I am a Civilian Gliding Instructor with 611VGS (Volunteer Gliding Squadron) at RAF Honington. I joined the Air Training Corps in 2009, aged 13 and left as a Cadet Warrant Officer in 2016, aged 20. I remained as a Civilian Instructor with 759 (Beccles) Squadron before transferring to 611VGS in 2023.
I volunteer because I enjoy what the RAF Air Cadets has to offer! I have been fortunate enough to benefit from a wide range of opportunities that I could not have done without being in the RAF Air Cadets and want to unlock those opportunities for others. I am extraordinarily passionate about exposing young people to a wide range of challenges and activities that will shape their thinking and help them decide what to do in their careers, whether that's in aviation, science, technology, engineering, medical, naval or something else.
My Highlight
The highlight of my time in RAFAC was achieving my PPL! I first flew Solo in a Grob Viking at 614 VGS (Weathersfield) and caught the bug. I then went on to fly solo in a Grob 115D2 Heron at Tayside Aviation as part of the Air Cadet Pilot Scheme in 2015. In 2015 I was also nominated for the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust Flying Excellence Award, which I received on stage at the Royal Air Force in Concert at Coudogan Hall in London. In 2016, I was fortunate enough to be awarded the Geoffery de Havilland Flying Foundation - John Cunningham Flying Scholarship (also known as Top Grob) that awarded an extra 13 hours of flying to the top 4 pilots from the previous year’s ACPS. The journey from first solo to licence really was spectacular and to me, really summed up what the Air Cadets were all about! Unlocking opportunities for young people who would have otherwise not been able to do them.
Are you interested in joining Air Cadets as a volunteer? Please see more information and how to get in touch with a unit near you in this dedicated volunteer section on our website.