Sun 26 Mar: Wing Sports officer genuinely over the moon with the competitive effort you put in to beat many of the larger Wings and to achieve 3rd overall (out of 7 Wings). More medals for 1368 cadets competing at this higher level. Really fantastic effort achieving your Warwickshire and Birmingham Wing Blues on a cold and windy day.

... finally came in. Well done to the 17 cadets that achieved the Air Cadet Basic Swimming Proficiency for first time, plus 4 that did it for the first time. We also had 5 Intermediate first timers, and 5 second timers, and 1 that achieved Advanced (Well done to Cdt K-M!).

After extensive application and selection process, very pleased to say this week that both of our Flight Sergeants at 1368 Sqn have managed to get offers of Gliding Scholarships by undertaking various tests in a regional selection process. Fingers-crossed that they get weather that enables them to fly solo by the end of it.

Due to impending exams after Easter, six of our more senior cadets choose to undertake an early-in-season Bronze expedition in March. Aspects such as map reading, packing and cooking were right up there and they came together as a team to meet all the Expedition Section requirements for the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, a self-sufficient expedition for 2 days and 1 night. Weather was kind and the expedition assessor was very impressed by their teamwork, politeness, enthusiasm, and - quite frankly - and amazing ability to talk to each other without a single phone being present. 

The Air Cadets is a safe and diverse youth organisation able to offer a very broad and inclusive set of opportunities to young people. Diversity and inclusion strengthen and nourish our organisation. The following report illustrates the positive affect of the cadet forces on young people and the communities they live in: Independent report celebrates positive impact of Cadet Forces | Royal Air Force (mod.uk) Not only were these positive attributes developed within the Cadet Forces; the study found the skills gained through cadets’ experiences are reflected in other aspects of life with participation directly linked to increased social mobility, improved educational outcomes and greater employability. 

Well done to the 17 or so cadets that achieved their Basic Swim test today. Bravo. That means you can partake in 1368 Kayaking mayhem, should you wish. BASIC SWIMMING COMPETENCE CERTIFICATE FOR AIR CADETS To qualify for this certificate personnel are required to demonstrate Swimming Competence as follows: Swim 50 metres without rest, using any recognised single swimming stroke Remain afloat for 2 minutes in a restricted area of water, with a maximum radius of 2 metres Exit the pool at a point where the candidate is out of depth without an aid. However, in locations where there is a considerable distance between the water and poolside, as found in some service pools, some assistance may be given at the examiner’s discretion. All elements of the demonstration are to be performed consecutively in the order shown above, in standard swimwear. Next up would be intermediate and advanced: INTERMEDIATE SWIMMING COMPETENCE CERTIFICATE FOR AIR CADETS To qualify for this certificate personnel are ...

Thames Valley Wing have a useful page on all the badges you can get with the Air Cadet progressive training syllabus :  https://www.aircadets.tv/progressive-training-syllabus/