Wings Course Graduation 07/1
The Graduates replace their gloves just after being awarded their brevets.
On Thursday 3rd July the eight student pilots of 07/1 Wings course were awarded their pilots brevets. The brevets were presented by Air Commodore Short at the graduation ceremony which followed two years of training during which the students undertook Initial Officer Training, survival training, first aid, human factors, and finally their wings course, on which they flew the CT4-E Airtrainer and the B200 Kingair.
Standing on parade was a proud moment for the graduating officers who only 18 months ago came together in pursuit of their pilot wings. The fact that one of them didn’t even know what an aileron was bears testament to how far they have come.
The graduates come from a variety of backgrounds (Navy, Air Force, Army, straight from school and university) and their personalities are as varied as their experiences. The usual banter was dished out during the course (needless to say a disproportionate amount went to the Navy students!), but it was all in good spirits and the course came together during the more stressful times, sharing tips and tricks. Highlights of the course for the students were the South Island Navigation week, formation flying and of course, graduation! Formation flying was conducted out of a tented camp based at Masterton aerodrome over a two week period on Exercise Wiseowl.
Along with the brevets presented, Pilot Officer Peters was awarded the de Lange Trophy for gaining the highest flying mark on the course, and Flying Officer Pound was awarded the Wigram Trophy for obtaining the highest academic marks on course. As well as the pilot graduates, Flying Officer Wagstaff was at the ceremony, during which he was awarded the Merton Sword of Honour following the completion of his Navigation course in East Sale, Australia.