785 (Tewkesbury) Sqn
Get Airborne
Flying is central to our purpose and your cadet experience. You'll have loads of opportunities to take to the skies:
-
Gliding - Soar to success! There are fantastic opportunities to glide while you are a cadet, with the ultimate goal being a solo flight. Training is in three stages: a Gliding Induction Course (GIC), Gliding Scholarship (GS) and Advanced Gliding Training (AGT).
-
Air Experience Flights - Feel the thrill of powered flight, with a fully qualified pilot to guide you through taking control of the aircraft yourself. Not only will you have the opportunity to learn about the flying controls but you’ll experience aerobatics and low level flying too.
-
Air Cadet Pilot Scheme - The pinnacle of flying as a cadet, for advanced handling. Complete this successfully and you'll be awarded your cadet pilot wings. And if you do exceptionally well you could be recommended for further training which will help towards your Private Pilot's Licence!
-
Air Cadet Pilot Navigation Training Scheme - A great opportunity to use your navigation skills, this two-week course where you fly for up to eight hours is open to selected cadets. Success will lead to you gaining your 'wings'.
Adventure Training
Adventurous Training is an essential part of the Air Cadet's training syllabus and the place where team effort really matters - you'll build new friendships and learn to rely on the other people you're with to get the job done. It also lets you show off your leadership qualities.
Remember, whatever your personal tastes, nothing is compulsory. There is a wide range of adventurous activities to get stuck into, so if climbing isn't for you perhaps canoeing is. Sometimes what's on offer depends on the squadron you attend, but everything you do is supervised by qualified trainers who will ensure you get the most out of it.
Between local activities and visits to camps, you will have the chance to experience kayaking, hill walking, camping, caving, mountain biking, offshore sailing and winter sports to name just a few.
Shooting
Marksmanship goes a long way back in the history of Air Cadets and is one of our most popular activities. Think you can concentrate on distant targets and fire with consistent accuracy? It's not easy. It requires focus, agility and a very steady hand.
We’ll teach you to handle a variety of weapons safely. Progress through the course and you'll experience different types of weapons and could even take part in shooting competitions if you really prove your skills.
Ranges come in different shapes and sizes but all are in controlled conditions with full training on any weapon that you handle - safety is our top priority. To start with you'll be firing at targets that are fairly close - around 25m away. As you advance through weapons and your skill builds, you will fire at targets 100m or more away.
What We Do
What you see below is a tiny amount of what we do! There is so much more to being a cadet of 785 than just the three items below but there is not space to say everything we do, from Fieldcraft to Qualifications, from Comms to Camps.
Want to see more? Take a look at our gallery and visit us!