Local teens soar through the skies

Cadet Tyler Sawicki of Cherry Valley is buckled into the glider by one of the Certified Flight Instructors as partof Civil Air Patrol’s Flight Orientation program. Cadet Dalton Durgin of Spencer smiles after his landing.

WORCESTER -- Several cadets from the Goddard Cadet Squadron, a local unit of Civil Air Patrol, recently participated in glider orientation flights. One of those members, Cadet Tyler Sawicki of Cherry Valley, flew in a glider for the first time, as part of Civil Air Patrol’s goal of furthering aerospace education in teenagers.
Through the free flight orientation program, CAP teenage members receive training on how to safely handle a glider on the ground, how to communicate through hand signals from the glider occupants to the ground team to the tow plane pilot, and then how to operate the glider while it is in the air. Taking off from Hartness State Airport in North Springfield, VT, the glider is towed to an altitude of around 3500 feet before the cadet releases the tow line and begins flying the glider with commands from a certified flight instructor sitting directly behind the cadet. Once the glider goes below 1000 feet, the instructor takes the controls and lands the glider.
When asked about his soaring experience, Cadet Sawicki replied that “I had an outstanding time during the glider flight. Being pulled into the sky by a tow plane, then being able to fly the glider after detaching with the pilot's help was an amazing experience, that I'm glad I had.”
Cadets Dalton Durgin of Spencer, Dawson Durgin of Spencer, Sam Houle of Ashland, Grayson Logan of Grafton, and Tyler Sawicki of Cherry Valley each flew at least one and as many as four glider flights over a two day period. Each cadet can also take five powered orientation flights in CAP’s fleet of Cessna planes, the largest fleet of Cessna’s in the world.
In addition to glider flying, this summer Cadets Sawicki and Houle will also be on attending the Engineering Technologies Academy at Middle Tennessee State University later this month, where he will be introduced to several aerospace and engineering disciplines by completing hands-on projects and learning from professors whose work has garnered national and world-wide notice. This academy is part of the Civil Air Patrol’s Cadet Program that focuses on leadership and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) learning.
Cadets Dalton Durgin and Logan will also be attending Powered Flight Academy where they will be begin working towards their private pilot’s license and should be able to fly solo by the end of the academy.
Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 57,000 members nationwide. Its volunteers also assist federal, state and local agencies as needed. Just this year, local members have flown hundreds of hours and took thousands of aerial photos for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Association so the state could assess coastal flooding damage from the various storms we have had so far this season. CAP is also part of the United States Air Force’s “Total Force”, which recognizes CAP as an integral part of the Air Force mission, even though members are volunteers and only participate in benevolent missions.
With over 500 aircraft, CAP also plays a leading role in aerospace education and adult members serve as mentors to more than 22,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. Goddard Cadet Squadron was named in honor of Dr. Robert Goddard and meets in the Worcester area most Sunday’s from 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM. The unit has been awarded the Quality Cadet Unit Award for the past 6 consecutive years, recognizing them as one of the top units in the entire country. For more information, visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com or www.GoddardCadetSquadron.com.