Warrant Officer Second Class Christopher Gandouin smiles as he shakes hands with Colonel Benninger after being presented with his Air Cadet Wings.
A local teenager is one of B.C.’s newest pilots. On August 19, Gandouin was among 70 Air Cadets on parade to receive their Air Cadet pilot’s wings at the Regional Gliding School (Pacific) in Comox.
The cadets were presented their wings by Colonel Benninger the Commanding Officer of 19 Wing Comox.
Christopher is a member of 746 Lighting Hawk Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron in Langley.
He was one of just 34 Air Cadets from across British Columbia that spent seven weeks learning to fly powered aircraft and earning his Transport Canada Private Pilots License.
Gandouin was awarded the parade position of Deputy Flight Commander for Lightning Flight after trying out alongside many other cadets.
“These young men and women have worked very hard this summer to become licensed pilots and we are all very proud of their accomplishments,” said Lt.-Col Tony Appels, Commanding Officer of RGS (Pacific).
“This is a very dedicated group of young adults who are going to make their own special mark on this country; it may be as a future Prime Minister, an airline pilot or by simply being a better Canadian.”
Royal Canadian Air Cadets is a national co-educational youth organization sponsored in partnership by the Canadian Forces and the civilian Air Cadet League of Canada. In British Columbia there are about 3,000 Air Cadets enrolled in 57 Squadrons.
For more information on Air Cadets in the Langley area visit:
http://www.cadets.ca/lhq/746air