621VGS News

Easter 2012 brought a mix of weather – sunshine and showers, hot and cold weather,  too little and too much wind with hail, thunder and lightning too.

With nine cadets on the course being joined, on some days, by existing weekend cadets, losing Monday to rain and two afternoons to thunderstorms left the course with a lot of work still to do on Thursday morning.

With the conditions settling briefly on Friday and Saturday, all of the course students managed to acheive their Gliding Scholarships, with almost all going solo, making this one of our most successful courses.   Well done!

621 VGS website has now been running for 10 years.

621 VGS were awarded the CFS Trophy at the VGS Conference held at RAF Cranwell on the weekend 30 March 2012. 621 VGS have won the trophy three time in the last four years.

The 2012 Ride of Repect riders gathered at Hullavington before riding through Royal Wotton Basset to raise money for military Charities.

FSC Tobias Wilson was awarded Best Staff Cadet 2011 at the 621 VGS Annual Dinner on 7th January by Sqn Ldr Dave Woolcock OC 621 VGS.

621 VGS operated for two continuous “Summer Course” weeks in August with twenty students achieving their Gliding Scholarships, fourteen of which went solo.   

The courses also provided the opportunity for the new C-Cats to get their first experience of teaching the full course from start to finish. 

With favourable conditions at the end of the fortnight, the junior staff were able to get in some flying, with two AGT2 awards being achieved.

Well done to Ellie Nicholls on passing her C-Cat Instructor course at RAF Syerston.   After completing site checks at Hullavington, Ellie taught her first Gliding Scholarship students on the second of 621′s Summer courses.

The Air Cadet Organisation has celebrated its 70th Birthday in style at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford. 

A flypast consisting of the following aircraft flown by the Air Cadets over the last 70 years:

Powered: Tiger Moth, Chipmunk, Bulldog and a Tutor
Motor Gliders: Venture and a Vigilant
Gliders: Sedburgh and a Swallow towed by a Chipmunk and a Prefect and MkIII towed by a Piper Cub.

The aircraft gathered at Hullavington on the Tuesday prior to the event before training commencing on Wednesday.  The display was given approval on Thursday with the first flypast at RIAT taking place on Friday at 6pm.    As far as we are aware the first time the organisation has displayed at the event. The weather conditions over the weekend were not the best, rain cancelled Saturdays display and Sunday’s was also a close call.     

With some adjustments, the Sunday display went ahead with all the aircraft passing 70,000+ crowds and making it safetly back to Hullavington.

The display was given a special mention at the RIAT Hanger Party, the traditional closing evening event by Air Commadore Nigel Wharmby of the Air Tattoo’s Flying Control Committee. “The display with training aircraft and gliders was truly remarkable given that the wind and weather made conditions phenomenally difficult,” he said, adding: “I salute you.”

A team of six staff members from 621VGS beat 17 teams from the world’s best air forces in shooting and first aid on Friday, to win overall, the Royal International Air Tattoo Crew Challenge 2011 and take home the Lockheed Martin-sponsored trophy.  

The competition required the teams to compete in a range of activities including raft building, first aid, shooting, assault course and aircraft recognition.  Each member of the team brought their own strengths and the training they have received as part of their Air Cadet service was a key element in their success.

The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, congratulated the team on Saturday whilst visiting the Air Cadet display.

It was a damp start to this years Dawn till Dusk with drizzle followedby stong winds and low cloud preventing the event starting until nearly 1300hrs. 
More Soon.