Mark Crha has been hooked on flying ever since his father’s friend invited him on a flight when he was just eight years old.
“I had so much fun with that,” said Crha, now 16. “Since then, I’ve always wanted to fly.”
Recently the Rockwood teen, an Air Cadet in Squadron 197 in Acton, was awarded his glider pilot licence after completing a total of 51 flights – 21 of those solo – this summer in Comox, B.C., as part of a six-week Glider Pilot Scholarship (GPS) course.
“It was amazing,” Crha said. “The scenery was beautiful and I made some good friends. I really didn’t want to leave at the end of it, it was so much fun.”
One of the highlights was his first solo flight on July 24.
“I was really nervous, but really excited at the same time,” he said.
Crha earned the right to attend an out-of-province course after he finished in the top 10 per cent in the nation on his GPS course.
Scott Legge, deputy commanding officer Squadron 197 in Acton, said there is little doubt Crha is “a special case.” He explained that due to his athletic pursuits, most notably in hockey, Crha prepared himself for the GPS exam.
“This young man finished in the top 10 per cent in the country,” said Legge.
Crha and William Richards, also of Rockwood, are the first two Air Cadets from the Acton squadron to finish in that exclusive group, he added.
To put that into perspective, Legge explained there are 90 glider scholarships in Ontario, and many more throughout the rest of Canada.
Yet Crha was clearly not satisfied with simply attending the GPS course in B.C. along with 45 other Air Cadets from across Canada.
He received the course’s top academic award, and was also recognized as its top overall pilot and top overall cadet. The latter was accompanied by a medal Crha now wears on his uniform.
“I was pretty surprised,” he said of receiving those honours at a special ceremony at the conclusion of the GPS course.
At some point he hopes to attend a power flying scholarship course, and later he hopes to attend college and obtain his licence.
“I want to be a commercial airline pilot,” Crha said.
In the meantime he will keep delivering papers for the Wellington Advertiser, which he has done since he was 12, and he will try to obtain his “familiarization rating,” which will allow him to take other cadets with him on glider flights.
He credits Air Cadets with much of his success in the sky to date.
“It’s the best youth organization I’ve been in for sure,” he said.
Along with Legge, Crha is encouraging area youths aged 12 to 18 that are interested in joining Air Cadets, to attend a recruitment night at the Acton Legion on Sept. 11 at 7pm.
For more information visit www.aircadetleague.com.
