Cadet Experiences
What did you get up to last weekend? Want to see what we got up to?
Camborne Christmas Shoot by Cdt Brewer S
Tuesday 20th December 2011
The final weekend of the ATC year is the time of the annual Camborne christmas shoot. 781 sent a team of four down to 147 squadron made up of Sgt Howarth, Cdt Pamplin, Cdt Spencer-Lane and myself. We were one of 7 teams from around the wing to attend the shoot, which was a more relaxed approach to shooting, with varied targets such as: chessboard, eccentric cirlces and animals! The shoot was shot on No 8, .22 rifles in a 25 metre range, with each member of the team shooting at the same time, when we had finished each target, we spent our time amusing ourselves with card games, as well as watching Cdt Pamplin's amazing card cutting/shuffling! After all 4 targets had been shot, it was announced that the team had come 4th! A great success for the squadron, and hopefully we can improve even further when we take part next year. Special thanks must be given to Sgt Howarth for coming along after finishing his night shift less than 6 hours before we woke him up! Also, to Ma'am for taking the four of us down to Camborne and back, as well as being the scorer for the competition. I can't wait for next year's event, as well as all the practices shoots throughout the year!
Christmas Bowling Night
by Cdt Brewer S
Thursday 15th December 2011
Last night, Wednesday 15th December, the squadron went down to California Bowl for a night of relaxation, bowling and food! Many cadets came in fancy dress, with many different costumes from Santa to 70's rockers! For the most part of the evening cadets (+Mr Basher!) were bowling, (some more successfully than others!), regardless it would be safe to say everyone enjoyed themselves. Amongst the bowling we all got a burger and chips to keep us going, which turned out to be very much appreciated at 8 in the evening! At the end of the evening it was declared that the two individual winners of the bowling were Cdt Tisdale and Cdt Bibby. Once we had all finished, we all attempted to raise a little bit of money for the squadron on the hotel quiz machine; although we failed to make any money, we did manage to recoup the money we'd put in to the machine, so there was a partial success! As I said, everyone immensely enjoyed the evening, and I'm sure would join me in thanking Ma'am and all the other staff involved for making the evening possible.
Annual Squadron Dinner by Cdt Brewer S
Monday 28th November 2011
Yet again we've come to the time in the year when 781 holds it annual squadron dinner. On Saturday 26th November the squadron, cadets, staff and special guests, came together at the Griffin Hotel in Newquay to celebrate the achievements of individuals as well as the squadron as a whole. We started the evening with photographs of everyone grouped together outside, expertly taken by CI Bonfield! This was followed by the meal itself, where as well as cadets and staff, the civilian committie, parents and various special guests including both the current Wing Commander, Wing Commander Reis, and his predecessor, Flt Lt Symons, not to mention former CWO, now UAS Cdt Will Hull!
I think everyone agreed the meal was excellent and was fitting for such an important occasion; it also provided an excellent opportunity for a bit of socialising. After dinner had finished, Wing Commander Reis was invited to present the individual awards to cadets who had achieved throughout the year, with awards including Best NCO, Best Cadet, Best New Recruit, Academic, Adventure Training, Marksmen and Aircraft Recognition, as well as special awards for volunteering efforts towards the Poppy Appeal earlier this month. The first congratulations from the Wing Commander, however didn't go to a cadet, but to Ma'am, OC 781, Flt Lt Alkins who recently graduated with a CVQO qualification from RMA Sandhurst successfully. Everyone who gained an award was very proud; the main trophy was presented for them to hold for the evening, while another trophy was given to keep. As well as those who didn't the highest awards, many others gained highly commended certificates to show the effort that had been put in by everyone.
After the first part of the evening was over, we all got changed and went downstairs for the disco, expertly arranged and run by ASgt Grange, 335 (Saltash). This was time for relaxation, with cadets sharing 'paper plate' awards with each other, for... less formal achievements than had been acknowledged earlier, with one example being 'squadron megaphone'! After a couple of hours of bad dancing, and even worse singing, we all called it a night well spent.
Once again, thanks must go to everyone involved in ensuring the dinner was smoothly arranged and carried out with any hitches, and to all our guests for coming to celebrate in the squadron's achievements.
