Author Archives: Capt Lemoine

Vimy 100 Trip: Day Three

We began the day by catching the Thameslink train from Blackfriars to St. Pancras station. After making a quick stop at the Platform 9 3/4 Shop at King’s Cross, we rode the high speed rail most of the way to Dover. There was some track work, so we had to get a bus for the last leg of the journey.

The afternoon was spent at Dover Castle where we immersed ourselves in the WWII history of the Secret Wartime Tunnels before looking further back to the reign of the Plantagenet Kings of England. The mediaeval history •may• not have exceeded the simple fun of fun of castle exploration for the cadets, but I’m happy with the result either way.

To close the day, we crossed the English Channel to Calais, France. Tomorrow, we’re heading to La Coupole, and the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, with a •possible• stop at the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial. More pictures and updates to come.

Funny Moments:

Between CV Lett accidentally stepping on OCdt Couroux’s toe and CV Ross-Gowans inadvertently tripping him, he was certain that the ladies were trying to kill him at one point. CV Lett’s final comment of “We’ll finish you off!” may not have helped.

Despite my driving the van that carried all of the cadets’ luggage, the fact that I did not join them in their arduous hike up the hill to the castle earned me some flak. This evapourated when I offered to let them haul their luggage down to the ferry themselves.

Vimy 100 Trip: Day Two

It was a long day of walking for the cadets and staff today. We began with a visit to the Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park, followed by the Canada Memorial, Buckingham Palace, Canada House, Trafalgar Square, the Imperial War Museum, the Tower of London, and, after dinner, a quick walk around St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Tomorrow, we spend the day at Dover Castle before crossing the English Channel to Calais and beginning the French portion of the trip.

Vimy 100 Trip: Day One

Despite aircraft maintenance issues delaying our arrival by two hours, we had a productive day in London. We visited Westminster Abbey, saw the Battle of Britain Monument, the Royal Air Force Memorial and had a memorable and fun training night with 291 Westminster & Chelsea Cadets for the evening.

Tomorrow, we’re off to another full day in London. More pictures and updates will ensue.

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Vimy Trip

For cadets participating in this month’s trip to the UK and France, a few announcements:

  1. Monday night at 8pm: Uniform Rolling/Packing Session. I’ll be teaching everyone how to roll their uniforms in order to minimize wrinkles while travelling. It’s recommended that you bring your uniforms and your luggage so that you can have your uniform correctly packed tonight for the trip.
  2. Wednesday night: Presuming that you’ll have your uniform already packed, dress for cadets on the Vimy Trip will be black pants, white shirt, and black tie. Remember those first few weeks when you joined and you’ll do just fine.
  3. Passports: Just to make sure that I have the final list for check-in, bring your passports with you either on Monday or Wednesday so that I can verify them against the information I have.

It’s going to be a great trip!

Cadet Gliding: A Family Affair

These things tend to run in families. Congratulations to Maj Luigi, Capt Anne-Marie, and Cadet WO2 Angela Norio.

https://www.facebook.com/MountainviewCdt/videos/1689026107806682/

Video Transcript (English)

Hello, my name is Major Luigi Norio and I am the Cadet Flying Site Commander for the St. Catharines and Welland Cadet Flying Sites. This summer I am working as the tow pilot at the Mountain View Cadet Flight Training Centre in support of the air cadet glider pilot scholarship. I have been involved in the air cadet gliding program for 29 years flying both the Belanca Scout tow plane and Schweizer 2-33A glider. This summer I have the fortune opportunity to tow my daughter Warrant Officer Second Class Angela Norio from 87 Eagle Squadron Welland Air Cadets up for her very first solo flying a glider.

(Radio Transmissions)

Congratulations awesome job! Congratulations Kiddo, well done, I am proud of you!

Coincidence?

OCdt Couroux was doing some reading last week and discovered another 809 Squadron (nicknamed “Immortals”) from the UK Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm. 809 Naval Air Squadron was formed in 1941 and flew in World War II, the Cold War, and the Falklands War before being disbanded in 1982. They flew a number of planes while in service, including the Supermarine Seafire and the Blackburn Bucaneer.

The latest news is that they’re being re-activated and will stand up in 2023 to serve as the Royal Navy’s first F-35B squadron, based at RAF Marham when not deployed aboard one of the new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers.

For those of our cadets who have one foot in the water and an eye to the skies, and you know who you are, we may have a little bit more tie to the seas than we thought.

Further information on 809 Naval Air Squadron can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/809_Naval_Air_Squadron

Canada Day Parade

Sending a big “Thank You!” out to the cadets who attended the Canada Day Parade on Sunday. Volunteering to participate in these events demonstrates our commitment to our community and country. Raising awareness of the squadron in the public eye is also a great side benefit.

Sunday’s Jet Boat Trip

Sunday’s trip up the Niagara River on a jet boat was a blast!

It all started with a safety briefing and a walk from the Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours office to their dock at the end of the street.

Once we arrived, we put on our Sunday best and had a group picture taken. The appropriate subtitle here would be: they were never seen (dry) again. Well, at least not for the rest of the day.

There weren’t a lot of good opportunities to see faces once we got out onto the water, but if you’re really lucky, you may be able to pick out one or two through the spray. We’re the last two rows in the last picture.

Everyone who came out had a great time!

Special thanks go out to CI Ruttan for coming out and sharing the trip with us. The squadron won’t be the same without you in September.

Jet Boating Pickup Time

A few people have been asking when to be picked up from this afternoon’s trip. The boat leaves at 3:00pm and the trip is approximately one hour, so expect to be able to pick your cadet up at 4:00pm.