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Easter GS Week - 01 April 2008

With only seven trainees and five instructors, with Flt Lt Tziros from 616 VGS RAF Henlow assisting during the weekdays, a notable result was acheived.  Six out of seven trainees gained their gliding scholarships, five gaining GS solo and one GS blue. The remaining trainee is returning to complete to solo, if the weather allows.

The week started well, but soon fell foul of the appalling Easter weather on the first Sunday. However, the first solo was acheived by the Monday with cadet Shepherd from Sussex Wing ATC, but by Tuesday with the Station having an ILS recalibration, with short-notice the Squadron detached to Abingdon for the day. All four aircraft had to be away from the airfield by 10am, or face a grounding due to the work with the runway. This being discovered at 9am that morning!  So with undue haste and organisation everyone dispersed to our temporary satellite airfield for the day.

Success there came in the shape of two solos for the trainees, cadets Wootten from Kent Wing ATC and Under Officer O'Brien from Welbeck College CCF.  All returning safely at the end of the days supreme efforts on all staff and cadets behalf.

The weather then started to change for the worst with strong cross-winds as well as rain and a touch of snow.  This precluded any further training until the last day when cadet Silverman from Kent Wing gained a solo, with Under Officer Gill going "ghost" due to the wind going out of limits.  Cadet Lipington, Kent Wing, completed the GS with a blue with Cadet Lockwood also from Kent Wing, near to solo but due to the weather will return at the weekends to complete.

A good result and a good week had by all over a mixed-bag of weather for the week.  

618 completes a Record Flying Year - 07 January 2008

618VGS flew more than 1000 hours in a year for the first time in 2007. This makes it the best year ever since the Squadron began operations at RAF Odiham in 2000.

Over 60 Gliding Scholarships have been completed since the beginning of the financial year and the number of GIC's completed is heading for records again.  However the best result is that the number of Cadets flying Solo has also increased with 70% of those on a GS course actually flying the Vigilant on their own for the first time.

OC 618 , Sqn Ldr Allan Melmore, said that the performance improvement was the due to the Staff instructing team working well together and was the implementation of a plan that began in September 2005 to improve the structure and enable staff to improve their individual performance as instructors. The benefits of this hard work will apply to all the cadets of the ATC and CCF Units we support at Odiham.