Flying & Gliding

Joining the Air Cadets opens up lots of opportunities, including the chance to fly! It’s our aim to get you airborne as often as possible, as a passenger in a light aircraft, a glider or even on-board one of the RAF’s fast-jets or a Chinook helicopter.

Get your head in the clouds

There are plenty of opportunities for cadets at 969 squadron to get in the air. Air Experience Flights could even see you take to the skies in a Grob Tutor light aircraft or the Using the Viking Winch Launched Glider. The Grob 115E, known by the RAF as the Tutor, is used for Elementary Flying Training by the 14 University Air Squadrons and 12 Air Experience Flights throughout the UK. It is also used by the Central Flying School and for elementary WSO training at the RAF College Cranwell. All of the Tutors in RAF service are entered on the UK Civil Aircraft Register and are provided by VT Group.

The G103 Twin II (a.k.a. the Twin Astir II) is the successor of the original G103 Twin Astir with a nose wheel and a fixed six-inch main gear fitted behind the center of gravity – The main wheel is equipped with a hydraulic brake. Modified ailerons produce a substantially improved roll response compared to the previous model. Approach control is by top surface Schempp-Hirth type airbrakes. The G103A Twin II Acro variant features strengthened mainspar caps and steel control pushrods which permit greater aerobatic performance.

The Royal Air Force Air Cadets acquired 100 Twin II Acros (known in service as the Grob Viking T1) in 1984/85 to replace the aging Slingsby gliders of the RAF Volunteer Gliding Schools.