RAF Cranwell Air Cadet Leadership Course

This summer I attended the Air Cadet Leadership Course, a demanding cadre for cadet NCOs from across the UK held annually at RAF Cranwell. I was under scrutiny from arrival right up until the week was completely over. The week began with the intense and most military style registration ever, clearly setting the bar for standards very high for the week.

Sunday started with a 1.5 mile run at 0600 hrs followed by a 16km walk after breakfast. Many two-hour drill sessions awaited me at 0530 hrs throughout the week, followed by leadership theory. The course was split into three phases of command tasks, which got progressively harder and longer. After completing phases 1 & 2 we prepared for two nights out in the field. During this time, we completed phase 3 tasks, lasting up to an hour each, being assessed on our leadership and followership skills. Already knackered, they pushed us and our teams to the limits in ‘Exercise Top Tog’ involving a 5k log-run, before returning to base.

Saturday morning came as an honour as we had the privilege to pass out on the most prestigious parade square in the Royal Air Force, with our certificates being presented by the Air Commodore Dawn McCafferty CBE of the Air Cadets. I passed the course with a merit and was part of the winning flight.

It was an exhausting but incredibly rewarding week to say the least.

FSgt Hull

RAF Section