Territorial Army RAF Online

The CCF is open to boys and girls in the shells form and above and is also open to girls from The Queen's School.

The CCF has army and RAF sections as well as a corps of drums.

The aim of the CCF is to develop qualities of leadership, self-discipline and self-confidence through a wide range of activities.

These include adventurous training, shooting, flying and gliding.

Field days are held regularly and all cadets may attend annual camp.

If any members fo the second year and above are interested in joining any of the armed services, or would just like to see how the CCF works, then please come along and join us on Friday night.

CCF (RAF) Camps and Courses in 2009

List for download

CCF (RAF) Annual Camp at RAF Henlow - 12 to 19 July 2008

Ten tents, a rugby pavilion, and 35 cadets; RAF camp for 2008 was at RAF Henlow in Bedfordshire. Cadets came from King’s, St. Mary’s in Liverpool, Bancroft’s in Essex, and Ryde on the Isle of Wight.

The first night consisted of meeting our test NCO, and settling into our accommodation. This was followed by a short base familiarisation exercise. All knowing each other and the base a little better, we were all set up for the exciting week ahead of us.

Sunday held a visit to the Imperial War Museum (IWM), Duxford. After touring the museum in the morning, we viewed the Battle of Britain recreation flight - part of the Flying Legends display - in the afternoon. It was agreed that 9 Spitfires and a Messerschmitt were pretty impressive. We returned to the base, ate our evening meal, and wrapped up the day with sport.

We began Monday with a wonderful two hour stint of drill. This was followed up by a swift change into combats, and weapon familiarisation with the L85 rifle. After lunch, we visited the oldest hangar on the base. It was called the Belfast hangar, based on the way it was built. It was filled full of some very interesting and historic aircraft, including the only operational and fully built Queen Bee RC aircraft remaining in the world today. That evening, 4 more cadets, all from King’s, arrived, after completing their D of E Silver assessments.

Tuesday was the day most awaited by all, because on Tuesday, we went flying at nearby RAF Wyton. All 35 had a truly fantastic time. Some did aerobatics, some flew over neighbouring Cambridge, and some did some take-off and landing manoeuvres. After returning from the clouds, we arrived home late, ate dinner, and changed into our combats, before heading off to the Dismounted Close Combat Trainer (DCCT) – an extremely impressive piece of technology, which works by projecting a target range or video/computer generated scenario onto a screen. The participating cadet must then take one of four L85 rifles that are connected to the simulator, and, after following the correct procedure, fire the weapon a given amount of times, even experiencing simulated recoil. The cadet can then view a detailed analysis of each shot, and the quality of their grouping.

We returned to the DCCT on Wednesday morning for some scenario shooting. The scenarios were videos of various types of ambush, and we, in groups of four at a time, were to shoot at the enemy troops. The four best shots in each flight of cadets had an opportunity to test their skills on another, different type of scenario. The aim was to shoot the soldiers, and not the civilians, at which point the game would be over. However, Dan did this (at least we think he did!), bringing an abrupt end to the game. We then had two section visits, one to the Centre of Aviation Medicine (CAM), and the other to the Tactical Provost Wing (TPW). These were two very interesting tours that saw us through accident investigation wings, dental and medical wings, and pilot equipment areas, before moving across to the TPW for an informative talk about the role of the RAF police. In the evening we wound down by going to Quasar in Bedford.

Next came the team-building day. We first went over to a training area where we were taught how to assemble a tripod using four logs (one for an A-frame) and rope. After the demonstration, we then had a go ourselves in our sections. We put this training into use after lunch, only this time there was the small obstacle of a river between the two team’s tripods! After completing the exercise, it was the officers turn to cross. All but two took a dip. Sqn Ldr. Shapland got thoroughly dunked, though no-one knows why!

By Friday, many of us were extremely tired. In the morning, we visited the Joint Arms Control Implementation Group, or JACIG as it is known. We learnt about the international treaties that JACIG monitors and the importance of its operations. Then we did another long stint of drill, as swimming was cancelled due to a charity event. After this we changed to our best dress for the drill competition. This consisted of a dress inspection and some simple drill manoeuvres. After a tense wait for the results to be calculated, we were told that Flight B had beaten Flight A. After an awards ceremony in the pavilion, we changed into civvies for the evening party. This included various sketches by groups of cadets, featuring a “Thriller” dance routine and Borat’s take on the week. A fun time was had by all.

Saturday was the day we said our goodbyes. After doing so, we went our separate ways. During the camp we gained a rare insight into the lives of RAF servicemen and women, and the workings of the RAF itself. All had a very enjoyable time and we would like to thank both Sqn Ldr and Flt Lt Shapland for the week.

