New commander at 8 Wing CFB Trenton

Col. David Lowthian, Maj.-Gen. Pierre St-Amand, , and Col. Sean Friday observe the CC-177 Globemaster III flypast. MCpl Roy MacLellan photo

Colonel David Lowthian assumed command of 8 Wing Trenton from Col. Sean Friday Wednesday morning in a ceremony held at CFB Trenton.

Major-General (Maj.-Gen.) Pierre St-Amand, Commander of 1 Canadian Air Division and the Canadian NORAD Region, presided over the ceremony.

“As the hub of air mobility operations in Canada, 8 Wing Trenton has been a very busy air base with its wide array of capabilities from delivering supplies to the high Arctic to airlifting troops, equipment and humanitarian loads worldwide,” said Maj.-Gen. St-Amand. “The successful air mobility operations under Col Friday’s command, both in Canada and abroad, have confirmed 8 Wing’s important role in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). I’m confident that Col Friday’s successes will be continued with the new leadership of Col Lowthian.”

Since Col. Friday became the Wing Commander in August 2011, 8 Wing Trenton has successfully contributed to various mission across Canada and overseas such as Operation (Op) ATHENA, Op ATTENTION, Op MOBILE, Op JAGUAR, and Task Force Mali, to name a few.

“I’m extremely proud of the 8 Wing team for everything we’ve accomplished,” said Col. Friday. “They exceeded my expectations. I’m honoured to have had the opportunity to lead 8 Wing and I know that Col. Lowthian will enjoy his time in Trenton as much as I did.”

As he officially took command of 8 Wing Trenton, Col. Lowthian said that he is “looking forward to leading the men and women of 8 Wing who are committed to serving Canada.”

“We will remain agile and respond to whatever challenges confront us, and we will continue to work closely with the entire RCAF team, the defence team, and our civilian partners in pursuit of mission success and Canadian interests,” he said.

Colonel David Lowthian enrolled in the Canadian Forces in 1989 under the Direct Entry Officer plan with a diploma in Business Administration. Earning his pilot wings in 1992, he remained in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan where he instructed basic and advanced flying on the CT-114 Tutor jet.

In July 2007, he was selected to be Commanding Officer of 429 (T) Squadron after the Canadian Forces announced the acquisition of four CC-177 Globemaster III strategic airlifters. Overseeing the introduction of the new fleet, he led the Bison Squadron in its mission to “reliably impact all theatres of operations with relevance and unlimited reach”. The Air Force Association awarded 429 (T) Squadron with the Gordon R. McGregor Trophy for its extraordinary abilities in responding to Canadian airlift requirements in 2008.

In November 2009, Colonel Lowthian deployed to Afghanistan for 10 months as Deputy Commander of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan Air Wing (Task Force Silver Dart) in Kandahar where he championed the furtherance of the wing’s mandate to provide airlift, tactical aviation, and unmanned air vehicle support to Task Force Kandahar and Joint Task Force Afghanistan.

In May 2011, following second language training, Colonel Lowthian was promoted to his current rank and selected to attend the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. While attending the Air War College, Colonel Lowthian earned his Master’s in Strategic Studies with academic distinction; he was also awarded the Secretary of the Air Force Leadership Award and the Wright Brothers Award for officership. Colonel Lowthian is the first graduate to have received both honours.

In June 2012, Colonel Lowthian was appointed Chief of Staff for the 1st Canadian Division Headquarters in Kingston, where he directed the activities of Canada’s standing joint deployable task force headquarters and deployed on JOINTEX 13 Stage 5 in Wainwright, Alberta.

Colonel Lowthian originally hails from Ottawa, Ontario. He and his wife Nancy have three grown children, Stephen, Marina and Amanda.

Col. David Lowthian receives the 8 Wing command pennant from Major-General St. Amand during the Change of Command ceremonies Wednesday. Ross Lees photo

Ceremonial inspection. MCpl Roy MacLellan photo