Gliding by Cdt Brewer S
Sunday 6th November 2011
On Sunday 6th November Cdt Simmonds, Cdt Wills, Cdt Meadows and myself went to down to 626 Volunteer Gliding Squadron at Predannack. When we arrived at the airfield we were given our safety briefing (including watching the infamous video!). It was a beautiful day for gliding, with practically not a single cloud in the sky. None of us really knew what to expect as none of us had been in a glider before so we all had to start at the very beginning of the course. Cdt Wills went up first, with the rest of us acting as ground crew for him and other students undergoing other training, this involved us signalling for the pilot and ensuring the winch was informed correctly of when everything needed to happen.
After about two hours of ground crew work, it was my turn to go up in the glider. Even after been told what to expect, the speed of the taking off was a real shock, and even after we had disconnected from the winch, the experience was completely different to any type of flying I'd done before. Strange as it might seem in an aircraft, but the sensation I could most relate it to was that of floating.
It was an amazing experience for all of us, and I know I can't wait to do it again. Thanks must go to all of the members of 626 VGS for being supportive, as well as teaching us the basics of flying a glider! As well as that, special thanks has to go to Mr Perkins for giving up his Sunday to drive the four of us from Newquay to Predannack and back!
Sat range shooting by CDT Maywood
Thursday 19th May 2011
on wednesday 18th May C.I. Bonfield kindly took CWO Bonfield and CDTs Baxter, Anderson-Jones Sanders and myself to RNAS Culdrose to shoot on the sat range with the L98A2 rifles (SA80s). the shooting instructors split the evening into three differant parts. the first was target training to get us used to shooting in the differant positions and to shooting in single and automatic firing modes. the second was scenarios in which one cadet is named squad leader and he must lead the others through a computer animated area that had hostiles, civilians and vehicles to protect and/ or shoot. The final stage was british army scenario training where each cadet individually did the drills and shooting when they fought apt according to the video. Overall the evening was very succesful and everyone had and amazing time. will definately go again and would recommend to any cadet!
Trevornick 10k Race by Cdt Brewer
Sunday 8th May 2011
On Sunday 8th May, 5 cadets, plus CWO Bonfield and CI Hancock, went out to Trevornick to help marshall the annual Trevornick 10 mile running race. At the start of the day we seperated into two groups: the first group, Cdts Sanders, Meadows and CWO Bonfield were based on the edge of Crantock Common at the water stop; the other group, myself, Cdts Maywood and Redmond and CI Hancock were based on the cliffs over looking Porth Joke directing the runners making sure they didn't get lost or try to cheat their way past corners!
The first of runners reached us on the stroke of midday and after a steady group of faster competitors the main group reached us around half an hour later. The day was put in jepordy for us marshals when the black clouds above let go a heavy flurry of hail, but luckily it stopped pretty quickly and we were happy to appreciate the relative brightness that followed.
After we'd finished, we were taken back to Trevornick where we were given free pasties and spent a while shooting each other on the boats in Holywell Bay! Overall a really enjoyable day, and something to go towards squadron barbeque later in the year. :)
Cdt Brewer
Battle Reenactment by Cdt Brewer
Saturday 30th April 2011
On Saturday 30th April Cdt Maywood, Cdt Maunder, Cdt Baker and myself went to Bodmin to help out 2533 Bodmin squadron with some PR and marshalling at the train station. The day started off slowly with everyone setting up before everyone got there which seemed very hectic, but for us easy, as we were only opening the gate for them! However, not long later things started to pick up and a few cdts went down to help out with the PR and the climbing wall (!!!!), while the rest of us stayed at the station helping out with visiters and generally doing useful things.
The battle itself was amazing, the effort really paid off and you could see it in the warfare. Unfortunately, the Germans won, but that didn't stop everyone from having a great day!
Cdt Brewer
Young Life Saver First Aid Course by Cdt Brewer
Monday 25th April 2011
On the weekend 23-24th of April, myself and several other cadets from Newquay squadron, as well as cadets from 2533 (Bodmin) squadron went to RAF St Mawgan to do the Young Life Saver Plus First Aid Course.
