1368 ended year with strong sense of togetherness and pride, an environment with both fun and discipline. Here's some things we did: Sqn won the Wing Swimming championships in Jan 2023. The result of a great team effort across the different categories.  Sqn won the Wing Athletics championships in May 2023 by considerable points margin, despite not being the biggest team. Sqn did blue badge band for the first time in Feb-Apr 2023, investing in drums and pads. Sqn repeated previous success in Blue Radio and Blue Leadership in Feb-Apr 2023, ensuring basic radio operator is done by all cadets in first year.  Sqn ensured a focus presentation skills course. At least 5 cadets went on to attend Wing MOI courses, and at least 5 were assessed to get Instructor cadet lanyards.  Cadets did Essential First Aid (EFA) and Activity First Aid (AFA) quals. First Aid team best in Wing on Wing comp day (by a considerable points margin) We had a massive drop of Swimming Proficiency certificat...

2023 Year ended with "Operation Team Gingerbread", 20 Dec, a lot of chocolate and Sqn end of year clean-down. Winning team got to demolish losing teams creation (the picture here is actually before the demolishing!? but actually some amazing craft work on display and some icing on the cake for an action packed final week of the year. 

Cpl F won cadet of the month for Nov (pastoral care) and Cdt W won Dec (most improved & leadership potential). 11 cadets went to joint Lazerquest with 2286. Started exams to begin harvesting Leading/Master/Senior classification badges. Cdt G & B first to complete 3 exams to achieve Leading. Cadet G got road marching blue badge. FS C did a Mountain Training Lowland Leader Award weekend and got given some disco band reflectors.

We currently have 3 intakes a year aligned to the start of the school terms. This means that our next intake is January 2024 and the likely intake after this would be April 2024. The benefits of the intake system are: You join at the same time as others who are in the same boat. This helps make friends. Avoids repeats of training. Group works progressively through syllabus, building knowledge as they become integrated into the squadron. Easier to deliver training with limited rooms. When we get an expression of interest we will contact parents/guardian(s) to arrange a visit with the potential cadet, so they can see what it is like and have a look around. If there is still interest after this then we would advise when next intake is, and start the forms 2-4 weeks before the date. The best place to submit an expression of interest is via the RAF website form: Go to https://www.raf.mod.uk/aircadets/ and use the Find your local squadron search.  All the squadrons are different, hence...

1368 took advantage of run up to Christmas to lighten the parade nights. The 1368's Got Talent show threw up some surprises. Amazingly enthusiastic and supportive audience. Really close at the top. Top prize to Sgt M on his JL-inspired rendition of egg sausage chips & beans song. The impromptu encore rendition of 'man's not hot' certainty enhanced the experiential learning aspects of the evening.  Alas, the festive gnomes lyrical changes to their rendition of 'Last DofE' kept everybody glued to their seats and was just a hairline crack away from winning, and Fg Off S's magic card trick had a slight hiccup when the cards went on the floor, but their was his hat trick and an obligatory but completely under prepared Christmas song rendition by the whole Sqn. Well done to all who performed. You have to love live entertainment. You can't write this stuff. Thanks also to all the cake bearers.

Well done to our two Cpl R's who achieved their Air Cadet Bronze Radio Badges at a weekend course held at 2286 Sqn, 9-10 Dec 2023. The Bronze 'Radio Operator' course follows on from the Blue, Basic Radio Operator badge and gives a cadet the skills required to be a radio operator for a flight of cadets on an exercise.  A good example of this is a flight radio operator at RIAT.  Completion of this level results in the awarding of a Bronze certificate and badge by the Wing Radio Communications Officer. A cadet must be at least 1st Class Cadet Classification and had their 14th birthday to commence Cadet Radio Operator training. The course was done over a weekend and included as a minimum of 12 hours training with at least 2 hours of operating practice. A cadet or staff member competent to Radio Operator (Bronze badge) or above can supervise the operating of a Basic Radio Operator cadet (Blue badge). Also, any member of RAFAC, Staff or Instructor Cadet, can teach 1st Class Basic...

