Red Arrows treated National Air and Space Camp to display as part of air show at RAF Syerston
Hundreds of air cadets from every part of the UK were at RAF Syerston yesterday as part of the National Air and Space Camp.
Almost 600 cadets were in attendance with their families as they were treated to an air show organised especially for them, concluding with aero acrobatics from the Red Arrows.
The private air show featured displays from; F35s, Typhoons, Battle of Britain Spitfire and a Chinook amongst many more.
It was one part of a week long camp organised by the RAF to engage young people with all aspects of the air force and air industry with specialist aerospace, aviation and engineering training for air cadets.
On the camp, cadets engaged in tasks that tested their abilities in air traffic controlling, engineering and flying with a series of simulators.
34 industry representatives such as Boeing, BAE and Rolls Royce were also in attendance, giving the cadets a chance to ask questions and explore future careers.
Cadets from around the region were at the camp, including members of 47F Grantham squadron, such as 16 year old Corporal Olivia Skinner who said: "I feel honoured that this air show was just for the cadets and not the public, it meant you could get right up to the railings and enjoy it all without anyone getting in the way.
"I love cadets and I've kind of centred my life around it. I want to be an aerospace engineer and so I love the industry days on camp.
"In the last few years the camp has gone from aerospace to air and space as the RAF expands into space. I just really want to be a part of the RAF as it develops and it feels great that in this organisation girls are valued and you feel like you make up something important."
Another cadet from Grantham was Rishab Chatterjee, 15, who aspires to become a fast jet pilot in the RAF. He said: "This is the premier camp of the air cadet and I have a keen interest in all thing flying.
"But you also get a lot of other opportunities here with cyber, space, engineering and the simulators that you wouldn't get to try elsewhere."
Corporal Amelia Richardson, 15, otherwise knows as Amelia the Glider Pilot is an experienced young flyer and has amassed over 84,000 followers across social media with her gliding videos, most recently learning how to do aerobatics.
"I've been flying and had aspirations to become a pilot with the RAF since I was 13. If not I'll fly rotary aircraft, either way I just want to be up in the air." she said.
"To anyone thinking of joining the cadets I'd just say, do it. It's the most amazing experience ever and you are given countless opportunities to that you couldn't find elsewhere."
Cadets Harvey Andrews and Alan Wilkinson are friends from Newark but attend 1936 Newton squadron which is a short drive from the camp.
Alan convinced Harvey to join the air cadets and the pair have been attending camps together for the last few years.
They said: "We came last year and enjoyed it a lot so thought we'd come back. It's great to get out and about, doing practical things and working with our hands.
"The flight simulators are amazing but we also got to try a lot of other things out like rescue gear and doing electrical engineering, we also had team tasks where we had to plan flight routes.
"The atmosphere is amazing and the social aspect too because you get to meet cadets from all of the place. It was amazing to actually get to fly and I just want to go again."
Red arrows representative, Flying Officer Craig Tavares-Mckoy, originally joined the Air Cadets in 2012 before becoming a fast jet pilot with the elite RAF display team.
"The first time I ever saw the Red Arrows was actually here in 2015 when I was a cadet. I always wanted to be a pilot and I had my first opportunity to fly in the cadets where I just got the bug." he said.
"You can ask so many pilots, military or civilian and nine times of out ten they also had their first flight with the cadets and that's why camps like this are so important.
"RAF Syerston isn't just the home of the gliding school, it's also the heart of aviation in the Air Training Corps."
Projects officer and industry lead for the camp, Flying Officer Bertie Bertolaso, said: "It's completely unique because the air show today is just for the cadets and it's not open to the public. It's not every day that the Red Arrows fly just for you.
"On the camp itself we had 197 cadets staying for the week, travelling from as far away as Scotland. Today we also had 372 day visitors coming in from local squadrons bring the total to 569.
"A camp like this is important because it it gives the cadets a chance to fly, who might not get the chance elsewhere and so we've had 192 flying slots.
"It also has the added benefit of giving them an insight into the wider aerospace sector and put into practice the things they learn on a squadron level in classes.
"It's been brilliant watching the the camp grow year on year, and the feedback we get from our partners about how engaged the cadets are, asking all the right questions is fantastic."