Once we arrived at the main gate on the Saturday morning we marched up to Wing Headquarters to do lessons. We had lessons for most of the day, with breaks throughout in the Cadet Crew Room and mess. In the evening we watched a couple of movies and ate pizza, after which we stayed in billets on the base.
As for the course itself, there was a lot of content to cover, but everyone seemed to pick it up really quickly and we all learnt a lot, with practical situations simulated for us to attempt regularly over the weekend. On the Sunday afternoon we had our assessments to see if we had a learnt enough to pass the course. Good news is everyone passed! So, you will be glad to know, if anyone at squadron or in the community is need in first aid, there are 9 new cadets that will be on hand to help out.
Thank you to Off Cdt Bourne for running the weekend and Fg Off Blackbourne, Sgt Grange and CWO Bonfield for making sure we all passed! Great experience and can't wait for the next exciting experience to come up.
Gliding at Predannack by Cdt Bell
Wednesday 23rd March 2011
Early on a cold Sunday morning, Cadet Bibby and myself got up to go gliding at RNAS Predannack. We were kindly driven down to the airfield by Mr Headland, who had to bring a very young puppy along for the ride! When we arrived we were greeted by the volunteer glider pilots who gave us a tour of the hangar where the gliders were situated.
We were told that we were probably not going to glide that day but as luck would the sun came out around 1pm and we got to go gliding. I can safely say we both had an amazing time gliding and getting an aerial view of the Lizard, and I would like to say a big thank you on behalf of Cdt Bibby and myself to Volunteer Gliding Squadron for making this very unique experience possible!
JNCO Course by Cpl Joe Howarth
Monday 7th March 2011
Last weekend (04-06 March 2011) me and another corporal went on our Junior NCO Course, it was 10X better than expected as it was a very enjoyable weekend. The food was good, the accommodation was good, the staff were caring, there was a lot to learn, and there were a fair few people to get to know. I personally really enjoyed it, and if ever given the chance I’d recommend going on this course to anyone who ever gets the opportunity too, its worth it.
Thanks, Joe Howarth
Shooting L98 Rifle at Millpool - Sunday 27th February 2011. CPL Pudner
Early Sunday morning (very early considering it was half term!) myself, Cdts Maywood, Pursall, Anderson-Jones, Spencer-Lane, Emery, Riddell, Sanders and Cpl Spittle all travelled to Millpool range on Bodmin moor. CI Wyness kindly drove us up to the range by mini-van and it looked like there would be rain. Luckily most of us had waterproofs.
Sure enough it did rain when we got to the range for the brief but this didn't stop 781 having fun; we watched some of the more experienced cadets from other squadrons unassemble the rifles and clean them first of all. Next we travelled up to the huts at the top of the range to be taught properly in the rifle drills and how to clean the weapons properly - we had to be tested to make sure we were all safe in using the L98 Rifles. This was great fun for everyone involved as we got into pairs and tested our skills in cleaning the rifles which is trickier than it looks!
When the time came for our weapon handling tests we were all ready and couldnt wait to actually shoot these rifles we had learnt so much about.
Heading back down to the minibus we sheltered from the chilly wind and waited for our turn to shoot; we had fun chatting inside and were filled with anticipation when the time came to actually shoot. Everyone was excited :)
Shooting was fantastic! It was so different from the 2.2 rifle we shoot at our squadron as there were more drills to remember but easier as you didnt have to re-load after every shot. Plus, we had an instructor and the RCO coaching us through it which helped a lot.
Some of us had to take down the flags which were positioned across the range and on the moors and some helped take down the targets.
Overall 781 cadets had a brilliant day, despite the fleeting rain, and loved shooting the L98 at Millpool. I will definitely be putting my name down if there is another opportunity!
CPL Pudner
Night nav & Mountain biking by CDT Maywood
Monday 21st February 2011
On the evening of Saturday 19th, CDT White, CWO Bonfeild and myself joined three other cadets from Bodmin Sqn to do night navigation and mountain biking. First we got all our kit together in a van and drove out to a barn on the outkirts of bodmin moor. once we sorted out the sleeping arrangements we set about our 'twilight' walk across the moor. it was actually really mild weather which made the walk much more enjoyable. after crawling under fences and trying to dodge bogs we made it back to the barn and had a chilly nights sleep.
