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The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is affiliated to and supported by the Royal Air Force, however the cadets and majority of staff are civilians. It is not a recruiting organisation, although a number of its members do go on to join the RAF or other services. Aims and Motto The Aims of the Air Training Corps are: The Air Training Corps Motto is "Venture Adventure". HRH The Duke of Edinburgh serves as honorary Air Commodore-in-Chief. History Air Commodore J A Chamier is affectionately known as the father of the air cadet movement. He was the son of a major-general and joined the army himself as a regular officer. In the Army he learnt to fly and was loaned to the Royal Flying Corps (the forerunner of the Royal Air Force) during World War I. He transferred to the Royal Air Force in 1919 and eventually retired from service in 1929. His love of aviation and his tremendous capacity for hard work was such that, following his retirement, he became the Secretary-General of the Air League - an organisation made up of people who could see a bright future for aviation and who wanted to make the British public aware of its potential. Against a background of rising interest in aviation and with the clouds of war beginning to form over Europe, Air Commodore Chamier thought of the idea of starting an aviation cadet corps. He knew that in the 1914-1918 war, in desperate moments, hand picked young men with only a few hours of training were sent to do combat in the air - only to fall victim to well trained enemy aviators. He knew also that the winning of air power would need the services of many highly skilled and highly trained men using the best equipment and that the sooner such training could be started the better. So in 1938 Air Commodore Chamier came up with a plan to form an Air Defence Cadet Corps (ADCC). His idea was to attract and train young men who had an interest in aviation, from all over the country. He planned to set up squadrons of young cadets in as many towns and cities as possible, and ask local people to organise and run them. Air Commodore Chamier's idea seemed to capture the mood of the British people at the time. In their eagerness to help the nation in preparation for war, young men rushed to join the Corps in their thousands. The cadets were asked to pay a weekly subscription of 3d (old pence) which today is equivalent to 1p. Each squadron's aim was to prepare cadets for joining the RAF or the Fleet Air Arm. They tried to give the cadets as much Service and aviation background as possible as well as giving instruction in drill, discipline, how to wear the uniform and how to behave on RAF stations. The training the cadets received also meant development of personal physical fitness. PT, games and athletics, especially cross country running and long route marches, soon became standard squadron activities. Cadets were also encouraged to take part in activities such as shooting, camping and, of course, flying. By 1938 the activities of the ADCC were severely restricted because of the approach of World War II. Many ADCC instructors and squadron officers were called up into regular Service. Buildings were commandeered by either the Service or by local government for war work and cadets went to work on RAF stations. Cadets were used to carry messages, they helped with clerical duties, in providing extra muscle in handling aircraft and in the movement of stores and equipment. They filled thousands of sandbags and loaded miles of belts of ammunition. Throughout the early stages of war, the government received good reports as to the quality of cadets entering the RAF and Fleet Air Arm. It was so impressed that it asked the ADCC to begin training young men who were waiting to be called into Service. The ADCC willingly took on this very responsible job and in a very short space of time produced thousands of well qualified individuals who went to pass quickly through basic training. Towards the end of 1940 the government realised the true value of the work done by the ADCC and agreed to take over its control. This meant a number of changes to the corps, and in fact brought about the birth of a completely new organisation, called the Air Training Corps. So on the 5 February 1941 the Air Training Corps (ATC) was officially established, with King George VI very kindly agreeing to be the Air Commodore-in-Chief, and issuing a Royal Warrant setting out the Corps' aims. The number of young men responding to this new ATC was spectacular. Within the first month the size of the old ADCC had virtually doubled to more than 400 squadrons and after 12 months it was about 8 times as big. The new ATC badge was designed and, once approved by the King, it was published