Page 13 - Cadet Review Autumn 2021
P. 13

                                 RAFAC NATIONAL AEROSPACE CAMP
Continuing the move towards a ‘new normal’ for Air Cadets, five cadets from 868 (Mirfield) Squadron joined this year’s Nation Aerospace Camp at RAF Syerston. The continued constraints imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic meant that could not be as in past years, and the camp could not be residential so cadets had to travel in on a daily basis.
Nevertheless 300 cadets enjoyed a full and active programme including: engineering, STEM projects, gliding and synthetic flying training, space (a talk by Professor Anu Ojha of the National Space Academy), drones, robotics, cyber, RAF outreach, simulators, air traffic control, National Police Air Service, plus an opportunity to discuss Royal Air Force careers.
During the camp, the Mirfield cadets, Cpl Ben Ayrton, Isabel Calvert, Shaun Mitchell, Sachen Pathak and Emily Richards, added to their various gliding qualifications and managed to get their picture with the Royal Air Force Air Cadets Commandant, Air Commodore Tony Keeling.
Participants of the camp also had their own exclusive air show featuring displays by:
• RAF Red Arrows,
• RAF Chinook Display Team,
• Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (Hurricane
and Spitfire)
• RAF Falcons parachute display team
• RAF Typhoon Display
• and an Army Air Corps Apache flown in by a
former Air Cadet
Afterwards, reflecting on his experience of the
Camp, Corporal Ben Ayrton said “I completed 4 activities while there, each of which I thoroughly enjoyed. I took part in Engineering, where we were taught the basics of different engine types and then reassembled a two-stroke engine; it was very interesting to see physically how they work after
On our final day we had an intriguing space talk in the morning and an air show in the afternoon; this was certainly the highlight of the camp!
learning the theory. I also had RAF Outreach, which were tasks delivered by RAF recruitment, challenging us to deal with a humanitarian issue and it was very informative to learn how different roles would act in situations like these. Raytheon led an activity where we were split into teams and tasked with building
a wing to given specifications. This activity involved team-building and problem-solving skills and was a very fun and challenging experience. Finally, I took part in Simulated Aerospace Module activities, and got to use different technology such as flight sim,
VR and an air traffic simulator; this was definitely my favourite activity as I loved using the different technology on offer. On our final day we had an intriguing space talk in the morning and an air show in the afternoon; this was certainly the highlight of the camp! It was a ‘full on show’ and was great being able to just sit back and enjoy the show. Overall, the camp was an exciting and unforgettable experience, even with the slightly different format!”
Mirfield squadron commander, Flight Lieutenant Peter Doubell commented “although cadets did not have the chance this year to enjoy the wider range of activities and educational visits that the Aerospace Camp can normally offer, it is really good to see opportunities for larger scale activities begin to be available once more – all our participants had a great time and look forward to enjoying the full residential experience next year. I was there with the cadets on the Wednesday and saw the terrific range of opportu- nities available to them, and got to see the amazing air show put on especially for the camp!”
      The RAF Falcons parachute
868 Sqn cadets with the RAFAC
 Commandant, Air Commodore Tony Keeling
  display team during the Air show
 The Red Arrows during the Air show
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