The next day we set off with stomachs full of bacon sarnies and tea to Haldon woods near exeter for mountain biking. we were all ready to go with biking gloves, cycling glasses, helmets and of course cool bikes. first we took the green(easy) route which was OK but all of us were ready for a little bit more. After a quick lunch break we set off on the red(hardcore!) route. it was real energy rush and all of us thoroughly enjoyed it and overall the whole weekend.
Big thanks to Officer cadet bourne and flying officer blackbourne.
'Tuff-Guy' Weekend by Cdt Brewer
Wednesday 16th February 2011
On the 29th January a group of cadets, myself included, went up to help marshall in the crazy 'Tuff-Guy' event in Staffordshire. As well as helping to marshall the event, we also went the RAF museum at RAF Cosford.
The museum was simply amazing. Before the previous week I'd never heard of Cosford, let alone it's museum, but now I'm annoyed that I didn't! Based in three seperate hangars, there was so much to see from the beginning of the RAF, through the World Wars, as well as recent decades. Not only was it fascinating to be able to wonder around and see so many different aircraft, it was also a great time just to relax and enjoy myself.
In the evening, we went to the location of the Tuff Guy event and had a tour the obstacles the competitors would be facing. If you have ever heard of it before you'll know what I'm talking about, but if you haven't, believe me when I say the obstacles are horrible! And you don't get to any of them before running several miles before hand, up hills and through frozen water. The best obstacle I can remember, as well as the one we all enjoyed watching the most, was the electric wires; After climbing down from giant towers the runners had to run through electric fence wires, like you'd see surrounding fields, although I can imagine how horrible it would be to run through that, I have to admit, it was a great laugh watching.
On the day itself, we were stationed at the slalom, which was a hill that had to be ran up and down several times before carrying on with the rest of the course. In the beginning the leaders were alone, but once past the top twenty or so runners, literally thousands of runners came past us, exhausted with still all of the obstacles to go. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries for us to help with, and our main role became shouting encouragement. After the masses had passed us, we wondered back to watch them go through the obstacles and freezing lakes.
It really was a fantastic weekend which I really immensly enjoyed, and I can't wait for the next event in the summer!
Cdt Brewer
Poppy Event by Cpl Jc Howarth
Monday 15th November 2010
As cadets, every year, we have the privilege and great opportunity of attending parades in Newquay and various other places in west Cornwall. As it is was around the time of Remembrance, last weekend on Sunday 14th November we formed a massive, and impressive amount of cadets, to march, be proud and pay respect. It was an excellent day in which everyone would agree was a great day, i personally feel very proud and am truly grateful that i could be apart of it all.
Thanks.
Joe Howarth
Wednesday 21st July 2010 - Cadet Night. CPL Pudner
This Wednesday 781 SQN went to Newquay Fire and Rescue Service Station. It was a fabuluous opportunity to experience what Newquay Fire and Rescue do and how they help us.
We were introduced to a few of the firefighting team and, first of all, shown one of the vehicles with an extendable arm able to reach the tallest building in Cornwall! Cadets were shown the 'cage' and the controls inside and learnt a bit about what this helps to achieve.
Next, we watched some new fire fighters receive training and carry out a ladder exercise in a team. This was an interesting insight into the work of a fire-fighter.
We all circled around a car and were shown how the team would help a casualty in a car crash by removing the roof. Cadets were shown how to use the hydraulic systems which operate to cut through the metal. Everyone enjoyed this and we were given the chance to use them ourselves, wearing all the protective gear!
Splitting up into teams we were shown the routine in which the fire-fighters unroll hoses to use. We raced to see which team could complete the exercise first. It was challenging as the hoses were heavy but later we were told these were only Cadet Hoses and the real ones Fire-fighters use are Much heavier!
After this we had a go using the hoses attached to trucks with water spraying out. This was AMAZING fun (many of us got very wet!) and when we said Thank you and Goodbye everyone was talking about it!