in August 1941. The motto VENTURE ADVENTURE, devised by Air Commodore Chamier, was adopted by the ATC and incorporated into the badge. The new ATC squadrons adapted their training programmes to prepare young men for entry to the RAF. Squadrons arranged visits to RAF and Fleet Air Arm stations as part of the cadets' training and to let them fly as much as possible. Everybody wanted to fly but, with so few flights available, many cadets were disappointed. One solution designed to get cadets airborne was to introduce them to gliding. This would give cadets a chance to get the feel of an aircraft in flight and allow them to handle the controls. This obviously could not happen over night. It would be many years before this dream could be realised. Organisation Within the Corps there are four levels of command. From top down they are: Corps, Region, Wing and Squadron. The Squadrons are the focal point for the majority of members of the Corps. National level The ATC is the larger part of the Air Cadet Organisation (ACO), along with the RAF sections of the Combined Cadet Force. It is divided geographically into six regions, each of which are sub-divided into wings. There are currently 36 Wings, most named after the one or two counties that they operate in. Wings are divided into four areas and further sub-divided into squadrons. Headquarters Air Cadets (HQAC), based at RAFC Cranwell, controls the organisation; and there are subordinate HQs at Region and Wing levels staffed by officers of the RAF Reserve and civil servants. A regular RAF Air Commodore serves as Commandant Air Cadets. The Current Commandant Air Cadets is Air Commodore Gordon Moulds. The ACO forms one of the seven functional areas of No 22 (Training) Group Royal Air Force, which is responsible for the recruitment and selection of all RAF personnel and for the policy and delivery of RAF non-operational training (including Flying Training). No 22 Grp is led by the Air Officer Commanding No 22 Grp, currently Air Vice-Marshal John Ponsonby. Two Air Cadet National Adventure Training Centres are controlled by HQAC - at Llanbedr, Wales and Windermere, England. These provide a range of adventure training courses and accommodation for squadron and wing expeditions. HQAC also control 28 Volunteer Gliding Squadrons around the UK, through the Air Cadet Central Gliding School at RAF Syerston. Local level ATC Squadrons are established in most large towns in the UK and there are also units in Cyprus, Germany and the Channel Islands. In recent years, there have always been approximately 900 squadrons. The first 50 squadrons formed have their squadron numbers followed by an F to show they are founder squadrons. In towns not large enough to sustain a squadron of 30 cadets, a Detached Flight (DF) may be formed. This operates much like any other unit, but is technically a component part of a nearby larger squadron. The establishment of Officers and cadet NCOs (Non-Commissioned Officer) is dependent on the size of the Squadron or DF. Each squadron is commanded by an officer holding a commission in the RAF VR(T). The commanding officer (or CO) has a good deal of autonomy in running the unit but also carries heavy responsibilities. Additionally where a unit has other members of staff the CO allocates their duties and also provides recommendation on appointment, retention and promotion of those staff. This basic structure has many permutations - varying numbers of cadets and staff, accommodation and facilities. A typical Detached Flight consists of the Officer Commanding and a minimum of fifteen cadets and is often housed in rented accommodation. At the other extreme a large Squadron can consist of 120 plus cadets, 4 commissioned officers, 2 non-commissioned officers and a half dozen Civilian Instructors. Cadets Young people can join the ATC at any time between the ages of 13 and 18. Cadets can stay in the corps up until age 20 but must have reached the rank of Cadet Sergeant by 18 to be eligible for this. Those who stay on beyond 18 are termed Instructor Cadets. All cadets are issued with uniform and must pay a small amount in subscriptions, usually about £5 per month. The subscription money covers parts of the activities undertaken by the Cadets for example white water rafting, shooting, flying or camping, as well as the upkeep of the squadron. These things are also subsidised by the RAF. The cadets of a squadron all join as a probationer, however they can be promoted by the CO to the status of NCOs. The NCO ranks within the ATC mirror those of the RAF and are Cadet Corporal, Cadet Sergeant, Cadet Flight Sergeant and Cadet Warrant Officer. It is common within the ATC to abbreviate these ranks by dropping the prefix "Cadet". The rank of Cadet Warrant Officer requires a promotion interview