Reminiscences of a former cadet and instructor
I joined the 318 (Sale & Altrincham Squadron) of the Air Training Corps, as a cadet at the age of 13, in June 1958. It was a Thursday evening and I heard from the C.O., Flt.Lt. V.C.Eves of arrangements for the Leading Cadet examination being held the following Saturday. I asked him after final parade if I could look at an earlier examination paper as I had been studying aviation science for about 2 years at that stage. I was convinced that I could pass the exam easily so I was entered as a candidate and duly passed with flying colours. In the meantime as a non-uniformed Probationer Cadet I started the syllabus towards the First Class Cadet badge.
This comprised subjects such as Safety, First-Aid, history and structure of the ATC and RAF, ranks and badges, who-when-how to salute, drill, etc. I duly passed that exam within six weeks which meant I was issued with my uniform of which I was very proud. As I had already passed the Leading Cadet exam, it immediately entitled me to wear that badge. I quickly became proficient at drill and being so enthusiastic and well turned out, I was selected to represent the Air Training Corps at the "Teens and Twenties" Leisure Exhibition being held at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester for one week, during August of that year.
At the exhibition I regularly made good use of an exhibit assembled on-site by "The Paras", called "The Fan". It was a training aid to teach trainee parachutists how to land safely. It meant climbing up a series of ladders to a platform at a height of 90ft. Once there, volunteers were strapped into a harness and a gate opened allowing them to be launched into space on the end of an outstretched arm. Once stable, the brake was released and the person descended at the same rate as they would on a parachute. The "fan" acted as an airbrake and was weight dependent. I was very keen at that age to make a parachute jump although parachutes were not nearly as safe or controllable as they are now. In fact I made my first jump on April 18th.1985 from Shobdon Drop-Zone (DZ) using an aeroconical parachute.
I subsequently bought my own 9-cell Ram Air sports parachute within one month of returning from a well paid contract in Saudi Arabia. I then bought 4000ft. of rope and harness fittings to use it as a tow-launch paraglider.
Once up to the required altitude I release the carabiner which allows me the freedom and opportunity to do Cross-Country flights of up to 50 miles.
Unfortunately following two heart attacks I have to be very careful about taking part in potentially dangerous and physically demanding sports such as these.
But at least I have many happy memories of things I was inspired to do as a cadet.
Very soon I was asked to give training lectures to other First Class cadets who were studying such things as Flight Planning, Air Navigation techniques, Meteorology, Rules of the Air and Airmanship. I had the opportunity to shoot on the Squadron range and soon got my ATC Marksman badge on the .22 Cal Lee-Enfield, followed a few weeks later by the RAF Marksman badge on the .303 Cal. Lee-Enfield rifle.
I was selected to be on the Guard of Honour at the local Cenotaph on
Rembembrance Sunday, in that and subsequent years. I was so proud of my uniform
which I kept in immaculate condition that I wore it in the evenings and at
weekends.
It was very useful in getting lifts out to Manchester Airport and one weekend to London Heathrow where I was invited into the Control Tower and Flight Planning sections. I was then offered an "indulgence-flight", flying up front as supernumerary aircrew in the jump-seat to return to Manchester Airport in a Viscount of British European Airways.
This was to set the scene for my R.A.F. career where I initially joined up as an Instrument Mechanic (Nav), but soon flew as supernumerary Navigator on Shackleton aircraft of 120 Sqn. based at RAF Kinloss. I subsequently went on to train as a Sgt.Navigator on the last SNCO intake of No.1 Air Navigation School based at RAF Stradishall.
One activity I saw very little of as a cadet was Air Experience flying in Chipmunk aircraft at RAF Woodvale (No.10 Air Experience Flight).
Indeed I didn't fly at all until I actually hitch-hiked in my ATC uniform to Woodvale and told them I was joining the Air Force shortly and had not had any flying despite six years service as a cadet and instructor. So the staff took pity on me and gave me half-an-hour at the end of the scheduled cadet flying that day. In fact when I joined the RAF I got an abundant amount of flying in Chipmunks at St.Athan, Kinloss and Turnhouse and very cheap flying at RAF Swinderby Flying club where I did my Basic Training at No.7 School of Recruit Training in a yellow Tiger Moth.
Another activity I never had any opportunity to take part in was Summer Camp. If I had have visited an operational RAF base as a cadet, I might very well have been familiar with day-to-day life in the RAF and more inclined to sign for 27 years when I had the opportunity to do so. Because I had only ever been on a Training Unit up to that day, I was reluctant to commit myself. I realised that St.Athan was not the REAL Air Force but I just didn't know what was!
So I would indeed recommend a long term career in the RAF these days, from my knowledge of Cosford where avionics mechanics are trained at No.1 School of Technical Training. They treat you more like human beings and not caged wild animals these days. St.Athan particularly had 24 to a billet (Similar in style to what I expect you would find in a Turkish, Greek or Indian Prison)! Monks within a monastery, which is after all, a community, have single cells, very similar to what was on offer to Corporals at RAF Kinloss. Sgt's Mess accommodation was quite a bit bigger and now have en-suite shower/bath as well as study/lounge and separate bedroom area.