Julien Joseph Audette Julien Joseph Audette ( June 6 , 1914 – October 28 , 1989 ) was a pioneering Canadian aviator dedicated to the development of the art of soaring . Early years . Julien Joseph Audette was born at Radville , Saskatchewan , June 6 , 1914 . Following graduation from Regina ' s Campion College , he successively worked in his father ' s grocery , Canada Packers , Gray Insurance and finally from 1937 , for the Saskatchewan Government Audit Department . Second World War . In May 1941 , he joined the RCAF and received his pilot ' s wings and commission at Yorkton on February 27 , 1942 . Following instructor positions at Trenton and Saskatoon and operational training at Comox , he was posted to the Far East where he flew the Douglas DC3 for the " Canucks Unlimited " 436 Burma Star Transport Squadron . Post - War . Following the war , he assisted in the formation of the Saskatchewan Air Ambulance Service and was its second pilot . In 1949 , he became the first pilot with Kramer Air Service and eventually became Kramer Tractor ' s General Sales Manager . At the same time , he was active in the Prairie Road Builders Association and was President of the Regina Flying Club . He was Chairman of the Regina Chamber of Commerce ' s Aviation Committee and lobbied for improved air service , particularly for cross - border connections to North Dakota . From 1976 until 1984 , he was Sales Development Manager for Saskmont Engineering . He was also Director of the Roughriders Football Club for 27 years . Other associations to benefit from his energies were the Royal Canadian Flying Clubs Association , Ducks Unlimited , YMCA , Royal Canadian Legion , Air Force Association , Knights of Columbus and the Saskatchewan Western Development Museum . It was however , in the field of non - powered flight that Julien Audette made his major contribution to Canadian aviation . In 1953 , he was one of three founders of the Regina Gliding and Soaring Club and served as the Chief Tow Pilot , Chief Flying Instructor and President . He was instrumental in establishing a gliding scholarship for the Regina Air Cadets and for bringing three National Soaring competitions to Western Canada . In 1962 , he was awarded Canada ' s first Diamond Badge by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale ( FAI ) , # 240 in the world . He was the only Canadian to earn this badge while establishing Canadian Soaring records and was the first Canadian to break 9144m ( 30 , 000 ft ) in a sailplane . On the national level , he was FAI Awards Chairman of the Soaring Association of Canada ( SAC ) . He was the only Canadian to hold all eight competitive awards available , six simultaneously . For the 1958 Distance to Goal , he won the Barringer Memorial Trophy of the Soaring Society of America - the only Canadian so honored . The 1961 altitude flight earned him Canada ' s first Symonds Wave Memorial Plaque and Lennie pin . With his record free distance flight on April 22 , 1962 Julien Audette became the first Canadian to combine a wave flight ( 27 , 300 ft ) with a thermal flight . During his soaring in the Cowley , Alberta area , 1960 to 1975 , he worked closely with the Federal Meteorology Department . Recognizing that the soaring prospects in the Pincher Creek area could be enhanced by a better knowledge of the climatology of wave clouds , he initiated a data collection program . This " Audette Project " provided the foundation for studies by others including the University of Calgary ' s Environmental Science Center . Another legacy project is the Regina Gliding and Soaring Club for which Julien Audette was a founding member .