From "Great Start" to O-rides! New cadets take to the skies!
By: Capt Brent Wooters, CAP
Deputy Commander, Guilford Composite Squadron
The newest cadets of Guilford Composite Squadron are very eager and motivated to get their feet off the ground. The cadets spent seven weeks in the Great Start Program learning the ins and outs of Civil Air Patrol and how to be a productive cadet. They spent Thursday nights at the Shiloh Airport (KSIF) in Rockingham County, NC practicing customs and courtesies, physical fitness training and going through the Wingman Program to learn how to protect themselves and their fellow cadets.
Week three into the program the new cadets received their ABU uniforms and were proud to be the newest members of Civil Air Patrol. The cadets arrived every week wearing their uniforms in top notch condition working towards their first achievement so they could take the first steps in their journey from stripes to diamonds. Pressing forward through the cadet program with encouragement from their parents, the newest senior members and the leadership fourteen of the cadets graduated from the Great Start Program and received a promotion from Cadet to Cadet Airman; the first of many steps in their journey.
The cadets were introduced to aircraft and the aerospace program with the assistance of the manager of the Shiloh Airport, Mike Brooks, and Senior Member Kelly Joyce who both were more than happy to provide two different aircraft for the ground handling training that took place on October 14, 2021. The cadets took turns learning where to push and pull the aircraft as well as the danger areas not to approach. Armed with this knowledge it was time for the cadets to embark on one of the most popular and talked about elements of the cadet program; orientation flights.
The morning of 14 November 2021 was a cool and clear morning with visibility for miles. The four cadets selected for the Syllabus 6 Orientation Flights arrived with a lot of enthusiasm and a little bit of anxiousness as none of the four had previously flown in an aircraft like the Cessna 206 that made the journey from the Triangle North Executive Airport with Cadet Orientation Ride Pilot 1st Lt Greg Brown of Franklin County Composite Squadron (NC-145) at the controls. The four were given an overview of syllabus 6 by Captain Brent Wooters and then 1st Lt Greg Brown took over and went through the flight plan, pre-flight checks and other procedures that the cadets were required to familiarize themselves with. The seats were occupied by Cadet Airmen Rachel Wyatt and Jessica Schnaderbeck for the first journey and you could see the excitement in their eyes as they got onboard “Lola” and taxied down the runway. The group flew to Tazewell County Airport (JFZ) in Richlands, Virginia which was about an hour flight one way that allowed the cadets the chance to view the mountains and valleys and even take the controls for moments of the flight. Upon arrival back at Shiloh Airport, Cadet Airman Rachel Wyatt shared her favorite parts of her first orientation flight “as the views were very nice and my favorite part.” Cadet Airman Schnaderbeck summed her flight up as “very fun and I liked the views of the trees from above the most.” The second set of flights took the same route with Cadet Airmen Cody Kutlik and Nathan Eastwood in the seats. Both cadets were excited about their first flights and were ready to share their experiences once they landed back in Stoneville, NC. Family and senior members, one being Nathan’s father SM Steven Eastwood, met them to learn their favorite parts of the flight. Cadet Airman Cody Kutlik said he ”loved how fun it was” and Cadet Airman Nathan Eastwood, ”loved all of the maneuvers.”
The journey these four took culminated in the excitement and joys of getting off the ground in a Civil Air Patrol aircraft and beginning the first of many other flights in the cadet program. The other cadets anxiously await their turns on one of the future flights that takes to the skies of Rockingham County while bringing the Civil Air Patrol one flight further into the Aerospace and Cadet Programs mission.
For More Information:
Capt Brent Wooters, CAP
E-mail: Brent.Wooters@ncwgcap.org
