Pathway to the Stars
Our Bestselling Book
Celebrate 100 years of the RCAF with Pathway to the Stars, a beautifully illustrated book sharing 100 stories of the people, technologies, and events that shaped its history. Proceeds support RCAF Foundation programs.
This beautifully illustrated book shares the rich history of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) on its one hundredth anniversary. Produced in partnership with the RCAF Foundation, Pathway to the Stars tells the story of the people, the technologies, and the events that shaped the RCAF from 1924 to 2024.
Presenting one hundred stories to align with the one hundred years of the RCAF, the book explores the many ways in which the RCAF contributed to advances in aviation over the past century, from the invention of the G-suit to the development of the first helicopter landing system on a naval ship to the design of the first flight-safety organization for investigating crashes. It illuminates how the history of the RCAF has been shaped by global events, shedding light on the two world wars, the Cold War, the Korean War, and the formation of NATO. It examines peacekeeping in the 1980s, the First Gulf War, missions within Canada, and the Afghanistan War, and details the past decade as well as the future of the RCAF.
Whether they involved fighting in the air in a Hurricane during the Battle of Britain, delivering disaster relief around the globe, or leading search-and-rescue operations in Canada’s arctic, the missions required of the RCAF have challenged it to create aircraft, machines, and other technologies to persevere and succeed. Pathway to the Stars brings to light an inspirational story about Canada and its place in the world over the past century as we look forward to the next generation of the RCAF.
Proceeds from this book support the ongoing programs of the RCAF Foundation.
Michael Hood
Lieutenant-General (retired), CMM, CD
Mike enjoyed the great honour of Commanding the RCAF from 2015 to 2018. As RCAF Commander, he had three focus areas: people, operations, and innovation. Ensuring the well-being of the thousands of men and women serving in the RCAF remained one of the top priorities during his time in command. Initiatives to improve access to healthcare and childcare for RCAF families figured prominently, ensuring Air Force personnel had a strong support network at home while deployed. Being the guarantor of Canadian sovereignty meant unwavering support to RCAF continental operations, concomitantly delivering excellence on global peace and security missions. As Commander, he also championed the Air Force’s first innovation strategy which fostered key partnerships with industry, including a permanent presence at Communitech, the innovation hub based in Waterloo, Ontario. Understanding that the future of the RCAF’s success lay in its youngest and newest members, he championed initiatives like “Great ideas have no rank” and created the RCAF Vector Check, a “Dragon’s Den” where anyone in the air force, irrespective of rank or experience, could pitch ideas straight to senior leadership.
Prior to his time in command of the RCAF, Mike held senior executive positions in acquisition, strategic planning, international security policy, and national security—where he helped shape the Government of Canada’s response to numerous global security crises as Director of the Strategic Joint Staff. His early to mid-career was spent as an Air Combat Systems Officer on the CC-130 Hercules, flying tactical air mobility operations, including extensive time operating in Canada’s Arctic, Europe, Africa, and the Middle-East. He was also fortunate to spend a large part of his career at 8 Wing in Trenton, Ontario—the RCAF’s largest base—where he commanded both 429 and 436 Transport Squadrons. He also commanded the Wing from 2007 to 2009.
Following retirement from the RCAF in 2018, Mike joined the JDS Group of Companies in Vancouver. His dreams of improving his golf game following retirement remain, unfortunately, unfulfilled.
P. Thomas Jenkins
OC, VBO, CD, CBHOF, FCAE
Tom Jenkins has been affiliated with the Royal Canadian Air Force for more than 50 years and began his career with the RCAF as a Royal Canadian Air Cadet in CFB Trenton in 1972. He became a Squadron Warrant Officer with the Air Cadets at CRRB Hamilton and later joined the reserves first as a Corporal and then as an Officer. He received his commission in 1977 and served in CFB Cold Lake. Tom has also been the Honorary Colonel of 409 Squadron in CFB Cold Lake and the Honorary Colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada (RHFC) in Cambridge. Mr. Jenkins chaired a report on Defence Procurement for the Canadian Government. He is currently a member of the RCAF Commanders Advisory Council.
In civilian life, Mr. Jenkins is Chair of the Board of OpenText, a Waterloo based software company listed on the NASDAQ. He had previously served as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer from 1994 to 2013. Mr. Jenkins is Chair of the World Wide Web Foundation and a Commissioner of the Tri-Lateral Commission. Mr. Jenkins has also served as a board member of Manulife Financial Corporation, Thomson Reuters Inc., and TransAlta Corporation. He was also past Chair of the Ontario Global 100 (OG100) and past Canadian Co-Chair of the Atlantik Bruecke. He was the tenth Chancellor of the University of Waterloo and was the Chair of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and a founder of Communitech, the incubator organization in Waterloo.
Mr. Jenkins received an M.B.A. from Schulich School of Business at York University, an M.A.Sc. from the University of Toronto and a B.Eng. & Mgt. from McMaster University. Mr. Jenkins has received honorary doctorates from six universities. He is a member of the Waterloo Region Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, a Companion of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame (CBHF) and recipient of the Ontario Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the McMaster Engineering L.W. Shemilt Distinguished Alumni Award, and the Schulich School of Business Outstanding Executive Leadership Award. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (FCAE). Mr. Jenkins was awarded the Canadian Forces Decoration (CD), the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (QJDM) and the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. Mr. Jenkins is an Officer of the Order of Canada (OC).
Tom loves to hike mountains with his family and tries his best to go to a new range every year.
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