Page 46 - Cadet Review Summer 2019

CEY Wing ATC
MOMENTOUS ACHIEVEMENT
by Cdt Sgt Abbi Flynn
Recently, 739 Scarborough squadron was privileged enough to have one of our own cadets, Cadet Sergeant Abbi Flynn, awarded with a flying scholarship from the Royal Air Force Association (RAFA). Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier, the Chief of the Air Staff topped off the application experience and presented Cdt Sgt Flynn with her scholarship which is to start in the summer.
However, this momentous achievement didn’t come without hard work; Cdt Sgt Flynn was competing against another 250 cadets from many different organisations across the UK who had
also applied for the 11 spaces available on the scholarship. To narrow down the applicants, they
had to select 25 people from all the applications. These 25 were further narrowed down to 16 and
then invited to RAF College Cranwell to sit the
RAF Officer and Aircrew selection tests along with interviews. To stand out from the crowd Cdt Sgt Flynn had to explain why she was worthy of receiving such an opportunity that only a select few cadets can experience each year. But with determination and the goal in sight, she was able to pass all these tests and interviews and emerge successful.
After being informed of her success, Cdt Sgt Flynn was then invited to the RAFA annual conference in Birmingham to formally collect her scholarship from Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier. After compre- hending her achievement, Cdt Sgt Flynn had the following to say - “Being awarded a scholarship from the Royal Air Force Association is a very humbling experience that I will be forever grateful to the organisation and the Air Training Corps for. To have 12 hours of free flying tuition is potentially a once in a lifetime experience for me. I would also encourage anyone else interested in aviation to join the “Royal
I would also encourage anyone else interested in aviation to join the Royal Air Force Air Cadets
Air Force Air Cadets” and pursue a scholarship too, you don’t know until you try”.
Flt Lt Steven Lewis, Officer Commanding 739 Squadron said "Sgt Flynn has been a cadet with us now since age 12 joining just after the age you could join was lowered. I took her on her very first flight
in a Grob Tutor at RAF Linton On Ouse, where she was extremely apprehensive and nervous, and after the flight stated she would never go flying again. We were concerned she would miss out on one of the most enjoyable cadet experiences of the Air Training Corps so we gently persuaded her to try it again and since then she hasn't looked back. When she came to me and asked if I would support her application for a RAFA flying scholarship I had no reservations is saying yes.
We are so proud of her achievement against a field of very high calibre young men and women to succeed and be awarded this prestigious award and she is an inspiration to those around her and
46 CADET REVIEW SUMMER 2019
definitely an example to be followed."