Royal Air Force Air Cadets

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Royal Air Force Air Cadets
RAFAC.jpg
Active5 February 1941 (1941-02-05) – present [1]
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
BranchEnsign of the Royal Air Force.svg  Royal Air Force (sponsor)
Type Volunteer youth organisation
Role
Part of No. 22 Group RAF
Headquarters RAF Cranwell
Patron The Princess of Wales
MottoVenture Adventure
Website www.raf.mod.uk/aircadets/ OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Commanders
Commandant Air Cadets Air Commodore Al Lewis [2]
Warrant Officer Warrant Officer Donna Hall
Honorary Ambassador Wing Commander Emma Wolstenholme
National ChairMr S.J. Ensor [3]
National ChaplainReverend Gareth Jones [4]
Aircraft flown
Trainer
RAF Air Cadets marching in a parade "Lord Mayor's Show" London 2006 (295241544).jpg
RAF Air Cadets marching in a parade

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. [5] The organisation is headed by a serving RAF officer, Commandant Air Cadets. The current commandant is Air Commodore Al Lewis. [2] 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 [6] [7] .

Contents

Prior to 1 October 2017, the RAFAC was called the Air Cadet Organisation. [8] As of 1 April 2023, the RAFAC had a strength of 42,190 cadets and 10,070 Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAVs), [9] 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. [10]

Organisation

The RAFAC consists of:

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. [13] Examples of these posts include Region Staff Officer, Region Training Officer, and Region STEM Officer. [14]

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. [15] The National Chair, who is the senior representative of the trustee pillar, is Mr Stuart Ensor OBE [6] [7]

Activities

Air Cadet activities vary greatly, but commonly include:

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

See also

References

  1. ↑ "RAFAC timeline: 1941". RAFAC. Archived from the original on 28 May 2025.
  2. 1 2 "New Commandant Royal Air Force Air Cadets announced". Royal Air Force Air Cadets. 15 August 2024. Archived from the original on 22 April 2025. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  3. ↑ "Royal Air Force Air Cadets New Year Honours List 2024". Royal Air Force Air Cadets. 31 December 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  4. ↑ "New National Chaplain for the RAF Air Cadets". Royal Air Force Air Cadets. 30 November 2025. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  5. 1 2 "ATC & CCF (RAF)". RAF Air Cadets. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Order of the British Empire". The Gazette. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Royal Air Force Air Cadets New Year Honours List 2024". Royal Air Force Air Cadets. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  8. ↑ "HM The Queen Approves New Commission For Cadet Force Volunteers". Air Cadet. Bourne: Warners Midlands plc. Winter 2017. p. 4. Archived from the original on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  9. ↑ "MOD sponsored cadet forces statistics: 2023". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 20 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  10. ↑ "Join as a cadet". RAF Air Cadets. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  11. ↑ "Royal outdoors adventure with Air Cadets". Royal Air Force . 22 September 2021. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  12. ↑ "Contact us". Royal Air Force Air Cadets. Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  13. ↑ "About Us". Central & East Region Air Cadets. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  14. ↑ "Region Staff". Central & East Region Air Cadets. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  15. ↑ "Why join as a volunteer". Royal Air Force Air Cadets. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
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