Even though the weather was not its hottest the annual Trent Wing RAF Air Cadets Competition, held at RAF Digby certainly was, with over 600 cadets competing in various disciplines to win the coveted trophy.
After heavy rain over night, the early stages of the competition saw light rain and wind, until mid-morning, but the dampness did not stop the cadets getting to grips with the days challenges. The Cadets of Trent Wing come from across Lincolnshire, North and North East Lincolnshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
This year’s competitions included First Aid, Media, Aircraft Recognition, Aircraft Modelling, Drill, Banner Drill, Bands, Shooting and Clay Target Shooting. In addition the competition saw the return of the Tent Erecting Competition and also the introduction of the Climbing Wall and Leadership exercises.
This is a great chance for the cadets to compete against each other to compete for the individual trophies for each area, but also for each squadron to have the chance to win the overall trophy for the day, this year being won by 331 (Chesterfield) Squadron.
Due to a technical issue the planned flypast from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Dakota had to be cancelled, but was kindly replaced with a number of passes from one of the BBMF Spitfires. Fortunately, Sqn Ldr Duncan Mason, OC BBMF managed to find the only part of the day where the Blue Sky made an appearance.
For many a visit from a surprise visitor will be remembered for many years to come. Bang on time at 3:20 the skies of Digby were filled with the unforgettable shape and noise of the mighty Vulcan XH558. By very kind request the crew changed their planned route for their V-Force tour to include a flypast of the Field Day, before continuing to display at RAF Waddington. The crew completed 2 flypasts allowing the cadets and staff to get their phones and cameras to record the event, which sadly won’t be repeated.
Wing Commander Tony Wright, Officer Commanding Trent Wing, was thrilled with the way the day had gone, the enthusiasm of the cadets, staff, the quality of the competition and of course the flypasts. The annual competition is a real chance for squadrons and individuals to show off their talents, skills and work as a team in the various disciplines. The winning teams and individuals will now move forward the regional competition in September, where the cadets from the other wings in Central and East Region will take part to get to the national competitions.