want to fly, they have the opportunity there.”
The event was coordinated between the air cadets, the Recreational Aircraft Association Chapter #580, the Elphinstone Aero Club and aviation operators on the Sunshine Coast. Pilots were on hand to talk to kids and parents about their work and answer questions for anyone interested in pursuing an aviation career.
Youths 12 to 18 are welcome to join the Air Cadets, but Scott recommended that children start between 12 and 14 to “get the most out of the program.”
Sgt. Bradly Shearsmith – chief of the 858 Skookumchuck Squadron – won the top cadet award for the basic drill and ceremonial course he took at the Vernon Cadet Training Centre last year.
“Air cadets has been – for me – a place to show my leadership and it’s been a place to help me advance in my aviation career,” Bradly said. “When I get out of cadets I’d like to become a commercial pilot. It’s helped me with a lot of general knowledge about aviation and parts of the airplane.”
Bradly, 17, has been an air cadet for four years.
“It’s a great opportunity to learn about aviation and really enhance your leadership and learn a lot of new techniques like survival, drills and shooting – all sorts of stuff.”
The air cadets showcased some of these skills at the event on Sunday. Sgt. Jude Martin organized a few soon-to-be air cadets into building a wilderness shelter in the forest.
“It’s a shelter made for holding up against [the elements],” Jude said. “You have a steady base for it and you have steady water coverage for it also, to keep from getting soaked. It’s a very easy shelter to make, but it’s a bit scarce to find great leaning material.”
The shelter used a fallen tree as a base support. The cadets then built a skeleton structure out of sticks, which they covered with fern leaves for water protection and then moss to keep the heat in.
Jude demonstrated the durability of the shelter by first kicking it repeatedly, then by pouring water over it after one of his helpers got inside.
If you are interested in joining the 858 Skookumchuck Squadron or for more information, they can be found online at www.aircadetleague.com/squadron/858-skookumchuck
