617 AGS

Directions

617 AGS The Squadron's main aim is to provide ground based flight training and experience to Royal Air Force Air Cadets.

617 AGS based at RAF Wittering, is designed to focus on ground based training for Cadets within Central and East Region of the Royal Air Force Air Cadets to prepare for Flying Scholarships. The AGS plays an important role in providing the first steps towards qualifying for Gliding and/or Air Cadet Pilot Scholarships within the RAFAC.

617 AGS is staffed by Cadet Force Adult Volunteers, who give up their weekends to train Cadets to gain their Bronze Wings, as well as training staff to become Blue Syllabus Trainers, Deliverers and Assessors.

Essex Wing success at 617 AGS today, today 6 cadets from Essex & 4 from Beds & Cambs attended the Bronze Wings course at...
10/10/2026

Essex Wing success at 617 AGS today, today 6 cadets from Essex & 4 from Beds & Cambs attended the Bronze Wings course at RAF Wittering. Thank you to the three escorting staff, Central & East RAvnO and all the AGS instructors who helped the 10 cadets achieve their bronze wings. OC 617 AGS Sqn Ldr Paul Bowden said “The standard of the cadets attending today was very high, this showed during the training and over the day made for a very enjoyable course. It is really good to see the AGS buzzing, although it was a bright sunny autumn day the wind was outside cadet limits for flying and this is where the AGS offer is not stopped by the weather so a productive day with 10 Bronze Wings awarded”.

617 AGS this weekend hosted 12 cadets from Beds & Cambs Wing, two days of Bronze Wings course and instructors from both ...
21/09/2026

617 AGS this weekend hosted 12 cadets from Beds & Cambs Wing, two days of Bronze Wings course and instructors from both 617 & 643 AGS worked together to achieve this successful weekend with all 12 cadets passing out with their wings.

Busy weekend at 617 AGS, Saturday saw cadets from Rutland Sqn take part in a bronze wings course and today we saw cadets...
16/08/2026

Busy weekend at 617 AGS, Saturday saw cadets from Rutland Sqn take part in a bronze wings course and today we saw cadets from the National Aviation & Space Camp attend some came from as far away as Devon. As always great teamwork from the staff and cracking results from the cadets 🫡🤓

Another busy day at 617 AGS, today we had six cadets visit from Herts Wing to take part in the Bronze Wings course and t...
05/07/2026

Another busy day at 617 AGS, today we had six cadets visit from Herts Wing to take part in the Bronze Wings course and two potential Flight Staff Cadets from the wing had a taster day. All eight cadets were very keen to embrace the course both theory & practical Sim sessions and were a credit to their Wing. You can see the concentration in the photos and a busy day with some fantastic instructors from the aviation world. We have a newly qualified TUI pilot, a senior VGS veteran and an instructor with decades of experience flying various aircraft types including the mighty 747 all over the world. We are very grateful to our team at 617 AGS and it’s great to see the visiting cadets benefit from the experience of the instructors.

On Saturday 4th July, 617 AGS RAF Wittering held a Bronze Wings GBT course for 105 Sqn and six cadets worked through the...
05/07/2026

On Saturday 4th July, 617 AGS RAF Wittering held a Bronze Wings GBT course for 105 Sqn and six cadets worked through the one day course. In the recent hot weather it was a pleasure to spend the day in the fully air conditioned sim suite and just reminds you of the investment that has gone into this great facility. Wg Cdr Nick Gensler instructed on the day and presented wings at the end of the course.

Day two of this weekends course saw Norfolk & Suffolk Wing attend, another great course and five fantastic cadets enjoye...
10/05/2026

Day two of this weekends course saw Norfolk & Suffolk Wing attend, another great course and five fantastic cadets enjoyed their time with us. Very talented group today, another long day with the travel and everyone had a great day.

Very busy day at RAF Wittering today, lots of activities there today and 617 AGS ran a Bronze Wings GBT course for six c...
09/05/2026

Very busy day at RAF Wittering today, lots of activities there today and 617 AGS ran a Bronze Wings GBT course for six cadets from Essex Wing. All six cadets reached the required standard to achieve their Bronze wings at the end of the day and thank you for the visiting staff who had an early start to make it possible. 617 Adj Flt Lt Paul James said, another enjoyable course, these cadets certainly knew their aviation syllabus and were very receptive to the course which makes it a pleasure to instruct. Well done everyone!

18–19 APR 2026 – Successful AGS trial at RAF HenlowLast weekend demonstrated the mobility and scalability of the AGS mod...
25/04/2026

18–19 APR 2026 – Successful AGS trial at RAF Henlow

Last weekend demonstrated the mobility and scalability of the AGS model, with 617 and 643 AGS successfully delivering two full Bronze Wings courses away from their home bases at Wittering and Syerston.

Twelve cadets from Beds and Cambs Wing were the first to attend this new delivery location, marking an important step in expanding regional access.

The trial was highly successful, with RAF Henlow now being considered as a permanent AGS site within Central & East Region. Establishing a southern delivery location will broaden access to the Bronze Wings syllabus and reduce travel time for many units.

In the interim, additional courses are being explored under the authority of 617 and 643 AGS, with the longer-term ambition of developing a fully autonomous AGS unit at Henlow.

Four Flight Staff Cadets from 611 VGS also joined the course to up-skill as Bronze L1 instructors. Their involvement will strengthen future instructional capacity as the programme expands, but also serve as inspirational role models for cadets attending the course.

On Sunday, OC Beds & Cambs Wing, Wg Cdr Rob Bradshaw, and OC Hertfordshire Wing, Wg Cdr Haydyn Tanner, visited the course to observe delivery first-hand and engage with both cadets and instructors. Both expressed strong support for the initiative.

Address

RAF Wittering
Peterborough

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when 617 AGS posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category