Cadets of 1145 joined cadets from Dalgety bay in a trip to Edinburgh Airport. The day began with a trip to the fire section where they got to ride in the fire engines, try on the oxygen supplies, as well as learn what equipment they carry.
Afterwards the cadets went onto an Airbus a320 max, learning the routines of the flight staff and having fun using the speaker system to make mock pre-flight speeches. The cadets were also given the opportunity to sit in the cockpit and try the controls. Outside the plane, the cadets learned about the technical side of aircraft system. We got to look inside the tail, see where luggage was kept and see the innards of the engines. Over the course of the day the cadets thoroughly enjoyed this unique learning experience and took away a new understanding of what its like to work in Edinburgh airport.
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Wow, what an amazing fun filled year for 1145 Dunfermline squadron has had for the staff and cadets. We have had 20 new keen air cadets join our squadron. We have had loads of cadet promotions and also staff promotions with FS Price being awarded WO and also Sgt Mitchell getting FS. The number of cadets who have been given the chance to do flying, gliding, radio, first aid, leadership, field craft and sports is loads and they have loved every moment of doing these activities. Not only have cadets been able to do loads of activities they have been able to go on camps all over UK such as Aldergrove, RIAT, RAF Lossiemouth, and Drill and Ceremonial camp. Cadets have had a blast going to different places, learning new things and meeting loads new people. We have also had FS Richmond and FS Stephens going to camps to teach other cadets' radio in Northern Ireland, Sgt Clough go on ACLC to complete gold leadership, FS Noble completed his pilot scheme and Sgt McKenzie getting her gold piping badge whilst meeting the queen not only that she has joined the army and will be the first female pipe mayger from Scotland to join the army, what an amazing achievement for her and all of 1145 squadron are so proud of her. We are so proud of the whole squadron with their efforts and what they have achieved this year, here's to 2020. On Remembrance Sunday all the cadets and staff from the 1145 Sqn participated in the Dunfermline Parade. Once formed into two flights with a banner party we all proudly marched down to the cenotaph to participate in the Service of Remembrance. Cpl McKenzie laid a wreath on behalf of the Squadron. The banner party attended a short remembrance at the Captain David Seath bench, whilst Cpl Neville lay a wreath at in the WW2 Memorial Garden. After lunch at British Legion, we made our way to participate in the Remembrance parade in Cowdenbeath. We proudly stood during a ceremony of remembrance at the Cenotaph and marched along the High Street to the town house, to join the main Remembrance Service. It was great to see such fantastic support from the local community laid, with many wreathes laid in respect of the fallen. All cadets have worked hard training in the run up to this event and performed fantastically. Lest We Forget. On the 9th of November, a large group of cadets from our squadron went to Dunfermline Town Centre to sell some poppies and raise money for Poppy Scotland. We all met at the British legion were we were being assigned into groups. We went off in groups of 2 or 3 to sell poppies. we were selling the poppies alongside the army cadets. The cadets were standing proved with the poppies and selling them to the public being polite and kind to them to do their part in supporting poppy Scotland and remembering those who were in the war. Half way through the day we got to have a well deserved break at the British Legion were they had prepared a warm lunch for us to warm us up before going back out side. After some hours of hard work and many poppies sold we helped raised together a total of £1221 for Poppy Scotland. On October the 31st we had a spooky Halloween night at the Squadron. Throughout the night, we participated in the annual purge with a killer cadet in the squadron. During the night of fun and karaoke, the killer would hand you a note reading 'DEAD.' On receipt, you had to make the most dramatic death possible and the best acting would win a prize at the end of the night. There were also other prizes up for grabs. Best Halloween Costume was jointly won by CDT J McDonnell and CI McNeill. The best (most entertaining) at karaoke was CDT Leslie and Most Dramatic Death went to SGT Clough and CPL Kelman. It was a very fun and spooky evening which all the cadets had an amazing time and can’t wait for Halloween next year as it'll be bigger yet.
