A number of cadets attended the Royal British Legion Awards on  Thursday 26 May.  Having been thoroughly grilled by members of the RBL a few weeks previously, FS Ewers and Cpl Godfrey were aware that they were contenders for Cadet of the Year. In the end, because of the high standard, the judges couldn’t decide who should get the Cadet of the Year award, so it was presented jointly to FS Ewers and Cpl Godfrey for services to the community and 966 Squadron.  Various other awards were presented to members of the Legion and the Army Cadet Force. Congratulations to both for an outstanding performance!

Following the awards there were two presentations by Flt Lts from RAF Benson.  The first presentation was by a Puma helicopter pilot who described the helicopter, the role it played in Iraq and the way training is carried out in Kenya.  He also said the Puma was being updated as it is 40 years old this year and interestingly he informed us the original Puma engine type is the same as used in the original French high speed train.

The second presentation was by a Merlin pilot who focused on the differences between  the Merlin and the Puma. These were mainly in technology as the Merlin is only 10 years old.  He then went on to describe the many different roles the helicopter plays in Afghanistan.  He finished with a film of a typical day of a Merlin helicopter pilot in Afghanistan.

After the presentations there was a buffet put on by the RBL during which a number of air cadets took the opportunity to question the two helicopter pilots about their jobs.

Finally, the Chairman thanked the air cadets for coming to the presentation and congratulated them on their smart turnout.

By Cpl Evans & Off Cdt Lee

The Squadron’s last CO’s parade was Flt Lt Norcross’s last night as OC 966, and indeed his last night as an RAFVR(T) Officer in the UK, as he was moving to New Zealand!

Flt Lt Norcross presented a number of cadets with awards, made a number of promotions (listed below) and made a leaving speech to members of the Squadron. He was presented with a card from the cadets, a cookie cake and a Squadron t-shirt from FS Whiteside, and the staff also signed a card for him. He then formally handed over control of the Squadron to the incoming CO, Flt Lt Churnside, a long-serving Officer with 966 Squadron.

Promotions made:

CI Lee also recently passed her wing and region boards for Commission and is now in uniform as the Squadron’s Plt Off.

By Off Cdt Lee

On Thursday 5th May, cadets showed off their squadron in the most recent annual inspection conducted by the Wing Executive Officer, Sqn Ldr Haines, and the Wing Warrant Officer, WO Lambert.

During the course of the evening, cadets took part in an inspection, followed by an opportunity to impress the inspectors with their drill. After a short break, cadets faced a quiz about the ATC and the RAF. The three cadet groups took on the single staff group in a “battle of the minds”. One of the cadets said “it was an extremely fun night and all the cadets had a lot of fun.” The cadets were all very proud of what was achieved and were extremely happy when one of the inspectors said that we were a great squadron and had the potential to become even better. The Wing Warrant Officer was very pleased with the amount of girls on the squadron and hoped to see a female team for the drill competition.