Sunday 10 Dec saw 15 cadets from 1368 Squadron assisting the Warwick Lion's with their annual food donation event we know of as the Lion's Christmas Food Parcels community duty, showing the positive face of young people engaging with helper's in local community. Great to chat to the Warwick Mayor also who was interested to know what camps and RAF stations they've been on over the last year. Along with Sports, DofE and Drill, Community Duties are one of the pillars of 1368 Squadron, part of our DNA. Cadets really enjoy them and love to volunteer and get out in the community. They are also very good at eating left over sandwiches.

Well done to the 5 of 9 members of 1368's 0923 intake who successfully attended the St John's Essential First Aid (EFA) course on 9 Dec 2023 at 1368 Squadron (4 pictured) to gain a first blue badge to sew on to their 1368 Sqn Lanyards. This was sector run course at the 1368 Sqn. Many thanks to staff from 1289 Squadron, Kenilworth, who delivered the material. Got great feedback. Cadets were all engaged, answered questions, put forward their thoughts and took part in all practical elements of the course.  Blue badge First Aid training is part of the Air Cadet Progressive Training Syllabus (PTS). In accordance with ACTO 008, First Aid is one of the core activities essential for the Cadet Experience. Within the first six months of joining the Sqn, Cadets and CFAV must complete the EFA programme. Next stop will hopefully be some YFA training for all our cadets to get their Bronze badges. According to ACTO 008, Cadets should complete the YFA programme within an eighteen-months of joi...

Cadets from 1368 Squadron had a social evening parade at Coventry's Planet Ice instead of its normal parade. A great opportunity to socialize and have fun across the age range, introducing the newbies to the phenomena known as the crazy conga.

Well done to all the cadets that won awards at 1368's prize giving and enrolment evening on 4 Dec 2023. This annual event is where we recognize cadet and NCO's achievements during the year. We invite parents and guardian's and the cadet themselves present on some of the achievements. In 2023, 1368 Squadron cadet's retained their Warwickshire and Birmingham Wing Championship trophy in May in addition to taking the Warwickshire and Birmingham Wing Swimming trophy in January. Having also won the last Wing Cross Country championships in Nov 2022, this means that we're unbeaten in the last 4 Wing Sports Competitions, leading to a great team spirit. We also had some great achievements, for example, coming top 4 in the Wing Competition/Training Day, entering First Aid, Radio and ensemble competitions, as well as Drill and Banner competitions. 1368's First Aid team won best in the Wing, with a significant score difference with the nearest rivals. Also some great achieve...

Well done to "I love mountains" Cpl B, the 4th of our 2022 Wild Country Gold DofE expeditioners to complete the remaining sections and have their Gold DofE awarded with the 1368 Sqn. Loved the Volunteering which included classroom assistance / mentoring a younger student. Well done.  Next stop, Gold Award Presentation at B'ham Palace, or perhaps a trip for a Big Dobbies b'fast (to really live the dream)?

Congrats to Cpl W on being promoted to Cdt Sgt. Cadets get heads down learning for classification exams (First Class > Leading > Senior > Master). Sqn continues tours for 0124 intake (9 done, so far). Frantic work on audio/visuals for prize giving. 1 prize giving group forgets last year, and starts thinking future. CI M takes on Sqn DofE Officer role. Small sign on door, confuses cadets as to meaning.

Congrats to 1368's Cadet Warrant Officer (CWO) G on achieving her Gold Flying Wings last week after successfully completing the Advanced Gliding Training package. Cadets must do ground operations as Flight Staff Cadet at a VGS and have flown solo to start advanced training.  Might not be too long before she will be able to take up cadets. Many thanks to the 637 Volunteer Gliding School (VGS) team. Big achievement with a ginormous badge for her jumper. 

Well done to Cpl B, the 4th of our 2022 Wild Country Gold DofE expeditioners to complete the remaining sections and have their Gold DofE awarded with 1368 Sqn. Particularly impressed by his Volunteering which included classroom assistance / mentoring younger people.  Next stop, Gold Award Presentation at B'ham Palace, or perhaps a trip to Big Dobbies, Nr Shrewbury (if he really wants to live the dream). Who knows.

