2160 Sleaford Squadron RAFAC

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2160 Sleaford Squadron RAFAC 2160 (Sleaford) Sqn offers exciting opportunities such as flying, gliding, shooting, adventure training and much more to 12 (School year 8)-20yr olds.

12/10/2026

WHAT WE DO – THE VIDEO COMPETITION
Last week, as part of our celebrations of the National Cadet Week we set our four main flights a competition: they had an hour and a half to plan, develop, and shoot a thirty-second video illustrating what the RAF Air Cadets have to offers.
A tall order, indeed!
The winner of this competition was C (Comet) Flight whose video may be seen below.
Well done to all those who participated and showed a high level of team work, creativity and technical expertise.
Bear in mind this video was shot on a camera phone…

OC Trent Wing RAFAC
Trent Wing Air Cadets

THE INTAKE CADET OF THE MONTH - SEPTEMBERCadet Seb Mennell of 2160 (Sleaford) Sqn has shown himself to be a great asset ...
10/10/2026

THE INTAKE CADET OF THE MONTH - SEPTEMBER
Cadet Seb Mennell of 2160 (Sleaford) Sqn has shown himself to be a great asset to the new intake. His happy demeanour, willingness to answer questions and share his opinions with the group has made him the perfect candidate for the intake’s first cadet of the month; we hope to see them all follow in his footsteps.
Cadet Sgt Ethan Hudson.


OC Trent Wing RAFAC
Trent Wing Air Cadets

LEXI JOINS HER COLLEAGUES TO HONOUR THE FALLENA party of Air Cadets recently travelled to Belgium as part of a battle fi...
09/10/2026

LEXI JOINS HER COLLEAGUES TO HONOUR THE FALLEN
A party of Air Cadets recently travelled to Belgium as part of a battle field tour to honour the fallen from the two world wars. 2160’s Cadet Bird applied to become a member of the party, and was accepted. She gives a short account of her experience as follows: -
“Over the weekend, I had the honour of attending the battlefield Belgium tour with over 200 cadets from all over the country. It was 100% the highlight of my cadet career so far. I have made forever friends, paid my respects to the fallen soldiers from the First World War and made memories I will never forget. The most memorable part of the tour was parading through Ypres with the marching band and my fellow cadets as we paid tribute to those who gave their lives.”
“I would definitely recommend this to everyone who may want to attend next year.”
Cadet Bird.
Well done to those who organised and all those who took part in this act of commemoration.

OC Trent Wing RAFAC
Trent Wing Air Cadets
Central & East Region Air Cadets
Royal Air Force Air Cadets

06/10/2026

THE NATIONAL CADET WEEK
This week marks National Cadet Week where we share all the positive things being a member of a cadet organisation can bring to young people. At 2160 (Sleaford) Sqn as members of the RAFAC family, we are proud to support this wonderful week.
Central to the Air Cadet offer are the key aims of the Air Training Corps; these being: -
To promote amongst young people a practical interest in aviation and the Royal Airforce.
To provide training that will be useful in both service and civilian life
To foster the spirit of adventure, develop the qualities of leadership, and good citizenship.
These are the aims that have been central to the organisation for the last 85 years; They still hold true today.
Through the work of our Cadet Force Adult Volunteers we strive to provide the best opportunities for our young cadets to reach their full potential, and discover the bonds of friendship that come with working together as a team.
Venture, Adventure!

“Cadets are taught weapon handling skills as part of a structured programme of supervised training that emphasises safe and responsible use.”


OC Trent Wing RAFAC
Trent Wing Air Cadets
Central & East Region Air Cadets
East Midlands Reserve Forces & Cadets Association

FRANCESCA IS APPOINTED THE STATION COMMANDERS CADETRAF Cranwell's Station Commander, Wing Commander Mel Copson, has rece...
05/10/2026

FRANCESCA IS APPOINTED THE STATION COMMANDERS CADET
RAF Cranwell's Station Commander, Wing Commander Mel Copson, has recently appointed Flight Sergeant (FS) Francesca Walker from 2160 (Sleaford) Squadron as the Station Commander’s Cadet for 2026.
FS Walker will join the Station Commander at various events throughout the year, gaining a unique perspective on life in the Royal Air Force. FS Walker joined 2160 (Sleaford) Squadron in September 2021 and has since demonstrated outstanding commitment, enthusiasm and dedication to the RAF Air Cadets. A keen sportswoman and positive role model, she leads by example, encourages her peers and supports new cadets on their journey. Now appointed as the Station Commander’s Cadet, she looks forward to embracing new opportunities, developing her leadership skills and gaining a greater understanding of RAF life and future career opportunities within the Service.


