Last month, on Wednesday 13 January, three of our junior RAF cadets travelled to RAF Benson for their first flights in light aircraft. They were hosted by 6AEF Squadron, whose main purpose is to provide air experience flights for RAF cadets and pilot training for affiliated university cadets.
The following is a report of the trip, courtesy of Flt Lt Peter Hewstone, who, with Dr Chare, leads CCF (RAF) activities here at Shiplake College:
"After receiving ground-based safety training, the cadets were 'suited up', (i.e. climbed into flight coveralls, supplied with special gloves, helmet and parachute) and walked out to their waiting aircraft and instructor. Their instructors being highly experienced pilots trained by the RAF, whose aim is to introduce cadets to flying and, if requested by cadets, aerobatics.
Such flying is always based on RAF flight training methodology so that any future RAF flight training will not surprise cadets as being different. It is designed to provide them with the necessary basic and essential pilot skills.
The instructors demonstrated straight and level flying and then passed control to the cadets to allow them to practise this, together with climbing, descending, as well as turning and banking. Then the fun part (or not!) - aerobatics, with most cadets carrying out and flying manoeuvres such as loops, barrel rolls and wing overs. After some 30 minutes in the air, the aircraft returned to the airfield where the air experience flight came to an end.
The cadets can log this flight as part of their opportunity to obtain Cadet Blue Pilot Wings, which demonstrates their ability to control an aircraft in flight. It also confirms their understanding as to how and why aircraft fly.
And of the Shiplake cadets - they all said they enjoyed the experience and, although one or two of them looked a bit green in the face on landing, all said they wanted to go up again. So it couldn’t have been all bad!"
One of the pupils on the trip was Year 10 pupil, James Man, who commented:
"At RAF Benson, we first got into green jumpsuits, and did some practising of jumping out of a plane in case of an emergency. After that, it was mostly waiting. I had to help bring people in and out of the plane and then there was more waiting. I then got a helmet for flying and got into a plane.
After ten minutes of checking instruments, we took off. We did some turns and a loop, saw how flooded the River Thames was, and eventually flew over Abingdon. After five minutes of flying over Abingdon, we flew back to the RAF base. We checked the plane for any debris on the wing before returning to the base."
Thank you to Flt Lt Peter Hewstone and Dr Chare for organising the trip for the pupils. We're sure that this will be the first of many flights for them!
