RCAF Partnership

Canadian military members have been actively involved with Elevate Aviation since their incorporation in 2015, with a formal partnership approved by the Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in 2019. The RCAF and Elevate Aviation share the same values and recognize the importance of promoting gender balance in aviation.  

Membership

Military personnel who choose to become involved in Elevate Aviation are able to take part in various activities by participating as ambassadors of the RCAF. Elevate Aviation’s President and CEO, Kendra Kincade, is an avid supporter of the RCAF and is currently the Honourary Colonel for 417 Squadron.  

A membership program is coming soon! The $50 annual membership fee will be waived for all RCAF personnel. Sign up for our newsletter, so you don’t miss out on the launch of this new program! Entering a valid Service Number is required for the fee to be waived. 

Mentorship

Anyone interested in joining the RCAF who registers with Elevate Aviation is assigned a military mentor. This mentor can tell them first-hand what life in the Air Force can look like, walk them through the recruiting website, explain both Regular Force and part-time Reserve options available, and help them through the recruiting process. They will be matched up according to what trade that person is interested in. Elevate Aviation promotes gender equality and the mentorship program is open to both men and women.

Additionally, there is an informal internal RCAF mentorship program, open to all ranks and all trades. There are currently over 100 members ranging from Aviators to Generals. Everyone deserves to have a mentor outside their Chain of Command that they can turn to for advice. For lower ranks, mentees are normally paired with a mentor in the same trade, and higher ranks can choose between a military mentor (any trade) or a civilian mentor such as a CEO or VP.

Any RCAF Elevate member can choose to be a mentor, mentee, or both. What is asked of a mentor is to reach out to their mentee a minimum of once every three months, either by phone, FaceTime or another method agreed on by both parties. The mentorship can be terminated at any time by either member, or they can ask to have someone different if it doesn’t seem to be a good match. 

Currently serving military members can sign up for internal RCAF mentorship program as either a mentor or a mentee through the link below. 

RCAF Mentorship Program Sign-up

Events

There are many different types of outreach and aviation engagement opportunities available through Elevate Aviation, and for each event, we work towards having both civilian and military Elevate members present. Immediate Chain of Command approval is required on a case by case basis for each event as Temporary Duty (TD) is granted and members are representing the RCAF in uniform.

Some of these outreach events include our annual Cross Country Tour, featuring a variety of aviation careers at airports all across Canada, speaking opportunities at schools, attending airshows, career fairs, and other events with the Elevate Aviation booth, presenting at the Elevate Aviation Learning Centre in Edmonton and Calgary, participating in Maintenance Competitions, and being featured as a woman in aviation at the Inspire Gala.

We like to showcase all the various super cool trades out there that most people don’t even know about. If people don’t know something even exists, how can they dream about doing it one day?