Our very own CAF Cadet Emma McNay was featured in an article in the Thousand Oaks Acorn on December 17.
Among this young lady’s many accomplishments, the article speaks of Emma’s love for flying and experience as a cadet with the CAF SoCal. Below is an excerpt of the article:
Emma, who has been learning karate since she was 6, earned her first-degree black belt by age 13. By then she’d already started thinking about being a pilot after seeing the Blue Angels, the Navy’s flight demonstration squadron, perform at an air show when she was 10.
“I just love doing it. I think I found my calling when I took my first flight,” Emma said.
She flew her first solo in July and is preparing to complete her cross-country test, which involves flying to a series of airports.
“One of the many phases in training is that flight instructors help you prepare for a flight, going through charts and planning trips to multiple airports,” Emma said.
She has spent more than 1,100 hours with the Commemorative Air Force working on World War II aircraft and talking with the few remaining veterans of that era.
“I’m honored that they would trust a 17-year-old to take care of such old airplanes. I have great mentors there,” Emma said.
She enjoys listening to the stories the veterans have about the war.
“It’s one thing to learn from history books, but it’s another thing entirely to learn from the people who were actually there,” she said.
We are very proud of Emma and all our cadets at the SoCal wing and encourage others with an interest in aviation and what CAF SoCal represent to consider joining our cadet program.