On Sunday the 3rd of November CDT Graham, CDT Tallis and CDT MacLeod went to inter-wing football. When we got there we went to the changing rooms and got the wing football strips on. After that we had a team gathering to discussed tactics and positions before we went out to the pitch.
We had two games lined up for the day against different wings. We trained for about 30 minutes before our first game going over shooting, passing and defence. We were ready for the first game which didn’t go to well for our wing (South East Scotland wing) with a 7-1 loss. In the second game we tied 2-2 after letting in an own goal which was a shame but we played better then the first game. Even though we didn’t play as well as we wanted to we all learned from our mistakes so we can improve our skills for the future and had a great time playing football and meeting new cadets. On the 10th to the 20th of October South East and West Scotland wings did a bronze and silver camp in Aldergrove. The cadets that attended this were Cdt Macloed, Cdt MacDonnell, Cdt Vera, Sgt Stephens and FS Richmond. They were there for 5 days each as it was two separate camps to achieve new badges, skills and meet new people. on the first day they did L144 training, after arriving at the air cadet headquarters for Northern Ireland wing we settled ourselves into one of the classrooms and began on a lecture on the rifle and safety brief, then went onto begin the training lessons leading up to the weapons handling test but we were soon interrupted as the rifles had to be returned. On the second day they were doing weapons handling test and some shooting, after finishing weapons handling test they went to the range and fired the rifle, they achieved my CLF 1 and CLF 2 gaining me my bronze trained shot. The next day they stayed on base and went to the education centre to do my bronze cyber which they achieved their badges and really enjoyed doing that and on the forth day they did my silver cyber course and silver leadership which was very interesting. on the last day it was time to go and travel home which was very sad as they had made loads of good friends. They really enjoyed the camp as they made loads of new skills and have made friends for life. On the 8th of October the squadron held its own ‘hello yellow’ night in support of raising awareness of mental health in everyone. The night was arranged by WO Kirsty price and helped show the cadets of 1145 how mental health effects their well-being and how simple steps as well as talking to others helps people in dire situations feel like they’re not alone. To help support the charity the cadets were told to come down wearing yellow and donate a pound to charity. At canteen thanks to cadet help there was also cupcakes sold with all money raised going to charity. The night was held in high regard by all cadets and staff and the squadron looks forwards as a whole as to see the impact on peoples lives that this money helps. On the 28th of September Cdt Dunlop, Cdt MacLeod, Cdt Grieve, Cdt Tur, Cdt Graham, Cdt Watson and Cdt Dey attended Air Experience Flying. The first thing that we did was watch three separate videos comprising of different safety clips detailing how to get out of the aircraft and how it use your parachute in the event of an emergency. After watching the videos which all together lasted roughly 20 minutes we then got taken out to a small building outside to put on our flying suits, helmet, parachute and gloves. After waiting for about 5 minutes We were taken out to the aircraft and got strapped in, the pilot was surprisingly friendly and asked me some basic questions about myself. After taxiing to the runway we took off and flew west of the runway, after climbing to about 1,500ft the pilot said “you have control” and I the took control of the aircraft after repeating back “I have control sir” we then climbed to 3,000ft and the pilot told me to level out the wings, after flying on for about 20 seconds the pilot asked me what sort of things I wanted to do and I asked him if we could do some aerobatics and told me yes then told me to “follow through” so I put my hands and feet on the controls lightly and followed through his controls as he gained speed then pulled back on the controls to do a loop. We did a few more maneuvers before heading back to the runway and taxiing back, overall I really enjoyed the experience and would like to try it again, it really gave me a sense of what you can achieve in the air cadets and I appreciated the chance to experience something like it. On the 5th and 6th of October Cdt Leslie, Cdt McDonnell