Cadets Blog
Fun 'n Sun Camp Florida by Sgt Campbell
30th April 2018
Sgt Oliver Fisher and myself had the fabulous opportunity of attending the annual Sun 'n Fun camp to Lakeland international airport, Florida.
Our duties included marshalling and parking various aircraft around the airfield, selling tickets and attending aviation workshops.
I was even given the opportunity to appear on the local radio station to discuss the ATC and what we do.
After the airshow ended we were then rewarded with a visit to the Kennedy Space Centre, Busch Gardens, Universal Studios and the US Marine Reserves.
It was an amazing experience and I highly recommend cadets to sign up to this camp next year! (age requirement 16).
Alpine Adventure 2018 by Cdt Newman
5th March 2018
The Journey
I was apprehensive about going on such a long coach journey. Thankfully it was much better than my school bus with lovely seats and a TV. In no time at all we were sailing across the English Channel, enjoying breakfast en-route to France. Later we woke up to amazing views of frost covered fields whilst snacking on an array of sweets. Slowly the mountains came into view and we arrived at our lodge.
Accommodation
Our lodge was a retired watermill with the distinctive sound of running water from a huge waterfall. Spread over many levels I enjoyed a warm room all to myself.
Skiing
Skiing initially started on a small chair lift where practised and were assessed by our ski instructor. Occasionally, we were 'forced' into cafes to enjoy a drink, pancakes and discuss the day.
Over the following days we got faster and more confident. The days did not pass without incident though, as someone always seemed to fall off a chair lift!
As snow conditions improved we learnt to go over moguls and got some decent air!
Later in the week we enjoyed complicated black-runs and sped through pine trees. Some days we were skiing at such high altitude that we were above the clouds!
Evening Fun
There was always lots to do in the evening including:
- Bowling.
- Swimming - with flumes and a wave machine.
- Table tennis.
- Playing cards.
- And of course huge snowball fights! Food
We were never left hungry with lots of Nutella for breakfast and packed lunch.
Every evening we enjoyed a warm hearty meal such as dumplings, curry sausages, lasagne and much more.
The Final Day
On the final day it was raining so unfortunately we could not go skiing. However, we did return to the awesome swimming pool and ate a delicious lunch at a café. After dinner and a debrief we had an early night because of the early start the next day.
Sad to Leave
After a great week of skiing and making friends, I was sad to leave. We are not leaving behind any snow though because it had all melted! I had great fun and learnt a lot about skiing.
I would recommend this trip to everyone of all abilities.
IWM Duxford Visit by Cpl Daisy Campbell
24th February 2018
After a pit stop at Tesco Riverhead for refuel, we were on our way to Cambridgeshire for a much-anticipated trip to the Imperial War Museum's aircraft collection at Duxford.
Light traffic meant we arrived right on the 10am opening time and after a briefing from Sgt Hibbins we decided to start at the Airspace exhibit. This is the biggest display, with a range of both British military and civil aircraft. The Vulcan bomber takes pride of place, and we went underneath the aircraft to have a close of view of it's enormous bomb bay.
We then had a look inside Concorde, and were amazed at how small it was inside, and its tiny windows. The helpful guide inside explained that this one flew faster than any other Concorde! Cpl Hughes, our official photographer for the day was kept busy taking shots for the Squadron's Facebook page. CWO Relyea shed a tear passing the Tornado, as we heard from him that this was the last year the aircraft would be operational with the RAF
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The time "flew" by, and a quick check of the watch meant that our lunchtime slot at the cafeteria was fast approaching; we had only seen one of the seven exhibits!
After lunch we decided to head for the American Air Museum which is on the other side of the airfield. The massive Boeing B52 Stratofortress dwarfs all the other aircraft, but most cadets thought the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird was the most impressive with its sinister black fuselage. We learnt that the pilots of these aircraft were the elite of the US Air Force, and wore bright orange flying suits to set them apart. An unexpected exhibit was part of the steel structure from the World Trade Centre, recovered after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
We then had a break from aircraft and headed for the Land Warfare building where we saw how war on the ground changed during the twentieth century, and admired the size of the main battle tanks that were on display. By now time was short, so brief visits to Duxford's original Operations Room and a restoration hangar before our final highlight, the Battle of Britain hangar.
We arrived just in time for a guided tour, which covered the role of the Royal Observer Corp in WW2, a close look at an anti-aircraft gun and the unsung role of the hurricane. The guide was left reeling after being asked some searching questions from Cadet Penn after the tour, but we reassured him that he had got off lightly! Sgt Hibbins announced that we had 10 minutes in the hangar, so everyone raced over to the Eurofighter Typhoon. CWO Relyea could hardly contain his excitement and amongst other things said this was a first "tranche" delivery aircraft compared to tranche 3 which are the current versions.
That left just a few minutes to have a look round the gift shop. A few cadets were tempted by the sheepskin flying jackets but the £790 price tag meant that most ended up with a fridge magnetic, a souvenir of a great day out. Thanks to Sgt Hibbins for organising the event just a day before travelling to RAF Cranwell for her Sergeant's course (best of luck Ma'am) and my Dad for piloting the minibus so skilfully.
