|
2175 (Rolls-Royce)
Squadron
Air Training Corps |
|
|
2175 (Rolls-Royce)
Squadron
Air Training Corps |
|
|
May / June 2006 By Plt Off Suzanne Callan
After 9 years service to the Air Training Corps, Cadet Warrant Officer Bobby Hastie retired on the 28th of June. His many achievements included the Purdie Sword, graduation from Junior leaders, the Adjutant’s Shield, the ASTRA Cup, flying scholarship, gliding scholarship, Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s award and RAF marksman. He attended camps in Gibraltar, Germany, Scotland, England and Wales, represented the ATC on an International Air Cadet Exchange visit to the USA, completed the Nijmegan marches, was part of the winning Wing Team at the Douglas Bader completion winning “Best Individual Cadet”, and successfully passed out from the leadership courses at RAF Stafford and the Land Command Course. Quite a feat, I’m sure you’ll agree. However, it’s the man we’ll miss the most. His qualities of moral courage, honesty and a drive to push up standards at the squadron are what we most admire.
He is, without a doubt in my mind, the finest cadet this squadron has ever produced. I know that he will excel in whatever he chooses to do and know that I am not saying goodbye for long. I’m sure that he will be back with the ATC soon, at this, or another squadron because its people like Bobby that make the ATC what it is.
By FS Hussain Kayani On the 11th of June, the then, CWO Hastie, Cpl Smith, Cpl McGregor, Cpl Howson, Cdt Kayani (Z), and Cadets Kayani (A), Hastie (D), Hastie (P), McLean, Falconer, Kelly, Holmes, Lynch and myself took part in the wing drill competition. This year I was given the honour and responsibility of commanding our squadron in the drill competition. There were two competitions; one was the tyro competition which was won by 122 squadron. The other was the main drill competition which this year was JUST won by 327 (Kilmarnock) squadron. In previous years we came a commendable 3rd when FS Little was commanding the squadron and last year we came 2nd when Ex-Cwo Hastie was commanding the squadron. This year we came 2nd again. However, I am not at all disheartened in any way because the cadets had been giving it their all in drill practices. This was clearly evident in their drill performance. It was a fantastic performance of drill. All the cadets also took it upon themselves to make sure their uniforms were immaculate, as everyone’s trousers and skirts were well pressed and their shoes were so shiny one could see the reflection of their eyes in them. The cadets did absolutely FANTASTIC!!! I cannot stress that enough. As far as winning is concerned, there is always next year. We also wish Kilmarnock squadron all the best at the regional drill competition on the 24th of September, and I am certain they will bring home the regional drill trophy. I would also like to thank the cadets for their amazing drill display and for their hard work – WELL DONE AGAIN!- and It would be remiss of me not to thank in particular AWOL Leonard and Ex-CWO Hastie for their guidance and support throughout the drill practices. I would also like to thank the judges- Sqn Ldr Sneider, Sqn Ldr Halley and Flt Lt Short for their time and effort. Finally I would like to state to the cadets, don’t worry people, I’m sure after some more drill practices and a little more work on our uniforms the trophy will be ours next year!
The Glasgow & West Scotland Wing Athetics Championships were held at Dam Park, Ayr on the 14th of May. 12 cadets from the squadron went to participate as this event is the biggest in the Wing Calendar. Nearly every squadron participates and this year was no exception. All of our cadets tried extremely hard and made the squadron proud! The squadron came home with a total of 5 medals, 2 Gold and 3 Bronze. The medal winners are as follows; Sgt Neil Finnie – Gold – Long Jump Sgt Neil Finnie – Bronze – High Jump Cpl Grant McGregor – Gold – Shot Putt Cdt Elizabeth Holmes – Bronze – 400m Cdt Peter Hastie – Bronze – Shot Putt Cpl McGregor was selected for the Regional Championships where he represented Glasgow & West Scotland Wing at the Shot Putt. ICTC By FS Hussain Kayani On a weekend in May, CI Kayani and I attended a weekend training course at Garlochead. The course itself was held at HMNB Clyde. The purpose of this course was to teach us new skills, since we are no longer cadets, but rather adults. The first day we got there we were told to register with the staff and we were given those well-known special passes which we had to wear all weekend. However, these passes have a bad habit of sprouting legs and going walkies – honest! After that we were shown our accommodation, which was actually a nice change from the barracks we are accustomed to when visiting Garlochead. We enjoyed luxuries such as carpets, pillows, tables, chairs and even a nice painting of The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco! But I only got a few minutes to admire these “luxuries,” as I was rushed into a minibus and then taken to a room to have a “short” briefing about the course.