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

Two men and a woman wearing military camouflage uniforms stand on a runway. The man on the right gives a medal to the woman, who is in the centre. Behind the three people is a big yellow and red helicopter.

Lieutenant-Colonel Lisa Baspaly-Hays, Commander of 9 Wing Gander, receives the United States’ Defense Meritorious Service Medal

Commander of 9 Wing Gander, Lieutenant-Colonel Lisa Baspaly-Hays, whose outstanding leadership and ceaseless efforts strengthened collaboration between the United States’ and Canada’s intelligence forces, received the U.S. Defense Meritorious Service Medal.
October 20, 2020

Five women running on a track during a competition.

Track and field for Masters Athletes 6: understanding energy systems

This is the sixth in a series of articles covering all aspects of Masters Athletes’ training and nutrition for track and field events. Here, we will take a look at how properly planned training will greatly impact your success.
October 16, 2020

A man wearing an orange jumpsuit and a blue hat looks outside the window of an aircraft.

When the standard is integrity: Most senior RCAF SAR Tech honoured to be part of that team

“I don’t count years, and I have no regrets. I love being a SAR Tech. It’s an honour to be part of that team,” says Sergeant André Hotton, who’s been a SAR Tech for thirty years, making him the most senior SAR technician in the RCAF.
October 13, 2020

A woman wearing a camouflage uniform sits at the wheel of a vehicle.

Supply Technicians - Profiling Warrant Officer Sandra Leaman, 12 Air Maintenance Squadron

Described by her chain of command as “a team player who always volunteers time for her unit,” Warrant Officer Sandra Leaman won the 12 Wing Shearwater Air Person of the Year Award for her dedication and work ethic.
October 8, 2020

A circular silver metal badge with a globe, a laurel wreath and maple leaf.

New CAF Space Specialist Skill Badge

Canadian Armed Forces personnel who have achieved a combination of formal space qualifications and experience are now eligible to proudly wear the Space Specialist Skill Badge.
October 6, 2020

Past

A red aircraft in flight.

Five new inductees for Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame

Four individuals, including a First and Second World War Royal Canadian Air Force member and an RCAF air demonstration team, will be honoured by Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame in 2020.
November 15, 2019

A man wearing a disruptive-pattern uniform and a blue beret prepares to be high-fived by a toddler, while a second man in a similar uniform and a large crowd of people watch.

75th anniversary of 407 Squadron aircraft forced landing in Norway

Six Canadians crash-landed their Second World War bomber in Nazi-occupied Norway in 1944. Since the mid-1980s, their descendants and the descendants of the Norwegians who helped them escape the Nazis, gather yearly to remember and give thanks.
November 7, 2019

A man and a woman sit side by side

Profile of Courage: Jack Watts passes away at age of 98

Jack Watts, whose war-time exploits included helping destroy the Tirpitz battle ship and surviving a crash in the Mediterranean, died in 2019 at the age of 98.
November 5, 2019

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 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.
November 4, 2019

An engraved granite memorial with a crumpled piece of metal resting on the ground on one side, and a remembrance wreath resting on a stand on the other side.

Delta 673’s lost airmen commemorated

Eighty years after they mysteriously vanished, the aircrew of Northrop Delta 673 were commemorated and a granite monument unveiled in their honour on September 14, 2019, deep in the New Brunswick woods.
October 31, 2019

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