1 Air Experience Flight
Encyclopedia
No. 1 Air Experience Flight (1 AEF) is one of twelve Air Experience Flights (AEF's)
run by the Air Cadet Organisation
of the Royal Air Force
. The primary purpose of the AEF organisation is to provide air experience to members of the Air Training Corps
, Combined Cadet Force
(RAF) Section and occasionally, the Girls Venture Corps Air Cadets
and the Air Scouts.
, equipped with de Havilland Chipmunk
T Mk 10 aircraft. It later moved to RAF White Waltham followed by RAF West Malling
and then to RAF Manston
.
civilian SAR Flight which flew the Westland Whirlwind. In the late 70’s the Flight moved a little further north toward the cross roads (B2190 and B2050) at the centre of the airfield relocating to the former ASF (Air Servicing Flight) building near the old AVPIN store where it remained until the Flight closed in the mid 90’s.
Throughout the Flight’s thirty two year tenure at RAF Manston, No. 1 AEF primarily served the Kent and London Wings of the Air Cadet organisation whilst also being used by schools in the region, like The Judd School
, Dulwich College
, Alleyn's School
and Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School
who had Combined Cadet Force (RAF) Sections.
and during the heightened tensions of the Cold War
. A few of the pilot staff were ex members of No. 500 Squadron RAF
(County of Kent) RAuxAF who flew Gloster Meteor
F8's then based at RAF West Malling
before the Squadron closed in 1957.
The Flight also provided facilities for aircrew officers in ground appointments in London and the South East the ability to retain current flying practice on the Chipmunks. In addition the pilot staff included from time to time officers “holding” at RAF Manston prior to taking up flying posts elsewhere.
A typical AEF flight from RAF Manston would either be a “south below one”, which would last approximately thirty minutes inland down to Dover
(seeing the Shakespeare Cliff Channel Tunnel
Site, Dover Castle
, along with the location of the former Battle of Britain
radar masts) and return up the coast for a “rejoin” at Sandwich, Kent
(with a quick peer down the top of the Richborough
Power Station cooling towers) or “west below one”, again thirty minutes duration, inland to Canterbury
(seeing Canterbury Cathedral
) and return along the north Kent coast for a “rejoin” at Reculver
(of Sir Barnes Wallis Bouncing bomb
fame). If the weather was particularly unkind for the visiting cadets, then Plan B was known as “round the island” (a reference to the Isle of Thanet
) either clockwise or anti-clockwise depending on the wind direction, with sorties lasting approximately twenty minutes. If the weather really “clamped” then Plan C was ground based, with a tour of Air Traffic and the Station Fire Section.
album "Animals" (linked to the "Pigs on the Wing" track). Nothing was seen as by the time the CAA lost radar contact on the pig near Chatham in Kent, it was at a height of 18,000 feet and still flying East.
. A local modification was approved to stick the last digit (in dayglow) of the aircraft serial number to the nose of the aircraft just below the spinner to aid "front on" early identification when on the ground. By the mid 70's the fleet was then painted in the red, white and grey "Raspberry Ripple" colour scheme of Training Command, with their "flashing" black and white props, which the aircraft retained until their retirement. In the final years at RAF Manston the aircraft sported the "grey elephant on green shield" emblem just forward of the front cockpit on both sides of the fuselage. At this time the aircraft also carried a tail identification number in orange dayglow which usually consisted of the last digit of the aircraft serial number or if that was ambiguous, the second to last digit was used.
and later re-equipping with Grob Tutor T Mk 1s.
Air Experience Flight
An Air Experience Flight is a training unit of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve whose main purpose is to give introductory flying experience to Air Cadets or the RAF section of the Combined Cadet Force...
run by the Air Cadet Organisation
Air Cadet Organisation
The Air Cadet Organisation is the collective name for the UK cadet forces sponsored by the Royal Air Force. The organisation is subordinate to No. 22 Group RAF, with a serving RAF officer as Commandant Air Cadets. The current Commandant is Air Commodore Barbara Cooper CBE...
of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. The primary purpose of the AEF organisation is to provide air experience to members of the Air Training Corps
Air Training Corps
The Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...
, Combined Cadet Force
Combined Cadet Force
The Combined Cadet Force is a Ministry of Defence sponsored youth organisation in the United Kingdom. Its aim is to "provide a disciplined organisation in a school so that pupils may develop powers of leadership by means of training to promote the qualities of responsibility, self reliance,...
(RAF) Section and occasionally, the Girls Venture Corps Air Cadets
Girls Venture Corps Air Cadets
The Girls Venture Corps Air Cadets is a voluntary uniformed youth organisation for girls aged between 11 and 20, It is also a registered charity, and by virtue of its work towards the personal and social development of young people, it is a member of The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services...
and the Air Scouts.
