Aug. 13 will be a day that local air cadets Richard Backlund of Sechelt and Kelsey Nattall of Pender Harbour will not soon forget.
Both cadets with the local 858 Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron of Gibsons received their pilot wings from Gen. Walt Natynczyk, chief of the defence staff, on the final wings graduation parade.
The sky is definitely the limit for these two cadets.
Richard completed his private power scholarship course at the Regional Gliding School at Canadian Forces Base Comox and received a Transport Canada private pilot licence, all in the same year as the Canadian centennial of powered flight.
He is one of 33 air cadets from across B.C. that was trained on the Cessna 172, to Transport Canada's private pilot licence standards in seven weeks. A student at Chatelech Secondary School, he is a flight sergeant with the local squadron.
Kelsey completed her glider scholarship course and received a Transport Canada glider licence. She spent six weeks learning to fly the Schweizer 2-33A glider to the licensing standards.
A student at Pender Harbour Secondary School, she is a sergeant with the local squadron.
The Royal Canadian Air Cadets is a national co-educational organization for youth aged 12 to 18 years, sponsored in partnership by the Canadian Forces and the civilian Air Cadet League of Canada. Information on the cadet program can be found at www.cadets.ca/regions/pac.
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