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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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