King’s Cadet Selected for RAF Air Cadet Leadership Course

The King’s School CCF celebrates the success of current student, Laura A, who has been selected for the highly competitive  RAF Air Cadet Leadership Course. Here, Laura describes her application, her experiences in the School CCF, and her future plans.

“I was selected for the Air Cadet Leadership Course after sending in my application, in which I talked about my time in the CCF, my experiences, and my ambition to serve in the RAF as an engineer. The ACLC course is a mixture of lessons on leadership in the RAF, such as the structure and methods of delivering instructions. The practical side entails command tasks, which are designed to be solved as a team with an appointed leader while following rules and limitations such as ‘this person is blind,’ or ‘you cannot set foot in this outlined area.’ There is also a fitness aspect, which includes hiking, running and other activities

“My favourite part about King’s is the CCF; it is the highlight of my week. As a Lower Sixth Former, I am a Cadet NCO (non-commissioned officer) and I teach the Lower Remove (Year Nine) Cadets their Part I training so they can pass their Part I and obtain their badge. This year I have taught them Basic Airmanship such as the fundamentals of cadet aircraft and airfields. I have really enjoyed getting to know the Lower Removes in RAF; they are very passionate about learning and always surprise me when they seem to know more than I do! But the CCF is far more than the Friday sessions after school; it is also the weekends and camps arranged by the staff, particularly Lt Col Ellen. My favourites have been the shooting weekends, where I have qualified on multiple weapon systems such as the Air Rifle or the CSBTR (Cadet Small-Bore Target Rifle) and I had great fun shooting at my friends in archery tag!

“Camps such as the Easter Camp have been a great way to have fun and develop my leadership. At last year’s Easter Camp, we stayed outside in tents, and all gathered around a large fire pit at night, which we had to keep alight in order to keep warm. We were supplied with cooked meals every evening, which we had to serve to ourselves in mess tins. After dinner we washed up and put everything back in the kitchen; this was all organised and controlled by whoever was appointed in command that morning. In the day we would take part in activities such as climbing, kayaking, and abseiling. It was an enormously enjoyable week.

“After the Sixth Form, I plan to study either Chemical Physics or Chemistry and Molecular Physics at university, and I am hoping to get an RAF Defence STEM Undergraduate Sponsorship (DSUS). The DSUS sponsorship pays for part of my degree and secures me a place in the nearest University Air Squadron (UAS), in which you are trained to become a pilot, earn your licence and then be paid to fly a certain number of hours per year. After my degree I am then required to serve for a minimum of three years as an engineer; I would like to work as an aerospace engineer and possibly help with the development of hydrogen jets in the future.”

Lieutenant Colonel Ellen, CCF Contingent Commander added, “Laura is a dedicated cadet who fully deserves her place on the RAF Air Cadet Leadership Course. There is always stiff competition, with far more applications coming in from across the UK than there are places. The course will not only help Laura to progress as an individual but will be invaluable to the unit as she puts all her training and experience into practice as a senior cadet next year. We all wish her luck for her course and look forward to hearing about it on her return.”

The whole King’s Foundation congratulates Laura on her achievement and wishes her the very best of luck.