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Latest News
Cadets complete expeditions and receive cash boost!
Air Cadets from Steyning have just completed a weekend of Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expeditions.
Despite the poor weather forecast the cadets somehow missed the worst of the weather and remained dry throughout a successful weekend.
The expedition was a test for their navigation skills and they were not allowed the luxury of a GPS but had to rely on the traditional techniques of map and compass work. They had to carry all of their own provisions, tents and plenty of water.
The expeditions form part the training programme organised by 1140 (Steyning) Squadron which includes scheduled training, practical preparations and practice expeditions. This weekend was successful and means that all of the cadets are close to finishing their bronze award. The team all now aim to progress to their silver and gold awards.
Pictures of this weekend can be found at the foot of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award page.
Meanwhile, Steyning Squadron have just benefited from very generous donations from the St Andrews Lodge and Sussex Masonic Charities. The Worshipful Master of the Lodge presented cheques totally £600 to the Officer Commanding, which will be used, in conjunction with funds raised elsewhere, to purchase radio equipment thus enabling the Squadron to provide good quality radio and communications training and experience for the cadets.
Officer Commanding 1140 Squadron said afterwards: “One of our projects for 2005/6 was to improve our radio capability and training. Thanks to the cadets we raised sufficient funds in 2005 to make a start on that project and this important injection of money from St Andrews Lodge will enable us to complete the project and purchase a base station. The Squadron is making significant strides on all fronts and this is yet another opportunity for our cadets to gain new and useful skills.”
Cadets complete Peak District expeditions !
Air Cadets from all over Sussex have just returned from a weekend expedition in the Peak District as part of their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s award. The cadets from Newhaven, Uckfield, Bexhill, Horsham, Storrington, Worthing and Steyning had to carry every thing they needed to survive the weekend.
The expedition was a test for their navigation skills and they were not allowed the luxury of a GPS but had to rely on the traditional techniques of map and compass work. Although the weekend was mainly dry, conditions underfoot were particularly wet as the peat bog does not absorb the rain too well!
The expeditions form part of an annual training programme organised by Sussex Wing Air Training Corps which includes 6 months of scheduled training, practical preparations and further expeditions planned for Dartmoor this summer. The cadets are now planning to complete the remaining items of their award and hope to be invited to St James Palace to receive their awards during 2007.
Pictures of this weekend can be found at the foot of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award page.
Steyning Air Cadets represent Sussex
Whilst Prince Harry was passing out at Sandhurst last week, 1140 (Steyning) Squadron had their own important inspection to pass.
The Regional Commandant London & South East Region ATC, Group Captain Les Hakin OBE RAF, visited the Squadron as part of a short-listing process to find the best Squadron in the Air Training Corps.
Steyning Squadron have been selected to represent Sussex Wing in the annual Lees Trophy competition. Each of the thirty-six Wings in the UK selects a Squadron and the six Regional Commandants choose one Squadron to represent their Region in the finals. Therefore the cadets from Steyning are up against Squadrons from London, Middlesex, Essex, Kent and Surrey to gain the Regional Commandants nomination.
Once the formal inspection parade was over, Group Captain Hakin met the cadets who were completing a number of different tasks including training with radios, testing food and equipment that they plan to use on expeditions and planning the next stages of their progress towards gaining a Duke of Edinburgh’s award.
This is the first time that Steyning have been selected to represent Sussex and demonstrates the huge strides the Squadron has made in recent years. There were only a handful of cadets and two staff at the Squadron 4 years ago – now the Squadron has over 30 cadets, 10 staff and is one of the most active, visible and improved Squadrons in Sussex.
Busy Easter holidays for Steyning Air Cadets
Saturday 1st April was another busy day for the cadets at 1140 (Steyning) Squadron. Twelve cadets joined a further forty from around Sussex to start Duke of Edinburgh’s award expeditions, whilst two smaller groups started week-long activity courses in the Lake District and on canals in the Midlands respectively. The base for the expedition weekend was Hillside Scout campsite nr Small Dole and those who were completing their qualifying expedition also used Park Wood Scout campsite at Poynings. The cadets had to carry every thing they needed to survive 2 days and 15 miles. The expeditions were a test for their navigation skills and they were not allowed the luxury of a GPS, but had to rely on the traditional techniques of map and compass work. The expeditions form part of an annual training programme organised by the Squadrons in Sussex as well as Sussex Wing Air Training Corps.
