Surrey Wing intro

The Air Cadets or the Air Training Corps (ATC) is a National Voluntary Youth Organisation supported by the Royal Air Force. With almost 49,000 members, aged from 13 to 20 years, within over 1,000 Squadrons, the ATC is one of the country's premier youth organizations and the world's largest youth air training organization. The Cadets are supported by a volunteer Staff of nearly 10,000 plus 5,000 Civilian Committee Members.

The Aims of the Air Training Corps are:

To promote and encourage among young people a practical interest in aviation and the Royal Air Force.
To provide training which will be useful in the Services and civilian life.
To foster the spirit of adventure and develop qualities of leadership and good citizenship

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what air cadets do

We at Surrey Wing are representatives of the county of Surrey and part of South West London.

Surrey Wing Air Training Corps was established in February 1948 by the amalgamation of several local Wings, some of these Wings were Sutton & Cheam, Kingston, North-East Surrey, Croydon, Brooklands and Mitcham.

Boys and Girls can join the cadets from the ages of 13-17 at any one of our squadrons around the wing.

Cadets who have reached the age of 18 have to leave the corps unless they have the rank of sergeant and above then they may stay by until their 20th birthday.

There are quite a few organisations in Britain specially run for people who are young, keen and active... but only one of them has the words ‘Venture Adventure’ as its motto.

That’s the Air Training Corps, the voluntary organisation linked with the Royal Air Force - and it certainly lives up to that motto!

As a cadet in the ATC you get the chance to see things - and to do things - that no other youth group can offer.

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what air cadets do

The one that’s absolutely different is, of course, the opportunity to fly. Towards the end of your time as an Air Cadet you could enter a scholarship scheme that includes learning to fly a powered aircraft. Long before that, as soon as you have reached your First Class level in your ATC training, you would be able to go to one of our gliding schools for a gliding induction course and with further training ultimately learn to fly, right up to solo standard.

Since the formation of the Air Training Corps in 1941 the ATC has trained many thousands of cadets, some go on to pursue a career with the armed services, the rest go on to pursue civilian careers and some of them become well known. Click on Famous Cadets to find out who used to be a cadet, who knows in the future you maybe that famous person. Many ex-cadets fall back on their training and experiences gained during their cadet career and put it to good use in their normal day to day life.

For more information about Surrey Wing and Squadrons you can email us at: info@surreywing.org or explore the web site.

For different Wings and Squadrons nationally contact HQ Air Cadets.

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