It’s been a few years since Riel Erickson fired her first round in a CF-18, but she remembers it well.
The 41-year-old Millarville-raised lieutenant colonel has since taken charge as the first commanding officer of Canada’s principal training base in Moose Jaw, Sask. – the centre of pilot training in Canada - with fond memories of her own years in training.
Erickson is the first woman to take command of 2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School.
“When we started going through our training on the CF-18 I remember getting to fire rounds out of the CF-18 gun for the first time,” she recalled. “I giggled like a little school girl, it was so much fun. My instructor said, ‘I’ve seen guys be happy, but this is totally different.’”
The incident awarded Erickson the nickname “Guns,” and soon after she began pushing through the ranks.
Erickson joined the military after being inspired by her uncle Major David Kendall, who was a fighter-pilot in the Gulf War when she was growing up.
She graduated from the Royal Canadian Military College in 2003, got her wings in 2005 and spent two years training to become a CF-18 fighter pilot. She was the fifth woman in Canada to do so.
It wasn’t long before she set her sights on the role of commanding officer.
“A lot of work goes into the training and qualifications to be promoted,” she said. “When I went through my training I was always the only female at the time.”
Today, Erickson is responsible for 300 military teachers and students in her new role as commanding officer.
“This is going to be a very rewarding job,” she said. “I have an incredible group of staff. They all work incredibly well as a team. They’re all very aligned with their mission.”
Watching the young aviators arrive filled with dreams much like her own and helping them bring their dreams to life is one of the benefits of the job for Erickson.
“It’s been 17 years since I was here as a student,” she said. “I remember being here at that time, standing in the halls, and just hoping I would pass. It’s neat to stand in the exact same halls years later.”
Erickson’s role is critical in a facility where future pilots of the Royal Canadian Air Force begin their careers.
“I get the opportunity to have first contact,” she said. “One of my biggest roles is to mentor and train the officers below me so they are the best aviators and officers we have.
“It’s a shift from when you were captain sitting in the cockpit every single day. It’s leading the women and men of the organization to achieve our mission, which is training our pilots.”
Being the first woman to take on the role is momentous for Erickson. She hopes it becomes the norm.
“I’m excited that I can lay the foundation for future women,” she said. “Honourary Col. Jane Foster is one of the first female fighter pilots in the world. I knew her name from the second I decided I wanted to be a fighter pilot. It’s awesome that other women can do this, that it’s just a normal thing.”
The Millarville-raised farm girl fits in well with the military due to years accompanying her father, Lloyd, on hunting trips and her love of team sports. Erickson was a member of the Oilfields Drillers basketball team back in the day.
“Since I’ve taken on this role I have had so many people reach out to me to say congratulations,” she said. “Myself and my husband are incredibly humbled and overwhelmed by the outpouring support from the community.”
While Erickson said the military community is like family - including husband Wing Flight Safety Officer Major Phil Shilling and their two young boys - her roots will always be in the Foothills.
“I am so proud to come from that area,” she said. “I try making it out to the Millarville Farmers' Market and I even ran the Millarville Half Marathon when that started up, and I’m looking forward to doing it again. I always try to make it out in the area because it’s very much home to me. I miss the views.”
