Flying & Gliding
There are plenty of opportunities open to cadets when flying, from aerobatics in the Grob Tutor to gliding in a Grob Viking. Some Cadets who stand out from the rest may also get the opportunity to fly on a civil airliner or go on an overseas flight in an RAF Tri-Star, VC10 or Hercules. A few cadets have also had the opportunity to fly in a variety of other aircraft including fast jets. There are also exciting opportunities for cadets to learn how to fly, with scholarships for both powered flight and gliding.
Below, Instructor Cadet Sergeant Gordon McNeill writes about his gliding experiences and his time as a Staff Cadet at 661 Volounteer Gliding Squadron.
I have been in the ATC for over six years now, and for the last two I have been a Staff Cadet at 661 VGS, RAF Kirnewton. Gliding is a big part of the Air Cadets; it is the most common way of getting into the air.
A typical flying day starts early, we all get up at 6.45 am! And we are ready to work for 7.30 am. Someone, usually the duty staff cadet, cooks breakfast while everyone else begin to prepare the equipment; four landrovers, a tractor, the winch, the control caravan, the parachutes and the gliders themselves, all of which need to be checked and signed for befoe they can be used. We then have a quick breakfast and then its back out on to the airfield to prepare everything for the day ahead. Next its off to the briefing room for the operations brief for that day and its only 9 o'clock in the morning. The brief contains the weather forecast, the planned events/operations for that day and also any news or issues that the Squadron Exectutives, Staff or cadets feel need to be discussed.
During a days flying there are lots of different types of sorties, from Air Experience Gliding (AEG) & Gliding Induction Courses (GIC) to Gliding Scholarships (GS) and even Advanced Courses to help the staff progress and keep their skills up to the highest standard. At the end of what was hopefulkly a long days gliding, we pack everything up and have a de-brief.
After this it's dinner time, perpared by our own master chef's! Then after a nice warm shower we meet in the crew room to relax and unwind for a few hours before an early bed so as to be fresh and prepared for the next day.
All in all, I look back on the last two years as some of my most interesting. They have really tought me a lot, as well as motivating me and giving me the chance to meet some great people including RAF Tornado GR4 pilots, Royal Marines, Paratroopers and even the odd Millionaire! I wouldn't change my time at Kirnewton for anything! The oppertunities I have had have been outstanding and they are available to any cadet from the Air Training Corps! The oppertunites are there, so why not take full advantage of them?
Instructor Cadet Sergeant Gordon McNeill