I have been in the Air Training Corps for one and a half years now and have enjoyed every second of it. I have done so much that i could never of dreamed of before joining, and some much of it has been free or of very little cost.I have made so many friends and gained alot of confidence. I dont know what to write, i cant write anything which will do this amazing organisation justice.

-------------------------Who can join-------------------------

Membership is open to all from age 13+ upto 20 but you can only join upto 16.

Cadets must be at least 13 before joining the Air Training Corps.
The ATC is fully supportive of equal opportunities.

People with disabilities are welcome to join in the fun too.


-----------------------Aims of the ATC------------------------

The Aims of the Air Training Corps are:

To promote and encourage among young people a practical interest in aviation and the Royal Air Force. 

To provide training which will be useful in the Services and civilian life.

To foster the spirit of adventure and develop qualities of leadership and good citizenship

-------------------Some history of the ATC--------------------


The Air Training Corps (ATC) was formed by Royal Warrant in 1941 and sprang from the Air Defence Cadet Corps, founded in 1938 by the Air League. Although initially formed to meet the needs of a nation at war, the Corps continues to thrive as it enters the 21st Century.

-----------------What can you do in the ATC------------------

I have done so many activities as a member of the ATC, and have listed some below.

*Duke of Edinbourghs Award
*Young Life Saver (First aid)
*Flying several times already despite the fact i have not been in the corps that long.
*Aerobatics
*Shooting
*Drill
*Gliding
*Rifle Drill
*Expeditions
*MSTs (Military Skills Training)
*PLTs (Personal Leadership Tasks)
*Initutive Exercises
*Expeditions
*Canoeing
*Absiling
*Climbing
*Camps on RAF stations
*Adventure Training camps
*Night Exercises
*Ice skating
*Fieldcraft
*Trips on Navy vessels
*Section visits on RAF stations
*Sports
*Social activities

All of these activities are on offer and are great fun, and i would recomend them to anyone. What makes it better is that most of them are free.

----------------------------Camps---------------- -------------

There are different types of camps all available to cadets in the ATC.

Summer/Easter Camps
Every year, cadets are given the opportunity to attend a camp on an operational RAF station. These camps last one week (normally Saturday to Saturday or Wednesday to Wednesday) with the primary purpose of letting cadets see what life is like on an RAF camp. It is also an excellent opportunity to meet new friends and have a lot of fun.

On arriving at Air Cadet camp, the cadets will be split into two or more flights.

You will sleep in RAF accommodation blocks, eat at the airman's mess and visit the various sections around the station (such as squadrons, the control tower etc.), as well as take part in sports, orienteering and night exercises, quizzes, aircraft recognition competitions and any social activities which may be available.

There will be drill, uniform and room inspections but these, along with all the other activities such as shooting, section visits, flying, drill, night exercises, social activities and section visits such as fire, military police where they set out some activities for you., earn points for you as an individual and for your flight as a whole.

Each cadet at camp will normally get a flight in one of the Air Experience Flight's Tutor aircraft and being on an RAF station puts cadets in a perfect position to get opportunity flights on any other aircraft which may have a few spare seats.

Greens Camps
These are camps based on things sucha smilitary skills training, leadership, initutive, drill and shooting and you do sometimes often get the chance to go flying. There is also plenty of time for socialising with friends.

Adventure Camps
You do things such a climbing as it can be a highly rewarding sport. You can also absail, canoe, kayak, shoot, do fielcraft, walking along with many sports and other activities. All climbing is supervised by professionally qualified instructors (either staff members or employed from the outside.)

Overseas camps
Once a cadet has attended a UK camp and has reached the age of 15 they will be able to apply for Overseas camps.

We currently run overseas camps at Gibraltar, Germany and at Akrotiri in Cyprus.

Overseas camps are typically more relaxed because of the greater experience amongst the participants. They concentrate less on drill and inspections and more on the other aspects of camp, such as gaining valuable work experience with RAF personnel, visiting local sites of historic and/or military interest.

Cadets will also get the opportunity to explore towns in the local area, such as Limassol in Cyprus.

An overseas camp is a must for all cadets, however, places are limited each year so applying for one is just the first step. You may have to fend off competition from your own squadron to get the opportunity to go to your Wing HQ for an interview. Only after this interview will you discover that you have been chosen to attend overseas camp and be the envy of your squadron!

Weekends
There are also a selection osf weekend camps/activities available which do similar activities but on a shorter timescale.Usually organised at a squadron or wing level, weekend camps allow more intensive training but which can fit into a weekend and, as such, does not interfere with school holidays. These camps can be on just about anything including NCO training days, orienteering exercises or long night exercises.


---------------------------Uniform--------------- -------------

The ATC is a uniformed yout organisation so as such you recieve a uniform free of charge this includes:
*Beret
*Dark (working) blue shirt
*Light Blue Shirt
*Jumper
*Brassard
*Trousers/Skirt
*Parade Shoes (person purchase)

Most sqns also supply greens, this includes:
*Combat Jacket
*Combat Shirt
*Combat trousers
*Boots (person purchase)

Uniform helps us feel like a team and it gives you a great sense of pride when its issued.

----------------------------Sports--------------- -------------

You can do many sports in the ATC at different levels from sqn, wing, region, upto corps level. The sports include:

*Athletics
*Cross country
*Hockey
*Football
*Netball
*Rugby
*Swimming

-----------------------Flying/Gliding------------ -------------

Cadets from the Air Training Corps are offered opportunities to fly in light aircraft, gliders as well as other RAF and civil aircraft.There are plenty of opportunities open to cadets to take control themselves when flying, from aerobatics in the new Grob Tutor to practicing stalls in a Grob Viking glider, and all of this is completely free of charge.

Some Cadets who stand out from the rest may also get the opportunity to fly on a civil airliner or go on an overseas flight in an RAF Tri-Star, VC10 or Hercules. A few cadets have also had the opportunity to fly in a variety of other aircraft including fast jets and the Red Arrrows.

There are also exciting opportunities for cadets to learn how to fly, with scholarships for both powered flight and gliding.

Cadets get the opportunity to fly at least once a year often more.

---------------------------Drill----------------- -------------

The Air Cadets, as a military youth organization, sets itself and its members very high standards, including dress and behaviour. Drill is a vital part of encouraging team work.

Drill (marching) is a vital part of encouraging teamwork. When a group of twenty cadets walk on to a drill square they are all individuals, but as soon as a session of drill begins the cadets become a team following the orders given by one person. Instead of twenty individual feet hitting the ground, there is only one bang this is result of practise and teamwork.
Drill is also used to move cadets from one place to another in a smart orderly fashion. This shows civilians and members of the forces just how well disciplined the cadets of the Air Training Corps are. This section has been designed for everyone within the Corps and those interested in joining the Corps.

--------------------------D of E------------------------------

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme is a voluntary, non-competitive programme of practical, cultural and adventurous activities for young people aged 14-25.

The Award programme consists of three levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold. Each have differing criteria for entry and the level of achievement necessary to complete each award.

Air Cadets who meet the age criteria can join the award scheme.

------------------------How to join---------------------------


Just go alon to your nearest sgn to find out where it is go to http://www.aircadets.org/atc_join.html, just turn up and im sure you will be welcomed. One word of advice when you join you will be trying to get your first class cadet classification and you might not enjoy that too much but stick with it and then you can do more of the activities.