Cadet Aiden Booth was among three from 868 (Mirfield) Squadron selected to be among the first in the country to take to the skies again.
The sixteen-year-old was chosen along side cadet Gurdeep Kumar-Sharma, aged 16, and Flight Sergeant Jacob Stockwell to be part of the contingent to visit RAF Syerston on that day for the first Blue Wings gliding course available to cadets for over a year.
Aiden is pictured, front, in a glider with an adult instructor.
Three flights each
Their course started with and introductory briefing and some ground school training, including the controls of the aircraft and how they affect the glider in the air. They then moved out to the airfield to enjoy a series of three flights (each of about five minutes duration) in the Air Cadets’ winch-launched Viking glider, to put all their learning into practice and demonstrate the skills they had been taught in the air.
Aiden said: “I was thrilled for this opportunity as it is something that I have been interested in doing for a long time. I find gliding enjoyable as I am interested in understanding how aircraft function, and also enjoy flying and being up in the air.”
Blue Gliding Wings
All three enjoyed great success on the day, gaining their Blue Gliding Wings, and now hope to progress to the Bronze Wings course, which will further develop their gliding training.
The Squadron Commander from Mirfield, Flight Lieutenant Peter Doubell, who accompanied the cadets on their visit, said: “This has been another major step on the gradual road back to normality for the Air Cadets, and we have been very lucky that our cadets have been part of it. It is only a few weeks ago that we were able to start meeting in person, and then only in small numbers at a time to comply with social distancing requirements. So, the opportunity to get cadets back into the air is a very positive signal that things are moving in the right direction. It is always a great pleasure to see cadets achieving, and particularly so when the activities are so much at the heart of the organisation.”