and Cdt Vera attended the bronze first aid course with St. John’s ambulance. The first day commenced with a refresher of the Primary Survey- Dr’s ABC. Once finished, we went on to the recovery position, which was mostly a refresher of the steps and developing understating of what it actually does and how it helps a casualty. We then went onto learning about management of major bleeding and to properly protect yourself and the person you are trying to help from cross contamination and how to treat shock. After that we went onto a refresher for CPR to ensure we all know how to deliver this crucial and potentially life saving skill. For the remaining time of the afternoon we learned about allergic reactions and spinal, neck and head injuries. On the second day, we were taught about different burns such as hot burns, wet burns and electrical burns and what to do when different types of burns occur. We later went on to learn about what to do and what not to do if someone was having a seizure. Next we looked at what to do if someone is choking and how deliver back blows and abdominal thrust to potentially save a life. We also covered heat stroke and hypothermia. After a practice period, we went into the final assessment. Everyone passed first time! We all feel we learned so much on the weekend and really enjoyed getting trained these life skills that could save someone’s life one day. A big well done to all! From the 10th of August to the 17th of August, Cpl Neville, Cdt Day and Cdt Stephens went on a camp to RAF Lossiemouth. We participated in lots of exciting activities such as flying, field craft, flying, drill competition, swimming, meeting police dogs, clay pigeon shooting, visiting hurricanes and hurricane engines, the RAF Regiment and the fire section. Whilst in the camp we made friends or life and we also improved our skills as we did a lot of drill most days and had a drill competition at the end of the week and also a flight competition and Cdt Stephens flight won. We all thoroughly enjoyed the camp and would do it again if we were given the chance again.
On the 1st of September Cdt Peoples, Cdt Urquhart, Cdt Dey, Cpl Neville and Sgt Clough from 1145 Squadron took park in the inter-squad swimming competition. We came back with 1 gold and 2 bronze by Sgt Clough and 1 bronze by Cpl Neville. It was a well organised event and everyone had a good time.
From the 30th of August to the 1st of September Cpl Nugent, Cdt McDonnell, Cdt Watson and Cdt Vera completed their bronze Duke of Edinburgh expedition. This took place in the Pentlands, cadets enjoyed the experience as for some it was a really different experience as they have never done anything like it before. Overall it was a really good weekend with most people coming back with a new experience and wanting to continue on to achieve their silver.
On the 1st of September Cdt Peoples, Cdt Urquhart, Cdt Dey, Cpl Neville and Sgt Clough from 1145 Squadron took park in the inter-squad swimming competition. We came back with 1 gold and 2 bronze by Sergeant Clough and 1 bronze by Corporal Neville. It was a well organised event and everyone had a good time. Sgt Clough has now been invited to compete on behalf of South East Scotland at the Regional competition. Well done all! Summer is an exciting time for cadets, as everything shifts from being focused on the night at the squadron to camps and courses across wing, region, or corps levels. Summer camps offer amazing opportunities for cadets to visit RAF stations all over the UK and explore the various aircraft, sections and activities that are a part of service life. Many courses also run throughout the summer, providing training in a variety of skills. Here, we have compiled all the different camp and course experiences of the cadets during summer of 2019. The main camp of the summer was RAF Lossiemouth, where 10 cadets from our squadron went spread between three week long camps. Lossiemouth is the base for Quick Reaction Alert - North (QRA) scrambling typhoons and responding to any potential threats to our airspace and as such meant a very noisy week. The cadets travelled to Lossiemouth by bus before arriving at their accommodation. Throughout the week cadets visited the various sections on base, learning about the different aircraft and functions carried out by the RAF on the station, the favourites being the Fire Station Visit and, of course the Typhoon squadron visit where they learned more about the QRA activities. In addition to the fantastic section visitis there were also a number of other activities, such as go-karting, marksmanship