4 cadets and 2 supervising staff cadets from 1368 Squadron attended Blue Aviation Badge ground school training with 632 Volunteer Gliding School (VGS) on Sunday 19 November 2023.  Ground training and test using simulators is one of the three components to get Blue Badge Wings on their jumpers. a) First Class 'Flying Operations' training  b) Ground Training Simulator Test (as done here)  c) A real flying sortie at either an Air Experience Flight (AEF) Squadron using powered flight Tutor T1's or VGS usually in winch launched Viking gliders. Big thanks to volunteer staff at VGS 632 for giving cadets the opportunity of an aviation day out.

1368 historically has divided cadets across both its namesake towns to commemorate Remembrance. This year we had a fixed number going to Warwick and the rest at Leamington. Despite coinciding with important Diwali festival for some, we managed to field at least 46 cadets across the two parades all in top notch uniform. Leamington was little wetter but it cleared for the ceremony at 11:00 which was nice.  

Sqn kept tradition of doing both Warwick and Royal Leamington parades concurrently. Well done to everyone that took part in Warwick, including the Wreath laying. All looking very smart, and a great effort by newbies. Nice to see jumpers & poppies (Leam were jealous).

Cpl Promotions: What is amazing about cadets is when cadets themselves take up the challenge of teaching and leading activities. Congratulations to Cdt F, Cdt J, Cdt M, and Cdt H who joined Cdt R in being promoted from cadet to corporal over the last 2-3 weeks. This is the beginning of building a new cadet NCO team and Sqn flight structure for 2024. With solid numbers of engaged cadets of a high calibre, promotion was highly competitive with fine margins. At least two years of experience as a cadet helps. It's not a badge, it's a role. Now they get to experience it from a leadership perspective. Promotion criteria included: Good attendance record - Last 12 months. Good drill standards and awareness. High uniform standards - consistently worn. First Class or higher classification expected. Blue leadership or higher is expected Wing or above blues or green camp experience desirable. Wing JNCO course desirable. Engagement in Sqn community services desirable. Engagement in DofE Bro...

Well done to all the cadets that helped at this years Lion's Charity Warwick Bonfire Event on 4 Nov 2023. A bit wet in the morning but it didn't rain for the fireworks display! They also got to sit around chatting while eating all the sandwiches left over by Sponsors/VIPs. One should never be surprised how much food cadets can eat when an opportunity presents itself. Community Duties is one of the pillars of being a 1368 Sqn Air Cadet. We have other pillars such as DofE, Sports, and Domino's Pizza but Community Duties like this show that the air cadets' want to be involved in their local community and they present a positive view of young people enthusiasm to help others. Plus it gives them an excuse to be with each other (and eat). 

Mon 30 Oct we took adv. of holiday number drop to switch out lessons and do a team-based paper aeroplane manufacturing challenge instead. Teams had to try things over a fixed period, make improvements and try again (in sprints). We learnt how an agile team is able to adapt and improve incrementally if they're motivated to work together. Lots of thinking outside the box by the end (some might say cheating) but it was all good fun. Also big congratulations to Cdt R, the first to be promoted to rank of Cpl as we look to incrementally shape the NCO structure for 2024.  We continued to do new recruit show arounds to build up the waiting list for next intake.

Sqn strength currently 57 on books, with just under 40 parading on a night. 0923 intake of 9 seems to be holding together / merged with smaller 0523 to get First Class completed. Some new staff have joined, post 18 p/work underway for some NCOs approaching 18 to become staff cadets. Good stock of blues uniform now, aiming to uniform them up for Remembrance Parade. Sqn's drill feels like it has depth of experience now. Big intake from 2023 matured quite well. Managed to restock Cpl stripes. Doing tours for next intake (probably 0124 but TBD).

He also made a new friend. The Elf and Safety investigation is ongoing.

Congratulations to CWO G on achieving her Gold DofE Award. The 3rd of our 2022, DofE without a difference style, expeditioners to complete the remaining sections to climb the mountain and gain her Gold Award.

Leadership qualities are one of the aspects fostered by the RAF Air Cadet (RAFAC) organisation. Sgt M has consistently set high standards in terms of maturity, personal standards, and teamwork.  Congratulations on her on her promotion to cadet Flight Sergeant (FS). The motto of the Air Cadets is "Venture Adventure". We endeavor to foster a distinctive character, spirit and attitude that pulls us together as a team, overcome challenges and help each other in the face of adversity. Effective and consistent leadership from our cadet NCOs is crucial to achieving this and being part of something that is more than an individual.

