Our People

The men and women of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and their civilian colleagues are the RCAF’s greatest strength, the heart of the institution and the foundation upon which the RCAF’s future is built. They are extraordinary and professional, capable of accomplishing great things, setting standards of quality that are respected around the world. Day after day, night after night they contribute directly and indirectly to the delivery of air and space power for our nation.

Our airmen and airwomen are guided and inspired by the achievements of those who have served in the Air Force throughout its history.

Here are some of their stories.

Present

Head-and-shoulders photos of two women and one man wearing disruptive pattern uniforms; below these are photos of their respective shoulder patches.

First USAF members complete Sentinel Program

Three United States Air Force sergeants recently became the first USAF members to complete the Canadian Armed Forces Sentinel Program.
January 13, 2020

A man and a woman wearing flight suits stand in front of a fighter aircraft in a hangar.

Canada’s newest astronauts complete basic training

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronauts Lieutenant-Colonel Joshua Kutryk and Dr Jenni Sidey-Gibbons celebrated the end of their basic training, along with their NASA classmates, during a ceremony on January 10, 2020, at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
January 10, 2020

A grey-haired woman leads women in a race on an outdoor track.

Track and Field for Masters Athletes

This is the first in a series of articles that will cover all aspects of Masters athletes’ training and nutrition for track and field events.
January 9, 2020

Three aircraft fly in formation in a blue sky under a bright sun above the cloud cover.

Canada’s Air Task Force completes mission in Romania

Since 2014, Operation Reassurance has been key to demonstrating Canada’s commitment to our NATO allies.
January 6, 2020

A man.

60 Seconds with . . . Captain Bradley Ticky, 22 Wing

This is part of the 60 Seconds with… series, featuring Captain Bradley Ticky, Senior Director, Canadian Air Defence Sector, 22 Wing North Bay. He answered as many randomly drawn questions as he could in 60 seconds about NORAD Tracks Santa.
December 22, 2019

Past

A vintage photo of two men shaking hands, one sitting in the cockpit of an aircraft and the other standing beside it.

The RCAF in the Korean War

From 1950 to 1953, Royal Canadian Air Force personnel served in Canada, the US and Korea in a United Nations-driven effort to rebuff North Korea’s advances into South Korea.
June 25, 2020

A black and white photo of man sitting in the cockpit of First World War fighter biplane.

Billy Bishop, Canada’s first Air Force Victoria Cross winner

On June 2, 1917, Capt William Avery “Billy” Bishop took off from his home base with No. 60 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, near Arras in northern France, on a daring early morning mission that would win him the Victoria Cross.
June 2, 2020

A black-and-white photo of six uniformed women standing in a row with their arms around each other’s waists, looking up.

We have come a long way

International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the great accomplishments of women today, but also those of women who paved the way for the generations that followed them.
March 6, 2020

A vintage black and white photo of a woman in operational flying dress speaking into a microphone held by a man wearing a sports jacket.

Grace MacEachern, para-belle: An RCAF pioneer

Pilot Officer Grace MacEachern was a pioneer for women in a revolutionary time for women's roles and rights. As a para-belle in the Canadian Armed Forces in the 1950s, she blazed a trail both for women and for the Royal Canadian Air Force.
March 5, 2020

In a black-and-white photograph, two young men in uniform sit on the leading edge of the wing of a vintage propeller aircraft, and two more stand in front of the wing.

Junius Lyman Edward Hokan: An extraordinary RCAF officer

Pilot Officer Junius Hokan was 20 when he died, but during his service he broke the race barrier barring Black-Canadians from serving in the RCAF, was an accomplished fighter pilot, and invented a navigation device that drew the attention of Great Britain’s air ministry.
February 26, 2020

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