Thirty cadets from across Sussex travelled to the cadet training centre in Windermere for a week of adventure training. The course offers mountain walking, rock climbing, abseiling, canoeing, orienteering and many other activities under the watchful eye of qualified instructors. The weather in the Lake District always provides challenges and on some days the wind chill on the fells was in the region of -10 o C. Thankfully all cadets and staff were well equipped, trained and briefed before venturing out.
Running at the same time as the adventure training course, 2529 (Burgess Hill) Squadron held their bi-annual canal boat trip. This course mixed the pleasures of canal boating through Warwickshire with visits to places of interest en-route and a challenge to find the fastest (and most organised) boat through the 19 locks in one section of the canal.
The two week-long courses returned on Saturday 8th April – meanwhile 10 cadets from Steyning were off out again that day with 20 colleagues for an afternoon of flying in the Grob Tutor at RAF Benson.
Look out for these events coming soon......
March 2006
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Inter Squadron 5-a-side competition using the new kit (see below)
April 2006
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Bronze and Gold (separate) Duke of Edinburgh's award weekends in Sussex and the Peak district respectively
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Flying at RAF Benson with other local Squadrons
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Canal Boat week with 2529 (Burgess Hill) Sqn
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Sussex Wing Adventure Training Course at Windermere, Lake District
May 2006
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Inter Squadron Athletics
June/July/August 2006
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Raft Building
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Gold Duke of Edinburgh's award week in Dartmoor
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Summer camp at RAF Valley
September 2006
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Shoreham Air Show
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Inter Squadron Swimming
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Wing Field Weekend
What else has happened between September and March?
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Cadets from 1140 have represented Sussex Wing at Football, Rugby, Hockey, Swimming and Cross Country
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Most cadets at 1140 Squadron have progressed their training classification by one level
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Cadet NCO promotions have taken place, cadet NCOs have been on courses and are booked on further courses
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A number of cadets have passed various stages of the Communications training via courses run across Sussex
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Many cadets have completed the training in the use of the No8 rifle so they are ready to start shooting
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The Squadron has had a few night navigation training sessions and competed in the annual Charlton Chase (and did well)
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Successful recruitment day at Steyning Grammar with new cadets joining all the time
Steyning Air Cadets take delivery of new kit
Back in November the cadets and staff of 1140 (Steyning) Squadron completed a gruelling triathlon at the Steyning Leisure Centre to raise funds for sports and radio equipment. The team swam the distance of the university boat race, ran a marathon and then cycled from London to Brighton. They exceeded their sponsorship target of £500 and have now taken delivery of both the sports kit and radios.
In June 2005 the cadets were tasked with identifying, planning and running a fund-raising project. They were set a target of £500 and agreed with the staff team that they wanted sports kit from the proceeds. The cadets then set about identifying the event and there were quickly two front runners – a sponsored swim and a sponsored cycle. These two ideas were merged and quickly turned into a team triathlon.
The cadets were then tasked with working out what well known distances were achievable. Each cadet and member of staff were then required to raise as much sponsorship as possible by asking friends and family to contribute £2 for every guess of the total effort (in man hours) that would be required to complete the three challenges.
The boat race covers 4 miles 374 yards – or to the cadets that was 271 lengths! To achieve this, the team swam a relay with 4 swimmers on the go at any one time. Once the swimming was over it was into the gym and onto the cycling machines. Four machines were used initially with each rider cycling for 1 km before swapping with someone else until the 95 km were achieved. Finally, the running machines were put to the test, as all six machines were in operation with each runner limited to 500m legs to achieve the 42 km (or 26 miles etc in old money).
In the New Year the cadets chose the colour and style of sports kit they wanted and the order was placed with Infinity Print at Gatwick. Each shirt has the Squadron crest embroidered on it and is numbered with the Squadrons name clearly visible on the shoulders. The Sussex Wing 5-a-side takes place later this month and the cadets from Steyning will be hoping that their new kit brings them success.
