|
7th and 8th March 2010
RAF Section:
Blessed with sunshine and clear blue skies the RAF
Section of the CCF spent the first of the two days of
the Field Weekend testing if they really did have nerves
of steel. On Sunday they returned to Youlbury Scout
Activity Centre at Boars Hill to experience the thrills
of high level adventure including a zip wire, the leap
of faith, 3G swing and a new aerial trek. All entailed a
degree of confidence building, risk awareness and
learning new skills and many of the cadets were
surprised by their ability to overcome their initial
fear and complete the tasks in one piece!
On the
second day the Section was split into two groups. 25
visited RAF Brize Norton, the UK’s largest and busiest
RAF station that fortunately also happens to be our
closest neighbour. The cadets were able to visit the
base’s three flying squadrons: 101 Squadron with the
VC10, 216 Squadron and the TriStar (both now ageing
aircraft that are due to be phased out over the next 6
years or so) and finally, perhaps the highlight of the
day for many, the C-17 of 99 Squadron. The cadets were
also shown around JADTEU, the Joint Air Delivery Test
and Evaluation Unit; here vehicles are tested for their
suitability for air delivery and the range of equipment
awaiting despatch from the hangars to Afghanistan raised
the curiosity of many! The rest of the Section went to
the RAF Museum in Hendon which houses over 100 aircraft
from around the world. Douglas Bader’s logbook is also
on display at the moment as well as an exhibition of
photographs from the RAF’s Photo of the Year
competition.
Army Section:
The Army section spent one day at Longmoor Camp
shooting on the 25m Barrack Range, 22 range, Laser Range
and also practiced fire and manoeuvre with our paintball
guns. We did a night patrolling exercise which proved to
be very challenging for some and spent the 2nd day on
leadership and team building activities finishing with
some quad-biking to test the nerves and driving skills.
The weekend worked very well in the context of the
training everyone has undertaken so far. It was great to
enjoy such clear weather and everyone is now looking
forward to the remainder of the year’s training taking
place in lighter and warmer conditions!
Naval Section:
The Royal Navy section headed down to Portsmouth on
the Sunday, installed themselves aboard HMS Bristol on
Whale Island, and then drove to the historic “2 Basin”
to meet HMS Tracker, a patrol vessel normally used for
training university students. Leaving the harbour,
cadets saluted and received salutes from officers aboard
other ships in harbour, including the new Type 45
destroyer. We then spent a few hours in the Solent,
trying our hands at navigation, taking the helm, and
practising a “man overboard” exercise. The highlight for
most cadets was motoring at 28 knots which, combined
with the windy conditions, made for a very “refreshing”
experience on the weatherdeck!
On the second day
we were given a harbour tour and visited the submarine
museum, which involved a guided tour of a real Cold War
submarine by a veteran of that vessel. After lunch we
visited HMS Victory and had fun at the interactive
facilities at Action Stations in the Historic Dockyard.
|
