Australian Air Force Cadets

Ibrox90 · 11-09-2009, 07:32 PM

Im heavily involved in the AAFC and i was jsut wondering if anyone else Is/ has been involved or if your kids or family members are involved.

just some info the AAFc is a Youth development organisation run for young people between the ages of 13 and 20.

It focuses on giving youth skills that they can use in life all set in a military enviroment.

Cadets get to do things that even Defence personal might not get to do.

I myself have been on a number of defence air craft including an FA18 and Huey.

Highlight being the Sea King I was on last week.

Binnie · 11-09-2009, 07:40 PM

Hi,
I was a CUO till 2008 and i am hoping to rejoin as staff soon.

that's in 3 wing.

Ibrox90 · 11-09-2009, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Binnie

Hi,
I was a CUO till 2008 and i am hoping to rejoin as staff soon.

that's in 3 wing.

I age out this time next year and will rejoin as staff

Teflon Turbo · 11-09-2009, 07:45 PM

my son (15) is in the army cadets, the camps are good, soon he will be alowed to shoot rifles etc...

also he has learnt alot about survival, discipline, hygine and above all respect, but
their fitness standard is poor, but his footy and footy training has kept in good fitness.

my daughter will be joining up soon too...

it's pretty good for em i reckon, keeps em out of trouble.

it's their choice too, i never push em into anything, they got converted by their mates, as the story goes.

Blue Ice · 11-09-2009, 08:09 PM

CM43748.

Been near on 6 years since I left. Joined up in '98, finished in '04. Was on JNCO148 in '03 at Point Cook. Was 24flt, Kurnai College Morwell when I started, changed to 424Sqn a few years later.

Good times and memories, some of the best years of my youth were spent doing the biv's/GST's and various courses. Miss it terribly.

Fairlane · 11-09-2009, 08:43 PM

I was in for 4 years. 2 Wing in Southern Queensland. Was great fun for a kid; .22 Shooting Comps, Camps, Learning to fly in the old traumahawks, Watching Basic stage collapse at parades. All good fun.

loosey · 11-09-2009, 10:03 PM

I was in the army cadets when i was 14, The camps and stuff were fun but I wasn't keen on marching around weekly. I ended up quitting cadets in favour of sport.

Fev · 11-09-2009, 10:31 PM

i applied for the ADF gap program to join the airforce but i havent heard back yet - the end date for applications is the 15th so i'd assume they'd let me know then. but i just got a new job anyway so meh

myxr6 · 11-09-2009, 10:44 PM

I joined Naval Reserve Cadets when I was nine ( well Dolphins , then cadet when 13 ) , and joined the Navy when I was 16 1/2.
Was fun , did some courses and some trips.What 14 year old doesn't want to spend 5 days at a gun range firing 9mm pistols , 7.62 SLR's and 9mm F1 sub machine guns.Fired more that week than the 10 years I was in the Navy.

Nappa · 12-09-2009, 02:48 PM

I'm an officer in the AAC (australiam army cadets). Defence force cadets is a fantastic program and im glad i had the chance to do it when i was a teenager.

Tuddy200 · 12-09-2009, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue Ice

CM43748.

Been near on 6 years since I left. Joined up in '98, finished in '04. Was on JNCO148 in '03 at Point Cook. Was 24flt, Kurnai College Morwell when I started, changed to 424Sqn a few years later.

Good times and memories, some of the best years of my youth were spent doing the biv's/GST's and various courses. Miss it terribly.

Ahh so you'd know the Murphy-Davies, Kate B and Brad Jager was from 424SQN too wasn't he?

I was in the AAFC for the full 7.5 years, 12.5 years of age, til they kicked me to the kurb at 20.

Young people today seem to think it's "uncool" and would rather go partying instead on thier Friday, Saturday nights, but let me just say, I had more fun in cadets then the last year and half I have been out of it.

Got to travel interstate few times and made some awesome friends, all of which we still get together and hang out, and party. I too miss it, but being in a country town we only have the one squadron within 1.5 hours drive and it (in my opinion) is already overloaded with too many staff.

Blue Ice · 12-09-2009, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tuddy200

Ahh so you'd know the Murphy-Davies, Kate B and Brad Jager was from 424SQN too wasn't he?

I was in the AAFC for the full 7.5 years, 12.5 years of age, til they kicked me to the kurb at 20.

Young people today seem to think it's "uncool" and would rather go partying instead on thier Friday, Saturday nights, but let me just say, I had more fun in cadets then the last year and half I have been out of it.

Got to travel interstate few times and made some awesome friends, all of which we still get together and hang out, and party. I too miss it, but being in a country town we only have the one squadron within 1.5 hours drive and it (in my opinion) is already overloaded with too many staff.

Sure do.

What SQN were you at?

Ibrox90 · 13-09-2009, 04:03 PM

jsut got back from a full on endurance biv 27 kms through some very rough terrain (up cliffs etc our sqn does it tough)

I joined at 15 course 1/06 at 609/610 warradale
then went on JNCO in 2007 ( hardest 2 weeks of my life, we had saddistic instructors)
SNCO in 2008 now crusing until i hopefully join the ADF or Age out

??????? Tuddy = ex- FSGT G. Tuddenam (spelling)

Tuddy200 · 13-09-2009, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue Ice

Sure do.

