Camps
Cadets is all about making new friends and having fun and the best way to do that is through going to camps. At camps you can take part in a range of fun activities like bowling, climbing, shopping, mountain biking and a lot more.But its not always the activities that make a camp fun but the free time that you get to spend with you're friends.
Weekend Camps
Your first taste of camps will most likely be weekend camps, run by your squadron on another local unit. These allow time for more intensive training than during your regular meets, but can fit into a weekend and not interfere with school holidays. You could be doing all kinds of things like orienteering, over-night exercises or other specialised training.
We often work with other squadrons around us in our sector and run weekend camps together several times a year. This enables cadets to meet with other cadets around the wing and get to know other squadrons whilst still being with their friends. During these camps common activities include Youth First Aid, National Navigation Award, Clay Target Shooting, Leadership and Flight Simulator Training.
A sector camp to Leuchars Station (formerly RAF Leuchars)
Annual Camps
Once you're used to local camps you'll want more. Every year, you're given the opportunity to attend a camp on an operational RAF station. These camps last a week with the purpose of getting you even closer to Service life. As an air cadet, you'll fit right in.
You'll sleep in RAF accommodation blocks, eat at the airmen's mess and visit the various sections around the station. You'll meet the base personnel, as well as take part in sports, quizzes, aircraft recognition competitions and any social activities which may be available. There will be drill, uniform and room inspections, and everything will earn points for you as an individual and for your team.
Everyone will normally get a flight in one of the Air Experience Flight's Tutor aircraft and being on an RAF station puts you in a perfect position to get opportunity flights on other aircraft which may have a few spare seats. Helicopter flight anyone?
In the last couple of years we have had cadets from the squadron attend camps to RAF Marham, RAF Cosford, RAF Boulmer, RAF Valley and JHC Aldergrove to name but a few!
Cadet visited the fire section at JHC Aldergrove this summer.
Overseas Camps
This is where it gets really interesting! Once you've attended annual camp, proven yourself as a leader and have reached the age of 15, you're ready for an overseas camp at one of our RAF stations in Gibraltar, Cyprus or Germany.
These camps are more relaxed as all of you involved are pretty experienced by this point. There's less focus on drill and inspections and more on the other aspects of camp, such as work experience with RAF personnel and looking around local towns (like Limassol in Cyprus) and exploring historical sites.
An overseas camp is a must and it's not surprising that places are limited. Applying for one is just the beginning - you may have to fend off competition from within your own squadron to get an interview. Only after this will you discover if you've been chosen to attend overseas camp and become the envy of your squadron!
We have had cadets attend camp at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus in the past