by the Officer Commanding of the wing (Wing Commander), his deputy or the Wing Staff Officer (WSO) of that area; promotion to the lower ranks is in the power of the squadron's Commanding Officer. All cadets who are over the age of 18 have the prefix "Instructor Cadet". Instructor Cadets must be the of rank Sergeant or above. If a cadet has not reached the rank of Sergeant by the time they are 18, they are required to leave. These NCOs now wear a rank slide with the insignia 'INSTRUCTOR CADET' written below their rank, although many still wear the old insignia - a white band attached to the rank slide. An instructor cadet has extra responsibilities over under-18 year olds which include a duty of care to the younger Cadets and NCOs. Instructor Cadets, however, have no authority over cadets below the age of 18 holding the same or a more senior rank. Not all cadets who join the ATC can expect to receive promotion. However all cadets can progress through the training system and, by passing exams (usually taken every 6 months), achieve increasing levels of qualification. The qualification levels are Second Class Cadet (commonly known as a 'probationer', or 'basic'), First Class Cadet, Leading Cadet, Senior Cadet and Staff Cadet part 1 and 2. For each of these qualifications cadets study a variety of subjects including Airmanship, Navigation, First Aid, Communications, Principles of Flight, Airframes and Propulsion. These subjects are studied using ACPs. Each successive qualification allows a cadet greater participation. For example, cadets must be First Class before they can take part in some activities such as UK annual camps or air experience flying. Cadets who have achieved the Staff Cadet part 2 qualification wear a distinguishing yellow lanyard on their uniforms and are then authorised to teach lessons. Cadets can qualify for various BTEC awards through the training that is carried out at their squadrons. Adult Staff The staff who run the ATC at unit level come in 3 types: commissioned officers, adult SNCOs (Sgt, FS, WO) and civilian instructors. Officers are commissioned into the Training Branch of the RAF Volunteer Reserve (RAF VR(T)). Unless an officer has previous service, he or she is commissioned as a Pilot Officer, being promoted to Flying Officer after two years. After 9 years commissioned service, the rank of Flight Lieutenant is bestowed. Squadrons are usually commanded by Flight Lieutenants, who are also found as Wing and Regional staff officers along with Squadron Leaders and Wing Commanders. Adults may also be appointed as Adult SNCOs, although these ranks are within the ATC and so therefore these are not members of the RAF Reserve. Adult NCOs are uniformed in the same way as their RAF counterparts with two exceptions: a small gilt ATC badge is worn on the rank badge and Warrant Officers (unless they have previous regular warranted service) wear a different rank badge. Civilian Instructors, known as CIs, play an important role in training cadets. Unlike Adult NCOs and Officers, CIs do not wear uniform and do not form part of the chain of command in the squadron. Civilian Committees For each level of command there is an associated Civilian Committee. There is a minimum of 5 members to any "Civ Com", and there must be a chairperson, treasurer and secretary as well as the CO (an ex-officio member) and someone to take "minutes". The Civ Com is responsible for overseeing the initial unit formation and direction. The committees, consisting of respected members of the community often including parents of cadets and retired staff, also manage finances (in particular fund raising) but do not have any executive authority. The ATC is a charitable organization. The Royal Air Force provides funds for a few of the key activities such as flying training. These finances are known as 'Public Funds'. The great range of other activities offered by the ATC however are financed from 'Non-Public Fund'. Here the Civilian Committees come into their own in their tireless effort to seek the necessary financial assistance which allows these other activities to take place. Squadrons are "Charities Excepted From Registration". This means they enjoy all of the legal benefits or a registered charity without the burdon of registration. Activities Within the framework of the training programme ATC cadets have the opportunity of taking part in many activities. On most Squadrons the only compulsory activities in the ATC year are attendance at various church parades, usually ATC Sunday (to celebrate the founding of the Air Training Corps on 5 February 1941, see below) and Remembrance Sunday. Many wings also insist that attending Wing Parade is compulsory. Parade nights Every Squadron meets (parades) during the evening at least once, and