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History in the making: First Canadian student pilots to train with ENJJPT

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Adawn Kelsey
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE,Texas --  The dreams of two young Canadians have always been to become military aviators in their country's air force. Little did they know that they would make history at the 80th Flying Training wing when they became the first two Canadian student pilots to train in the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program.

Although Sheppard has had Canadian instructor pilots in the past, the two lieutenants are the first Canadian student pilots to go through the ENJJPT program. The students have been sent into the ENJJPT program on a trial basis as an option for the Canadian air force to eventually expand.

Second Lt. Reg Reimer, and 2nd Lt. Bertram Cronshaw joined the 459th Flying Training Squadron during the middle of October and are learning to fly the T-6A Texan II. The lieutenants said the program is everything they expected it to be and have enjoyed their time here at Sheppard.

Lieutenant Reimer, said his initial reaction to being accepted into the ENJJPT program was very exciting news and that he felt lucky to be at Sheppard.

"I was very honored to be selected to represent the Canadian Air Force in the ENJJPT program. Our training so far has been both challenging and rewarding," he said. "I'm excited to experience the different cultures and because of the NATO interaction we have with everybody that is a huge benefit."

Capt. David Smith, Canadian Senior National Representative of ENJJPT and instructor pilot for the 459th FTS said the students are assigned to the squadron because the Canadian air force is growing substantially.

"I am the Senior National Representative for the Canadian Air Force and I represent the participation in the program and along those lines I also manage the students' participation in the program as well," the captain said.

Captain Smith said Canada has a fairly extensive pilot training program and has had one for quite some time.

"The student pilots that are here right now are here as an extension of our increasing fleet size," he said. "We have excess capacity and that has resulted in electing some of our students to attend the program here on a trial basis, to expand and use the ENJJPT program to keep producing fighter pilots."

The captain said the two programs are similar and use similar platforms. He said the student pilots in Canada also fly the T-6A Texan II and their follow-on advanced jet training in the CT-155 Hawk.

"The programs are of similar length and content. The students will enter only into the T-6 portion of the program and then flow them back to Canada," the captain said.

Lieutenant Reimer said this opportunity will lead him on his way to reach his ultimate goal back in Canada after his follow on training.

"We will continue flying the T-6 as we have been for the last three months and then we will head back to Canada for our follow-on training," he said. "It is the first step to obtaining my goal of being a CF-18 Hornet pilot which is used for surveillance and controlling the northern borders."

Lieutenant Reimer also shared about his first solo flight Dec. 12 and was at a loss for words to describe his experience.

"It was a very emotional experience," he said. "I think that this is a great program and I am very impressed. It's a very intense program that demands a lot of you and that's the way it should be."

Second Lt. Bertram Cronshaw also recently experienced his first solo flight and said it really hit home for him as he left the Sheppard runway, and explained the experience as once in a lifetime and exhilarating.

"My first solo flight was Dec. 17, and it was fantastic," the lieutenant said. "It's a very liberating experience once you hit 500 feet off the ground. You realize not only that you're solely responsible for a multi-million dollar aircraft but you have to bring it back down all by yourself."

Second Lt. Bertram Cronshaw, said that being picked to be the first Canadian pilots to go through the program was an honor.

"I feel very privileged to be picked as the first group of Canadian student pilots to enter the ENJJPT program," he said. "It is a great honor to be selected to be the first to represent the Canadian Air Force as a student pilot here at Sheppard."

He said he wanted to be part of this program because of the great opportunity and how jet-focused the program is.

"Most of the students that go through this program end up as a (fighter pilot) and that was my first choice back in Canada and is my long term goal," the lieutenant said.

ENJJPT 2008, the programs modified syllabus, allows participating nations to select portions of training to attend such as introductory training in the T-6A.