training, and a beach party. Overall all 10 cadets had a massively enjoyable time and cannot wait for their next camp. Cadets also visited RAF Cosford, where the camp was mainly focused on aviation, with all cadets getting to fly in the Grob Tutor and a visit to the RAF Museum. Cadets visited the RAF police dogsand learned about the level training of police dogs and their handlers need to go through. There were also opportunities for cadets to challenge themselves on the low ropes, a low-level assault course. Overall the camp was very fun and was packed full of brilliant activities. In addition to all the fantastic camps cadets also attended the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) as part of a "working camp" cadets are key in ensuring the running of this world renowned event assisting in setting up the various sections of the site, manning crowd lines- ensuring the safety of the public and working with Friends of RIAT however the camp is far from dull, meeting cadets from all over the UK and getting a showside view of the Airshow itself and getting to see the aircraft, pilots and crew up close. The highlight for our cadets was meeting new people and we hope to see more of our cadets taking part in this fantastic experience in future. This summer Cpl McKenzie has the amazing opportunity to participate in the Drill and Ceremonial Camp as part of the national band, this is her first year playing within the Corps Pipe Band and she threw herself into developing her band drill skills and practising on her Pipes. Cpl McKenzie was also featured on the Drill & Ceremonial Camp Warrant Officers facebook page as she piped the lowering of the Corps Ensign. We were also fortunate enough to have two cadets selected for courses this summer. Sgt Clough being selected for the Air Cadet Leadership course where he worked through theory and practical scenarios to develop his leadership approach and skills obtaining his Gold Leadership Badge. FS Noble was selected for the prestigious Pilot Scheme where he worked hard to develop his theoretical understanding of flight and apply this in practical flight scenarios - this experience will no doubt greatly benefit him as he begins to apply for his chosen career in the forces. What a fantastic summer with over 19 cadets across 4 different camps and 2 cadets attending courses which will give them skills for life. On Thursday 18th June 2019 we had an NCO and staff soaking. Everybody had so much fun throwing sponges and tipping buckets over people especially FS Lawrence and Sgt Stephens. We made a grand total of £102.70 in support of our Charity of the Year, Scottish Veterans Residencies. On the 31st of may until the 2nd of June four cadets went on a weekend long camp. This was their first camp for all of them. There were also two cadets that went as staff this was FS Richmond and Sgt Stephens they help teach us our radio and leadership. The cadets arrived at the squadron at quarter to seven on the Friday we had introductions to staff and done a few leadership activities so that everyone got to know each other and they all made lots of new friends on the first night. On Saturday we got up at around half past six and got dressed into our uniform then we went to the mess for our breakfast. the first activity some cadets done was air rifle shooting.The cadets really enjoyed doing air rifle but it hurt some arms because it was that heavy and they were holding it for quite a while. when the cadets got back from shooting they done some leadership activities which was quite enjoyable. some people done radio on the Saturday and then it was swapped about. At the end of the Sunday there was a final parade where all the badges were awarded., some people got trained shot and all got leadership and radio. Overall this was a really good experience and everyone enjoyed themselves and the cadets can't wait for the next camp so they can meet with all their new friends again. On the 6th of June 1145 Squadron took part in the Inter-squadron football tournament. Looking sharp in squadron kit, we met on the Astro turf to warm up. Each SQN played 7 games with two half's of 5 minutes per game. Every SQN taking part competed for points for the Heggerty trophy, an amalgamation of points from all sporting events in the calendar. Over all, it was a fantastic day and everyone played very well, Although we didn't win anything we all enjoyed the day. On the 27th of May, Wing Commander McCray & Squadron Leader Gray came down to the 1145 squadron to inspect our cadets and staff for our annual formal inspection, which went well.
