Posted by admin on Friday 29 May 2009 under 2009 | 
Once again the Squadron was happy to lend a hand in supporting the Ipswich Jaffa Running Club with one of the 5 mile road races taking in some of Ipswich’s countryside. The weather was kind and the sun was shining making the route even more appealing. The cadets and Staff of 188 (Ipswich) Squadron joined the many other volunteers and some of Ipswich’s Special Constabulary to help marshall the 5 mile route so that it was safe for the 300 + particpants and also so no one got lost.
The cadets were spilt in to groups of 2 and given a radio before being driven to there marshaling point and with instructions in hand, awaiting the start of the race. As well as guiding the runners in the right direction and giving words of encouragement, it was also a great opportunity for the cadets to practice their radio communication skills.
I am pleased to say that the race went off without any problems and was a great success, with four more races planned in the series over the upcoming months in the surrounding areas to Ipswich. The next major event that the Squadron has been asked to offer assistance is on 30 August 2009, where there will be a fun run and also a half marathon taking place from Northgate Sports Centre and we will be providing marshaling and water point duities so be sure to check back later for a full report and pictures.
Posted by admin on Sunday 24 May 2009 under 2009 |
This years Spitfire March held at Folkestone saw 19 cadets & 5 staff start their journey just after 5am on the Sunday 24 May 2009. The Squadron took 2 minibuses down to the annual event that the Squadron uses as a fund raise for the Welfare Fund. Cadets and staff ask friends and family for sponsorship for completing the 15 or 25 mile march around the Folkestone countryside, which this years saw some fantastic weather and no rain for once.
The 25 Mile group set off 0830, with the 15 mile group leaving 30 minutes later. You’ll fine photo’s that the cadets and staff took as they went round in the Gallery Section of the website. I am glad to say there was no injuries apart from the out blister here and there and all the cadets and staff completed their walks with the 15 mile group getting back at approx. 1600 and the 25 mile group making great progress about 35 minutes later. All those taking part will be presented with a certificate and marching medal for their excellent efforts and I’m sure they will all be eager to return next year and maybe look further a field and possibly try and get on the Norfolk & Suffolk Wing team for Nijmegen.
“Even though a lot of us had blisters, no-one seemed to complain much. And everyone that had started the walk, finished the walk without major injuries.” commented Cadet Simone Chadwick a new comer to this years event.
The monies raised by the cadets and staff will go towards replacing old or worn equipment and training aids for the cadets as well as being used to subsidise trips and activities throughout the year ahead.
Posted by admin on Sunday 10 May 2009 under 2009 |
Well done to everyone who took part in Wing Athletics!
The squadron did very well with a grand total of 6 medals collaboratively won by Cdt’s Johnson, Fitch, Kirby and Whiting each being awarded silver for Class A 4 x 100 relay. In Class B Cdt White won silver for 400m, Cdt Whiting won another silver for the 1500m, Class C saw Cpl Button winning the silver medal for 800m and finally Cdt Morey won silver for 400m and bronze for javelin in Class E. The Class A Boys also came joint 3rd overall with 863 (Thurston) Squadron, which was a fantastic achievement for the Squadron and the cadets themselves.
Unfortunately the usual venue for athletics in Bury St. Edmunds was having its running track resurfaced so we instead we travelled to Lynnsports in Kings Lynn which meant an earlier start than previous years. Although the tent was forgotten the weather was kind and most left with a tan (or sunburn) and although we didn’t make the top 3 squadrons over all everyone had a fun, successful day.
The next step is the Regional Athletics trails held in Leicester on the 31 May 2009 and although none of our cadets got a gold medal they may still be select to represent the Wing, if the event winner is unable to attend.
Submitted by Cdt. B. Goodchild.
Posted by admin on Saturday 9 May 2009 under 2009 |
Along with shooting and flying, gliding is one of the many exciting opportunities that the Air Training Corps has to offer. On Saturday 9TH May, Cdt Cullum, Cdt Kirby and I travelled with CI Smith to MDP Wethersfield in Essex to spend the day at 614 Volunteer Gliding Squadron (VGS).