Cdt Jeremy Scanlon

The photo top-left shows a game of "Wizards, Dwarves & Giants" - a bit like "Paper, Scissors, Stone" ... only bigger! The other photos show the river crossing exercise.

Competitions at Welbeck and St Bees School - June 2007

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Cadets from the school CCF competed in the Welbeck Pentathlon Competition held at the Welbeck Defence Sixth form College. Cadets competed against other contingents in various activities including the command tasks, the orienteering and the physical training. One of our teams won the junior competition. The winning team consisted of Sergeants Witter, Kawakami and Starkey, Corporal Anderson and Lance Corporal Hulme.

Biennial Review by Air Commodore B W Newby - 26 April 2007

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RAF Section gliding report - 7 January 2007

Following the closure of RAF Sealand last summer, the Cadet Gliding Squadron has moved to RAF Woodvale near Formby.  The squadron have also changed from flying the winch launched Viking Gliders to flying the power driven Vigilant Gliders.   These are able to attain much greater height, climbing up to 8,000 feet,  and as a consequence are able to stay in the air much longer, giving  the cadets an excellent opportunity to learn how to fly.

The first 3 Cadets from the CCF RAF Section were able to fly in these Gliders on Sunday 17th December.  Despite difficult weather conditions all the cadets were able to complete their Gliding Induction Courses and enjoy some excellent views along the coast including  Liverpool Docks and the Dee Estuary.

Gliding Induction Certificates  Level 1 were awarded to Cadet Ben Moss and Cadet Tim Pemberton. Gliding Induction Certificate Level 3 was awarded to Cadet William Moreland

R.A.Parry
Plt Off

CCF (RAF) Annual Ground Training Competition - 19 November 2006

Mr & Mrs Shapland took 13 members of the CCF (RAF Section) to MoD Stafford to take part in the annual Ground Training Competition for the Western Area. Our cadets competed against schools from Wales and the West of England, in Fitness, First Aid, Shooting, Drill, RAF Knowledge, Aircraft Recognition and a Command Task. Overall the team finished 10th out of all the Sections in the region. The team members, many of whom were experiencing the competition for the first time and who are looking forward to competing again next year, were:

Sergeant Pranav Khamar, Sergeant Lewis Croft, Corporal Alexandra Baker, Corporal Omkar Vedpathak, Corporal Sangeeta Kakati (of The Queens’ School), Corporal Daniel Hales, Corporal Robert Henry, Junior Corporal Elliot Carty, Junior Corporal David Wynne, Cadet Alexander Lawson, Cadet William Moreland, Cadet James Hopkinson and Cadet Tim Pemberton.

The winners of the overall event came from Queen Mary’s Grammar School, which numbers over 140 cadets in its RAF Section; King’s currently has fewer than 40 cadets. It is also worthy of note that many RAF Sections entered teams which were composed entirely of senior NCOs from the Sixth Form; half of our team are in the 5th Form or below. In fact, two members of the team were new to cadets to last year and one of them could potentially take part in the next four Ground Training Competitions, by which time he will be an expert!
Congratulations go to everyone involved and they each received a certificate for their efforts but special mention must be given to some. Pranav Khamar led the team to its highest placing in the competition: the team came 3rd in the Aircraft Recognition and he recorded the highest individual score, for which he received a framed certificate. Daniel Hales led the team to 4th place in the Command Task, having taken part in the prestigious Air Cadet Leadership Course, which was also held at MoD Stafford, in the summer. Although he narrowly missed out on achieving a merit, his course report states that he showed a positive attitude to all aspects of the training and has the potential to become a very effective leader thus successfully completing the Leadership Course. The Flight Sergeant who judged the drill at Sunday’s competition congratulated the whole team on its effort but two cadets, in particular, caught the attention of the inspecting Officer: he felt that Cadets William Moreland, who is in the 4th year and has been a cadet for 2 years, and Tim Pemberton, of the 3rd form who joined cadets last year, were extremely impressive, especially in view of their lack of experience. It used to be customary to award the RAF eagle trophy on an annual basis to the best cadet of the RAF Section. This award was only open to junior members of the Section and NCOs were not eligible but, in part due to our various moves, the eagle has lain forgotten in a box for a number of years and was only recently rediscovered when we moved into our new headquarters in the cottages. As he joined the Ground Training Team at a late stage in its training, filling the place of someone who had had to pull out at short notice, and as he threw himself wholeheartedly into the training programme, making excellent progress in the time remaining, Cadet Tim Pemberton would seem to me to be a very worthy recipient of the award of best cadet: he is cheerful and eager to learn, immaculately turned out and very committed, in short, all the things you would expect of the best cadet! Very well done, Tim!

