Rabbits In My Basement: Up and Away Junior Birdmen!

Spent a wonderful Sunday morning taking my cadets to Centralia for gliding. RCAF Station Centralia started life during WWII as a British-Commonwealth Air Training Plan base and until the early'70s it was the Primary Flight School and Basic Officer Training School for the RCAF. Now it is a commercial aerodrome and industrial park but the Air Cadet Gliding Cadre runs gliding days for squadrons in the area out of it.

One tiny Scout tow plane was kept busy launching two gliders. The first glider would go up and the next glider was made ready so it could get pushed onto the runway as soon as the tow plane landed again. Then the first glider would be landing after the tow plane took off with glider number two.

Only 12 cadets made it but the weather was excellent and everyone got up in the air. There was even time for me, my Admin O, a Civilian Instructor and a mom (they live nearby so came out to watch) to get up in the air.

Gliding is very different even from bouncing around in a light Cessna. You really notice how you're floating along on the thermals. I had the front seat so I had a pretty excellent view of the sky and landscape.