Commandant Air Cadets
OC Trent Wing RAFAC
Trent Wing Air Cadets
Central & East Region Air Cadets
East Midlands Reserve Forces & Cadets Association
Sleaford Town Council

IVY BECOMES THE LORD LIEUTENANT’S AIR CADET.It was a proud moment for 2160 (Sleaford) Sqn’s Cadet Warrant Officer Ivy Ga...
02/10/2026

IVY BECOMES THE LORD LIEUTENANT’S AIR CADET.
It was a proud moment for 2160 (Sleaford) Sqn’s Cadet Warrant Officer Ivy Gaywood as she received her certificate of appointment and badge of office from Mr Toby Dennis, the Lord Lieutenant for Lincolnshire. Ivy now becomes the Lord Lieutenant’s Air Cadet for the coming year and joins with her colleagues from the CCF, Army and Sea cadets to accompany the Lord Lieutenant during many of his official engagements.
The Lord’s Lieutenants are appointed as the Sovereigns representative within the counties of the UK; they host visits by royalty to their respective counties and undertake many duties on behalf of the crown. This evening’s presentations not only awarded the badges of office to his cadets, but also to honour those adult members of the cadet forces who have made a significant contribution to their organisation and the local community.
Also present for the event were those cadets who served in the role over the past year. CWO Chatterjee, from 47F (Grantham) Sqn gave a very illuminating account of his year in office and wished CWO Gaywood every success during her period of tenure.

CWO Gaywood, along with all her fellow new Lord Lieutenant’s Cadets, then gave an account of her cadet journey up to this point; recognising the honour she felt to be selected for the position she went on to emphasise the support he had received from her family, the staff of her squadron, and the Royal Air Force Air Cadets at all levels.
Supporting CWO Gaywood during the event were her very proud parents. Ivy’s mother was until recently an officer with 2160; she is now serving as a Staff officer with Trent Wing ATC.

The Lord Lieutenant in his speech emphasised the importance of the evening’s events as a recognition and celebration of service. He concluded his speech by thanking the staff of Sobraon barracks for hosting the event. Following a medley of tunes played by the ACF band, the evening continued with supper and the opportunity for those present to meet and converse in an informal atmosphere.

Officer Commanding 2160, Flt Lt Karen Turner said: - “I am very proud of CWO Gaywood as she takes up this prestigious role. With CWO Gaywood’s appointment as the Lord Lieutenant’s Air Cadet nominees from 2160 have been awarded this honour six times in the last ten years; an unparalleled honour for the squadron and the cadets themselves.”
Photography by CI Hullott

Commandant Air Cadets
OC Trent Wing RAFAC
Trent Wing Air Cadets
Central & East Region Air Cadets
Sleaford Town Council

CYBER SECURITY - THE FIRST LEVELThe need for cyber security in the modern world has never been more necessary than it is...
27/09/2026

CYBER SECURITY - THE FIRST LEVEL
The need for cyber security in the modern world has never been more necessary than it is today. As part of the RAF Air Cadet training syllabus, this topic is very much front and centre. We teach it right at the beginning of a young person’s Air Cadet career as security of their data through access to the Cadet portal is paramount.
This week 2160’s Cadet Sgt Tom Berry was conducting this training with members of our newest intake. Sgt Berry has recently completed the highest level of Cadet Cyber training receiving the top student of the course award: this qualifies him to conduct cyber training to his fellow cadets.

