Peterborough Air Cadet, Matthew Denton, has fulfilled every Air Cadets dream – of flying solo!
From 115 (Peterborough) Squadron, RAF Air Cadets, Cadet Denton attends Ken Stimson Community School, Werrington and was delighted to have been selected to travel to Dundee to gain his Flying Wings with Tayside Aviation.
He said of the fully sponsored opportunity: “The Air Cadet Pilot Scheme (ACPS) course was the best two weeks of my life! However, when I flew my first sortie alone I was really nervous! It is by far the best experience I have ever had and I thank the Air Cadets for that.”
After his solo flight Cadet Denton was presented with his “Wings” which he can now proudly wear on his uniform.
Cadet Denton attributed part of the reason for his success to the training and experience he gained on 115 (Peterborough) Squadron’s superb Ground Flight Suite, giving the cadets a computer simulated experience of flying, without leaving the ground. He now intends to follow a previous 115 Cadet, who gained his wings on ACPS, by training for his Private Pilots Licence (PPL), and then to seek a career in commercial aviation.
Squadron Commanding Officer, Flight Lieutenant Karen Barfield RAF VR(T) said; “We are all extremely proud of Cdt Dentons’s achievement and he is an example to all of what can be attained through hard work, ambition and courage.”
The ACPS gives 140 cadets a year, 12 hours of flying tuition with the aim that they should be able to complete their first solo, by the end of the course.
There are several other scholarships available to Air Cadets each year. These are sponsored by the Royal Aero Club, the Air League Educational Trust, the RAF Charitable Trust, the Geoffrey DeHaviland Foundation, Babcock Defence Services, the RAF Association and the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators.