Cadets’ Corner is a weekly column submitted by the 37 Orville Hand air cadets group.
A busy end to the training season is coming up for the 37 Orville Hand Air Cadet Squadron.
An annual tree planting will take place on Saturday, April 22 at Henderson Park, which coincides with Earth Day. The official global theme for 2023’s Earth Day is Invest in Our Planet, and that is exactly what the cadets plan to do on April 22. Cadets will be planting 175 red oak seedlings to say thanks to the Bradford community that has supported them since their formation five years ago.
Cadets will be out supporting the Bradford Legion in a booth on Saturday, April 29 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Bradford Home and Lifestyle Show. Cadets will have an opportunity to connect with the community and showcase their experience thus far as cadets. Please stop by and ask the cadets any questions you may have and find out if the cadets program is right for you.
Cadets will be bringing the thunder to the Air Cadet Activity Day on Saturday, May 6 at Canadian Forces Base Borden. Fingers crossed, they will be bringing home the first-place Spirit Award for the 37 Orville Hand Air Cadet Squadron.
There will be back-to-back activities for some of the cadets on Mother’s Day weekend.
Saturday, May 13, cadets will be in the Bradford community tagging at local businesses asking for donations for the squadron. Tagging is the major way cadets fundraise. Twice a year, cadets are sent in pairs to locations around Bradford. The Department of National Defence does cover the cost of uniforms and some resources for the air cadets, but the rest of the money needed for the training year is up to the cadets corps.
For 20 cadets, Sunday, May 14 will be a day of gliding. Gliding involves flying unpowered aircraft using the same naturally occurring currents of air that birds use to fly. A tow plane will bring the cadets up in a glider plane, where they get to safely soar/glide in the sky.
Unfortunately, due to staffing levels at the gliding area, only 20 cadets are able to go up in May. However, the rest of the cadets will have the opportunity to go up in September, so no one will miss out.
“When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always want to be.” — Leonardo da Vinci
