GEERKENS, Robin Sgt C-GTGB Sergeant Robin Geerkens (right) receives congratulations and his first solo certificate from 2nd Lieuttenant Chris Smuck, commemorating a successful first solo flight in his glider.
The Spectator
Robin Geerkens is about to be handed his wings.
The young Dundas cadet is among more than 50 cadets from across Ontario graduating Friday from the Air Cadet Glider Pilot Scholarship course.
“It means everything because that’s the ceremony where I officially get my wings,” said Geerkens, 16. “I’ll put that on my uniform, and that shows that I’m a glider pilot.”
During the graduation ceremony, cadets who completed the intensive, six-week aviation course will be awarded a cloth wing to display on their uniform.
Sergeant Geerkens applied for an Air Cadet League of Canada flying scholarship last winter. Eighty-six recipients were accepted from more than 180 applicants in Ontario.
“They are a bunch of dedicated young people,” said Captain Gerald A. Joanisse, public affairs officer for the central region gliding school. “They do a lot of hard work and spend a lot of time studying the material because they also have to pass the Transport Canada written exam.”
On July 27, Geerkens aced his first solo flight, in the school’s Schweizer 2-33 Glider: “My first solo flight was great, the feeling was indescribable — you are alone in a plane, there is no one behind you telling you what to do. You are the only one who can control it. I was definitely a little scared.”
After graduation, Geerkens plans to keep flying on weekends. There are gliding centres in St. Catharines and Welland where he can work toward his 10 hours of pilot and command time.
Once he has accumulated those hours, he can take passengers in the glider.
And he will be able to take other cadets on a familiarization flight to get a sense of what it’s like, as he did at age 12.
When he’s airborne, Geerkens’ flights last between 8 and 14 minutes, depending on how high he goes.
And he does plan to go higher. Next year, Geerkens intends to apply for the Power Scholarship Course to get his pilot licence for powered aircraft. That’s also a six-week program.
Someday, he wants to be a professional pilot.
“Flying any plane would be great; a fighter plane would be an awesome opportunity.”
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