REGIONAL GLIDING SCHOOL (PRAIRIE)

'Regional Gliding School (Prairie)', (RGS(Pra), RGS(P)), is one of five Glider Pilot Training Schools that are part of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets program. The primary task is to run the annual summer courses to train Air Cadets to the level of a Transport Canada Glider Pilot License. RGS(P) also conducts the Introduction to Aviation Course (ITAC). Every summer, approxiamately 180 cadets train at RGS(P): sixty on the six week glider course and two serials of sixty in ITAC. RGS(P) is located adjacent to the town of Gimli, MB, in the interlake region of Manitoba.

Contents

History

Notable Events

Staff

Flights

References

External links

History

The beginnings of RGS(P) are tied closely to the origins of the Air Cadet Gliding Program. The activities at Edmonton, AB in 1965 and later at Penhold, AB were the first Air Cadet Gliding programs in Canada^[1]. RGS(P) has been based at three locations throughout its history and pre-history. This is a timeline of the relocations of RGS(P)^[2] :

★ (1966 - 1973) Penhold, AB (Pre RGS(P))

★ (1974 - 1983) Rivers, MB (As RGS(Pra))

★ (1984 - 1987) Gimli, MB

★ (1988 - 1997) Pehold, AB

★ (1998) Gimli, MB

★ (1999) Penhold, AB

★ (2000 - present) Gimli MB (In the year 2000, the school operated as ''Prairie Region Gliding School (PRGS)'')

Notable Events

★ The one millionth Air Cadet Glider Flight was flown at RGS(P) in 1995. On board the glider were Capt. D. Gillrie and Cadet WO Sarah Tufts.²

Staff

RGS(P) is staffed by members of the Cadet Instructors Cadre of the Canadian Forces. The following is a list of staff members in recent history:
^{[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]}
'Commanding Officers'

★ (2001 - 2004) LCol Forestell

★ (2005 - Present) LCol Gillrie
'Standards Officer'

★ (2002 - present) Capt B. Cook
'Chief Groundschool Officer'

★ (2002 - 2003) Capt R. Wickett

★ (2004-Present) Capt. J. Lawson
'Chief Flying Instructor'

★ (2001 - Present) Maj B. Renaud
'Regional Cadet Air Engineering Officer'

★ (1996 - Present) Capt M. Gielas
'Chief Air Traffic Advisory Officer'

★ (1998 - 2003) Mr. W. Graham

★ (2004 - Present) Capt C. Bruce-Smith

Flights

The cadets attending RGS(P) are divided into four flights, named to honour the 2CFFTS Basic Flight Training Course at CFB Moose Jaw. These are: Apache, Bandit, Cobra, and Dragon. Apache and Bandit are the gliding course flights, Cobra and Dragon are the ITAC flights.

References

1. http://www.regions.cadets.ca/pac/rgs/history_e.asp Canadian Forces website describing origins of the Air Cadet Gliding Program
2. http://www.regions.cadets.ca/pra/air_ops/history_e.asp Canadian Forces history page on RGS(P)
3. http://www.regions.cadets.forces.gc.ca/pra/aircad/air_ops/rgs/pers1996_e.asp RGS(P) Personnel - 1996
4. http://www.regions.cadets.forces.gc.ca/pra/aircad/air_ops/rgs/pers1997_e.asp RGS(P) Personnel - 1997
5. http://www.regions.cadets.forces.gc.ca/pra/aircad/air_ops/rgs/pers1998_e.asp RGS(P) Personnel - 1998
6. http://www.regions.cadets.forces.gc.ca/pra/aircad/air_ops/rgs/pers1999_e.asp RGS(P) Personnel - 1999
7. http://www.regions.cadets.forces.gc.ca/pra/aircad/air_ops/rgs/pers2000_e.asp RGS(P) Personnel - 2000
8. http://www.regions.cadets.forces.gc.ca/pra/aircad/air_ops/rgs/pers2001_e.asp RGS(P) Personnel - 2001
9. http://www.regions.cadets.forces.gc.ca/pra/aircad/air_ops/rgs/pers2002_e.asp RGS(P) Personnel - 2002

External links

★ RGS(Pra) Website