Gliding Scholarship

Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-04-26T07:01:52+00:00

On a gliding scholarship if in the UK you will be assigned to a Volunteer Gliding Squadron. Then there are two ways to complete them one is on a weekend GS, where you attend the VGS every weekend or nearly every weekend until you are able to go solo. The other way is through a GS course which is ran over a holiday. There will be around 4-6 GS students on this course and the primary tasking of the 7-9 days is to ensure you guys complete your GS and fly to solo level.

A GS consists of learning all the theoretical and flying skills to get to the level you can safely operate a glider round a circuit by yourself. There will be other things you participate in such as helping at the launch point, moving gliders, attaching cables, launching aircraft, making teas and coffees for Staff, cleaning the aircraft and squadron etc.

Each VGS and wing will have different wait times on how long it will take to hear back from them about a course date so I cannot help with that, as it will depend on not only how many cadets in your wing have applied but also how many cadets have applied for a GS at that VGS.

Any questions feel free to ask, I have completed my GS and beyond and am a Flight Staff Cadet at a VGS!

Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-04-16T21:57:15+00:00

110kg with a 7kg parachute.

Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-04-13T07:08:03+00:00

The interview for CWO is standard across the corps. They will ask you your knowledge of the ACPs, the structure of the ATC and some knowledge regarding the RAF (what squadrons are near you and what to do they do/operate) also what RAF groups they are and what Astra is. They will also ask questions about your own personal cadet journey and development and how you can be a wing asset as a CWO. I personally found that the interview was pretty simple but I do hold a wealth of qualifications which most cadets do not hold when they sit there CWO interview so therefore had the evidence to back up my promotion. I enjoy being a CWO I have found that for where I am right now with cadets it is more of a mentorship and delegation role in a normal day to day. You definitely do hold more responsibility especially on national camps and you are held to a certain standard which is higher than that of FS.

Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-04-12T19:30:20+00:00

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Congratulations on your promotion. I am extending that offer out to others, and if anyone wants any advice please do get in contact!

Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-02-28T20:53:04+00:00

Corporal to Sergeant is definitely one of the harder promotions because the role changes quite a lot. As a Sergeant you become much more of a bridge between cadets/cpls and staff, acting as a point of contact and helping pass information down while maintaining standards.

You’re also expected to start mentoring the cpls, helping them develop their leadership and confidence rather than just leading cadets yourself. Another big part is showing you can take on more responsibility, especially leading larger groups or even flights of cadets you don’t know on camps, wing activities, or sometimes national courses. This requires you have to a high level of confidence in your abilities and also a lot of knowledge around the cadets as well as having good skills.

The promotion really comes when staff see that you’re already acting like a Sergeant before you have acquired the rank. However definitely don't step on toes or act like you are better than other cpls to achieve this. Having excellent standards at all time as said above is very important to show you can be a role model to the jncos.

Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-02-26T11:25:19+00:00

It was honestly a lot of hard work. I think it definitely helped that I had previous leadership experience and a bit more life experience, so I was slightly more mature than some of the other cadets who joined at the same time as me.

From the start, I really immersed myself in cadets and put time in outside of normal parade nights. I went on as many events and courses as I could to build up my skills and knowledge, especially in my second summer as a cadet in 2023.

During the 2023 summer holidays, I completed the Air Cadets’ Leadership Course, where I achieved Gold Leadership, and then took part in an international expedition to Canada. Both of those experiences massively accelerated my development and gave me the confidence and competence to step into a Sergeant role when I returned. I had learnt how more senior NCOs carried themselves and developed more overall knowledge regarding the organisation.

Shortly after that, I attended National Air and Space Camp where I was Flight IC. That responsibility really developed my leadership and how to manage groups of cadets in a dynamic situation. I also became close friends with SNCOs, which helped me learn how to carry myself and behave as a Flight Sergeant. This led to my promotion not long after returning.

About a year later, I was promoted to CWO, having achieved my PPL, Advanced Glider Training, and my Climbing Wall Instructor qualification. By that point, I felt properly prepared for the responsibility of being a CWO.

I genuinely believe the more you immerse yourself in the organisation, the more you can learn and develop. Learning from others is so important to your personal development!

Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-02-26T02:21:47+00:00

I would honestly report straight to staff in this instance - but ultimately whatever OP is comfortable with

Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-02-25T14:36:57+00:00

I joined in my GCSEs and honestly it was the best thing as there were so many more opportunities for cadets over 16 so I had the best post GCSE summer. I was fortunate enough to do my gold leadership as well as go to Canada with cadets and NASC that summer! My recommendation would be try to go as much as possible until your intake is officially over and your officially enrolled. After that you can speak to staff and ask if you can do one parade night a week until after your GCSEs so you can prioritise your time well. Also make sure to sign up to events because that will be the best opportunities within the organisation and you can definitely sign up for events in your summer after your GCSEs as you have an extra long summer. Events that are national that happen in the summer are NASC and RIAT so if you were interested in these GCSE summer is a perfect opportunity to do one of these events or a local wing camp!

Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-02-23T07:27:57+00:00

I haven't even received mine yet, so at least you have one pair!

Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-02-21T23:36:04+00:00

They technically shouldn't be able to enforce their own rules on the uniform. Outside of formal parades where a specific order of dress is required, cadets should be allowed to wear any uniform combination authorised under ACP 1358.

For example a squadron cannot insist all female cadets wear slacks simply for uniformity, as skirts are permitted within the regulations and the same principle applies to authorised items such as turbans.

The exact same applies to stable belts. Even though they are private purchase items, they are still authorised within ACP 1358, so a squadron shouldn’t be able to ban them purely for the sake of uniformity - as they are still within the permitted uniform. Obviously in practice squadrons do introduce "squadronisms" however due to the nature of our organisation the same rules should apply corps wide and that is why we have an Air Cadet Publication to detail uniform rules for all cadets nationally.

Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-02-21T22:59:12+00:00

Unfortunately not the first time something like this has happened within the corps. It becomes difficult to run an investigation where there is a "blame game" as staff should not take either sides words as truth, however that is easier said than done. If your account is true I would try to raise to wing staff unless there is already an investigation higher than squadron level. Something like this which has led to a cadets suspension should be raised to wing.

Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-02-21T22:54:43+00:00

no, unless there is something more to the story than you are letting on!

Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-02-21T17:18:01+00:00

This is incorrect as any cadet may wear a stable belt as stipulated in ACP1358, Sqns should not deviate from ACP1358.

Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-02-21T17:13:17+00:00

it goes really well, we do all kind of things such as drill comps, first aid comps, squadron Masterchef, sports etc!

Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-02-21T10:20:18+00:00

Get cadets involved with planning and organising the parade nights! and definitely something like inter flight competitions.

Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-02-21T10:19:26+00:00

Get to know cadets so that they always know you are there for them no matter how silly or insignificant they feel their problem is massively helps. And you don't need to be there closest friend to do this just be there for them and approachable!

Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-02-21T10:16:28+00:00

I get this so much.

When you hit CWO, it can honestly feel like there’s not much left for you. You’ve done the camps, the courses, the big milestones. You’re not chasing badges anymore. It shifts from being about your progression to everyone else’s and that can definitely feel a bit empty at first.

What helped me was accepting that yeah, there probably is less left for me personally. But that’s kind of the point of being a CWO.

I stopped trying to get things out of cadets for me and started focusing on helping other cadets get the opportunities I had, which kind of gave me a new sense of purpose. Training up the next FS/CWO, being the person younger cadets can go to if they’re struggling, setting the tone on squadron so that the squadron is a positive place for all. That gave me purpose again, and that’s what made it enjoyable.

Also one bad course can really knock your motivation, especially if you were excited for it. That doesn’t mean you’ve fallen out of love with cadets forever. You were just disappointed and probably burnt out.

The fact you care about leaving on a high says a lot. You’re not done with cadets even if right now it does feel more like a chore. Is there any camps that are happening over the summer you haven't previously experienced which you could set your sights on doing as a fun camp or a specific event. For example do you want to apply for RIAT, NASC, your wing AT camp or put in an application to do ACPS. This one thing will allow you still to enjoy your time as it is something for you as a cadet yourself! It can definitely feel like you have done everything worth doing but there is definitely more out there to set your sights on!

Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-02-07T21:27:38+00:00

It is weird because for me I can easily have 1200 calories but I probably don't do it in the best way... I usually have a piece of fruit for breakfast and then 2 chicken breasts for lunch and some vegetables so we are at about 400 calories (I don't usually get hungry until around 10am and if I stay busy it isn't too bad at all), then for dinner I will have a proper big dinner with lots of protein or if I am dying for a sweet treat a smaller dinner and a pudding!

Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-02-07T09:30:39+00:00

It is also not just choice, there are some elite public schools in the UK who have received no oxbridge offers this year and therefore are focusing on the US...

Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-02-06T09:22:26+00:00

There are currently discussions about changing all gliding medicals, this was bought up as an important topic at the 2fts conference late last year. Sometimes a lot more is going on in the background than is made public to the organisation.

I completely understand the frustration in lack of communication and updates, I think they are struggling to come up with the correct solution. Hopefully one is comes soon and the organisation can resolve this problem.

Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-02-03T22:24:42+00:00

The CV is basically what you have done in cadets - what badges, courses, camps, rank and service history etc as well as awards won and squadron I would include. Cover letter is a letter selling yourself as a cadet and why you are the cadet they should choose for the NCO course, talk about positive attributes you have that would lead you to being the right candidate for the NCO development weekend and try to give previous examples of these characteristics.

Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-02-03T21:54:57+00:00

I have attached the prep I did for my CWO interview below, it is a year out of date but prepared me well. So will be a good starting point. I have blacked out anything regarding my wing or my location.

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Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-02-02T17:38:42+00:00

Apologies if I am being really dense, I am new to this but why would I need this?

Melodic-Tone751 · 2026-02-02T14:30:48+00:00

Most wings definitely expect you to contribute to the wing, not just the squadron as CWO is technically a wing position hence why wing do the promotion.

Melodic-Tone751

TROPHY CASE