(Which some how managed to last for a couple of hours). The next day we were having briefings throughout the day, which informed us of important things of which we must have a working knowledge of. These included things like carrying out risk assessments and dealing with welfare problems. These all were very important and interesting. We also did some drill with AWOL Leonard, which I found very enjoyable and a great change from sitting in a classroom taking notes all day. The second day was great fun because we were having leadership exercises involving the usual things like shark infested custard, missiles, lava, bombs and everyone’s favourite- blindfolds! Shortly after this we had our interviews by the officers and our written exam. However, I did not mind the interviews or even taking the written exam. But what I was apprehensive of was getting up in front of my peers and doing a presentation. However, it actually went quite well and the audience seem to have a good time too. However, it actually went quite well and the audience seem to have a good time too. The whole weekend was continuous assessment and there was no set pass mark, except for the written part, and I am pleased to report that myself and CI Kayani did really well and passed all aspects of the course. The course itself was different because it had a lot of variety as one moment you would be taking notes and the next moment you would be outside doing leadership exercises. It was quite an intensive course, but it was undeniably worthwhile, because I learned so much and got so much out of it. Make sure you set aside a date in your diary for the next Instructor Cadet Training Course! Thain Trophy Presentation
Sgt Andrew McLellan was presented with the Thain Trophy By Squadron Leader Moore on Wednesday the 17th of May. The Squadron Leader also presented Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Badges to Sgt Neil Finnie, Cpl Steven Smth and Cpl Chris Howson. Cdt Elizabeth Holmes and Cdt Mark Falconer were also presented with training certificates.
By Cdt Zain Kayani On the 24th and 25th of June, the squadron attended a very memorable event for Veterans Day. Plt Off Callan, AWO Leonard, CI Kayani, FS Kayani, Cpl Howson, Cdt Hastie D, Cdt Kelly, Cdt Kayani A, Cdt Hastie P and myself all attended. We formed a guard of honour at the entrance for the Veterans and VIPs. On the 24th, MP for Glasgow Govan, Mr Mohammed Sarwar was there and he thanked us for our assistance in handing out the food and for chatting to the veterans. I also got a chance to rub shoulders with a Squadron Leader. Not only that, I also got to talk to some of the men and women who helped us win our freedom. Some of them were in the Army or the RAF. Due to these men and women we have the rights and freedoms we take for granted today. On the 25th, MP for Glasgow Pollok, Mr Iain Davidson was there and again, we were thanked for supporting the event. I enjoyed this day more as we got to play some pool. I have to say Cpl Howson can really play!When we marched into the building at the end, everyone showed their appreciation for us by clapping and cheering. We were all presented with a pin badge and they had organised a whip round for us which raised £190! I had a wonderful time talking to the veterans and was glad we were there. 602 Museum AGM By The Kayani Brothers On the 13th of June, Fg Off McVean, CI Gladwell, FS Kayani, Cdt Kelly along with ourselves attended the AGM of the 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron RAuxAF Museum Association. We were put on guard duty to welcome everyone. We were asked by an American artist if she could take a picture. Obviously we said “YES!” She said how good our uniforms looked and how she liked our posture, and then thanked us. On our break, we were given a tour of the museum and saw some amazing things. We saw Scottish, Russian, Iraqi and German uniforms along with lots of badges. They also had plenty of firearms on display including a rifle which was the same height as me! Overall we had blast! The day was amazing and would recommend a visit to everyone. By Cpl Steven Smith From the 17th-24th June, Sgt Finnie and myself were picked to go to Windermere. The camp for us anyway started at 7.00am because we had to get the train from queen street to Cumbernauld. The reason was because the coach would pick us up from Cumbernauld squadron and then take us to Windermere. When we arrived at Cumbernauld, Sgt Finnie had luckily brought with him a map of where the squadron was and it came in handy because we had no idea where it was. We had to walk along side a dual-carriage way which took about 10 minutes and then at a roundabout turn right and it would be there, but we couldn’t find it. There was a fence and a hill going down so I looked over it luckily, at the bottom of the hill was Cumbernauld squadron. The only way to get there that we could see was a small path so we followed that and it took us straight there. We later found out that all we had to do was turn right coming out of the station and along a small road and it was there. The journey took 4 hours with me listening to my i-pod and Sgt Finnie looking out of the window. We arrived at Windermere at about 2.30pm in the afternoon. It was really warm and everyone looked half dead. The food and bags were unpacked and we had a meeting in the dining room where we’d be told what was happening during the week. That night we had pizza and chips for tea and after that went down to the town of Bowness to see what it was like. Because Sgt Finnie and I were only 16 years old, we were only allowed out till 10.00pm. On Sunday morning we awoke at 7.00am with the sound of Sgt Finnies mobile phone playing Benny Hill. That day we were all split up into 4 teams: a, b, c and d. I was in group c and the sgt was in group b. That day we had 2 groups doing a cycling proficiency test and the other 2 doing map reading. Sgt Finnie and myself both past the second time. That night we watched the World Cup. Lights out was at 11.30pm but everyone stayed up and just talked. On Monday we were split into 2 groups again, one group were to do a navigation exercise and the other were to go cycling. I was in the group that was doing the navigation exercise. For the navigation exercise we got given a piece of paper with questions that we had to find the answer for. Later about 3 o’clock the two groups came back. The officers asked if anyone wanted to go cycling so myself, Sgt Finnie and a couple of other cadets decided to go. Sgt Finnie had already been cycling that morning and still wanted