After an early start on a fresh Wednesday morning in late July, 19 RAF cadets travelled to Inskip Cadet Training Centre in Inskip, Lancashire. Soon after arrival, we split into three groups to do a rotation of three different activities for the morning, including archery, close quarter combat with paintball guns and a climbing/abseiling wall. All of these activities were enjoyed thoroughly by the cadets and made for a fantastic start to the day. Notably Jamie Hill smashed the training centre’s record for the climbing wall with an impressive 9.8 seconds!

The cadets then took a break for a tasty lunch in the mess, as well as a game of football with even instructors getting involved! For the second half of the day, we split into groups again for a further rotation of three activities: air rifles, low ropes and a Dismounted Close Combat Trainer (DCCT). The DCCT was a particular highlight among cadets, and was a brilliant opportunity to practice and analyse their shooting with SA80 rifles adapted for the virtual range. Special mentions to Milly and Matthew for their proficiency on the air rifle range, Alice on archery and Grace on Close Quarter Combat.

Overall the cadets had a thoroughly enjoyable day at Inskip, displaying excellent behaviour and attitude to activities. We are very grateful to Lieutenant Murphy for organising the trip, and to Major Ward, CI Smith and Flying Officer Randall for accompanying us. We are also grateful to the Inskip training centre for providing such a great day, and to all the instructors.

Sgt Ed Morris