Bhangra Dancers
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Inside: Historic debate in the House of Lords RAF Charitable Trust Competition: Win Boots! AIR CADET NEWS www.raf.mod.uk/aircadets £2.95 Winter 2014 Starring role for Bhangra dancers www.raf.mod.uk/aircadets 1 AIR CADET NEWS 12 Welcome to AirCadet Happy New Year and welcome to the first edition of Air Cadet magazine for 2014. In this edition, Commandant Air Cadets, Air Commodore Dawn McCafferty, looks forward to the challenges ahead and highlights some of the exciting opportunities that are on the horizon. The past few months have been as busy as ever for the Air Cadet Organisation with several high profile events including the historic debate in the House of Lords, the Bhangra dancers 16 from 1846 (Southall) Squadron supporting the Poppy Day Appeal with a performance in London’s Covent Garden and the cadets taking centre stage at the 25th Birmingham International Tattoo performing to audiences of 12,000 at the National Indoor Arena. The eagle-eyed amongst you will have spotted our Honorary Ambassador, Sir Chris Hoy, with unusual headgear, lending his support to this year’s Sport Relief. This year’s event takes place between March 21st and 23rd and is your chance to run, swim or cycle and raise vital funds that will help change lives at home in the UK or across the world. You can find out more at www.sportrelief.com n AirCadet is sponsored by: 28 www.airtattoo.com Email your Cadet news, events and high res pics to: [email protected] 2 AIR CADET WINTER 2014 36 WINTER 2014 AirCadet Contents 25 Face of the Air Cadets Features Duke Of Edinburgh 8 Cadets boost 28 Out of the ordinary poppy appeal Insight 10 Historic debate in 16 the House of Lords 4 From the top 16 Blazing a trail ... 7 New gliding 22 On the Thar horizon school launches Cadets in India 32 Motivate ... activate ... 26 Sail away sportivate! News Competition 6 By Royal command 27 Cadet Direct competition 12 Picture this! Win boots! 18 On top form 27 One big, happy family! 34 Terry Wogan launches marathon Managing Editor: Printing: Denise Parker Housby Warners Midlands plc, The Maltings E: ACO-HQAC-MC-Head @mod.uk Manor Lane, Bourne PE10 9PH T: 01778 391000 Editor: Carol McCombe Every care has been taken in the E: [email protected] preparation of this magazine, but neither Warners plc nor the ACO Advertising: can be held responsible for the 32 accuracy of the information herein, Ten Alps Account Manager: or any consequence arising from it. Anthon Linton Views expressed by contributors and T: 0207 657 1819 customers might not reflect the views of the ACO. Ten Alps Sales Executive: Haley Willmott COVER IMAGE: Philip Jones T: 0207 657 1805 Produced by Air Media Centre, Design: HQ Air Command. Steve J Davies, Air Media Centre, 0887_13SJD HQ AIR, RAF High Wycombe © UK MOD Crown Copyright 2014 www.raf.mod.uk/aircadets 3 AIR CADET FEATURES Welcome to another edition of Air Cadet new volunteers, let the team know - the and to another year with the Air Cadet Chair is Head of Media & Commuications From Organisation. In this issue I want to look at HQ assisted by Squadron Leader forward to the year ahead and share Bushell-Hawke from SW M&C. with you some of the things I hope we are going to achieve in 2014. Cadet Strategy Camp the One exciting development for 2014 is Our own Flying Training School! what I think will be the first ever Cadet What great news for the ACO! Strategy Camp. We plan to bring up to The Chief of the Air Staff has endorsed 50 of our more senior and experienced the establishment of No 2 Flying Training cadets to RAF Cranwell for a weekend of top School, which will be responsible for the workshops, think tanks and brainstorming delivery of all cadet gliding through the so that they can help shape the future Central Gliding School and VGSs. cadet experience. Group Captain John Middleton, former The types of things we’ll be asking Regional Commandant North, has been them to consider include: how to exploit appointed as the first Delivery Duty social media; a review of cadets aged Holder (Gliding). 