He can’t drive alone yet, but he can pilot a glider by himself.
16-year-old Liam Sanders is back home after becoming the first local Air Cadet in nine years to take the glider course and complete a solo flight.
The Flight Sergeant with 547 Canuck Squadron took the Glider Pilot Training Course at St. Jean, Quebec this summer.
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Sanders says he was nervous before his first solo flight, but his instructors helped prepare him for it.
“I did my pre-solo check, and everything went really well and got back on the ground. He started briefing me for my next flight and then said, ‘have fun’ and left,” says Sanders. “The take-off was pretty nerve-wracking but once I got up in the air it was pretty calming and I had a lot of fun.”
He adds he’s proud of his accomplishment.
“I’m very excited and happy to share this experience with other cadets from Northern Ontario as we don’t have many glider or power pilots in the region,” he says.
Sanders is a student at St. Joseph-Scollard Hall but hopes to take flight with his future career plans.
“I’m thinking of going to Royal Military College and taking my major in business administration and then further on joining the Royal Canadian Air Force and becoming a helicopter pilot,” he says.
Sanders says cadets offer a variety of experiences for young people.
“It’s completely free. The only thing you have to pay them in is your time,” he says. “The more you put into cadets the more you get out of cadets.”
There are three branches, including air, army and sea cadets, with open houses and registration sessions coming up locally in September.
Along with summer camp experiences, activities vary from biathlon to marksmanship, sailing, aviation, drill, winter camping, and more.
