02 Jul 07 - First Time Flyers Cheat The Weather
When four recent recruits to Ripon Air Cadets got the opportunity to go flying, they were somewhat disappointed to see that it was raining. Not to be deterred, they carried on regardless and two of them beat the odds and managed to fly.
Bryony Seager, Ella Stelling, Thomas Boyle and Kiera Chapman joined the Air Training Corps earlier this year. One of the early opportunities to look forward to was a trip to RAF Leeming to experience flying with the Air Force.
The four were selected from seven cadets recently enrolled and were really looking forward to their trip. Cadet Ella Stelling said "We were all excited about flying, even if a little nervous! It was the first time flying for all of us and we were all looking forward to it."
When they got to RAF Leeming, the detailed forecast told them that they didn't have long before the weather closed in and made conditions too bad to fly. After a safety brief, the first two cadets were fitted with a flying suit, parachute, helmet and gloves. They were each then escorted out to their respective planes, where qualified RAF pilots introduced them to the joys of flying the Grob Tutor training aircraft.
Whilst the poor conditions meant that aerobatics and sightseeing were not possible this time, they still gained plenty from their flights. Not only did the pilots explain how everything worked, but they even handed control over to the cadets to have a go for themselves.
Unfortunately for the remaining cadets, the clouds closed in before the rest of them could fly. That said, they still had fun visiting a front line RAF station: Not your average "Saturday morning" activity!
Ripon squadron is currently recruiting new cadets aged 13 years or older and volunteer adult staff aged 20 plus. They meet at the Cadet Centre on Clotherholme Road every Tuesday and Friday from 7pm - 9.15pm. Anybody interested should contact the squadron on (01765) 609622 or email the commanding officer at oc886squadron@ceyorks.net. For further information, visit the squadron web site at www.886.org.uk.
