Flying in the Tutor5 AEF RAF Wyton

The Air Training Corps (ATC) offers Air Experience Flying (AEF) specifically to give cadets the hands-on experience of flying in an aircraft. The AEF Squadron's share a fleet of Grob 115 'Tutor' Aircraft (pictured above) with the Royal Air Force (RAF) University Air Squadron's (UAS) which are operated nationally and funded by a private company.

All UAS pilots are very experienced and are all either currently serving or former military pilots. This gives the cadets the best possible experience, being instructed in how to fly a real aircraft by a seasoned instructor.

During these flights the cadets do not just sit back and enjoy the ride, they interact fully with the flying, techniques and drills. In their first few flights they will be shown the basic controls of the aircraft including turning, climbing and descending.

The cadet will then take full control of the aircraft for some of the flight time which is approximately 30 minutes. Once the cadet is confident enough, he or she can also experience the thrill of aerobatics by first 'following through' on the controls then repeating the manoeuver with full control.

2492 Squadron actively attends AEF Flying at RAF Wyton in Cambridgeshire. Every squadron is allocated specific AEF slots per year which operate either in the morning or afternoon session. Cadets also get the chance to fly on Annual Summer Camp if there is an AEF Squadron on the RAF Station or one near-by.

Further flying training can be gained through one of the Flying Awards. These are the 'Air Cadet Pilot Scheme' (formally known as the 'Flying Scholarship') or the 'Pilot Navigation' award. These awards require the cadet to have reached a high level of competence of flying and are run at dedicated flying training schools. The courses are weather dependant and therefore time to reach the set level varies.

Before any cadet participates in Flying they must be enrolled and at least a First Class Cadet. Click the badge for more details on the requirements to gain the First Class Cadet Classification.

On arrival at any AEF school, cadets are shown a regulated safety video on emergency procedures and drills.