Armed Forces Day - 26th June 2010 CPL Pudner
Today 5 cadets (Sgt Hull, Cdt Maywood, Cdt Bell, Cdt Bruce and myself) journeyed to Truro to take part in Armed Forces day. Sea cadets, Army cadets, us Air cadets and many more were there in uniform to celebrate Armed Forces Day.
Some cadets went up to the cathedral while some stayed behind at the PR tent, helping publicize Air Cadets. The church service included a multi-media presentation, a poem by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, varied singing groups and traditional words spoken and hymns sung.
It was an amazing day, if a little hot, and everyone enjoyed the day :)
ROYAL CORNWALL SHOW by cdt white
Thursday 17th June 2010
At The Royal Cornwall Show we stayed 4 day's and 3 night's in a room in the RAF base we woke up every morning and went to the show to have breakfast then we where split up into two teams 1 was in smart (no. 1's) and some were in greens i was chosen to be in greens and we had to look after the horses (I was told to tell you that I was nearly stood on ) we also got 4 hours to walk round the show and see people. At the end of the day we had a briefing, then went to bed (after tea. the best part after a long day!)
Royal Cornwall show by CDT Maywood
Wednesday 16th June 2010
From the 8th-11th of june cadets from all over the plymouth and cornwall wing participated in the royal Cornwall show (from our squadron their was CDTs me, Easterbrook, Terry, Bruce, White, Risley and Tobin). On the Wednesday we were all together building the wings (sides) of the horse jumps for the main arena, we then got split into two groups for the next three days. One group was the 'arena party' which were in their greens and had to do jobs like moving jumps around and putting knocked off poles back on. The other group was called 'PR' and had to wear their no.1 uniforms representing and raising money for the ATC. I was in the arena party and throughout the 4 days had a fantastic time and got on well with lots of cadets from across the wing!
Cadet 150 swimming & athletics 2010 by Cpl Jc Howarth
Sunday 23rd May 2010
Today, Sunday 23rd May 2010, I and Cdt Delaney participated in a variety of different sports and activities; including swimming, track events and field events. It was a fantastic day which was shared along with the Army Cadets and Sea Cadets which both me and Delaney would happily agree was a great day including all who participated. Obviously, we had won all three trophies which were for swimming, athletics and the overall day, with a slaughtering 112 points, way ahead of both the Army and Sea cadets. Although, everyone did put in maximum effort, trying very hard and almost everyone from all three ATC, ACF and SCC recieving medals for thier outstanding dedication and effort.
Thank you very much for reading.
Cpl Jc Howarth
Wing Athletics, Par, 2010 - Cpl Pudner
May 16th 2010 saw 781 SQN competing in Wing Athletics at Par! 2010's turn-out was exceptional seeing many medals awarded to our very talented cadets!!
One whole minibus and several cars later we arrived at Par to show Plymouth & Cornwall Wing just how amazing 781 really is; it was grey and slightly chilly but this didn't dampen the mood of our spirited SQN! Maybe it was the Lucozade and Twix's Ma'am generously provided, or maybe it was the cheerful blue colour of the Squadron sports shirts that lifted the moods? Either way, 781's cadets were happy and excitable :)
Running events, relays, shot and discus are just a few of the events our cadets participated in and some won medals! Although our relay team was (unfairly) disqualified, everything went smoothly and we all had a great day.
We held our position as 7th in the Wing overall and it was a fantastic day.
Well done!!! Especially to our junior boys relay team who were doing amazing and then were disqualified for being pushed into another relay team's lane. Also to CDT Whalley who stepped up to the challenge of the 1500m run when we didn't have anyone else to compete.
Overall, well done everyone - you should All be really proud :)
Cpl Pudner
Joining the ATC by CDT White
Thursday 13th May 2010
When my dad took me to watch some planes I started really enjoy airplane then when I went back home and spoke to my mum about it and she said about the atc I didn't think much about it but I went along and realised that it is amazing I have learnt so much form joining and had so much fun in the proses I told my friends about it and now they have joined some of the things I have done so far:
- Ten Tors
- Kayaking
- Running
- Walks
- Poppy appeal
- Cook off
- Ranked up to 1st class
- Youth first aid course
- Much much more!
