Cadet Sergeant Hayden Iles, Cadet Corporal Will Kimber and Sergeant Matthew Drewry of 1109 (Thetford) Squadron spent six days at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) at RAF Fairford as part of the Air Cadet Organisation (ACO) Detachment for 2015.
This was the first time all three members of 1109 had been part of the ACO Detachment and the experience was fantastic. The cadets carried out tasks such as providing a Guard of Honour at the prestigious Gala Dinner on Friday evening, crowd line duties, VIP enclosure tasks and much more.
During their rest periods Hayden and Will were able to meet the Red Arrow pilots as well as guided tours of many aircraft from around the world, some of which were closed to the general public!
Cadet Sergeant Iles said; ‘It was great to meet cadets from all around the country and my personal highlight was being involved with the Guard of Honour at the Gala Dinner’.
Cadet Corporal Kimber added; ‘RIAT was an amazing experience and it was really good seeing aircraft from around the world. My highlight was seeing the Red Arrows perform for the first time and even getting the chance to meet them in person!’
They operated in flights for the duration fo the camp and getting to work with cadets and staff from all over the United Kingdom. Matthew, Hayden and Will were part of approximately 700 cadets and 150 staff within the detachment and it is anticipated this will increase to circa 1000 cadets for next year’s 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain.