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Royal Air Force Air Cadets

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Royal Air Force Air Cadets
ActiveSince 5 February 1941[1]
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
TypeVolunteer Military Youth Organisation
Part ofAir Training Corps Combined Cadet Force
HeadquartersRAF Cranwell
PatronThe Princess of Wales
Motto(s)Venture Adventure
Websitewww.raf.mod.uk/aircadets/ Edit this at Wikidata
Commanders
Commandant Air CadetsAir Cdre Al Lewis[2]
RAFAC WOWO Donna Hall RAFAC
Honorary Ambassadors
  • Wg Cdr Emma Wolstenholme RAFAC
Aircraft flown
TrainerGrob Tutor (Grob G103a Twin II)
RAF Air Cadets marching in a parade

The Royal Air Force Air Cadets (RAFAC) is the combined volunteer-military youth organisation sponsored by the Royal Air Force, which is formed by both the Air Training Corps and RAF Sections of the Combined Cadet Force.[3] The organisation is headed by a serving RAF officer, Commandant Air Cadets. The current commandant is Air Commodore Al Lewis.[2]

Prior to 1 October 2017, the RAFAC was called the Air Cadet Organisation (ACO).[4] As of 1 April 2023, the RAFAC had a strength of 42,190 cadets and 10,070 cadet force adult volunteers.[5] Cadets are aged between 12 and 17 on entry to the organisation, and can remain until they are 18, or with special permission, until they are 20.[6]

Organisation

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The RAFAC consists of:[7]

  • Headquarters RAF Air Cadets (HQRAFAC) at RAF Cranwell
  • 6 Regional Headquarters
  • 34 Wing Headquarters
  • Two National Air Cadet Adventure Training Centres, at Windermere[8] (in the Lake District) and in Wales[citation needed]
  • Over 900 Air Training Corps Squadrons in the UK and overseas
  • RAF contingents of the Combined Cadet Force

Regions

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Main article: Air Training Corps § Structure and organisation

The six regions are:

  1. London and South East Region (LaSER)
  2. South West Region (SW)
  3. Wales and West Region (W&W)
  4. Central and East Region (C&E)
  5. North Region
  6. Scotland and Northern Ireland Region (S&NI)

Each Region is commanded by a "Regional Commandant" (RC), who holds the rank of group captain, and is usually retired regular RAF. The Region is further staffed by a number of cadet forces adult volunteers (CFAV) who maintain the day-to-day operations of each of the regions.[9] Examples of these CFAV posts include Region Staff Officer, Region Training Officer, and Region STEM Officer.[10]

RAFAC Sections of the CCF

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Air Cadet sections within the Combined Cadet Force usually follow their own chain of command within their school's unit. Above their school unit, they diverge into the same chain of command as the Air Training Corps, which is usually their Wing or Region.

Activities

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Main article: Activities of the Air Training Corps

Air Cadet activities vary greatly, but commonly include:

  • First aid
  • Radio
  • NavEx (Navigational Exercise)
  • Physical activities
  • Drill and discipline
  • Band and music
  • Camps
  • Leadership

There are also less frequent, but enriching, activities. Examples include:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "RAFAC timeline: 1941". RAFAC.
  2. ^ a b "New Commandant Royal Air Force Air Cadets announced". Royal Air Force Air Cadets. 15 August 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  3. ^ "Who we are". RAF Air Cadets. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  4. ^ "HM The Queen Approves New Commission For Cadet Force Volunteers". Air Cadet. Bourne: Warners Midlands plc. Winter 2017. p. 4. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  5. ^ "MOD sponsored cadet forces statistics: 2023". GOV.UK. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Join as a cadet". RAF Air Cadets. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  7. ^ "Contact us". Royal Air Force Air Cadets. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  8. ^ "Royal outdoors adventure with Air Cadets". Royal Air Force. 22 September 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  9. ^ "About Us". Central & East Region Air Cadets. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Region Staff". Central & East Region Air Cadets. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
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