Canora air cadets had exercises, training, and field trips this November that made for an “action-packed month,” according to Lt. Darren Paul, the commanding officer.
Activities included the Saskadet training camp, Remembrance Day ceremonies, flight training, a joint parade, and a marksmanship competition. These activities are part of the training program for the Canora squadron No. 566 of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets and were provided to the students at no charge, said Paul.
Remembrance Day ceremonies were held on November 10 and 11. The first was held at Canora Composite School for all elementary and high school students, and the second was held at the cenotaph in front of Canora’s town hall and included a fly-past during the minute of silence conducted by Good Spirit Air.
“Cadets marched on solemnly and paid their respects to our veterans and fallen soldiers,” Paul said.
On November 12, the cadets travelled to Leading Edge Aviation in Yorkton to take part in flight training. Jason Feely of Preeceville took 31 cadets from the Preeceville and Canora squadrons on 20-minute flights. While the squadrons were there, Paul said they were surprised by an “awesome treat.”
A Canadian Forces flight training school landed a Griffon Bell 412 CF helicopter at the hangar in order to refuel while on its way back to Southport, Man.. The instructor of the helicopter provided an impromptu tour of the aircraft, followed by a question-and-answer session.
Saskadet camp was held from November 18 to 20 at Kelvington and was “a weekend packed with survival scenarios,” said Paul. The Canora squadron was joined by cadets from Foam Lake, Wynyard and Lanigan to learn how to survive in the wilderness. Cadets learned how to build fires, create shelters, create signals and signal fires to alert aircraft, shooting, archery and understanding maps and compasses. The shooting on the range was under the direction of the range safety officer. A night course competition was held to show the cadets’ skills in orienteering.
Canora cadets travelled to the Preeceville Legion on November 23 and were joined by Preeceville air cadets. They participated in a joint parade and then were invited to try out the Dreamflyer flight simulator.
November activities came to an end with the celebration of Range Day in Yorkton. Squadrons from Canora, Kamsack and Yorkton gathered at Yorkton Regional High School, which serves as the headquarters for the Yorkton cadets, and took part in a mock competition for marksmanship.
