February 23, 2009 - Tridentnews.ca
February 23, 2009 - Tridentnews.ca
February 23, 2009 - Tridentnews.ca
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TRIDENT, FEBRUARY <strong>23</strong>, <strong>2009</strong> 7<br />
CPL JL ROBINSON, 12 WING IMAGING<br />
12 Wing<br />
member retires<br />
Cpl Slade-Campbell provides a pre-flight briefing to a CH124 Sea King pilot.<br />
The winds of change<br />
By 2LT Drew Turton &<br />
WO Warren Noseworthy<br />
12 Wing<br />
The Meteorology Technician (Met<br />
Tech) trade, like so many others in<br />
the CF, is constantly adapting to meet<br />
operational requirements, deployments,<br />
and perhaps one of the most pressing<br />
issues, the changing demographic of its<br />
members. But the Met Tech training system<br />
welcomes the challenge of training<br />
its fresh faced recruits.<br />
“Our training is changing to accommodate<br />
the operational needs of the CF,<br />
including changes to accommodate<br />
advances in technology and the demands<br />
on our personnel,” said School CWO<br />
David Hutchinson at the Canadian<br />
Forces School of Meteorology (CFS-<br />
MET). While many senior Met Techs are<br />
retiring, the trade has managed to adapt<br />
by offering younger members greater<br />
roles and responsibilities.<br />
Aprime example of this <strong>ca</strong>n be seen by<br />
the success of young members like Cpl<br />
Amy Slade-Campbell, a member of 12<br />
Wing Shearwater Meteorology section.<br />
Cpl Slade-Campbell was one of 11 students<br />
to accept the 6A graduation certifi<strong>ca</strong>te<br />
from LCol Mark Ferron, Commandant<br />
at Canadian Forces Air Navigation<br />
School at 17 Wing Winnipeg.<br />
CWO Hutchinson noted “The substance<br />
of the 6A training Cpl. Slade-<br />
Campbell received is what would have<br />
been provided to more experienced techs<br />
in the past, but is now being incorporated<br />
into the Basic Occupation Qualifi<strong>ca</strong>tion<br />
course. This will result in personnel<br />
who are able to support operations sooner,<br />
and maintain the high level of service<br />
our clients have come to expect.”<br />
Cpl Slade-Campbell has fewer than<br />
five years of service, but has successfully<br />
completed the demanding course<br />
that’s normally offered to Met Techs with<br />
more than 12 years of service. The<br />
maturing population of personnel in the<br />
CF Weather Service and the demands of<br />
domestic and international deployments<br />
required the training to be restructured to<br />
provide younger Met Techs with greater<br />
skill sets at a lower rank.<br />
“Traditionally, briefing duties are<br />
provided by more senior Met personnel,”<br />
remarked 12 Wing Met WO Warren<br />
Noseworthy. “But with more senior<br />
Met Techs retiring and an influx of<br />
eager privates and Cpls, this job is<br />
migrating to younger Techs like Cpl.<br />
Slade-Campbell.”<br />
The QL6A course is a demanding<br />
three-month course centered on learning<br />
advanced meteorology theory and analysis<br />
techniques, ending with a weeklong<br />
practi<strong>ca</strong>l exam in which students are tested<br />
in simulated real-life weather briefing<br />
scenarios. The aim of the QL6A course is<br />
to train Met Techs to prepare and provide<br />
detailed environmental briefings, in<br />
addition to providing techni<strong>ca</strong>l meteorologi<strong>ca</strong>l<br />
information in support of military<br />
operations at home and abroad.<br />
Upon successful completion of the<br />
course, a graduate <strong>ca</strong>n expect a posting<br />
as a weather briefer supporting Naval,<br />
land or air missions.<br />
“I have a challenging job, top notch<br />
training, and I work with some great people,”<br />
said Cpl. Slade-Campbell.<br />
By 2Lt Tyrone Grande<br />
12 Wing Public Affairs<br />
Maj Roger Chiasson has<br />
had a long and full<br />
<strong>ca</strong>reer in the Canadian Forces<br />
(CF)—41 years, to be exact.<br />
He will retire on March 3 of<br />
this year. His one regret: “I<br />
wanted to see the Sea King<br />
retire before I did, but it may<br />
outlast me.”<br />
Maj Chiasson joined theCF<br />
in 1966 as an aircraft technician<br />
in the Royal Canadian<br />
Air Force. He began his <strong>ca</strong>reer<br />
in Shearwater, NS—back<br />
when it was a Naval base—<br />
and witnessed the CH124 Sea<br />
King’s arrival.<br />
Throughout his <strong>ca</strong>reer as an<br />
NCM, Maj Chiasson served in<br />
numerous positions and lo<strong>ca</strong>tions.<br />
From working as an<br />
avionics instructor at CFB<br />
Borden, to doing international<br />
NATO taskings at Gilenkirchen<br />
Air Base Germany,<br />
Maj Chiasson accomplished<br />
much. He trained on the T-<br />
bird and Argus aircraft and<br />
was even part of the crew to<br />
install the instrumentation for<br />
the initial beartrap trials on<br />
HMCS Bonaventure.<br />
Maj Chiasson be<strong>ca</strong>me an<br />
MWO before opting to commission<br />
from the ranks in<br />
1987, and his <strong>ca</strong>reer as an<br />
officer has seen just as much<br />
experience. After completing<br />
Aerospace Engineering<br />
training, Maj Chiasson went<br />
on to work in the Directorate<br />
of Maritime Aircraft Engineering<br />
and Maintenance as<br />
an avionics installation officer<br />
for the Sea King, where<br />
he would later become the<br />
deputy aircraft engineering<br />
Maj Roger Chiasson.<br />
officer. In 1995, he was promoted<br />
to his present rank and<br />
posted to 9 Wing Gander as<br />
the wing logistics officer,<br />
before moving to the Maritime<br />
Air Group Headquarters<br />
in Halifax.<br />
In 2003, Maj Chiasson’s<br />
<strong>ca</strong>reer <strong>ca</strong>me full circle as he<br />
returned to Shearwater where<br />
he retired from the Regular<br />
Force in April, 2004, after 37<br />
years in uniform. But his commitment<br />
to the CF didn’t end<br />
there. Maj Chiasson returned<br />
in August, 2005 as a reservist<br />
to serve as the aircraft maintenance<br />
officer at 12 Air Maintenance<br />
Squadron.<br />
In May 2008, Maj Chiasson<br />
accepted his current<br />
position as Flight Commander<br />
for 12 Wing Air Reserve<br />
Flight Shearwater.<br />
When asked about his<br />
retirement, Maj Chiasson stated<br />
that he hadn’t given much<br />
thought to what he’ll do next.<br />
“My family will be happy to<br />
have me though,” he said.<br />
“They’ve been trying to convince<br />
me to retire for a while<br />
now. But I will miss the sense<br />
of service and unity that the CF<br />
has provided me with.”<br />
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