Flying and Gliding
Air Experience Flights
And what an experience! As a cadet you’ll have the chance to fly with the best – RAF pilots.
Air Experience Flight (AEF) instructors are all current or former RAF service pilots who volunteer to pass on their knowledge and enthusiasm for flying to you. Flying takes place at one of 12 AEFs around the country, mainly at RAF stations. You’re shown how the aircraft flies and given the chance to control it and experience aerobatics. And the views from 3,000ft are stunning.
Up in the air
Every air cadet gets the opportunity to have a flight each year. You’ll join a long list of cadets going back over 50 years – including royalty – who have benefitted from this fantastic experience. The first AEFs were formed in 1958 and flew the classic DeHavilland Chipmunk which served faithfully for almost 40 years until it was replaced by the Scottish Aviation Bulldog.
Recently, it’s the Grob Tutor that has become the aircraft of choice. It has great visibility from its large canopy and is agile enough to allow it to perform full aerobatics. You’ll soon feel right at home in the Tutor and hungry for more flight time.”
AOC Gliding
In the RAF Air Cadets we do two types of Gliding: Conventional and Powered. Our conventional glider is called the Viking T.1 and has been the backbone of the conventional fleet for almost 20 years now. From experience flying the Viking is thrilling from start to finish. You are winched into the sky at almost 100 mph until you reach 1000 ft. Once up you detach the cable and then it’s just you and the sound of the wind until you land. Flying the Viking is a lot of fun as you can do some aerobatics as well, my favourite is the loop because you go upside down which is a weird sensation when you’re hanging in your seat straps!
The second glider we fly is the Vigilant T.1 which is our powered glider. Flying one of these is like flying a normal aircraft but with the added bonus of when you want to, you can turn the engine off and glide just like the Viking! When I flew as a cadet and now as a junior instructor I learned how to fly in the Vigilant. I could fly the aircraft solo before I could legally drive a car when I completed my Gliding Scholarship. Afterward my Scholarship I became a Flight Staff Cadet on my local Volunteer Gliding Squadron and completed my Advanced Glider Training which enabled me to fly by myself outside the airfields airspace. This was nerve racking at first but the training I received from my instructors was excellent and being a Flight Staff Cadet really did help me push myself in my training and helping younger cadets who had never flown before.
Gliding Induction Course (GIC)
Gliding Scholarship (GS)
Depending on which glider you fly completing your GIC’s will vary. In a Viking it usually takes up to 15 launches whilst in a Vigilant it is three flights of 20,25 and 30 minutes respectively. You will learn the basic controls of the aircraft such as using the ailerons to roll the aircraft, the elevator to ascend and descend and the rudder to yaw the aircraft. You will be given the opportunity to take control of the aircraft yourself to try the manoeuvres yourself. You must be 13 and 3 months and have passed your 1st class exam before you can begin Flying and Gliding the RAF Air Cadets.
The Gliding Scholarship is one of the most demanding courses we other in regards to flying in the RAF Air Cadets. As such you have to be at least 16 years of age and have passed your Leading Cadet exam. A lot is expected of you whilst on the course and you must show commitment and maturity when you are doing it. You will be given more advanced training which equates up to 8 hours for the Vigilant (this goes up to 10 if you’re going to fly solo) or 40 launches in the Viking. These courses are free and are paid for by the RAF, all you need to do is work hard, be committed and at the end, if you’re good enough, you will be given the opportunity to fly solo. Even if you do not fly solo take pride in the fact that you have completed one of the most demanding courses we provide. Once you have completed the course you will be awarded wings to put on your jumper to show you achievement.
Advanced Glider Training (AGT)
If you have achieved your silver wings and you now have a passion for flying you can ask your VGS whether or not you can stay on and begin your AGT. This is not a decision to take likely as you will become a Flight Staff Cadet on the VGS and will become one of their junior staff members. This usually means you have to give up one of your weekend days and usually 2 weeks in the summer. However, the benefits are numerous as you will be doing something which not many cadets ever get to do. You will be taught advanced turning and advanced landing techniques which will not have been taught on you scholarship and you will have to complete 5 solo’s and another exam. On top of this you will classed as a junior member therefore you will help with the daily running of the VGS and helping out GIC cadets you may not have flown the first time.
Once you have completed your AGT you will be entitled to wear your Gold wings. These are the penultimate wings you can achieve. However, that is not the end. If you have passed you AGT you may ask your VGS to become a permanent member of the Squadron which paves the way for you to begin learning how to be an instructor and earn your graded pilots wings. Who know one day you may be able to fly cadets yourself and teach them all the things you were taught when you began gliding yourself!