I have also learnt that no matter how hard your life has been when you join the atc nothing seems to bother you for the couple of hours your go 2 times a week the atc family are there for you. I know there will be so more opportunity's to do so much more then I can join the R.A.F
By Calam White
Marshalling 10K Cubert Race by CPL Pudner
On Sunday 9th May, 9 cadets took part in marshalling the Cubert 10K race. After a professionally-driven minibus ride from Mrs Bonfield down to Holywell we arrived and almost immediately set off to allocated positions in groups, ready for the race to begin. Some people walked down to Pollyjoke beach to hold signs showing the brave runners which way to go while a few of us stayed at Pollyjoke car park at a 'water station'.
Water was transported down (by tractor!!) to the cadets waiting at Pollyjoke carpark. We filled two whole tables full of water cups and waited for the first runner to appear over the hills.
In the distance, us cadets at the water-station could see the cadets down on the beach; prepared and holding their luminous yellow signs in the distance, the cadets on the beach were under the bright sun on the hills while we were sat under clouds. However this soon changed as the clouds moved across the sky and we were sun-bathing, waiting for the start of the race!
At the water station, it wasn't long before the fastest competitors were arriving and we were handing out water on the sidelines of the track.
Runners were speeding past and those who decided to take water sometimes missed and sent the cup flying all over the person behind. Mine often went over CDT Tobin!
It got a little bit cold but the warm weather gear kept us all cozy :) The water station was a 3 mile mark and a 7.5 mile mark so we had to refill the cups again for the way back.
It was a great experience and I'll definitely go back again next year if the opportunity arises :)
CPL Pudner
Bodmin Ten Tors By CDT Howarth
Tuesday 11th May 2010
On Sunday 9th May, I and three other fantastic people, CDT Maywood, CDT Easterbrook and CI Bourne. All walked an amazing 13miles on the event Bodmin Tentors. This allowed us to raise money for our SQN, which will also then allow the SQN to buy something new and brilliant which everyone can benefit from. However, other than the raising of the money, the walk itself was a lot of fun, a challenge which in the end was accomplished and very much enjoyed by everyone who participated.
Thank you very much for reading.
Cdt Jc Howarth
Gliding by CDT Shaw
Sunday 9th May 2010
When we arrived it was quite a few hours before we got to fly because there was another squadron there. While they were flying me, Billingham, Davies and Brook got taught how to do all the signals for the launch. Then they ran us through all the safety procedures. When it was our go, Billingham was the first to launch. I was the last and almost forgotten about because it was so late haha. By the time it was my go everyone else had done 3 flights in the glider apart from Brook. I was probably most nervous out of everyone but I was excited at the same time, I was lucky because I was last I got all 3 goes in a row so there was no waiting :). My flights lasted from about 15-25 minutes each. Definately going again!!
Ten Tors
Wednesday 7th May 2010
Ten Tors is one of the biggest achievements I've ever done. The months of training all leading up to this one weekend.
As we were driving up there on the friday cause we got the day off school :) the feeling of anticipation sat in the pit of my stomach. This would be the last time i'd see the people i'd grown so close to and before you know it we'd be in the middle of Dartmoor with only our team for company.
Driving into the camp for friday it was like a mini festival! So many groups of tents with people everywhere, I didn't think so many people would be involved in the event, this was untrue!
Making our way over to the ATC tent where all the other cadets were, the nerves all disappeared and excitement took over, I was really going to do this! I dropped off my bag in the tent and went over to talk to everyone for the last time about how they were feeling.
We were really lucky with the weather that friday, and the whole weekend to be honest, the sun was shining which was really reflecting on everyone, everywhere I looked there was just groups of people with smiles on their faces. Exploring the camp was so much fun, It was just people everywhere, music playing, a climbing wall, game/food stalls and even the news crew! You honestly would think you'd be having to walk 35 miles the next day!
After hours of walking around and catching up with everyone it'd started to get dark and the reality of the stiuation became clear. Nerves started to kick in again, could I do this? As we were eating our tea, you could tell all the new 35ers were scared about tomorrow, but the 45ers were just telling us all stories from previous years trying to lighten the mood and i've gotta tell you...it worked!