usually twice, a week. Parade nights always begin and end with a parade. First parade is usually used as an opportunity for uniform inspection and to instruct cadets on the evening's activities, while final parade is usually used as an opportunity to inform cadets of upcoming events that they may wish (or may be required) to take part in. On some squadrons subscriptions 'subs' are paid on a per-parade night basis. On other squadrons, subs are paid monthly either in person or by automated standing order. Subs vary from squadron to squadron and are set by the civilian committee in consultation with the squadron's Commanding Officer and other staff. Subs ranging from £5-£9/month are typical. Flying Cadets can take part in regular flights in the Grob Tutor at one of 12 Air Experience Flights (AEFs) around the UK. These flights typically last 30 minutes; as part of a structured syllabus of training it is usual for the cadet to be offered the chance of flying the aircraft or of experiencing aerobatics. The Staff are all qualified Service pilots, usually serving or retired RAF officers. Prior to the introduction of the Tutor, AEFs were equipped with Bulldogs as a temporary measure following the retirement of the Chipmunk in 1996. The Chipmunk was introduced in 1957 and during its service flew many thousands of cadets. Prior to the Chipmunk and established AEFs, cadet flying was a more ad-hoc affair, although during the 1940s and 1950s, Airspeed Oxfords and Avro Ansons were used specifically to fly cadets. Cadets were most often used to manually pump the landing gear up or down when flying in the Ansons. Gliding Cadets can also undertake elementary flying training at a Volunteer Gliding Squadron(VGS) in Royal Air Force Gliders. The staff are all qualified service gliding instructors, usually made up of a mixture of regulars, reservists and Civilian Instructors. Gliding initially consists of three one day Gliding Induction Courses, GIC 1,2 & 3. Each GIC consists of learning about controlling the aircraft in one of the three axes of flight. GIC 1 is pitch, GIC 2 is roll and GIC 3 is yaw and a demonstration of stalled flight. A VGS will either fly the winch-launched Grob Viking glider or the Grob Vigilant self-launched motorglider. At age 16 onwards, cadets can apply for gliding scholarships through their squadron staff. If selected, the cadet will receive up to 40 instructional launches on the Viking pure glider, or up to 8 hours of tuition on the powered Vigilant motorglider. Cadets who successfully complete either of these programmes will be awarded blue wings. Cadets who show the required aptitude and ability will go on to perform a solo flight and be authorised to wear silver wings on their uniform. Further training is available to a select few cadets who show potential to progress onto Advanced Gliding Training (AGT) where on completion they are awarded gold wings. Usually these cadets will be enrolled as Flight Staff Cadets (FSCs) and further training to instructor categories is possible. A FSC can achieve a Grade 2 award, which recognises them as a competent solo pilot, a Grade 1 award, allowing them to carry passengers in the air and perform the basic teaching tasks involved in the GIC courses. Ultimately an FSC can achieve a C category instructors rating. A 'C cat' is an instructor who is qualified to teach the Gliding Scholarship course. Once a cadet reaches 20 years of age, he can no longer be a FSC and must become a Civilian (Gliding) Instructor, CGI, (although a FSC has this option at age 18) or a commissioned officer. Once either of these adult statuses has been gained, progression onto 'B cat' and 'A cat' is possible. An A cat is able to send first solos, and B cat can send subsequent solos. Both can perform SCT (Staff Continuation Training) to keep other members of staff well trained and current in their flying categories. Marksmanship Cadets have the opportunity of firing a variety of rifles on firing ranges. Cadets first train with and fire either the Lee-Enfield No.8 .22 rifle or .177 air rifles. They can then progress to the L98A1 CGP, a manually operated variant of the 5.56 mm SA80. The 7.62 mm Parker Hale L81A2 Cadet Target Rifle is also used at long ranges for competition shooting. Although safety has always been the main concern when shooting, with everything done by the book, recent years have seen the introduction of a wider range of training courses for staff involved in shooting to improve quality and safety even further. There are many competitions, from postal smallbore competitions to the yearly Inter-Service Cadet Rifle Meet at Bisley, the home of UK shooting. Drill All ATC squadrons practise drill as a means of distilling discipline and teamwork. Drill is also used in formal parades, for moving