to go even though his behind was very sore. The cycling took about 3 hours but from my point of view it only felt like 1 hour. When we came back all of our behinds felt extremely sore especially Sgt Finnie who, when got off his bike began walk like John Wayne. At the end of the day we found out that it was a cadets birthday so we sang happy birthday for her and we all shared the cake she got. On Tuesday the two groups switched over. Luckily I had done the route the day before so I knew where to go. My behind became very numb by the end of the cycling. That night we were split into 4 groups and were given £10 each to buy food for a meal that we were going to have outside. My group chose to buy alphabet spaghetti, pasta sauce and cans of coke. Once bought, we had to walk to where we were going to make our meals. Sadly the weather wasn’t very good and it was pouring down. When we arrived at the site the officers had the minibuses waiting for us and we got a lift back to the centre. There, all the teams took turns to make their meals. Our groups meal was the best I think because it was really, really tasty. On Wednesday we had arranged to go climbing and abseiling at an abandoned slate quarry. There were 3 walls that were ready for us to use so we chose which one we wanted to climb and began. I was the first to climb my wall so I got attached to the rope and began climbing. The good thing was that if I decided to let go I wouldn’t fall because someone at the bottom was holding my rope. The bad thing was that it was very windy so I kept getting blown about a lot. As I climbed half way the wall changed shape because part of it angled out so I had to turn my body into it and climb up that part. Once at the top I was glad because the best part was coming up. (the going down part) I was told to let go of the wall, hold onto the rope at put my feet flat out on the rock. When I started to move down a nearly fell because the person at the bottom had given me too much rope but luckily I was okay. Once at the bottom I changed places with the person with the rope and they went up. When they were then to abseil down I nearly went flying up the wall! Then, once finished we were to cycle up to where the cadets used to go abseiling. We didn’t actually realise that it was a massive valley and everyone was glad that we didn’t have to abseil there. On Thursday we had to do an orienteering exercise. We were again split into 4 groups and were given a map of the area. This day was my 17th birthday so I wasn’t looking forward to that night. I was given a birthday cake after dinner and was sung happy birthday. That night I didn’t sleep very well because I was afraid my eyebrows were going to be shaved off! On Friday morning I immediately felt above my eyes to see if my eyebrows were still there and they were. That day we played pitch and put. Later we were taken into the town of Kendel where we were allowed to go shopping. That night myself, Sgt Finnie and two other cadets decided to play football that night because it was too late to go into town. On Saturday morning the coach arrived at 10.00am and we left Windermere at 10.30am. Once back at Cumbernauld Squadron we said our goodbyes and Sgt Finnie and myself went to the train station , once arrived at Queen Street we made our way to Central Station and got the train to Hillington East. The camp was excellent in my view because I got to know a lot of people and made a lot of friends.
By Cdt Peter Hastie On Wednesday the 10th of May our squadron was holding an inter-squadron Quiz. We had reputation to maintain. There had been at one point a Wing Quiz but due to one fantastic squadron (ours), which kept wining, the wing stopped just disappointing other squadrons by stopping the event. This May was the first time since then that there has been a Quiz in the Wing. There were 4 squadrons taking part - us (Sgt Kayani, Sgt Fine, Cdt Callaghan (F) and myself), 396 (Paisley) and Cpl McGregor, 1701 (Johnstone) and 449 (Lanark). There were 2 rounds. Round number one was a quick-fire round answer from a power point, split in to three topics. In the second round we had to answer questions from our CO and could only move if we either answered a question correctly or if we answered worngly 3 times. This round was broken in to 20 topics. Unfortunately we did not win, the results were as follows;
However, we weren’t last and I think that is a good result and the important thing was we all had fun. Target Shooting By Cdt Dominic Hastie On the 14th of May myself, Sgt Finnie, Cpl Smith, Cpl McGregor, cadets Kayani A and Z, cadet Hastie P and cadet Kelly went along to Faslane naval base for shooting along with Johnstone squadron and some members from the CCF. It started as most ATC activities do, early in the morning; we were given a lift to Faslane by the CO and his father. I had been shooting before but had always missed out on getting a badge by a few millimetres, so I was quite apprehensive to get out there and give it another try and so too were most of the cadets going. The cadets without any shooting qualifications were given lessons but sadly there wasn’t enough time to give them a try. After a weapons handling test to make sure I was proficient in the rifle, we started the days shooting; we were using the number eight .22 rifle, which although it only sounds like a rather noisy pop, and does not have much of a kickback, is still a lethal weapon. After a few practice shots I had a go at my squadron marksmen badge; unluckily I failed to reach the required score and went without a badge to fill the blank spot on my brassard, this was also a similar case for most of the other cadets attending, although we still had a lot of fun. All of the cadets which attended Faslane would like to thank the CO and his father once again and hope to go back soon!!
