News

Congratulations to SRWA student and Air Cadet Corporal, Michael Gray, who earlier this month began training to earn his “wings.”

He spent time in the hanger with qualified gliding instructors, learnt about how the aircraft gets into the sky and more importantly what keeps them there without engines! He also learnt how an operational gliding airfield works and how they fit in to the bigger picture.

The cadets were all itching to get into the air but, as with all things, they needed to start at the beginning which for them this meant time firmly on the ground! The cadets were able to take control of the Viking simulator together with one of the instructor team where they were able to put into practice some of the theory they had learnt earlier in the day.

Sergeant Leslie Ackerman, an adult volunteer at 1440 Squadron said: “By starting the cadets off using a simulator on the ground, they are able to understand the basics of how aircraft fly and what the controls do to affect that. This makes for a much better experience when they do take to the skies.”

Passing the Ground School element of their gliding training means that the team can now progress, take to the air and put into practice some of the things they learnt in the coming months.