The Air Cadet League of Canada is a non-profit,
civilian organization composed of leading business and professional
people from all parts of Canada. The League functions through a national
board of governors, provincial and regional directors, and local
sponsoring bodies supporting each squadron. The League is aimed at
providing citizenship and aviation training for Canadian youths in high
school.
In early 1937, as war clouds started forming in
Europe, several prominent men, mostly World War I veterans from the air
division of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and Royal Air Force (RAF),
across Canada independently conceived the idea of establishing Air Cadet
Squadrons in their home cities as a means of interesting the young men
of the day in the possibility of future service with the Royal Canadian
Air Force.
In 1939 the Federal Air Advisory Council appointed
S/L Nick Carter of Vancouver, British Columbia, to organize the youth of
the country in an Air Cadet Organization. He personally traveled across
Canada expounding on the merits of such a program, which ultimately led
to Air
Minister Powers sponsoring Order-in-Council PC 6647,
which passed on November 11, 1940, and authorized the formation of the
Air Cadet League of Canada.
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It is significant to note that in 1981, His Royal
Highness Prince Phillip, Air-Commodore-in-Chief, Royal Canadian Air
Cadets, congratulated the League on its 40th anniversary. He especially
emphasized that the training provided by the Air Cadet League of Canada
does much more than foster an interest in aviation; it is equally
important as a preparation for responsible citizenship.
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In April, 1941, the Air Cadet League of Canada was
granted a Dominion Charter and many squadrons were formed across the
country. Over 3,000 cadets graduated into the RCAF and their gallant
record in all theaters of the allied war operations provided tangible
proof of the value of Air Cadet training towards Canada's war efforts.
Following World War II, there was a natural lessening
of interest in Cadet activities and the organization floundered
somewhat. In 1946 the Canadian government implemented a plan of
sponsoring 15,000 Air Cadets, and a peacetime program was adopted to
combine citizenship training along with aviation instruction.
In addition, a scholarship program was established
whereby all senior Cadets could compete annually for 250 positions to
train for a Transport Canada Private Pilot Licence. Within this program,
successful Cadets were provided with six weeks of powered flight
instruction at various flying schools across the country during their
summer holidays.
In 1968 the League lost its original partner, the
RCAF, due to unification of the Canadian Armed Forces. The League
adopted gliding instruction as part of their program in order to keep
the "air" in Air Cadets and provide more flight instruction to
the Cadet membership. More than 45,000 glider flights have been carried
out each year since that time and over 320 Air Cadet glider pilots are
licenced annually. Presently, the League owns more than 50 gliders and
27 tow planes which are operated by the Department of National Defence
in support of the League's training program.
In 1975 membership was opened to include girls,
thereby extending the Air Cadet training influence to the total youth of
Canada. In 1989 there were over 440 squadrons operating across Canada,
and 30 per cent of the membership was comprised of young women.
The Belt of Orion Award for Excellence was bestowed
upon the Air Cadet League of Canada in 1989.
"The
Air Cadet League of Canada program has developed the attributes of good
citizenship and leadership in Canadian youth while stimulating their
interests in aeronautics and assisting in their pursuits of careers to
the betterment of Canadian aviation."