There are several levels that cadets can work at with regard to gliding. Gliding Induction Course (GIC) 1 consists of 3 fights in a winch launched ‘Viking T1’ glider aircraft for 13 year old cadets, where they are taught about the aircraft, principles of flight and pitching. The next level, GIC 2, for cadets aged 14 years has 4 flights, covering during the flight, like rolling. The third level, GIC 3 is for cadets aged 15 and older, and consists of 5 flights, where the cadet is taught about yawing the plane and can begin to explore the aeronautics behind what they fly in. It is at this stage that cadets can then apply to complete a gliding scholarship (GS) at their nearest VGS, where they progress further, doing 40 winch launches and learning about the physics of flying, radio communication and safety procedures. If they complete and pass the scholarship satisfactorily they are awarded the blue GS wings. If their instructors believe they are proficient enough, they are awarded the silver GS wings, enabling them to fly solo, without the aid of an instructor. To put this in perspective, through the GS scheme it is possible to pilot an aircraft solo before a cadet is able to drive. There is also further training whereby cadets can progress to be invited back to a VGS to study to become a Flight Staff Cadet, taking GIC cadets flying, and teaching them about gliding.
When we were flying, we learnt about pitch, rolling, yawing and looked at the effect that gravity can have on the body in flight. Our instructors taught us about thermals and how gliders stay up in the air. Whilst not in the air we helped with the dispatch and recovery of the aircraft. Each glider is winch launched from the end of the runway, and then recovered by a landrover so there is always something to do. This enabled us to learn about the ground procedures behind gliding.
Cdt Cullum completed GIC 1, Cdt Kirby completed GIC 1 and 2, and I completed GIC 2 and 3 having completed 1 at another VGS. Mr Smith also managed to fly, being slotted in to the busy schedule of the airfield at the end of the day. It was an enjoyable experience and I would recommend it to all those interested.
Submitted by Cpl B. Bowthorpe.
Posted by admin on Sunday 3 May 2009 under 2009 |
21 Cadets today had the opportunity to visit B Flight of 22 Squadron Search And Rescue (SAR) based at Wattisham Airfield. The SAR Force headquarters is situated at RAF Valley on Anglesey . In addition to the Force HQ proper, the HQ building houses the the HQs of the RAFs two operational SAR squadrons in the UK (22 and 202), as well as the RAF Sea King Simulator. SAR Force HQ controls the SAR Force’s three helicopter squadrons and one independent flight. These are:
- No.22 Squadron equipped with the Sea King HAR3/HAR3A Its operational elements are:
- A Flight – Chivenor, Devon
- B Flight – Wattisham Airfield, Suffolk
- C Flight – RAF Valley, Anglesey
- No. 202 Squadron equipped with the Sea King HAR3. Its operational elements are:
- A Flight – RAF Boulmer, Northumberland
- D Flight – RAF Lossiemouth, Moray
- E Flight – Leconfield, East Riding of Yorkshire
- No. 84 Squadron based at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus and equipped with the Griffin HAR3
- No. 1564 Flight based at RAF Mouth Pleasant in the Falkland Islands and equipped with the Sea King HAR3A.
The visit today consisted of 3 parts, the first of these was the flight safety briefing. Although the likelihood of having an emergency situation in the Sea King is very slim the cadets and staff need to be aware of how to act if one was to arise. Part 2 was a tour of the aircraft inside and out allowing the cadets and staff to get some points of the event and to be shown the different equipment the aircraft has onboard in it Search and Rescue role.
Part 3 of the visit was of course the best part with the staff and cadets being spilt in to 3 groups of 6 and being taken on a 20 minute flight around the local area. The groups didn’t all fly the same route so some of the lucky ones got to fly over Ipswich in a bid to spot the homes and the Squadron HQ. All those that flew had a great time and it is unfortunate that we couldn’t bring the whole Squadron, but there is always next time.
To see larger images of those displayed above and more visit the 2009 Squadron gallery from the Home Screen.
