Gliding With the Air Cadet Program

Hello everyone. My name is Anthony, and for CAS at Westwood Collegiate, I've been volunteering in Gimli, MB with the Air Cadet Gliding program. In case you are unaware what the Air Cadet gliding program is all about, I'll give you the run-down.

A glider is basically a plane without an engine. It uses the laws of physics to make it stay in the air. It is towed up by a plane, then released to fly around until it needs to land. The glider used is called a Schweizer 2-33A, and this is universal all across Canada. It is a very fun activity to do.

How does this tie into CAS? Well, gliding is a choice. Every Saturday and Sunday morning throughout September-October a shuttle leaves for Gimli. This shuttle leaves at 6:30am, and doesn't usually get back until 7:00pm. The Air Cadets who want to go will leave on the shuttle and get to Gimli by about 7:30am. We then get ready to fly.

At about 8:00am, younger Air Cadets, who are about 12-16 come to Gimli. What our jobs is as staff cadets is to help introduce flying to the cadets so that they have an interest in pursuing a career in aviation. We take them to a simulator, so that they can see what gliding is all about. We would then take them up in the actual glider, so that they get a feel for the program and what we do.

So, as a goal I'm hoping to get my PAX rating. As of right now, I actually can't take up younger cadets. To be able to take them up, I would need to get 10 hours of pilot-in-command flying time. So far I have 6 hours. My goal is to get at least 10 hours before gliding ends in June. That way, I can take up younger cadets, and contribute more to my gliding center. Currently, and when gliding starts up in the spring, I contribute by showing the cadets what it's like to be on the gliding field. There are many positions that staff cadets need to fulfil in order to be safe. I show them what they are, as well as try to keep them entertained so that they don't get bored. I would have to say that gliding fulfils the "service" portion of CAS

So far, gliding has been a lot of fun. As with everything, it has it's ups and downs, but it is well worth it. Some days it is quite difficult to wake up in the morning at 5:30, but in the end, it will all pay off. By continuing to participate in the gliding program, I show my officers the determination that I have so that I am able to get as much flying time as possible to reach my goal of 10 hours.

For future thoughts, I am hoping to continue gliding next year, as well as after high school. In the summer of 2013, hopefully I will have at least 20 hours of pilot-in-command. At 20 hours, I can try to become an instructor to teach Air Cadets how to fly gliders. That is my ultimate goal for gliding.

In conclusion, gliding is one of my passions. It is well worth the early mornings so that I can fly as much as possible, and teach the younger cadets about what we do. Finally, I am hoping to reach my goals, so that I can contribute more to the program, and become a better person. Thanks for reading my first blog post.