18-20 and how best to motivate them; Commandant He will, I am sure, ensure that cadet what we should do to mark the 75th gliding gets an appropriate focus and anniversary of the ATC in 2016; and what Air Cadets, Air full support as we shape this new FTS activities should we consider for the and the work of all the volunteers who cadets of 2020 and beyond. Should be a Commodore Dawn deliver such a vital component of the air really interesting event! cadet experience. McCafferty, looks Since aviation sits at the heart of our Major events and competitions 2020 Strategy, I feel that cadet gliding has 2014 has another busy calendar of air forward to another come home - back to the heart of the cadet activities and I share a few with you Air Cadet Organisation, where it belongs. here. Firstly, we have the annual round of busy year in office John will also provide a focus for cadet Lees Trophy, Morris Trophy, the Marshall AEF activity and will take a great interest Trophy and the Dacre Sword and Brooch and reveals some in helping cadets get airborne as often competitions running in parallel with the as possible. CCF Thomson Sword and Air Squadron of the highlights Trophy competitions. Adult volunteer recruitment I will be conducting Annual Formal expected in 2014 ... As I write, designs are well advanced for Inspections in all six ATC Regions and will a new set of adult volunteer recruitment host an Annual Formal Inspection by the posters, fliers, pop ups and banners, all AOC next autumn. to be deployed this year in the hope Throughout the summer, I will attend of raising the profile of volunteering more major air shows, including RIAT and opportunities in the ACO. possibly Waddington and Cosford and I Sir Chris Hoy, our honorary hope to attend as many of the national Ambassador, has graciously allowed us competitions as I can, ranging from sport to use his image on the designs and we to drill, band, aircraft recce and First Aid. hope that others will now follow in his I hope to see even more cadets footsteps and take an active interest in air achieve BTEC qualifications and Duke cadet activity. of Edinburgh awards and I also plan to We also have a large committee of attend Bisley to see some of our best dedicated staff and volunteers who shots compete at the highest level. A visit are working on the recruitment to Llanbedr adventure training centre campaign to reach out to new is overdue and I also plan to conduct potential volunteers, exploiting a number of CCF Biennial Inspections. social media and other avenues A hoped for return visit to Nijmegen, to ensure we grow adult a first visit to Ten Tors and hosting the volunteers who are so International Air Cadet Exchange are also critical to the future of this Organisation. If you have By Air Commodore Dawn McCafferty any ideas how to recruit 4 AIR CADET WINTER 2014 FROM THE TOP ... a modern, dynamic, sustainable air-minded youth organisation ... that offers fun and challenging opportunities to young people and adult volunteers alike ... IMAGE: Philip Jones Philip IMAGE: highlights of the coming year, not to practice across the Corps, helping those of the Internal Communications review, mention a very exciting invitation to visit committees that might be struggling and also looking at the Parenting of the the Hong Kong Air Cadets! and ensuring they are supported in this ACO by the RAF and other Services. All in all, 2014 promises to be as key role. All told, a busy year with lots to do. I look interesting and rewarding as 2013 and forward to the many challenges ahead I know there are any number of other Taking the 2020 strategy forward but remain committed to achieving events I have not even heard of yet that In the last edition, I told you about some our vision: are likely to attract my attention as the of the work we have initiated or planned To be a modern, dynamic, sustainable year unfolds. Air cadets are anything to take the ACO through to 2020 and air-minded youth organisation of but predicable! beyond. In the next year, I hope to see the choice that offers fun and challenging emerging findings of the Adult Volunteers’ opportunities to young people and adult Strengthening civilian committees Terms & Conditions review offered up volunteers alike and develops citizens Another area of work that I hope to for wider consultation. We will also be with valuable skills for the future. n see taken forward is the enhanced watching with great interest to see how governance of our Civilian Committees. the wider work in this area develops with As you know, these committees the Defence Youth Engagement Review provide essential fund-raising support to Implementation Team. I also hope to see their squadrons and also contribute to the progress on some of the Admin Burden overall well-being of cadets and staff. Reduction Team’s proposals. An often unsung group of volunteers, Towards the end of the year, we we are keen to support these committees should see progress on the review of at every level and to standardise their Cadet Camps and we will be in the early Terms of Reference. We have sought stages of the Shooting Review, which I advice from the Charity Commission have had to postpone for six months due on the relationship between these to staff shortages.