History
No. 1 AEF formed on 8 September 1958 at RAF Biggin Hill in KentKent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, equipped with de Havilland Chipmunk
De Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk
The de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk is a tandem, two-seat, single-engined primary trainer aircraft which was the standard primary trainer for the Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Air Force and several other air forces through much of the post-Second World War years...
T Mk 10 aircraft. It later moved to RAF White Waltham followed by RAF West Malling
RAF West Malling
RAF West Malling was a Royal Air Force station near West Malling in Kent, England.Originally used as a landing area during the first World War, the site opened as a private landing ground and in 1930, then known as Kingshill, home to the Maidstone School of Flying, before being renamed West Malling...
and then to RAF Manston
RAF Manston
RAF Manston was an RAF station in the north-east of Kent, at on the Isle of Thanet from 1916 until 1996. The site is now split between a commercial airport Kent International Airport and a continuing military use by the Defence Fire Training and Development Centre , following on from a long...
.
RAF Manston (1963–1995)
Introduction
The Flight HQ and Crew Room was based for many years just north of the main runway (29L/11R) on the B2190 in corrugated World War II buildings adjacent to the Western Taxiway (as it was known then). The accommodation was shared at the time with the Bristow HelicoptersBristow Helicopters
Bristow Helicopters is a British helicopter airline originally based at Aberdeen Airport, Scotland, part of the Bristow Group based in Houston, Texas, USA....
civilian SAR Flight which flew the Westland Whirlwind. In the late 70’s the Flight moved a little further north toward the cross roads (B2190 and B2050) at the centre of the airfield relocating to the former ASF (Air Servicing Flight) building near the old AVPIN store where it remained until the Flight closed in the mid 90’s.
Throughout the Flight’s thirty two year tenure at RAF Manston, No. 1 AEF primarily served the Kent and London Wings of the Air Cadet organisation whilst also being used by schools in the region, like The Judd School
The Judd School
The Judd School is a state secondary school in Tonbridge, Kent, southeast England. It was established in 1888 at Stafford House on East Street in Tonbridge, where it remained for eight years before moving to its present location on Brook Street, in the south of the town...
, Dulwich College
Dulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
, Alleyn's School
Alleyn's School
Alleyn's School is an independent, fee-paying co-educational day school situated in Dulwich, south London, England. It is a registered charity and was originally part of the historic Alleyn's College of God's Gift charitable foundation, which also included James Allen's Girls' School , Dulwich...
and Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School
Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School
The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School is a British independent school for boys aged 4–19. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and of the Haileybury Group....
who had Combined Cadet Force (RAF) Sections.
Commanding Officers and staff
All the Flight Commanders at RAF Manston were regular serving RAF Officers of Squadron Leader rank who commanded in the main a pilot staff of RAFVR(T) Officers, many of whom were retired former RAF Officers. It was not uncommon for former Air Commodores, Group Captains, Wing Commanders and Squadron Leaders to return to uniform following retirement from the RAF as Flying Officers and Flight Lieutenants with the RAFVR(T) to carry on flying at weekends. The pilot staff comprised many experienced aircrew, some of whom had served operationally during the latter part of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and during the heightened tensions of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. A few of the pilot staff were ex members of No. 500 Squadron RAF
No. 500 Squadron RAF
No. 500 Squadron AAF was formed in 1931 as a Special Reserve squadron and in 1936 became part of the Auxiliary Air Force. It served in a number of roles before being disbanded in 1957.-Formation and early years:...
(County of Kent) RAuxAF who flew Gloster Meteor
Gloster Meteor
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet. It first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force...
F8's then based at RAF West Malling
RAF West Malling
RAF West Malling was a Royal Air Force station near West Malling in Kent, England.Originally used as a landing area during the first World War, the site opened as a private landing ground and in 1930, then known as Kingshill, home to the Maidstone School of Flying, before being renamed West Malling...
before the Squadron closed in 1957.
The Flight also provided facilities for aircrew officers in ground appointments in London and the South East the ability to retain current flying practice on the Chipmunks. In addition the pilot staff included from time to time officers “holding” at RAF Manston prior to taking up flying posts elsewhere.
Flight operations
The Flight typically operated at weekends with four Chipmunk T Mk 10 aircraft flying five or six, thirty minute, sorties during the morning wave and the same again for the afternoon wave. During the summer months this could be extended especially during Air Cadet Summer Camps. CCF Flying was mainly conducted from Wednesdays to Fridays during school term time.Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
(seeing the Shakespeare Cliff Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
Site, Dover Castle
Dover Castle
Dover Castle is a medieval castle in the town of the same name in the English county of Kent. It was founded in the 12th century and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history...