New mobile two-way radios were delivered in February and have already been put to good use with training and exercises. A number of cadets have recently completed radio operators courses and now have the equipment at the Squadron to put their skills into good use.
Click on the picture to see a larger image.
Steyning Air Cadets impress at Remembrance Service
As the nation remembered those that fell in service for their country, St Andrews Church in Steyning held its’ own annual service. As usual, seats were hard to come by as the young and old of Steyning joined together to pay their respects.
During the first hymn the standards of the various organisations present were taken to the altar. It was at this point that the Air Cadets from Steyning suddenly stood out. They had already marched from their Squadron HQ in Shooting Field and now eight of their cadets were escorting the standards of The Royal British Legion, The Royal British Legion Womens Section, The Royal Air Force Association and the Royal Air Force Regiment Association. Smart and proud, the standards and their escorts epitomised the link between the young and the old. The Squadron also paraded its own standard that had only been dedicated 2 months previously at the same venue.
Officer Commanding 1140 Squadron said after the service, "As each year passes and there are less veterans to pass on their tales, it gets harder to explain to a young cadet of 13 what we’re doing and why. Outlining a story about a brave act committed by someone barely a year or two older than the cadets also seems to provide a link for the cadets to understand a little more. However, taking part in the service in the way we did this year has really focussed the cadets and to their credit they were superb. We also had cadets helping with the collection – there were Air Cadets everywhere you looked."
70 Cadets complete Sussex expeditions – no one was lost !
Over 70 Air Cadets from all over Sussex have just completed a weekend of Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s award expeditions. Cadets from Hastings to Horsham, Eastbourne to East Grinstead and Crowborough to Steyning were involved.
The base for the weekend was the Hillside Scout campsite nr Small Dole and those who were completing their qualifying expedition also used Park Wood Scout campsite at Poynings. The cadets had to carry every thing they needed to survive 2 days and 15 miles.
The expeditions were a test for their navigation skills and they were not allowed the luxury of a GPS but had to rely on the traditional techniques of map and compass work.
The expeditions form part of an annual training programme organised by the Squadrons in Sussex as well as Sussex Wing Air Training Corps.
Swimming Success for Steyning Air Cadets
On Saturday 10th September Air Cadets across Sussex swapped the air for water and held their annual swimming gala at the Triangle in Burgess Hill.
1140 (Steyning) Squadron were in competition with cadet teams from the other 22 units in Sussex.
Due to various circumstances 1140 Squadron were only able to field a junior boys team – the most fiercely contested category at the gala. Despite the pressure, the team from Steyning performed magnificently, winning the relay having been last with two legs to go and gaining medal positions in the individual medley and most of the other individual races. At the close of the evening when the various category trophies were presented, 1140 Squadron had managed to win the junior boys competition outright – the first time in the Squadrons history.
Steyning Air Cadets Soar above us
The first weekend in September was especially busy for 1140 (Steyning) Squadron. They had their new Squadron Banner dedicated at St Andrews Church in Steyning, supported the Air Cadet efforts at the Shoreham Air Show and still found time to send a group of cadets gliding at RAF Kenley.
Thanks to the fact that so many cadets from our region were involved with the Shoreham and Biggin Hill air shows, 1140 Squadron arrived at RAF Kenley to find themselves the only cadets to be flown for the day. With the glorious weather and a fleet of gliders and pilots at their disposal, 1140 Squadron had perhaps the busiest day any group of cadets has had gliding.
In normal circumstances, a cadet would expect to complete one part of the three part Gliding Induction Course (GIC). However, these were exceptional circumstances and all of the cadets achieved two parts of the GIC each. Each cadet gained on average 10 launches in the winch launched Grob Viking glider.
And to cap such a good day, the cadets were treated to a fly past by the Red Arrows en route from Shoreham to Biggin Hill! If the cadets at Steyning thought that was a busy weekend, there is a weekend planned that includes gliding, powered flying and an overnight navigation exercise. No wonder the cadets at Steyning are happy.
New Banner for Steyning Air Cadets
On Sunday 4th September 1140 (Steyning) Squadron had their new Squadron Banner dedicated at St Andrews Church in Steyning.