Sgt Berry gives a more comprehensive explanation of the importance of RAF Air Cadet cyber training as follows: -

“The course I delivered replaces the previous outdated cyber safety syllabus; likely we are one of first squadrons in region / nationally to run it due to it not being publicly available yet. Access to this material was given by RAFAC Cyber Officer to all Cyber Instructors).
The course teaches cadets the fundamentals of cyber safety, including recognising threats that may come across, spotting phishing and social engineering attempts, how to create a strong password, how to protect and secure sensitive information on social media and understanding cyberbullying.
The lesson is delivered through series of short videos, instructor-led discussions, variety of quiz and recall knowledge checks and finally practical group activities. The cadets watch videos on key topics such as phishing, passwords, device safety, and camp security and then have their knowledge reinforced by recommended but also my own activities.
Some activities include a voice recognition where they listen to voice clips and decide whether they are human or AI and then we had a group discussion on the risks of AI and its development in relation to phishing attacks.
As part of the session the cadets in groups of four were given one of the topics learnt and had 30 minutes to make a poster based purely on their notes. OIC T (Tempest) Flt, Sqn Ldr Mennel decided on a winner of the most factual, relevant poster.
Ultimately this course helps develops cadet's digital awareness, and personal responsibility; the knowledge of threats, protecting information and how to behave safely and respectively online within the cadet organisation and in their everyday life.”
Cadet Sgt Tom Berry”

Commandant Air Cadets
OC Trent Wing RAFAC
Trent Wing Air Cadets
Central & East Region Air Cadets
East Midlands Reserve Forces & Cadets Association

"I say chaps, is it one of ours?"
24/09/2026

"I say chaps, is it one of ours?"

EXERCISE COBRA WARRIOR SEPTEMBER 26-2Yesterday evening a party of cadets from 2160 (Sleaford) sqn joined with colleagues...
24/09/2026

EXERCISE COBRA WARRIOR SEPTEMBER 26-2
Yesterday evening a party of cadets from 2160 (Sleaford) sqn joined with colleagues from across Trent Wings to visit RAF Waddington. The purpose of the visit was view some of the aircraft taking part in the second exercise Cobra Warrior hosted by the station this year.
Running from 14 September to 2 October 2026, the exercise brings together aircraft, personnel and command-and-control specialists from the UK, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the United States to rehearse the rapid integration, resilience and combat effectiveness required to deter threats, defend the homeland and, if necessary, fight as part of a NATO force.
A number of the key aircraft taking part in the exercise were on display, giving the cadets the opportunity to take photographs, talk to the pilots, and ground crew, and possibly, stock up on mementoes of the event’
With the weather being near perfect the fading light allowed for some memorable photographic opportunities. There was no shortage of cameras and phones in action during the session.
As the evening drew to a close, the Air Cadet party had one more duty to perform. With so many people, including aircraft enthusiasts along for the visit, it was vital that no articles were left to potentially damage the aircraft; so, it was in to line and a good old fashioned ‘FOD plod’ to ensure this was the case.
Our thanks go to the Station Commander for permitting the visit, Flt Lt Charlotte Turner and her team from RAF Waddington for co-ordinating the event, and NATO personnel involved in Cobra Warrior for facilitating the evening.
Photographs: - CI Hullott

OC Trent Wing RAFAC
Trent Wing Air Cadets
Central & East Region Air Cadets
East Midlands Reserve Forces & Cadets Association

YOUR FIRST DRILL SESSIONOn your first parade night as a newly minted air cadet you were getting to know your fellow inta...
23/09/2026

YOUR FIRST DRILL SESSION
On your first parade night as a newly minted air cadet you were getting to know your fellow intake members, you were learning who was who in the sqn hierarchy. Then, you were being briefed about health and safety, where to go in the event of fire, what to do, and when to do it in so many new situations.
Imagine, it’s your second parade night as an Air Cadet, you’re still absorbing all these new ideas and concepts; and now, they say you’re going to do something called drill!?
You has seen some very smart cadets demonstrate it during your intake introduction evening – now it’s your turn…
Well on Tuesday evening Intake 2160 2/26 did just that; and according to the squadron Warrant Officer – they didn’t do a bad job of it first time out. Praise indeed from someone who’s taught countless young people over the years.
So, intake 2/26 aka ‘Tempest Flight’ you’ve made a very positive start, keep up the good work!

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The Drove Lincs
Sleaford
NG347BA

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Tuesday 6:45pm - 9:30pm
Thursday 6:45pm - 9:30pm

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