As RCMP helicopter Air One touched down in a light afternoon drizzle, more than 120 children crowded against a chain link fence at Langley Secondary School to watch.
When the rotors stopped spinning, the pilots stepped out and the kids began to cheer.
It was the final day of the 2011 Junior Cadet Camp run by the Langley RCMP. The 10- to 12-year-olds got a chance to get a close-up look at Air One and other equipment like the RCMP tactical armored vehicle, a search and rescue truck and fire engine.
The goal of the camp, now in its sixth year, is to encourage what an RCMP web posting describes as “a positive interaction between children and the police, to educate youth making them safety conscious individuals” as well as reaching out to children at risk.