Each year Trent Wing holds a Training Camp based at Beckingham Training Area, Lincolnshire.

In 2015 over 280 cadets and 80 adult staff from the 31 Squadrons in Trent Wing attended.

It’s aim is to provide training to cadets in line with the ACO Training Syllabus as well as give them experience of a range of Adventure Training activities as well as visits to RAF Stations and Museums.

Cadets arrive at the camp where they are allocated accommodation and formed into 12 groups or Flights.

By the end of the week cadets will have attained Shooting qualifications and Marksmanship awards, First Aid Awards and Swimming Proficiency Awards.

The Flights are then encouraged to bond as a team and are led by two cadet NCO’s who are given responsibility for the Flights performance and welfare throughout the week.

The cadets remain in these flights for the whole camp and participate in activities ranging from Flying and Gliding, Shooting, Swimming, First Aid, Canoeing & Kayaking, Indoor Climbing, Field Exercises, Foot drill, Confidence course, Navigation exercises, Radio Communications and Sports including Archery and the RAF Basic Fitness Test. 

The cadets are also responsible for their uniform dress standards, general housekeeping of the camp and their accommodation and regular Flight and room inspections take place to assess the standard of their efforts.

All of these activities form the basis of an inter flight competition and the winning flight receive the Trent Wing Camp Trophy with the winning Flight NCO leader having their name engraved on it’s base as a permanent record of the flights achievement and the NCO’s leadership.

Trent Wing Camp is both physically and mentally demanding on cadets and adult staff alike but even so few are ready to leave at the end and are already looking forward to the next.