Our Mission

Our mission is to promote and encourage the nation’s youth to develop and maintain an interest in aviation, leadership and citizenship, in partnership with the Canadian Armed Forces and other organizations.

We provide fun and innovative ways for youth to make a difference in their community all while learning about aviation. Our youth graduate from the air cadet program feeling confident and armed with skillsets that will last them a lifetime.

We are committed to helping youth navigate some of the most formative years in their lives while having fun in the process. Learn more about what we do and what we can offer you with this unique youth experience!

Our History

The Air Cadet League has been in operation since April 9, 1941 when it was formed early on during the Second World War. The 699 Jasper Place Squadron's roots trace back to July 3, 1946 when its precursor, the 395 Edmonton Squadron, was formed.

699 Jasper Place Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron (RCACS) has been actively training youth and being a contributing member of the West Edmonton community since November 19th, 1959. That is when 395 RCACS was parading over 200 cadets and so a new squadron, 699 Jasper Place, was created by moving one whole squadron (complete with staff) to the west end of Edmonton. The Squadron initially paraded at Jasper Place Composite High School.

The Pink Panthers

In the early 1970’s, cadets from 699 RCACS were a regular sight at the Abbotsford International Air Show in Abbotsford, British Columbia. The cadets were responsible for marshalling the visiting private aircraft. During the three days of the air show, the cadets marshalled in excess of 800 visiting aircraft. The “dress of the day” was orange United States Air Force surplus flight suits. The orange colour made the cadets highly visible to the pilots as the aircraft were directed to the parking area and marshalled into their parking spots.

Over time the orange flight suits ceased to be available and the remaining suits deteriorated to the point where they were no longer usable. A supply of Canadian Forces surplus white coveralls were purchased with the intention of dying them orange. The plan almost worked. The dye job fell somewhat short of expectations and while some of the coveralls came out a shade of peach, the vast majority came out pink. All the coveralls appeared very pink in bright sunlight. There was no time to rectify the problem before the cadets departed for Abbotsford, so pink became the new “dress of the day”.

It was an easy and natural step to make the association with the Pink Panther character of movie and cartoon fame and so put a positive outlook on the situation. Permission was sought and received from the movie studio who owned the copyright to use the cartoon character as a mascot for Squadron purposes.

Squadron Motto

"Never Settle for Good Enough" or simply "Never Settle"

Our Team

The squadron is led by a group of Royal Canadian Air Force officers from the Cadet Instructor Cadre (CIC), civilian instructors, and civilian volunteers. Below are some of the key individuals who work to make 699 Jasper Place RCAC the great program it is. Hover over the photos for a brief bio for each team member.