Canadian Air Cadets still need funds for competition.

By Aspen Gainer/EDMONTON EXAMINER

Warrant Officer Richard Oxlade (team lead), Flight Sergeant Tyvon Harvey, Flight Corporal Harry Bayrock and possibly Sergeant Matt McLean, the team alternate, from 12 Squadron Royal Canadian Air Cadets will be the only representatives from Canada in the UK-based Schools Aerospace Challenge 2012. However, they won’t be able to honour the prestigious invite unless the team can raise $20,000 by June 10.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to introduce Canada to this competition and the team chosen from 12 Squadron Air Cadets has been training hard to represent not just the Edmonton area or Alberta, but Canada,” says Thomas Hinderks, executive director of the Alberta Aviation Museum Association.

The Schools Aerospace Challenge 2012 is an aviation competition held yearly at Cranfield University in England, which is the pretty much the home of modern aviation, according to Hinderks. This year, because it is the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Year, both Canadian and Australian competitors were invited.

The Alberta Aviation Museum received the prestigious invite in February 2012 and approached 12 Squadron for volunteers. All four boys, between the ages of 16 and 18, have been in intensive training since they were chosen. Because of the tight timeline, the competition will be tough for the Edmonton teens.

“The team has been working hard in a training program based on the competition and once [in the UK] it gets tougher, competing against the top student teams from England,” says Hinderks.

This year, the three cadets will be trained to Royal Air Force standards on piloting Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

“They’ve been working with Nav Canada, they’ve been out to Air Traffic Control Centre, Flight Service Station, they’re working with personnel from 408 Squadron, and this past weekend they were assembling a remote-controlled helicopter system with onboard cameras and setting up computer simulations to get up to speed for the competition,” says Hinderks.

The Alberta Aviation Museum has been fundraising diligently, but $45,000 is hard to raise in less than six months. Hinderks and the museum have approached a number of aerospace industry leaders from Canada for support but so far, the only interest has come from a UK company, which is embarrassing to say the least.

“Aerospace and aviation have been a big part of Edmonton’s history and the region’s history but that’s kind of disappeared over the last number of years. This is an opportunity to bring it back and open the door for kids.”

In addition to getting kids interested in aerospace and aviation, the competition will help youth on a broader level.

“It inspires the kids to reach a little farther. Work a little harder, reach a little farther, you can achieve it. That’s why it’s so important to us at the Museum.”

For more information, visit albertaaviationmuseum.com or call the Museum at 780-451-1175. corporate and independent donations are welcome; all proceeds go to the team’s trip and donations will be refunded if necessary.