In a specially focused service, Reverend Paul Rampton, the Squadron Padre, received the banner, still in it’s case, at the altar before dedicating it in front of the congregation. Flight Lieutenant Peter Norton, Officer Commanding 1140 Squadron, read the prayers. At the end of the service the Banner party, led by Cadet Sergeant Matt Colby who was escorted by Cadet Corporal Laurence Knott and Cadets Ryan Young and Doug Hindson, collected the Banner and led the Squadron back from the church through Steyning to the Squadron Headquarters.
Now that the Squadron has a dedicated Banner it can be paraded at the forthcoming Battle of Britain and Remembrance Sunday services as well as other key events throughout the years.
Flt Lt Norton said after the service, "St Andrews always make us feel welcome, whatever the occasion. However, today was special as we were the focus of the service. Twenty five years ago the unit was formed as a 'detached flight' of 1440 (Shoreham) Squadron and in 1996 we were granted full Squadron status and became 1140 Squadron. One of my predecessors, Flt Lt John Algar, was instrumental in that achievement but unfortunately passed away shortly afterwards. I'm sure he would have wanted a Squadron Banner had he survived and we would like to dedicate this special event to his memory, and the Squadrons future."
Cadets complete 50 mile Dartmoor expedition !
Air Cadets from all over Sussex have just returned from an expedition on Dartmoor as part of their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s award.
The cadets from Newhaven, Eastbourne, Crowborough, Hailsham, Worthing and Steyning had to carry every thing they needed to survive 4 days and 50 miles over the wilds of Dartmoor.
For two nights they camped in the middle of the moor, miles from the nearest roads and civilisation. The expedition was a test for their navigation skills and they were not allowed the luxury of a GPS but had to rely on the traditional techniques of map and compass work. On their return they now need to write up their project work which included the assessment of different pieces of equipment as well as the menus/food they had chosen.
The expeditions form part of an annual training programme organised by Sussex Wing Air Training Corps which includes 6 months of scheduled training, practical preparations and an practise expedition in pretty foul weather over Easter in the Peak District. The cadets are now planning to complete the remaining items of their award and expect to be invited to St James Palace to receive their awards during 2006.
(posted 19th July 2005)
On the Water?
Last weekend cadets from 1140 (Steyning) and 1015 (Horsham) spent the day at Southwater Country Park raft building and canoeing. It was an excellent day, the cadets got thoroughly soaked but wholly enjoyed themselves.
The two 1140 'crews' arrived back towards dry land
(posted 12th July 2005)
Wing Parade
For the first time in 6 years, Sussex Wing ATC held a Wing Parade at Chichester on Saturday 25th June 2005. Every Squadron in Sussex was represented and 1140 (Steyning) Squadron formed part of No1 Flight, No1 Squadron and the Commanding Officer was paraded as the Flight Commander. (posted 30th June 2005)
What a day !!
On Wednesday 1st June 1140 (Steyning) Squadron visited 18 Squadron RAF at RAF Odiham. Nineteen cadets from 1140 Squadron were joined by ten cadets from 1015 (Horsham) and 1440 (Shoreham) Squadrons. Following an extensive safety brief and a tour of the Chinook the first flyers were kitted out in their helmets for the flight. Off they went and approximately 90 minutes later they returned to refuel and the remaining cadets swapped places with them.
A superb day all round - see the photo's below. Many thanks to 18 Squadron and RAF Odiham for their hospitality.
(posted 3rd June 2005)
Sussex Wing Athletics
1140 (Steyning) Squadron had yet another successful day at the Sussex Wing Athletics. With over 200 cadets competing medals were hard to come by but 1140 Squadron returned with a good showing of medals. (posted 27th May 2005)
Duke of Edinburgh's Award Expedition Weekend
Cadets and staff from 1140 (Steyning) Squadron joined colleagues from all over Sussex for an expedition training weekend at Easter in the Peak District. One expedition team completed a challenging route in some dire weather from Good Friday through to Easter Sunday before returning to Sussex. This was a practise expedition in preparation for their qualifying expedition in Dartmoor later this year. (posted 16th April 2005)
For older items of news please click on the following link Archive News