Max Takes to the Skies

Posted at 9:19 am on 2nd July, 2019

Wellacre student attends flight school

Year 10 student, Max, has been sharing his recent mid-air experiences at an Air Experience Flying course for RAF cadets. 

In June, Max attended the flying course at RAF Woodvale, near Blackpool where he enjoyed a 30 minute flight in a Grob Tutor single engine, two-seater plane as a passenger as well as taking the controls himself. 

Preparation in the last year has included 10 hours in an aircraft simulator where Max learned all about the aircraft instruments, as well as safety training on the day.  This was then followed by the flight which included 15 minutes piloting by Max and a series of aerobatics from loops to stall turns.  

Max said:

“This was my first experience in the cockpit of an aeroplane in flight.  The aerobatics are awesome and the Grob Tutor is good for turning in the air! It was really fun to turn zero g’s in the air, which makes you feel completely weightless!”

Max has been an Air Cadet for almost 12 months at 182 Squadron in North Trafford and has also joined Wellacre’s CCF Navy Cadets too, in order to fulfil his military career goals. 

Max added:

“I’ve always been interested in aircraft and flying. It’s been really useful to learn how aircraft work and to have experiences of flying.   The dream is to fly in the military; my aim is to become a helicopter pilot in the Army.”

As an RAF Cadet, Max has also had the opportunity to fly in a Grob Viking glider, a lightweight plane with no engine.  Passenger and pilot are winched up in the air and the glider is launched travelling 0 to 50 knots in 2 seconds. 

He has also completed a Wing Skills camp, which was a week long residential where he completed activities including camouflage skills, shooting range, STEM challenges, and leadership course.

As a cadet, there are ongoing opportunities for training and experiences to develop new skills and gain certification in order to gain military knowledge and rise through the ranks.  Max is hoping to achieve Corporal status when promotions are announced soon. 

We wish Max all the best as he continues his adventures as a cadet!