, along with the location of the former Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
radar masts) and return up the coast for a “rejoin” at Sandwich, Kent
Sandwich, Kent
Sandwich is a historic town and civil parish on the River Stour in the Non-metropolitan district of Dover, within the ceremonial county of Kent, south-east England. It has a population of 6,800....
(with a quick peer down the top of the Richborough
Richborough
Richborough is a settlement north of Sandwich on the east coast of the county of Kent, England. Richborough lies close to the Isle of Thanet....
Power Station cooling towers) or “west below one”, again thirty minutes duration, inland to Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
(seeing Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site....
) and return along the north Kent coast for a “rejoin” at Reculver
Reculver
Reculver is a hamlet and coastal resort situated about east of Herne Bay in southeast England. It is a ward of the City of Canterbury district in the county of Kent. Reculver once occupied a strategic location at the western end of the Wantsum Channel, between the Isle of Thanet and the Kent...
(of Sir Barnes Wallis Bouncing bomb
Bouncing bomb
A bouncing bomb is a bomb designed specifically to bounce to a target across water in a calculated manner, in order to avoid obstacles such as torpedo nets, and to allow both the bomb's speed on arrival at the target and the timing of its detonation to be pre-determined...
fame). If the weather was particularly unkind for the visiting cadets, then Plan B was known as “round the island” (a reference to the Isle of Thanet
Isle of Thanet
The Isle of Thanet lies at the most easterly point of Kent, England. While in the past it was separated from the mainland by the nearly -wide River Wantsum, it is no longer an island ....
) either clockwise or anti-clockwise depending on the wind direction, with sorties lasting approximately twenty minutes. If the weather really “clamped” then Plan C was ground based, with a tour of Air Traffic and the Station Fire Section.
Unofficial emblem
It was in the late 80’s that the Flight adopted an informal emblem depicting a grey elephant on a green shield background, which took an inspiration from the elephants at Howletts Wild Animal Park at Bekesbourne, Canterbury which could clearly be seen against the green of the surrounding countryside.Flying pigs
No. 1 AEF was "scrambled" in December 1976 to locate and track an inflatable "Pink Pig" that had become untethered in blustery conditions. In fact it was the "Pink Pig" that was being used on the photo shoot for the cover of the Pink FloydPink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
album "Animals" (linked to the "Pigs on the Wing" track). Nothing was seen as by the time the CAA lost radar contact on the pig near Chatham in Kent, it was at a height of 18,000 feet and still flying East.
A notable achievement
The Chipmunks of No. 1 AEF would typically tally circa 3,500 flight hours a year (equating to circa 7,000 cadet sorties), which means that in the thirty two years the Flight was at RAF Manston, nearly a quarter of a million cadets were flown, which is an enormous achievement by any standard.Fleet technical information
In the early years, before the move to RAF Manston, the No. 1 AEF fleet was painted in an overall silver fuselage livery with distinctive yellow bands on the wings and the rear fuselage section which then evolved in to an overall silver scheme with fluorescent orange dayglow panels (which faded quickly). This scheme further evolved in to an overall grey fuselage with dayglow panels on the outer wings, fuselage and engine cowls of the then RAF Training CommandRAF Training Command
Training Command was the RAF's command responsible for flying and ground training from 1936 to 1940 and again from 1968 to 1977.-History:Training Command was formed from Inland Area on 1 May 1936 and absorbed into RAF Support Command on 13 June 1977...
. A local modification was approved to stick the last digit (in dayglow) of the aircraft serial number to the nose of the aircraft just below the spinner to aid "front on" early identification when on the ground. By the mid 70's the fleet was then painted in the red, white and grey "Raspberry Ripple" colour scheme of Training Command, with their "flashing" black and white props, which the aircraft retained until their retirement. In the final years at RAF Manston the aircraft sported the "grey elephant on green shield" emblem just forward of the front cockpit on both sides of the fuselage. At this time the aircraft also carried a tail identification number in orange dayglow which usually consisted of the last digit of the aircraft serial number or if that was ambiguous, the second to last digit was used.
RAF St Athan (1995 to date)
No. 1 AEF moved RAF St Athan on 1 April 1995, merging with the University of Wales Air SquadronUniversity Air Squadron
University Air Squadrons are training units of the Royal Air Force which primarily provide basic flying training, force development and adventurous training to undergraduate students at British universities...
and later re-equipping with Grob Tutor T Mk 1s.