K L Shapland Sqn Ldr, Cont Cdr

Visit of Lynx helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron based at Yeovilton - March 2006

There was a presentation about flying career paths and day in the life of RN flying squadrons with pilot (Lt Comm Mike Greaves) and young observers (Lt Brad Ogden, Lt Becky Martin). The helicopter was then made available for inspection by interested pupils guided by Ch Petty Officer Rob Bullock.

Visit to DCAE Cosford and Flying at Woodvale
During the Lent (2006) half term holiday cadets of the RAF Section visited DCAE Cosford, with its Radio School , Mechanical Training School and museum. The Mechanical Training Squadron teaches students about the way different sections of aircraft operate and how they are built and repaired. We were taken around the main hangar and shown how engines and fuel tanks are constructed and have evolved over the years. This was followed by a walkthrough of the hangar to learn more about the physics and development of flight technology. Cosford has a museum which is open to the public with hangars filled with planes from the past including classic fighters from the world wars. Here you can see Spitfires, Lancasters and Hurricanes. Of course, a trip to the museum shop was necessary to take home souvenirs! After this we went to Flowerdown Hall where the No.1 Radio School is stationed. Here they educate trainees on communications and signals in the RAF. We were given a tour of the facilities by an instructor Sgt and after an attempt at recruiting some of our members we returned to Kings!

Some of us had another early start the next day for Air Experience Flying at RAF Woodvale. We arrived at school eager to fly, but in true British fashion the weather turned against us. Despite this we set off in the hope that we would still be able to get airborne. Fortunately when we arrived the snow and rain had ceased, which enabled a successful day's flying. Many cadets travelling all the way to Blackpool. and back!

Cdt W. Moreland

Competitions in 2005

	starting top left 1. winners of The King's & Cheshire Regiments Cadet Cups at Altcar in September - overall KCR Cup, Cheshire Rgt Cadet Cup & CCF Cup 2. Junior winning team at Welbeck 3. Cadets Witter & Deas on the confidence course 4. juniors building their raft 5. seniors rowing 6. senior team 7. what we think of the CCF Click on a photo to bring up a larger version in a new window

King's and Cheshire Regiments Cup Competition 2005
Two teams from the King's contingent competed, undertaking tasks such as shooting, first aid and an assault course. The team won the Chesire Cup for the third year in a row. They came second overall, beating the record for the fastest time over the assault course, recording the fastest time in the 1.5 mile run, and gaining the highest number of points in both the first aid and the shooting.

Team1 consisted of C/Sgt Barber (captain), Sgts Broadhurst, King, Cattell, Southorn and James, Cpl Reid and L/Cpl Pritchard.
Team 2 consisted of four cadets from the Queens School, and Cpl Witter and Cdts Starkey, Sears and Corcoran from King's.

Blue Wings, RAF Leadership Course, and Outstanding Service Certificate
Amanda Scott (L6JB) is one of five cadets from the school to be offered a Gliding Scholarship during this academic year. Owing to poor weather she was not able to spend as much time in the air as she would have liked but she completed the course successfully and is entitled to wear the "Blue Wings".

Amanda is also one of two of the school's cadets to be awarded places on the prestigious Air Cadet Leadership Courses. Only 96 places in total are available to cadets from the 193 RAF sections in the UK. The other cadet to be awarded a place is Aaron Ferguson (L6CH). Aaron completed his course last week and was a member of the winners of the week's "Best Filght" competition. He also passed the course with a distinction, which very few do, and came away with the "Best Cadet" award.

Gareth Probert (U6RP) has been presented with a CCF Certificate of Outstanding Service in recognition of his work with the RAF section.

WELBECK COMPETITION 2005

Two teams from King's School CCF travelled to Welbeck Army Sixth Form College for the weekend 25-26th June to take part in their annual competition, hoping to follow up on their successes in the past two years. This was the last time the competition was to be held at their current home near Worksop, as they are to relocate during the summer.

Twenty-four teams from all over the country are invited to take part. Selection is based on their reputation and ability; that of King's School CCF is quickly becoming known nationwide.

The teams compete in activities such as Command Tasks, Raft Building , Gun Run, Confidence, and Assault Courses, and a 1.5-mile Run. The tasks are designed to put their mental and physical abilities to the test.

The Junior team led by Cpl Louise Stride and comprising of Cadets Sam Cooledge, Justin Witter, Fred Deas, and Alex Baker did extremely well and were joint winners.

The Senior Team comprising of Sgts Steven Broadhurst, Graham King, Clement Barber, Adam James, Cpl Michael Cattell and JCpl Amanda Scott came second in their competition.

Last year the Junior team came second, after winning the competition in 2003; the Senior team came first. I am sure that based on this record we will be selected to take part again next year. The Principal of Welbeck congratulated King's CCF on having raised the standard of competition in the past couple of years as others have been trying even harder to beat us.

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