Sitting in the tent with everyone was a great laugh, we'd just talk about all these memories from the last few months and how our lives would go back to being boring and just revolving around facebook. The last thing I thought about was my parents, I cant wait for them to see me walk in. I was missing them already. This weekend was certainly going to take it's toll...
Ten Tors has definatly made a difference in my life, i've become more healthy, started to walk more and has boosted my confidence loads! I feel like I can achieve something worthwhile. If you're concidering doing Ten Tors, I'd deffinatly recomend it. It may seem draining, But that feeling when you see the finish line and the crowds waiting for you is unbelieveable. You've done it! It's amaizing. And to to be honest, that feeling you'll never forget. You'll never forget the friendships, the memories, and of course the blisters!
By CDT Allday :)
Walking. You might think it's just walking, easy stuff; but really distance is what makes walking difficult. Just walking turns into a challenge. A challenge worth fighting, not by yourself but with the amazing people you get the privledge of meeting. Ten tors I would strongly recommend to anyone who likes to be fit and loves a challenge; aswell as getting to know some fantastic people.
CDT JC Howarth
Sector competition by SGT Williams
Sunday 25th April 2010
On Sunday 25th April 781 sqn, 1900 West cornwall sqn and 147 Camborne sqn attended the sector competition at RAF ST Mawgan, the day consisted of a cook off, drill competition and shooting and everyone wanted to win!
First was drill and our drill team consisting of 12 cadets was ready to win! We were marked on a variety of subjects including uniform, turns, marching and behaviour. We tried our best and we were happy with our performance.
Next was the the cook off and our cook off team consisting of 6 cadets ( SGT Williams, CPL Pudner and cdts Maywood, Howarth, Bruce and Allday) were ready to win! we were confident about the cook off because we had alot of practice and 781 created the cook off in plymouth and cornwall wing so we had to win. we had 1 hour to cook 3 courses and 20 minutes per course. We had a couple hickups but overall we done a very good job, our menu was stuffed mushrooms, goujons of plaice with crispy potatoes and a tartar sauce and a honey panna cotta served with a strawberry sauce.
Shooting was last the team of 6 ace shots had 5 practice rounds then we had to fire 5 rounds onto the left target and 5 rounds on the right then we had to collect the targets get them marked then re-paste them and rush back to wing hq and get changed into our light blues for final parade.
We were very nervous to find out the results of the competition. We came 2nd in drill, 2nd in shooting and finally 1st in the cook off which I was extremely happy with! And overall we came 2nd which is a great score, and we cant wait to go back and win it next year!
Mini cook-off by CPL Pudner
Sunday 11th April 2010
SGT Williams and CWO Bourne supervised 4 cadets who were cooking on trangias, practicing for the Sector Cook-Off on 25th April.
Each cadet brought ingredients to create one dish of their choice to be judged by CWO Bourne and SGT Williams. This preparation helped the cadets with their trangia skills and also allowed them to experience the time limits for cooking meals on a trangia (not as easy as it sounds!!).
After a quick brief, we were ready to cook. Cooking outside, the food smelt good and there were many seaguls around. We had to be careful! Soup(s), chicken pasta and bolognaise were cooked on the trangias and even pancakes. Well, we Attempted pancakes...
Everyone had ideas for the Sector Cook-Off menu and there was a big discussion about possibilities. Nothing is decided yet but at least we have a better idea about what we want and what is possible in the time limit.
The washing up took longer than the actual cooking, but we talked about the Sector Cook-Off and the possibility of having another cooking day to help finalise ideas and prepare us.
Tree planting by SGT Williams
Wednesday 31st March 2010
About 20 cadets turned up to help the local community by planting trees at Enigma wood near St Wenn. When we got there we spilt into groups of two so we can plant trees quicker we had a variety of trees to plant. We had a quick brief then we started digging, the ground was hard to dig into but once you got your shovel into the ground it was easy. Once we planted our trees we tagged them so we can come back in the future and see how they have progressed. we planted 150 trees in total we wanted to plant more but we ran out of trees! we all had a lot of fun and enjoyed giving something back to the community and we cant wait to do it again next year.
