The 2007 Dragonair Aviation Certificate Programme came to a successful conclusion on December 2, with seven cadets honoured at a special event organised by the airline. The programme is a joint initiative between Dragonair and the Hong Kong Air Cadet Corps that aims to inspire a new generation of aviators in Hong Kong.

The wrap-up dinner for the programme was held at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club and officiated by Dragonair Chief Executive Officer Kenny Tang and Hong Kong Air Cadet Corps Commanding Officer Group Captain Leonard Leung. Among those attending the dinner were the seven cadets, the Dragonair pilots who acted as their mentors throughout the programme, and representatives from various supporting organizations.

Speaking at the dinner, Kenny Tang said that Dragonair attaches a lot of importance to giving something back to the communities in which it operates. "The Dragonair Aviation Certificate Programme is one of the key elements of our Corporate Social Responsibility programme and we hope our seven cadets found the programme worthwhile and inspiring," said Mr Tang.

"We hope they can use the unique insights they gained over the past few months to become part of the next generation of aviators in Hong Kong. It would be a pleasure to see them at the controls of a Dragonair aircraft one day!"

A highlight of the evening was when the seven cadets, aged 18 to 23, shared their experiences of what they had learnt in the programme since its launch in July. The cadets went through a five-month mentorship programme, working together with Dragonair pilots, which included lectures and training sessions, aviation briefings and tours of various facilities hosted by the supporting organisations.

Mr Tang said the programme has been such a success in inspiring a new generation of aviators that it will run again for a third year in 2008. He commended the Dragonair pilots for their role in mentoring the cadets and thanked the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department, Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company, the Airport Meteorological Office of the Hong Kong Observatory, the Aviation Security Company and the Government Flying Service for their continued support.

Photograph 1: Captain Richard Hall, Dragonair's General Manager Operations (Designate), presents certificates to cadet representative Claudia Sin.

Photograph 2: Dragonair CEO Kenny Tang (fifth from left), Commanding Officer of the Hong Kong Air Cadet Corps, Group Captain Leonard Leung (sixth from left), Honorary Secretary, Hong Kong Air Cadet Corps, Hogan Loh (first from right) and Pilot, Hong Kong Air Cadet Corps, Michael Wong (first from left), with the seven cadets who completed the 2007 Dragonair Aviation Certificate Programme.