Alumni News

A message from 140 Alumni Geoff Cattrall...

Hello, my name is Geoff Cattrall. I joined 140 Aurora squadron in 1989, when I was 13 years old, and when the squadron was brand new. In fact I was on parade the very first time the squadron met, with twenty or so other kids in jeans and running shoes and one sergeant in a green uniform that we had ‘imported’ from another squadron! I spent 5 exciting years with 140 Aurora, and retired at the age of eighteen as a Flight Sergeant. During my time there, I attended JIC one summer, Power Flying Scholarship the next, and then worked as a staff cadet for Air Studies in my final summer.

The following summer I completed my commercial pilot’s license. That fall I headed out to the University of British Columbia in Vancouver to study Aeronautical Engineering. While I was there, I joined 111 Pegasus squadron (the first squadron in Canada incidentally!) first as a Civilian Instructor, and later as an Officer. I also continued with my flight training out west, and completed my multi-engine and instrument ratings in 1997.

In my final two years of university, I had been working in the Canadian Airlines Engineering Department as a co-operative education student. As luck would have it, I met a pilot there who had worked up in the far arctic, in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. He put me in touch with the owner of the airline, and in 1999 after graduating from university, I was fortunate enough to get my first flying job. I flew Cessna 207s all around the arctic, flying everything from lettuces to criminals in shackles! I returned to Inuvik the following summer to fly twin-engine Navajos in a single-pilot IFR environment. The work was tough, but the long hours gave me enough experience to get my Airline Transport Pilot’s License in 2001, and thus get a job as a captain on a turbine-engined Cessna 441 in Thompson, Manitoba. I flew that aircraft for 3 years doing air-ambulance work. In 2004, I moved to Winnipeg, and flew a Learjet 35 for 8 months doing international air ambulance. It was a fantastic job that took me all over the world, to places as far away as Cairo and Nairobi!

Then in July 2004, the magic call came. I was offered an interview with Cathay Pacific Airways in Hong Kong. After a pretty tough interview process, I was offered a job as a second officer on the Airbus 340. And that is what I am doing today, living in Hong Kong, and flying all over the world. In fact as I write this, I’m in the crew rest area of the Airbus 340, on my way to Anchorage!

Throughout my career, I have always highlighted my involvement with the Air Cadet program. My cadet experience was on my resume for my first summer job after leaving the squadron, and it remained there when I applied to Cathay Pacific. And in every interview, I was asked with enthusiasm about my time with the Air Cadets. It is a world recognized program, both within the aviation field and outside.

I am sure that the confidence and experience I gained while I was an Air Cadet in 140 Aurora squadron has assisted me to no end in my career, and it continues to do so today. Effective communications and the ability to provide leadership are key elements of Cockpit Resource Management, a major focus in the airlines today. The skills that I gained as a young leader in 140 Aurora squadron formed a solid base, and I draw on those skills on a daily basis. But it’s not just the experience that I am thankful for. 140 Aurora squadron was also the source of some lifelong friends, and some fantastic memories!

I would encourage everyone to participate in the Air Cadet program, whether they are working towards a career in aviation or not. Your time there is something I guarantee you will never regret. If anyone has any questions regarding a career in aviation or regarding the air cadet program, I would love to hear from you.

Best of luck, and happy flying!

Geoff Cattrall
geoffcattrall@yahoo.ca