around military bases and moving cadets in a smart and orderly fashion to show how well disciplined the cadets are. There are also drill competitions comprising of inter-wing competitions up to national competitions. Air cadet drill is taken from the manual Air Cadet Publication 19 (ACP19) which is based on the RAF drill manual. Annual and Overseas Camps The highlight of the cadet's calendar is annual camp - a week away at an RAF station. Annual camps are organised for all squadrons so that every cadet who wishes to take part and who has achieved at least the First Class qualification may attend. Cadets usually stay in RAF barrack blocks and eat in the station's mess facilities. The itinerary is always packed with typical ATC activities such as air experience flying, shooting, adventure training and, of course, drill. Cadets will also have the opportunity to visit various sections of the station and meet the people who work there. For older and more experienced cadets who have achieved the Leading Cadet qualification, the corps also offers overseas camps. These are more expensive than UK camps, as the cost of flights has to be paid for, and are generally more relaxed and seen as a reward for hard working and long serving cadets. Since the end of the Cold War, and the closure of RAF stations in Germany, the number of overseas camp opportunities has decreased. As of 2005 the destinations for overseas camps were: Sport Sport plays a key part in the activities of every squadron. Seven sports are played competitively between squadrons. Cadets who show talent can be selected to represent their Wing, Region or the Corps in competitive matches; these cadets are awarded wing, regional or corps 'Blues'. The main sports played are: Other sports are also played, sometimes in matches between squadrons, including volleyball, five-a-side football, table tennis, etc. Cadets also use various sports to take part in the physical recreation section of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Duke of Edinburghs Award The Air Training Corps is the single largest operating authority of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award system and celebrates its 50th year of providing this opportunity to its cadets in 2006. Communications An extensive range of communication training is offered where appropriately skilled instructors and equipment are available. This can range from handheld radio operating procedures to networked digital communication, and even encompasses publishing online (such as this Wiki). The Provisional Radio Operator Certificate is available to cadets who can demonstrate a working knowledge of basic Air Cadet radio operating procedures and techniques, and the Full Radio Operator Certificate to cadets who can demonstrate more advanced radio operating knowledge and skills. Cadets are encouraged to pursue this training across a range of mediums and technology. Once a sufficiently broad spectrum of skills have been mastered and validated by the Wing Communications Officer the cadet is awarded the Communicator Badge to be worn on the brassard. Communication training provides valuable practical lessons in information handling and management, develops interpersonal skills and meets one of the Corps' prime objectives: 'providing training useful in both civilian and military life'. Community Volunteering Cadets often volunteer to help at various national and local events. For their services a small payment is usually offered to their squadron's funds. Typical examples of such work includes car parking duties at events and delivering copies of Gateway Magazine to RAF married quarters. The largest example of cadets involved in volunteer work is at the Royal International Air Tattoo, an annual air display held at RAF Fairford. Each year several hundred air cadets volunteer to stay on the base in temporary accommodation. During the course of the event they help with duties such as selling programmes, crowd control and clearing litter. Band Members of the band have special badges. A drummer badge is a silver drum, displayed in the middle of the brassard. A piper badge is some pipes, again displayed in the middle of the brassard. A trumpeter badge is two crossed trumpets, displayed in the middle of the brassard. An instrumentalist badge, ie. someone not in the above categories, has a lyre Band members are also entitled to wear Airman's No.1 SD uniform for band events. Ensign
Uniform Cadets and staff of the ATC wear uniform similar to RAF uniform. This is supplied to each cadet when they join by the supply squadron at the local RAF station. Items are then replaced if the cadet grows out of them. Blue uniform consists of: "Green" uniform comprises: See also | |||||||||
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