What SQN were you at?

425 (City of Ballarat) Squadron

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ibrox90

??????? Tuddy = ex-CFSGT G. Tuddenham (spelling)

The one and only...

:

calais · 13-09-2009, 05:30 PM

I see cadets marching about RAAF Townsville fairly often, marching about, hurling orders and what not. Always brings a laugh too seeing a 16yo CUO get up a bunch of 13yo's.

When I went through and did my recruit/officer training for the RAAF, there were a number of ex-cadets on course, that really struggled to settle in. I believe it was that their previous experiences didnt line up to what was happening to them during Basic and Initial employment training. I know that of the 4 ex cadets I joined with, only 1 actually passed training and posted on.

One thing I will add though, Is that I believe that a range of enticing activities are offered to cadets as part of the ADF's recruiting strategy. I mean if you ask any serving members of the three services how many times people have been offered flights on Helicopters and C-17s and so on... you would get a heap of blank stares and 'never' responses. Carrots such as these should be taken at face value when these young people are considering an ADF career.

TOM-CAT · 13-09-2009, 05:56 PM

AAC since 03, still currently enrolled but have not attended for 4 months due to work and other commitments... To be honest i don't like how cadets is going in WA. WO2 since 06.

Ibrox90 · 13-09-2009, 10:25 PM

the AAC is vastly different from the AAFC aleast the units i see the AAC adult staff do everything. AAFC its run by the cadets adult staff mentor or sit and shoosh. problem with the ADFC as a whole tho it that its very varied and thus why no accreditation can be given with dfr

madmelon · 13-09-2009, 10:35 PM

CM35920, 318SQN "Mianda" (Cronulla) from 00-03. I left for study purposes and regret it immensely. We had a great group there. I still see some of the other guys around but very rarely. I wish I'd taken more of the flying opportunities too- half price lessons were gold.

Tuddy200 · 14-09-2009, 12:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by calais

I see cadets marching about RAAF Townsville fairly often, marching about, hurling orders and what not. Always brings a laugh too seeing a 16yo CUO get up a bunch of 13yo's.

When I went through and did my recruit/officer training for the RAAF, there were a number of ex-cadets on course, that really struggled to settle in. I believe it was that their previous experiences didnt line up to what was happening to them during Basic and Initial employment training. I know that of the 4 ex cadets I joined with, only 1 actually passed training and posted on.

One thing I will add though, Is that I believe that a range of enticing activities are offered to cadets as part of the ADF's recruiting strategy. I mean if you ask any serving members of the three services how many times people have been offered flights on Helicopters and C-17s and so on... you would get a heap of blank stares and 'never' responses. Carrots such as these should be taken at face value when these young people are considering an ADF career.

You are very right, many ex-cadets go in with an attitude that they know it all without reliesing that the ADFC is a youth organsation with strong military links rather then an arm of the military but their is much more to ADF training then just the information they give.

16 year old CUO's? Hopefully should be something very rare. We have a few young CWOFFs/CUOs here in Victoria when I was still in cadets and they were complete waste of time and resources. They were never mature enough to take on the position and always had the "I am bigger then life" attitude and I was always getting in trouble for not doing everything 'their' way.

Now the AAFC is becoming like said above, an organsation headed by cadets with staff mentoring, of course you still have the 'staff' running the show but cadets have a major input into the activities.

I think many young people of today would be quite suprised at the fun activities that are available to undertake that normal school students wouldn't get, and even adults looking to become staff, it is very rewarding.

turbo_man · 14-09-2009, 07:10 PM

i was a cadet for 3 years in 3 wing before i had other commitments and it is one of those things im proud i did although waking up at 3am for parades was annoying

many many good memories such as me catching fire during a biv

:
and gliding which is awesome
and survival.. thats something you'll never forget haha

Tuddy200 · 14-09-2009, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turbo_man

i was a cadet for 3 years in 3 wing before i had other commitments and it is one of those things im proud i did although waking up at 3am for parades was annoying

many many good memories such as me catching fire during a biv

:
and gliding which is awesome
and survival.. thats something you'll never forget haha

Waking at 2-3AM for ANZAC Day parades and the likes was the easiest for me, was something I was proud to be doing.

You'd not be the first to set yourself alight at a bivouac, nor the last. I went to an 18th in my last years as a cadet and it had a fire out on the farm and I got drunk, somehow got to thinking I was wearing cadet boots, and well... my shoes and pants didn't look good in the morning.

Survival is something I struggled at, learnt a great deal, but I was never a 'bush' person. I managed to get through a number of them though, suprisingly.

xbrules · 16-09-2009, 02:46 AM

It's scary i was in the cadets from 13 until 16, haven't thought about it in 5 years or so, and just looking at this thread i can even recall my service number CM35684, was a great experience, got to learn powered flying, got 5 1/2 hours time up, was at both 336 squadron (richmond) and 323 squadron (glenbrook) but it also helped me to determine that the military isn't for me, made great friends and had great experiences.