There are many opportunities for cadets to fly and glide with the Air Cadets. This may take place whilst attending an annual camp or at a local RAF station. Most of the aircraft in which the cadets fly have duel controls, and this means that the pilot can hand over control of the aircraft in flight. The cadet will then be allowed to fly the aircraft. They may also be able to experience areobatics. Cadets over 16 can apply for a Gliding Scholarship, which includes upto 10 hours of flying training. At the end of the course the cadet may then be allowed to fly the aircfaft on their own.

We currently have five cadets on our Squadron who have completed the Gliding Scholarship and they are allowed wear the coverted 'gliding wings' badge.

During 2006, cadets from the Squadron took part in a total of 60 flights in the Grob Tutor aircaft. Most of these flights took place at near by RAF Church Fenton.



Below is a list of the aircraft which cadets get the opertunity to fly:

Tutor
The Grob 115E, known by the RAF as the Tutor, is used for Elementary Flying Training by the 14 University Air Squadrons and 12 Air Experience Flights throughout the UK. It is also used by the Central Flying School and for elementary WSO training at the RAF College Cranwell. All of the Tutors in RAF service are entered on the UK Civil Aircraft Register and are provided by Vosper Thornycroft Aviation.

The Tutor is constructed mainly from carbon fibre reinforced plastic, which combines high strength with light weight. Like its predecessor, the Bulldog, the Tutor has side-by-side seating but, unlike the Bulldog, the primary flight instruments are on the right-hand side of the cockpit. This allows the student to fly the aircraft from the right-hand seat with a right-hand stick and a left-hand throttle so that future transition to fast-jet aircraft is made easier.

Unpressurised, and powered by a Textron-Lycoming 180hp piston engine driving a Hoffman three-bladed, constant-speed propeller, the Tutor can cruise at 130kts at sea level and climb to 5,000ft in seven minutes. The aircraft has a very clean airframe and has a three-minute inverted- flight time limit, making it ideal for aerobatics where, unlike previous RAF light aircraft, it loses little or no height during a full aerobatic sequence. The aircraft has a very modern instrument and avionics suite, including a Differential Global Positioning System, which, apart from giving excellent navigational information, can also be used to generate a simulated Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach for training use at airfields where ILS ground equipment is not fitted for the runway in use.


Vigilant
The Grob 109B motor glider, known by the RAF as the Vigilant T1, is used by the Air Cadet Organisation to give basic flying and gliding training to air cadets. The aircraft is built in Germany, but it has been modified to meet the RAF’s training requirements by the inclusion of an additional throttle in the cockpit and an increase in the maximum take-off weight. The Vigilant is currently used by 16 Volunteer Gliding Squadrons (VGSs), located at various sites around the UK. Their role is to train air cadets in basic flying techniques and to enable them to reach a standard where they are able to fly solo. Courses available to the air cadets are the gliding induction course, the gliding scholarship course and the advanced gliding training course. The Vigilant T1 aircraft is also used at the Air Cadet Central Gliding School, at Syerston, in Nottinghamshire, where it is used to train the VGS instructors.

The aircraft is powered by a Grob 2500E1 horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, air-cooled engine, which provides a direct drive to a Hoffman Ho- V62 R/L160BT variable-pitch, two-bladed propeller. The conventional landing gear, which is non-retractable, comprises two main wheels with fairings, and a tailwheel, which is steered through the rudder pedals. A retrofitted throttle is provided for use by the left-hand seat, giving the student the familiar military configuration of right-hand stick and left-hand throttle arrangement.

The Vigilant TMk1 is a cost-effective, modern aircraft. Its docile handling characteristics, combined with good fuel economy, make it an excellent training aircraft for cadets and instructors alike.


Viking
The Grob G103A Twin II Acro, known by the RAF as the Viking T1, is used by the Air Cadet Organisation to give basic gliding training to air cadets. The aircraft is currently used by 11 Volunteer Gliding Squadrons located at various sites around the UK. Their role is to train air cadets to a standard that will allow them to fly solo. Courses available to the air cadets are the gliding induction course, the gliding scholarship course and the advanced gliding training course. The aircraft is again also used at the Air Cadet Central Gliding School, at Syerston, where it is used in the training of the VGS instructors.

The Viking T1 is a high performance sailplane, which can be winch-launched or aero-towed. The aircraft is fitted with a non-retractable tandem undercarriage and upper surface airbrakes. It has tandem seating for a crew of two and is constructed using the latest techniques in industrial glass-reinforced plastic for light weight and strength. The Viking is used for basic training, high-performance flying and simple aerobatic flying and is a cost-effective, modern glider, ideally suited to its training role with the Air Cadet Organisation.



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