By Cdt Stephen Kelly At half six on the 2nd of June cadets turned up in number ones for the Govan Gala parade. When we arrived in Govan we saw that other air cadets were there, we were then ordered to form up with all the other cadets. We had to wait about 15 minutes for the parade to start. When we started to march we found out there were thousands of people attending the gala, we got a lot of praise from the crowd. We marched passed Elder park and at the end of it I found out we had marched two and a half miles. The mini bus came round to take us back to the squadron but unfortunately the mini bus broke down on the motor-way. We got help from a kind man at the local petrol station to give some cadets a lift back to squadron. Govan Gala Display
The day after the parade, we also took part in a display for the Govan Gala in Elder Park. The day was to commemorate 350 years of the Govan Gala. In addition to ourselves, there were also displays from the Glasgow Science Centre, Sunny Govan Radio, Elder Park Model Boat Club, a local Majorette Troup and a small fair with games, popcorn and candyfloss, all of which was free. Ourselves and a number of other local squadrons put up a recruitment stand. Our stand included model aircraft, photographic displays and a flight simulator. In addition to this, we organised a leadership exercise display, for which we persuaded members of the public to take part in our exercises. The youngest potential recruit was just 4 years old. I’m not sure she understood the intricacies of Leadership but she did have a great time!
By Cdt Abass Kayani On a bright, sunny afternoon myself, cadets Hastie P, Hastie D and cadet Falconer met Civilian Instructor Kayani outside the squadron and travelled to Glasgow Airport by car. Once we arrived, we checked in and were taken to our destination. The runway. To decide who went first we tossed our 3822s instead of coins. Cdt Falconer was first followed by Cdt Hastie D, then myself and finally, Cdt Hastie P. When Cdt Falconer returned to the ground, he said that he loved it and would definitely fly again. Even though it was his first time, he didn’t find the experience daunting. Cdt Hastie D returned happy (as usual) as he got the chance to do some aerobatics since he has more flying experience. As for myself, I absolutely loved the experience of flying a real aircraft for the first time and I think Cdt Hastie P enjoyed his first flight as much as I did! It was a great experience and I would recommend flying with the ATC to anyone and why not? It’s free! Upcoming Activities 1st – 8th July Summer Camp – RAF Cranwell (Week 2) 8th July – 15th July RAF Stafford Leadership Course 145h – 22th July RAF Machrihanish Camp (Week 2) 29th – 5th July RAF Machrihanish Camp (Week 4) 5th – 7th July 19th – 21st July 26th – 28th July SUMMER STAND DOWN 20th August University of Glasgow Bikeathon 26th – 27th August Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Hike 3rd September Wing Swimming Gala 9th – 1st September Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Hike 24th September Purdie Sword Presentation 24th November Squadron Dining In Night 2-3rd December Glasgow & West Scotland Wing Seminar Roll of Honour 9 Years ATC Service CWO Bobby Hastie Gliding Scholarship (Solo) Sgt Andrew McLellan Promotion to Flight Sergeant & Graduation ICTC FS Hussain Kayani Wing Athletics Sgt Neil Finnie – Gold – Long Jump Sgt Neil Finnie – Bronze – High Jump Cpl Grant McGregor – Gold – Shot Putt Cdt Elizabeth Holmes – Bronze – 400m Cdt Peter Hastie – Bronze – Shot Putt Regional Blue (Athletics) Cpl Grant McGregor Cadet of the Month May - Cdt Stephen Kelly June - Cdt Zain Kayani |
Newsletter
Jan / Feb
|
|
[ Home | Air Training Corps | ATC Activities | 2175 (RR) Squadron | Photo Gallery | Interactive ] [ Resources | Affiliations | Links | Search | Site Map ] |
|
|
