Adventure Training
Adventure Training forms an essential part of the Air Cadet's training syllabus. As well as helping cadets forge new friendships, adventure training enables all cadets to show off their leadership qualities. There is a wide ranging Adventure Training syllabus in the ACO - you could try your hand to a number of different activities that you may never have had the chance to experience otherwise.
Here is a list of just some of the Adventure Training activities you could experience. These include camping; where you can enjoy walking in the countryside before settling down on a campsite for the evening with your Air Cadet friends; playing sport or sat round a campfirewhat better way to spend an evening? Climbing, Abseilling, Camping, Water Activities Week, Skiing, Sailing, Confidence Courses, Archery and many more! FieldcraftAnother part of the ATC syllabus is 'Fieldcraft'. In essence, this is the art of survival in the field. It covers many areas of training such as the following: Campcraft - The art of cooking rations and eating properly, as well as how to make a shelter and conceal yourself from the presence of any enemy. Camouflage and Concealment - How to conceal yourself from the enemy when moving around. This involves the use of camouflage cream and various concealment techniques. Patrols - Cadets are taught the art of formations when patrolling areas of ground. Leadership - This allows cadets to demonstrate their leadership and delegation skills in various scenarios. This could be anything from manouvering a team around obstacles, to building tripods or moving items from one place to another. Exerercises (Day and Night) - Cadets can put all of their leadership skills to the test during a simulated scenario. A team of cadets may have to get to a certain place at a certain time and construct a device, all whilst remaining undetected by the opposing team of cadets.
Annual CampsBack to Top
On arriving at camp, the cadets will be split into two or more flights. You will sleep in RAF accommodation blocks, eat at the airman's mess and visit the various sections around the station (such as squadrons, the control tower etc.), as well as take part in sports, orienteering and night exercises, quizzes, aircraft recognition competitions and any social activities which may be available. For most cadets this is the highlight of the ATC calendar.
Overseas CampsBack to TopOverseas camps work in the same way as UK based annual camps except that they take place in a different country. There are overseas annual camps open to cadets over the age of 15. The ATC currently run camps in Gibraltar, at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus and also to Germany. International Air Cadet ExchangeBack to TopIACE (International Air Cadet Exchange) links air minded youth organisations across the world on a 15-day exchange visit each July and August. The first such exchange was in 1947 between the ATC(UK) and the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. The Association is now 20 nations, exchanging some 600 cadets/adults annually with English as the common language. The UK exchanges 90 cadets annually with 15 different countries. Each year, UK cadets aged between 17 and 21 may apply for a position on this scheme and may be fortunate enough to be awarded one of the few places each year. |
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Every year, cadets are given the opportunity to attend a camp on an operational RAF station. These camps last one week (normally Saturday to Saturday or Wednesday to Wednesday) with the primary purpose of letting cadets see what life is like on an RAF Station. It is also an excellent opportunity to meet new friends and have a lot of fun.