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Report by AWO Hoole

In the Air Training Corps, one of the largest benefits of membership which sets the ATC aside from other Youth Military Organizations is the opportunity to go flying. As well as gliding, you can get trips in operational military aircraft, and you can go flying in Bulldogs at AEF units around the country.

Air Experience Flying:


Scottish Aviation Bulldog


Grob Tutor
 The Scottish aviation Bulldog is currently the aircraft used at the 8 Air Experience Flight (AEF) units in the UK, although the Grob Tutor is currently being introduced to replace it.

A cadet's first first flight tends to be a fairly routine trip. Usually the 30 minute flight is used just to familiarize the cadet with the basic layout of the controls inside the aircraft, acclimatize them to flying in a powered aircraft, and to give them a tour of the local area in which they are flying.

If they survive this :), their second and subsequent flights can be as interesting as they want them to be. There are basic training courses that cadets can follow, which teach them how to fly the aircraft, or there is the more stomach-wrenching alternative of aerobatics:

The Bulldog and Tutor aircraft are highly maneuverable aircraft and are ideal for performing some of the more common aerobatics seen at air shows, such as loops, barrel rolls and stall turns. The cadet can opt to sit there and simply "feel the g's", or after a bit of experience can actually choose to fly the maneuvers themselves.

Other Flying:

Being a member of the Air Training Corps also gives you a great opportunity to fly in a huge number of military aircraft.

Virtually any aircraft flown by the RAF can be used to give Air Experience Flights to cadets (except, obviously, single-seaters!).

For example, while at Summer Camp Brize Norton in 1998, all of the cadets on our camp got the opportunity for at least one flight in a VC-10 AAR aircraft. Below are some photos taken during a flight.

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