Nelson Air Cadets road trip to Okanagan
By Contributor
The 561 Nelson Osprey Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets traveled to Vernon and Kelowna last weekend for a tour.
During Day one, the cadets traveled to Kelowna and toured the Okanagan Military Museum and spent time at the Kelowna H2O Centre before heading to Cadet Summer Training Centre Vernon for the night.
The second day saw the cadets zip lining at the Oyama Zip line, visiting the Kangaroo Creek Farm in Lake Country and then going indoor climbing at the Rock Garden Climbing Centre in Vernon.
On Monday the cadets toured KF Aerospace in Kelowna. The cadets were able to see the work that KF Aerospace does for its aviation clients such as WestJet, New Leafs Airlines, the Canadian Armed Forces and Coulson Air Tankers. The cadets were able to learn about opportunities in the aviation industry for aircraft maintainers and air crew.
The cadets also toured the Kelowna Air Traffic Control Tower operated by NavCanada. They were able to watch the controllers as they provided air traffic services to the aircraft in the Kelowna area.
Finally, the cadets went to Alpine Helicopters where they toured their maintenance facility in West Kelowna. They were able to see Alpine`s Bell 212 helicopters that were ongoing routine maintenance and learn about career opportunities with helicopter companies.
The spring has been busy for the cadets of the squadron. In May, the cadets will be learning survival skills and going flying in glider aircraft. In the summer, several cadets will be also be going to Summer Training at locations across the province and country.
The cadets who are in high school will also be receiving the high school credits they earn while being in the cadet program.
Nelson Air Cadets meet at 6:15 p.m. every Wednesday in the Nelson Eagles Hall at 641 Baker Street. The squadron currently has cadets from Nelson, Balfour, Kaslo, South Slocan and Nakusp.
The squadron always welcomes new cadets who are between the ages of 12 and 18.
Adults who would like to volunteer with squadron are also welcome.
Quick Facts:
- The Cadet Program is open to all Canadian youth from the ages of 12 to 18 regardless of income, race, religion, culture or other socio-economic factors. The program embraces Canada’s multiculturalism and offers young Canadians opportunities to interact with youth from other cultures.
- Cadets is the largest youth organization operated by the Government of Canada and has over 53,000 cadets and is led by 7000 adults.
Photo Caption: On Monday the cadets toured KF Aerospace in Kelowna. — Submitted
