AirTrainingCorps

Gliding

Joining the Air Cadets opens up lots of opportunities, including the chance to fly! It's our aim to get you airborne as often as possible, as a passenger in a light aircraft, a glider or even on-board RAF aircraft such as our Typhoon fast-jet or a Chinook helicopter.

Get your head in the clouds

There are plenty of opportunities for cadets to get in the air. Air Experience Flights could even see you take to the skies in a Grob Tutor light aircraft. Stand out from the crowd and you could be put forward for an overseas flight on a Hercules, VC10 or Tri-star. If you're really lucky you could even join a pilot in one of our fast-jet aircraft or experience the unbeatable exhilaration of a Red Arrows flight!

Imagine floating along thermal air currents with just the sound of wind rushing past your aircraft. You're over 2,000ft in the air and you have the controls of an 8 metre long aircraft in your hands. It's a buzz, and one of the biggest reasons our cadets join up.

The aircraft we use allow your first steps to flying to be totally exhilarating. They're an integral part of the cadet experience, designed to get you trained, confident and ready for solo flying. If you have a talent for flying we'll spot it. Want to get an idea of what's involved? Click here for 'Flying with 20 Squadron' (new window)

The Viking T1

Providing most cadets' first piece of airborne action, the Grob G103A Twin II Acro - better known as the Viking T1 - is a modern, high performance two-seat glider. It's perfectly suited to seat you and your instructor. It's even used to train instructors themselves at our Volunteer Gliding Squadrons (VGS) around the country.

The Viking has no engine and the main method of getting airborne is via a winch-launch - a cool experience in its own right. A steel cable, up to 1,500 metres long is pulled and wrapped around a drum by a powerful turbo engine. It winds slowly at first and then (when the winch operator receives the "all out" signal) at high speed, allowing the glider to catch the wind and launch upwards. After the glider is at the right height the cable is released and, aided by a parachute to slow it down, falls to the ground ready for the next launch. The height you reach depends on wind strength at the time, but a winch-launch flight normally lasts around 5 minutes. In warmer months the pilot can use thermals (warm rising air) to stay aloft for longer periods of time - circling to gain height.

Less common is for the Viking to be aero-towed - a small engine-powered aircraft acts as a tug and pulls the glider off the ground and up to a predetermined height using a towing cable.
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The Vigilant T1

The Grob G109B, or Vigilant T1 to its friends, is the next step in your flying experience. The best of both worlds, it's a motor glider with an engine and propeller, so can launch itself like a normal powered aeroplane but still be flown as a glider. The engine isn't powerful enough for rapid climbing (or aerobatics!) but Vigilant is an agile aircraft, capable of soaring in thermals under the right conditions.

Instead of being seated in front or behind your instructor like in the Viking, the Vigilant seats two, side-by-side. It also needs less ground staff as it can take off and land under its own steam. Flights last much longer too - usually about 30 minutes.
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Gliding Induction Course (GIC)

Your gliding experience kicks off at a Volunteer Gliding Squadron (VGS) flying either Vigilant motor gliders or Viking winch-launch gliders. Your focus, along with others from your ATC squadron or CCF (RAF) unit, will be to complete the Gliding Induction Course (GIC).

Designed to give you a taste for Air Cadet Gliding, the GIC consists of three levels of instruction. On your first visit you'll be taught the GIC 1. Later visits will cover GIC 2 and 3. In these levels you'll learn all about aerodynamics and controlling the aircraft, first in a classroom, then taking control and practicing what you've learned in the air. After you've completed the course, you'll be awarded a GIC certificate.

Course Content

Aircraft Course level / flight time

Aircraft & Course Level	Flight Time	Aircraft & Course Level	Flight Time
Vigilant - GIC 1	20 minutes	Viking - GIC 1	1 - 3 launches
Vigilant - GIC 2	25 minutes	Viking - GIC 2	2 - 4 launches
Vigilant - GIC 3	30 minutes	Viking - GIC 3	3 - 5 launches

Amongst other things, you'll be shown, and have the chance to practice:

How the pitch is changed

How the rudder affects the yaw plane

How to change the rolling plane

What happens when the glider stalls

Don't know what some of those terms mean? They all affect the movement of the aircraft. You'll experience them first-hand with the guidance of your instructors who will explain all. Pretty soon you'll know it all like the back of your hand.

Provided you have no medical conditions that could prevent you from flying safely, all you need is a high level of motivation. Prove yourself here and you can move on to a Gliding Scholarship (GS) course to continue your flight training.

Flying with 20 Squadron

20 Squadron flies the Vigilant powered glider from the nearby Royal Marines Barracks at Chivenor, where 624 Volunteer Gliding Squadron (624 VGS) is based. Don't worry about transport or what to do when you go flying, you are always accompanied by an Adult member of staff when you go flying, you are even strapped into the aircraft by staff! All you have to do is turn up, complete the safety briefing, put on your flying overalls and off you go!
624 VGS have a website which you can visit by clicking here.