Commandant Air Cadets attends Sussex Wing Field Weekend

Sussex Wing was delighted to welcome Air Commodore Barbara Cooper during its annual Wing Field Weekend at Crowborough Camp and Pippingford Park on a gloriously sunny Autumn day.

With so much to see, the Commandant was keen to meet as many staff and cadets as possible and on touring the camp, escorted by Wing Commander Martin Haswell, Officer Commanding Sussex Wing, met the Drill Competition team staff, which included members of the regular Royal Air Force, Royal Auxillary Air Force and Royal Navy.

Having visited the aircraft modelling competition, there was a chance to hear all about the new project, Sussex Air Cadets Kit Plane Display Team, and have a look at the one third scale spitfire which is broken down into parts and put together again by a team of cadets dressed in authentic WW2 uniforms in a simulated airfield scenario. The second aircraft, a Hurricane, is in the process of being built and when complete will really put the Kit Plane in a position to equal the Army Cadet Force Kit Car and the Sea Cadets Field Gun competitions! The Kit Plane has already been seen at the Royal International Air Tattoo, Shoreham Airshow and Wings and Wheels Show at Dunsfold.

A surprise was in store for the Commandant when she caught up with Warrant Officer Louise Murray of 226 (Brighton No 2) Squadron, who had interviewed her last year at Shoreham Airshow. Louise was with her team at the Rocketry display. Rocketry has become very popular over the last couple of years at the field weekend and once again, having built their “rockets”, the cadets had a chance to launch them, with some pretty spectacular results.

Moving on to Pippingford Park where the adventure training was taking place, the Commandant was greeted by Squadron Leader Neil Banks, Sussex Wing Adventure Training Officer, who gave a short briefing at each of the command tasks the cadets were undertaking. Of particular interest this year was the very new “Not Jenga”. The task was for one cadet, who was strapped in a climbing harness and supported by two ropes and pulleys, to retrieve a key which was hanging from a rope very high up between two trees, using crates stacked up and supported by cadets to get there, then open a box on the ground with the key which would then release a small flare.

The teams are very competitive when it comes to the waterborne activities, such as bridge and raft building. Commandant knows a thing or two about canoes, and had a front row seat to watch two teams of cadets in canoes strapped together, race against the clock out to a marker and back, and out again to pick up objects from the water.

With over 100 staff and 363 cadets attending the field weekend, the Commandant rounded off the day by meeting and talking to as many as she could before her departure just prior to supper. Sussex Wing has had one of its most enjoyable and successful Field Weekends and is looking forward to competing at Region level.

 More photos can be seen here: https://picasaweb.google.com/117893437123872005431/SussexWingFieldWeekend2011