Page 21 - Cadet review Summer 2022

their teaching style to their cadet as well which was exceptional and helped us progress constantly.
The cadets both on the course and who were flight staff cadets at 644 were all amazing people who I will keep in contact with for a long time. We all shared a passion for aviation and could learn from each other on the course from both shared experience and vastly different experiences. We all came from different areas around the UK and from some vastly different backgrounds which made getting to know them both a pleasure and an experience that I would never have received anywhere else.
The staff dynamic was best on display when all the staff and cadets went for a squadron meal together. Everyone could relax and celebrate all we had achieved up to that point in the course, and it gave everyone a chance to talk to each other in a more relaxed and friendly manner.
The gliding itself was both rewarding and challenging in equal measure. As someone who had only flown once before I was concerned when I felt very airsick on my first flight, but by the third day it
had disappeared by both becoming acclimatised to the movement and being actively involved in controlling the glider. It was an amazing experience and achievement not only glide, but to fly up to 14 launches a day for 9 days and then fly solo at the end. It was a once in a lifetime experience that will stick with me forever.
Flying solo after all the training and preparation
The staff dynamic was best on display when all the staff and Cadets went for a squadron meal together
was exhilarating, we were fully trained and had
done over 6 circuits without any instructor input beforehand, but the freedom of being in the sky alone was a truly incredible experience. At no point in the flight was there a moment that we had not been trained for repeatedly, and that feeling of being fully in control was surreal. I will never forget the feeling of landing on my own and the satisfaction I felt.
Conclusion
The course was easily one of, if not the best experience of my life, and everyone involved was friendly and passionate. The staff at Syerston were like a big family and it was bittersweet to have to leave at the end after getting to know everyone for 9 days. The course was equal parts challenging and rewarding, and each day presented new and priceless memories. The other cadets on the scholarship were also extremely friendly and we will all be staying in contact for the foreseeable future as good friends. I would thoroughly recommend this course to anyone and everyone as a priceless experience that you
will never forget. Flying solo is the most rewarding achievement and feeling I’ve experienced.
I have since been asked to consider becoming a Flight Staff cadet at RAF Topcliffe where I could both help other cadets to achieve this amazing experience and continue to develop my flying skills further into the future.
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