Say THAT three times fast!

Bloggs officially puts in for the Corporal position, believing he has earned it and is capable of doing the job. He attends a formal interview with the Squadron staff and is asked a number of pressing questions. The results of the interview won't be known until the Promotion is made. The Squadron Annual Dinner is coming up, so it looks like it will be announced then. Donning his uniform he attends the Dinner and nervously waits for the awards to be given out. Bloggs gets the "Best Junior Cadet" award along with a Silver medal from the Squadron shooting competition. Next come the promotions. The CO rambles on about how much each person really deserves the tapes, and how he wishes he could promote everyone (as CO's do), all the while, the potential Corporals are biting their nails! The CO finally gets to the point and makes his announcement of the Squadrons newest Corporal, oddly enough they choose Cadet Bloggs (otherwise this story would suck!) and he is brought up in front of everyone and promoted. This is one of the proudest moments of his life as he has worked so hard for this.

The newly promoted Corporal attends his first Squadron parade night, showing off his new shiny Corporal stripes. The Squadron CWO (pronounced ceewo in some places) takes him to one side and explains what these new chevrons actually mean. "You are not a Cadet any more, you are an NCO, you a better than the rest of them, and you have proved it, now this is what you need to do". The CWO puts Bloggs in charge of a section in Alpha Flight. His I/C (In Command), a Sergeant, talks to him about what he expects of Bloggs and the consequences of messing up. The Sergeant appreciates that Bloggs is now after his position, but then, the Sergeant is after his bosses position, so he is now too worried. Click here for a list of responsibilities for a Cadet Corporal.

Bloggs realizes that accepting the fact that he is an NCO is a lot harder than he was expecting. He must learn to distance himself from his Cadets, he has moved on from what he was and he now expected to lead. The ATC does not expect their NCOs to stop being friends with the Cadets, but the Cadets need to realize that their friend is now an NCO and they have to do as he says, which can be hard to take. Corporal Bloggs is now addicted to Cadets, the thrill and responsibility of commanding a section has made him hungry for more, so he sets his sights on the next step in the ladder, Sergeant tapes.

Corporal Bloggs is put in charge of the Squadron Stores, as well as his responsibilities to his troops, he must find the time to issue clothing, keep the stores tidy and do stock check for the SWO. His uniform continues to improve, he now trying to make it even better than his Sergeants. He begins to realize that NCOs are completely different when you are one of them instead of a Cadet. The NCO room the Squadron has given them is their sanctuary for discussion of NCO issues such as training, drill and exercise planning. Bloggs is now expected to work even harder for the Squadron and constantly improve himself.

Deciding that he likes gliding, Bloggs puts in for a Gliding Induction Course which will get him 30 minutes of flying either in a Vigilant (powered glider) or a Viking (winch launched). He gets the course and attends it at Hullavington, a former RAF base now used by the Army and the gliding school. The aircraft here are Vikings so he gets to know winch launching well. He six launches on this course and he learns how to:

• Introduction to Normal Glide Attitude
• Pitch up and down
• Roll left and right
• Practice straight glide

He does well on the course, works hard (the Cadets have to put on the cables, move the aircraft and launch them) and is offered a Gliding Scholarship (GS). He receives his Gliding Induction Course wings (GIC) which he can wear on his jumper. He starts the GS course a yeah later when he is 16, having passed his medical required by the course, however, this is still a year down the line yet!

Bloggs continues working hard on the Squadron, attending a variety of Wing Activities including a Junior NCO course. He is given more and more responsibilities on the Unit and takes charge of the Flight in the absence of the Flight I/C. He leads teams on night exercises and is confident in his navigation skills. He is now capable of attending a commanders brief, taking appropriate notes and then briefing his own team without help from others.

He has been a Corporal for four months or so now and is about to take his Senior exam. Once he has this, he will be eligible for promotion. However, eligible does not mean he will get it, he has to keep working at the same rate. He takes his Senior exam and passes, another badge for the brassard!

Bloggs has been in the Cadets for a little over three years at this point and has shown his true potential as a leader. He has the respect of his Cadets through his hard work for the Squadron and being a fair handed NCO. He is someone the adult staff can rely on to get the job done. His technical knowledge of both the ATC and the RAF are now beginning to reach maturity and he has a real grasp on what it is like to lead. His leadership skills are improving all of the time, he is rapidly approaching readiness for promotion. Cpl. Bloggs puts in for the Sergeant position on the Squadron, as his Flight I/C has left the ATC due to college commitments. Our hero does the interview and the staff discuss whether or not to promote him Sergeant. All are in favor, they need to fill the I/C space and Bloggs is the right man for the job, they also need a new Corporal to take his place, so the process of selection begins again.

Corporal Bloggs is promoted at the Wing Inspection by his Wing Staff Officer, Squadron Leader Biggles. The now Sergeant Bloggs is pleased with his achievement, it doesn't quite give the heady rush of power he got when he was promoted Corporal, but the feeling is still there. He is now a Senior NCO (SNCO) and has become a vital link between the Adult Staff and the Cadets. He is given yet more responsibilities and command tasks. He plans parade nights, expeditions for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and participates in as many Squadron activities as school allows. Click here for a list of responsibilities for a Cadet Sergeant.

Sgt. Bloggs is now 16 going on 17 and able to do the GS (Gliding Scholorship) course he was offered the year before. The GS course will get him to a standard where he is able to go solo for the first time. He will get approximately eight hours of flying, or about 50 launches on this course. It turns out that our hero Sergeant Bloggs is a bit of a good stick, and is ready to solo in 40 launches. He does his check ride with the "Boss" (gliding school CO) and is then readied for his first solo launch.

After completing his checks, he instructs the Cadet on the wing to set Wings Level, then "Cable On". Once attached to the cable, he gives the command, "Take Up Slack". The winch operator takes in all of the slack on the cable and the aircraft starts to move forward. He raises two fingers and says "All Out". The winch operator then activates the winch and Bloggs is pulled forward from 0 to 60 mph in about two seconds. All of a sudden, Bloggs realizes he is flying -- ON HIS OWN! He reminds himself how much the ATC has given him so far and exactly why he joined.

Although his flight was fine and went without hitch, the Gliding School CO does not offer him an advanced course, which Sgt. Bloggs wouldn't be able to do anyway because of school commitments. He is a little disappointed, but he gets over it finds other things to do in the Cadets.