A Field Trip with the Cadets

On Monday, November 25th, Skookumchuk’s cadets took the first ferry from Langdale over to Vancouver for a full day of tours and fun activities. After a lengthy bus ride into Abbotsford, cadets were dropped off at the first destination on the list of events: a detailed (and exclusive) tour of Canadian aerospace and defense contractor, Cascade Aerospace. Providing support for government, military and commercial contractors looking for top-of-the-line aircraft maintenance and engineering, Cascade is housed in 230,000 square-foot facility at the Abbotsford International Airport.

Cadets were given an in-depth tour of the facility, boarding several C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft and learning about the vast amount of career option that Cascade, and the aviation industry as a whole, yields.

The work being done on these planes was in fact so confidential, that pictures were not even permitted!

After the tour was complete, the cadets boarded the bus once again, and took just over a two minute ride to another aviation-based company, ConAir Aerial Firefighting. Once the parent company of Cascade Aerospace, ConAir is a world leader in specialty driven aircraft operations, delivering a comprehensive range of purpose-built, aerial firefighting and multi-role services worldwide. 

During the tour, cadets had the opportunity to get up close with some of the company’s signature craft, such as the Conair Firecats (modified military-grade Grumman S-2 Trackers), the Avro RJ85 and the massive Q400MR. 

Cadets also caught a glimpse at the company’s state-of-the-art flight simulators, a full, omni-directional training platform built to simulate various aircraft cockpits and in-flight scenarios.

With the two tours complete, the cadets headed over to The Old Spaghetti Factory for a deliciously filling lunch, and finally ended the day with two hours of pure dopamine rushes at Castle Fun Park. Games such as Foosball, Shooting Range and various arcade games let the cadets wind down from the day and relax.

Unless you’re playing Foosball (that game can get intense!)

Interested in joining or volunteering with 858 Skookumchuk? Please drop us a note via our contact page!