The drill team represent the squadron's drill standards and all cadets thoroughly enjoyed talking about their projects that they've been working on since the start of 2019. The Wing Commander was very impressed with the standard of the drill team and wish us all the best for the drill competition in the coming weeks. After that the Wing Commander went around the projects and was interested in what were were doing. He also done an interview with us on what it is like to be in his role, which is displayed below. At the end of the night he presented some awards and spoke to us a bit. We are aiming to be nominated to represent our wing at regional levels. The Wing Commander was very pleased with us and wished us all the best in the future. On the 16th of June 13 cadets participated in the wing drill competition, something they had been practising for for months. The competition is one that the squadron takes pride in, and has had huge success in for many years, so there was a large amount of pressure on the team. All of them put a massive amount of effort into both practising for this event and the display on the day, and were all very happy to have earned second place, with Livingston squadron, the corp champions, taking first by a small margin. The squadron is proud of these cadets and their performance on the day, with all cadets thoroughly enjoying themselves. On the 6th and 7th April five cadets from 1145 Sqn headed down to the squadron to complete their bronze radio course. On the Saturday the course was taught by Flt Lt Hall and Sgt Pritchard and on the Sunday it was taken by two of the Sqn's cadet FS who helped with the voice procedures as these can prove to be stressful to perform, especially when you are being tested!
The course would take two days of lessons and practical exercises, finishing with a theory exam and practical test. Both days were early starts to ensure that we would cover everything needed to successfully pass the final tests, as the pass mark was very high. Like any good course, w began with a quick recap of previous material to refresh our memories. This proved to be highly useful seeing as most of the bronze course consisted of the same subjects of the blue course, only in a lot more depth. Even though many of the cadets doubted if they would pass the two tests they had to sit in order to pass, all the cadets who attended scared brilliant marks and gained their bronze radio award and are looking forward to going on a silver radio course. Though it is great to have another qualification and another badge, we will soon be able to put these lessons into practice with increasing use of radio communication for co-ordinating events including deployed fieldcraft exercises and even running the communications at the Royal international Air Tattoo! From the 29th of March to the 5th of April, cadets went on a camp at Leuchars Station. We participated in lots of exciting activities such as climbing, flying, gliding, canoeing, leadership, radio, map reading, shooting, clay pigeon shooting, First Aid and sports. This packed camp had great opportunities, like meeting new people and doing things you wouldn't be able to do outside of the cadets. Only 4 people got to go gliding and it was a very good experience and i came back with my blue wings. when the gliders land you have to run after it so that the wings do not get damaged, this was also a great experience. overall this camp was really good and i would recommend going if given the chance! On Thursday the 14th of March, multiple cadets from our squadron visited the charity's Whitefoord House. Cadets enjoyed themselves learning about the charity and how they support Veterans. Cadets learned about the founder of the charity, Charles Hamper Burn and how the sight of veterans living on the streets inspired him to act. Cadets also found out that the first Poppy Scotland workshop was originally located inside the residence and that originally veterans were required to work for Poppy Scotland for the housing to be financially viable. Cadets also learned about the facilities provided to veterans by the charity such as the gym and a communal living room. Cadets also enjoyed meeting some of the people behind the charity and enjoyed learning how the money raised by us would effect the charity. Overall, cadets thoroughly enjoyed themselves and are hoping to visit another one of their residences in the future. What makes a good leader? CPL John Neville represented the squadron at the Bronze Leadership Course, exploring and developing the skills and qualities that make an effective leader. The course explored how best to balance the different aspects of functional leadership; the team, the task and the individual. The cadets learned about how to structure their teams to effectively achieved the task through the acronym P.I.C.S.I.E. On the final day, the cadets were assessed on their understanding of what they've learned over the past weekend. A big well done to the 20 cadets who earned their Bronze leadership badge including CPL John Neville. The course was enjoyed by all and we wish the best of luck to all the new cadets who have achieved their bronze leadership. On the 16th and 17th of February 7 of our cadets attended a two day non residential YFA . They learned a variety of skills including how to treat shock, how to successfully use bandages, how to treat an open wound, what to do when someone is having a heart attack and Dr's ABC. At the end of the course all the cadets were tested on what they had learned and all cadets from 1145 Sqn passed, earning themselves a Youth First Aid badge and certificate.
More importantly, they all have learned the simple skills which really do save lives! All of the cadets had lots of fun and can't wait till they are old enough to attend Activity First Aid. |
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