WHAT WE DO
This is what it’s all about – activities that offer challenge, excitement and adventure and the knowledge you pick up along the way through structured lectures and first-hand experience.
Don’t worry about being thrown in at the deep end. You’ll join the squadron where you get to know the other cadets and start basic training. You then get gradually introduced to activities as you progress, so you can make the most of every opportunity that comes your way.
Get out and get active
Cadet life is about learning through practical experience, especially in the great outdoors!
Here’s a taster of what’s in store:
- Camping - Work on your survival skills and learn your strengths in a team.
- Easter/summer camps - As you advance in rank you can take part in these popular camps held at RAF stations around the UK.
- Overseas camps - Spend 10 days in Cyprus with fantastic weather, swimming, sailing, and maybe even see the Red Arrows practise their displays (they train there). Head to Germany where you’ll visit a city or cemetery from the First and Second World Wars. You may even get to fly in helicopters – another exciting possibility for cadets.
- Adventurous training - A huge part of cadet training. Rock climbing, abseiling, high-level hill walking, mountain-biking, canoeing, high rope work and sailing are all part for the course.
Get airborne
Flying is central to our purpose and your cadet experience.
You’ll have loads of opportunities to take to the skies:
- Gliding - Soar to success! There are fantastic opportunities to glide while you are a cadet, with the ultimate goal being a solo flight. Training is in three stages: a Gliding Induction Course (GIC), Gliding Scholarship (GS) and Advanced Gliding Training (AGT).
- Air Experience Flights - Feel the thrill of powered flight, with a fully qualified pilot to guide you through taking control of the aircraft yourself. Not only have the opportunity to learn about the flying controls but you’ll experience aerobatics and low level flying too.
- Air Cadet Pilot Scheme - The pinnacle of flying as a cadet, for advanced handling. Complete this successfully and you’ll be awarded your cadet pilot wings. And if you do exceptionally well you could be recommended for further training which will help towards your Private Pilot’s Licence!
- Air Cadet Pilot Navigation Training Scheme - A great opportunity to use your navigation skills, this two-week course where you fly for up to eight hours is open to selected cadets. Success will lead to you gaining your ‘wings’.
Think you can lead?
You may have more talent for it than you think. Leadership qualities are in all of us and the physically demanding 7-day summer cadet leadership course will help bring them out. Make it through and you’ll be a more confident and responsible cadet having learnt the full benefits of working in and leading a team.
Then, for an extra challenge, you could find yourself at the Cadet Training Centre at Frimley Park in Surrey. All cadet forces throughout the UK (and some from overseas) attend courses there. Really flex your skills and you could come out with a trophy for your achievements.
Training syllabus
A key part of the cadet experience is your progress through the training syllabus. Set out in stages for you to work through, it enables you to open up more possibilities for activities, specialist technical training and rank promotion. It’s slightly different between the RAFAC and CCF (RAF) but all cadets take part in lectures and hands-on projects. You also get outdoors and ‘actually do it’ as much as possible.
We expect a lot from you – it’s a serious commitment to be a cadet – but once you’ve experienced it yourself we know you wouldn’t have it any other way.
DofE Award
You may of heard of the DofE (Duke of Edinburgh) Award, but don’t know what it is or whether it’s for you. Well, it’s for everyone who likes a challenge. Their mission is simple – ‘to inspire, guide and support young people in their self-development, and recognise their achievements’.
To put it another way, they help you succeed. With the same sense of adventure that drew you to the Air Cadets in the first place, the DofE takes you through a programme of activities that will leave you a more confident, motivated and capable person.
We’re proud to be the DofE Award’s largest participant.
Sports
Feeling competitive? As an air cadet you can take part in seven main sports at different levels – athletics, cross country, football, rugby, hockey, netball and swimming.
Whatever you do it’ll help improve your physical fitness levels and your team skills. If you’re good enough at your favourite sport we’ll notice, and can help you take it to the next level.
There are frequent tournaments between squadrons, where the best players are selected to represent the wing. The same then happens for the region, with wings competing against each other and the best players making up the regional team. If you make it through each of those selections then you’re good. Really good. You’ll be at the top of your game and will have a shot at representing the entire cadet corps, nationally and even internationally.
Parade and drill
What’s the point of drill and parade? You may think it doesn’t have much to do with things like adventurous training, or leadership. That’s not the case at all! It shows how disciplined and organised you can be as an individual, remembering instructions and carrying them out accurately. More importantly, it shows your ability to work in a team and is a way of displaying the high standards of dress and behaviour which air cadets are renowned for.
