Royal Air Force Air Cadets

The Royal Air Force Air Cadets (RAFAC) is the combined volunteer-military youth organisation sponsored by the Royal Air Force, which is formed by both the Air Training Corps and RAF Sections of the Combined Cadet Force. The organisation is headed by a serving RAF officer, Commandant Air Cadets. The current commandant is Air Commodore Al Lewis. In addition to the Commandant, who is responsible for the organisation’s uniformed activities, RAFAC also has a National Chair, who serves as the senior representative of the trustee pillar; the current incumbent is Mr Stuart Ensor OBE.

Royal Air Force Air Cadets
Active	5 February 1941 (1941-02-05) – present
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force (sponsor)
Type	Volunteer youth organisation
Role	Youth development military aviation education and training
Part of	No. 22 Group RAF
Headquarters	RAF Cranwell
Patron	The Princess of Wales
Motto	Venture Adventure
Website	www.raf.mod.uk/aircadets/
Commanders
Commandant Air Cadets	Air Commodore Al Lewis
Warrant Officer	Warrant Officer Donna Hall
Honorary Ambassador	Wing Commander Emma Wolstenholme
National Chair	Mr S.J. Ensor
National Chaplain	Reverend Gareth Jones
Aircraft flown
Trainer	Tutor T1 Viking T1

Prior to 1 October 2017, the RAFAC was called the Air Cadet Organisation. As of 1 April 2023, the RAFAC had a strength of 42,190 cadets and 10,070 Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAVs), along with ~5,000 trustees. Cadets are aged between 12 and 17 on entry to the organisation, and can remain until they are 18, or with special permission, until they are 20.

Organisation

The RAFAC consists of:

• Headquarters RAF Air Cadets (HQRAFAC) at RAF Cranwell
• 6 Regional Headquarters
• 34 Wing Headquarters
• Two National Air Cadet Adventure Training Centres, at Windermere (in the Lake District) and in Wales^{[citation needed]}
• Over 900 Air Training Corps Squadrons in the UK and overseas
• Around 200 RAF contingents of the Combined Cadet Force

Regions

The six regions are:

1. London and South East Region (LaSER)
2. South West Region (SW)
3. Wales and West Region (W&W)
4. Central and East Region (C&E)
5. North Region
6. Scotland and Northern Ireland Region (S&NI)

Each region is commanded by a "Regional Commandant" (RC), who holds the rank of Group Captain, and is usually retired regular RAF. The region is further staffed by a number of Cadet Forces Adult Volunteers who maintain the day-to-day operations of each of the regions. Examples of these posts include Region Staff Officer, Region Training Officer, and Region STEM Officer.

RAFAC Sections of the Combined Cadet Force

Air Cadet sections within the Combined Cadet Force usually follow their own chain of command within their school's unit. Above their school unit, they diverge into the same chain of command as the Air Training Corps, which is usually their Wing or Region.

Trustee governance

In addition to the uniformed command structure, the Air Training Corps squadrons are supported by a parallel trustee pillar, responsible for managing non-public funds and ensuring lawful governance. Trustees operate at squadron, wing, regional, and national levels. The National Chair, who is the senior representative of the trustee pillar, is Mr Stuart Ensor OBE

Activities

Air Cadet activities vary greatly, but commonly include:

• First aid
• Radio
• NavEx (Navigational Exercise)
• Physical activities
• Drill and discipline
• Band and music
• Camps
• Leadership

There are also less frequent, but enriching, activities. Examples include:

• Gliding, at a Volunteer Gliding Squadron
• Flying (on an RAF base)
• RAF base visits
• Shooting
• International trips, such as visits to RAF Akrotiri
• International Air Cadet Exchange, an exchange programme within the cadets of other air forces
• The Duke of Edinburgh's Award

See also

• Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (Training Branch)
• Air Experience Flight
• Volunteer Gliding Squadrons
• Air Defence Cadet Corps (1938–41)
• Royal Air Force boy entrants
• Air Squadron Trophy Competition