Unsurprisingly flying and gliding are two major parts of the Air Cadet syllabus. Slough squadron goes flying at our local Air Experience Flight (AEF) which is situated in RAF Benson, and we go gliding at 612 Volunteer Gliding School (VGS), which is at Abingdon.

Flying

Flying at RAF Benson always takes place in the Grob 155E Tutor, which has been in service since 1999 ad is also flown by University Air Squadrons.

The tutor is a two seat aircraft where the student sits abreast of the pilot, it has excellent visibility, given by the large clear canopy. It is possible to do aerobatics such as a loop the loop in the tutor. Each flight in the Tutor lasts approximately 30mins, and every cadet will have a minimum of one Tutor flight per year.

Cadets also have the opportunity to fly in RAF aircraft, including helicopters, transport aircraft, and for the lucky, fast jets. Many of these opportunity flights take place whilst on camp on an RAF base.

Cadets are given a flying suit, gloves, a parachute, helmet with visor, and cushions to suit their size, which make sure they fit correctly in the seat.

Read about what one cadet's first flight was like.

Gliding