Massive congratulations to FS G on being the first 1368 cadet in 2023 to be awarded a Gliding Scholarship (GS) after successfully undertaking an assessment weekend at RAF Cranwell that included a flight sim test, an interview, a group discussion and a leadership exercise. We're still in with a shout for others, so hopefully. A typical GS resulting in Wings consists of 40 winch launches with a solo flight at the end. 

...Sgt M/K, Cpl N and Cpl L, who were all awarded their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award certificates and badges recently.  I like that they still have the Duke of Edinburgh's signature. Great achievements also within the sections, one of our cadets even chose to do gliding which is amazing and shows how it's possible to use the Award to do things you really want to do.

Well done to the 12 cadets who achieved their badges and certificates after a day of training, assessments and Pizza eating. Blue Radio is part of the progressive training syllabus and teaches cadets radio procedure for communicating using hand-held radios with an on-air assessment that includes: Correct use of both full callsigns Authenticate requested, & answered correctly Radio Check requested & answered correctly Tactical message fully answered I Say Again used correctly Proword knowledge completed OK Security knowledge completed OK General operating and confidence

Lot's of practical training this week with parallel streams focused on command tasks and our brand new foray in marching band training. 

Well done to Cdt K on getting his Bronze DofE certificate. Also Cdt H on being the first in his cohort to pass all three Leading Classification exams: Principles of Flight, Airmanship II, and Basic Map Reading with Map and Compass.

Well done, to Cpl W and Cdt C on getting their DofE Silver and Bronze certificates/badges respectively by completing and uploading evidence and assessor reports for all 4 sections of the Award (Expedition, Volunteering, Skills and Physical).  Of course, this is just a step to climb is Silver and Gold, and the elusive trip to the Palace.  

Many thanks to Dave at  Green Frog Promotions | Facebook  for helping get 1368 Hoodies to us just in time for the Wing Swimming Competition (handed out on the day). The cadets were very excited to be in their Royal (Leamington) Blue. Also, our numerous Wing Road Marching members are very happy with their 1368 branded Wicking MTP t-shirts which fit nicely alongside the Warwickshire and Birmingham Wing ones. There's a bit of a second hand market going on with this stuff. Best dressed Squadron for Sports in the Wing now. Adds to sense of camaraderie when you turn up looking like a Squadron rather than the Gangs of New York.

The Air Cadets is a safe and diverse youth organisation able to offer a very broad and inclusive set of opportunities to young people. Diversity and inclusion strengthen and nourish our organisation. The following report illustrates the positive affect of the cadet forces on young people and the communities they live in: Independent report celebrates positive impact of Cadet Forces | Royal Air Force (mod.uk) Not only were these positive attributes developed within the Cadet Forces; the study found the skills gained through cadets’ experiences are reflected in other aspects of life with participation directly linked to increased social mobility, improved educational outcomes and greater employability. 

This Sunday saw a parade of the banners and cadets of squadrons in Warwickshire & Birmingham Wing Air Cadets at Coventry Cathedral including 1368 (Warwick and Royal Leamington Spa) Air Cadets. Really pleased to see you out there with bulled shoes and smart uniforms on a sunny Sunday afternoon in February. Really proud of those that were able to make it short notice and pleased to see 1368 Squadron playing its part in the Wing. Great to see the Squadron banner so professionally presented at the first Wing parade of 2023.

This was at a Volunteering Gliding School (VGS) run by the Royal Air Force. Really cold to start with but amazing clear skies meant they each had a couple of launches, plus a bit of stick time. The Viking in question is the Viking T1 (G103 Twin II). Viking is the RAF aircraft name, T is the RAF designation for a Trainer, and 1 designates it as Mk 1. The Viking T1 is a high performance two-seater sailplane made by Grob Aircraft. The cadets in question are single seaters, high maintenance young people, aged 13+. They seem to require mid-drive fueling (Gregs, McDonald's etc) and seem to be able to consume lots of food without putting on weight.

 ... but we seem to have some little drummers. Only 2 weeks into our foray into blue badge band, and we already have 3 cadets in the Warwickshire and Birmingham Wing band learning how to do marching drums. 1368 are proud to support Warwickshire and Birmingham Wing's efforts to bring the widest possible Air Cadet experience to our amazing group of enthusiastic and respectful young people making the most out of every opportunity they can get.

Well done everyone who came to the Warwickshire and Birmingham Wing Swimming competition, we are super proud of you all and the results really reflect your efforts!  We won girls combined and the overall competition, not just by a few points, we dominated 38 points clear! 😎 Not only that, we were second in every other category!  🏆 Also a big thank you to those who attended any of the swimming training! it was great to have so many of you involved! That's a grand slam on Sports then having won best Squadron at the last 3 Wing Sports competitions: Athletics 2022, Wing Cross Country 2022 and now Wing Swimming 2023. What's nice is that our strength comes from our balance and diversity, the power of a team.