Flying
Every year, our Squadron conducts numerous powered Familiarization Flights (Fam-Flying). Such Flights allow cadets to gain first-hand experience flying real life airplanes which ground school cannot fully achieve. Cadets learn about how to make sure a plane is ready to fly, and sometimes the cadets lead the Walk-around.
Gliding
Gliding is another of the unique opportunities within Air Cadets. Cadets get to go up in gliders, and even try their hand at flying. Cadets can experience what it’s like to fly without an engine, and see how their glider gets towed into the air by another plane.
Effective SPeaking
One of the toughest things for a person to do in life is to speak in public. It requires being confident in ones abilities.
We practice and fine tune the art of speaking in Public, allowing members to gain confidence and leadership skills along the way.
Year over year, 609 has always produced some great candidates for this program and this year is no different!
Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh program is a great youth program for young men and woman aged 14-24 to enhance their citizenship skills, along with their physical recreation and personal skills.
Throughout the program, you participate in activities to give back to the community, physical recreation to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and, achieving personal goals and sharing your knowledge with others
Field Training
Field Training Exercises, known as FTX’s are weekend activities conducted outside of the Local Headquarters, usually at a pre-determined training ground. The aim of these exercises is to support the regular Wednesday night training to teach outdoor survival skills, land navigation, leadership and radio communications among other things.
These classes are part of the mandatory cadet training program at all levels geared to the cadets’ level of skill and experience. Providing this instruction allows practical, experiential learning in an outdoors environment rather than in a boring classroom that is not conducive to learning skills such as these.
Exercises occur during the training year (September-June), with one exercise per season, including winter, where there are opportunities for some cadets to sleep outside in tents. Typically the Squadron will stay in soft accommodation (tents, field shelters or improvised shelters) depending on the facilities available and the training objectives. Except for extreme conditions the training will not be impacted by weather.
Snow, rain and sun offer unique experiences to the cadets can regardless of the weather if the cadets are equipped we will conduct training. Typically great memories come from weekends where the Squadron has overcome adversity which the weather has been known to provide.