One of the great things about DofE expeditions is that you get taken completely away from your environment and you have to survive in an environment you've never been to with your friends. It's a challenge as well as an escape, especially when things go wrong and you have to deal with them and come through it as a team. You learn a lot about your friends.   On 6-8 October, 11 of our cadets went to Shropshire to do their Silver DofE expeditions. Most of them were doing a practice but we also had 4 cadets do their actual Silver expedition. DofE is one of our core activities. We expect all cadets to do their Bronze Awards and many that go into Year 9 or above do their Silver and Gold Awards with the Squadron.

Parading in the 37-42 cadets a night region at the mo. Sqn grew: 9 new joiners in 0923 intake (seem to be taking well). Great success in national courses by cadet NCOs. FS P started his RAFAC Qualified Aerospace Instructors (QAIC). Other news: Gnorman is out of gnome hospital. We finally got the badges from Wing for 3 DofE Bronzes and the latest Gold DofE. Cdt S won cadet-of-the-month for Oct, he was a "Legend" on Silver DofE.

Well done to CWO G, FS C and Sgt M on applying for and being selected for the national Air Cadet Junior Leaders (JL) Course . To have one SNCO selected for JL in a year is an achievement for the Sqn. Getting three selections in one year from one squadron is unprecedent. I hope it's a reflective of the trust placed on the SNCOs in 1368 Sqn to develop their leadership, run activities and teach the junior cadets in the Sqn. Since they were cadets when COVID hit, it's also a reflection of their determination to fight for and take every opportunity presented to them by the RAF Air Cadets.  Probably the toughest course that Air Cadets operate it involves nine weekend training camps and an assessment week. A step up from the Cadet Leadership Courses, it is also open to cadets from the other services and can lead to a Level Two Certificate in Team Leadership from the Institute of Leadership and Management. Quite a few don't make the full course. To highlight some quotes "If yo...

Sunday 8th October saw 5 of our cadets attend the 20km and 30km  Winter Walk 2023 — RAF Walking and Road Marching Association (rafwarma.org.uk)  walk. This was a long distance walking event on a day organised by the RAF Walking and Road Marching Association where they walked with other members of Warwickshire and Birmingham Wing.

Well done to the 2 teams from 1368 Squadron who successfully achieved their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh expeditions in September. As well has having an adventure with their friends they showed learnt a lot about themselves, how to work as a team and how much a gnome weighs. You never quite know what will happen. Expeditions like this help build strong relationships between cadets through a shared adventure and a sense of independence designed to build self-confidence and camaraderie.  The Bronze expedition is 2 days of unescorted walking with an overnight camp. They walked as a self-sufficient group carrying all their food, emergency equipment and tents. They met all 20 conditions of the Award Scheme including planning a completely new expedition route into and out of a campsite the Squadron has not used before.

Hurray. Gnorman gets to go on a Bronze DofE Boo! Only 1hr from the end and it seems that Gnorman's magical flying abilities are not as magical as first thought. He was rushed to the special medical gnome centre. Meanwhile the team learn about elf and safety by completing a Accident/Incident/Near Miss Report – MoD Form 492. .

New intake (0923) started, limited to 9 in the end (1 wk under the belt). Still a lot of new requests coming in though for next intake. Cpl R and Cdt H both achieved their instructor cadet lanyards. Cdt H was cadet of the month for Sept. Much needed additional staff now parading regularly, Adult Sgt J, CI M & FS Q. Successfully kicked off classification/drill pattern of training. Visit by Wing Warrant. Also did a STEM competition (straw roller coaster). Uniform order for 0123 finally arrived. Working blue shirts & berets finally! A gnome appeared. There are a lot of mullets.

14 Sep 2023 saw our return to Mr Karting this time without ice and water which meant a lot more closer racing. Tangible improvements in confidence and speed over the two sessions with some stellar performances. Fg Off S lit up the timings boards which was quite impressive given the PWR situation. Also some interesting battles. It's amazing how we all avoided contact on those 3 karts into 1 space scenarios.  Well done to FS C on facilitating it all. Social sessions like these help foster inherent interest in STEM subjects as well as building friendships through shared experiences.