22 Wing Visited by Vips 22 Wing Rolled out the Red Carpet for Two Vips in the Month of October
1 DECEMBER / DÉCEMBRE 2020 VOL. 54, NO. 12 Recognizing the Contributions of Aerospace Controllers and Aerospace Control Operators Reconnaître les contributions des contrôleurs aérospatiaux et des opérateurs – Contrôle aérospatial Article by: Captain Leah Pierce, Public Affairs 22 Wing/Canadian Forces Base North Bay was the fitting location for the unveiling of the new heraldic design that changed Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) qualified Aerospace Controllers (AEC) and Aerospace Control Operators (AC Ops) flight crew specialty badges to an outstretched aircrew flying badge. With plenty of Aerospace Controllers and Operators, 22 Wing is home to the Canadian Air Defence Sector, which conducts the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) mission 24/7, and is housed in the Sergeant (Sgt) David L. Pitcher Building. Referred to as the DLP, the operations building is named after Sgt Pitcher, an Aerospace Control Operator posted to North Bay during his 15-year career in the RCAF, whom perished 25 years ago with 23 other souls (22 United States Air Force and another Royal Canadian Air Force members) on September 22nd, 1995, in an AWACS shortly after takeoff from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, United States, during a NORAD training exercise. On Friday, October 23rd, 2020, during his visit to 22 Wing, Lieutenant-General A.D. Meinzinger, Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), along with his command team partner, Chief Warrant Officer J.R.D. Gaudreault, RCAF Chief, bestow the new wing badges to qualified members of the AEC and AC Op trades. “As the RCAF has moved forward, we have come to realize that the extent of duties being performed by these aviators far exceeds those laid out or foreseen almost fifty years ago,” said Lieutenant-General Al Meinzinger, Commander RCAF.
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