An Air Experience Flight (AEF) is a training unit of the
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (Training Branch) whose main purpose is to give introductory flying experience to cadets from the
Air Training Corps and the
Combined Cadet Force
The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a youth organisation in the United Kingdom, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), which operates in schools, and normally includes Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force sections. Its aim is to "provide a ...
. As of 2019, thirteen AEFs are active.
History
The AEFs, numbered from 1 to 13, were formed across the United Kingdom in 1958, all but two forming on the same day, 8 September.
All were equipped with the
de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk T.10 trainer. An exception was No. 5 AEF, which also operated a single
Beagle Husky (''XW635'') from 1969 to 1989.
In the mid-1990s they were merged with co-located
University Air Squadrons (UASs), the Chipmunks being replaced by the existing UAS
Scottish Aviation Bulldog T.1s. No. 13 AEF at
RAF Aldergrove was disbanded in 1996.
In 1999, the
Grob Tutor T.1 began to replace the Bulldog.
On 10 March 2016,
Julian Brazier
Sir Julian William Hendy Brazier (born 24 July 1953) is a British Conservative Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Canterbury from 1987 to 2017.
Early life and career
Born into a military family, his father being a li ...
, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence), announced the return of 13 AEF and a new 14 AEF.
Role and operations
The
Royal Air Force (RAF) Air Experience Flights (AEF)
are co-located with
University Air Squadron (UAS) units; the co-located AEF and UAS units pool resources and share aircraft. Air Experience Flights provide basic flying experience, and
aerobatics to eligible members of
Royal Air Force Air Cadets (RAFAC), otherwise known as the
Air Training Corps (ATC), along with the RAF section of the
Combined Cadet Force
The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a youth organisation in the United Kingdom, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), which operates in schools, and normally includes Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force sections. Its aim is to "provide a ...
(CCF-RAF), and other air-minded youth groups such as
Air Scouts and the
Girls Venture Corps Air Cadets (GVC-AC).
When two separate AEFs are co-located at the same airfield, such as
No. 9 Air Experience Flight ( 9AEF) and
No. 11 Air Experience Flight (11 AEF) at
RAF Leeming, the two individual AEFs share the same fleet of aircraft. Just like the University Air Squadrons, all Air Experience Flights are currently commanded by
No. 6 Flying Training School RAF
No. 6 Flying Training School RAF is a Flying Training School (FTS) within No. 22 (Training) Group of the Royal Air Force that delivers flying training to University Air Squadrons and Air Experience Flights.
History
The school was formed by renam ...
(6 FTS).
Current flights
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No. 1 Air Experience Flight RAF
No. 1 Air Experience Flight (1 AEF) is one of thirteen Air Experience Flights (AEFs) run by the Air Cadet Organisation of the Royal Air Force. The primary purpose of the AEF organisation is to provide air experience to members of the Air Tra ...
–
MoD St Athan
*
No. 2 Air Experience Flight RAF
No. 2 Air Experience Flight (2 AEF) is one of thirteen Air Experience Flights (AEFs) run by the Air Cadet Organisation of the Royal Air Force. The primary purpose of the AEF organisation is to provide air experience to members of the Air Tra ...
–
MoD Boscombe Down
*
No. 3 Air Experience Flight RAF
No. 3 Air Experience Flight (3 AEF) is one of thirteen Air Experience Flights (AEFs) run by the Air Cadet Organisation of the Royal Air Force. The primary purpose of the AEF organisation is to provide air experience to members of the Air Trai ...
–
Colerne Airfield
*
No. 4 Air Experience Flight RAF
No. 4 Air Experience Flight (4 AEF) is one of thirteen Air Experience Flights (AEFs) run by the Air Cadet Organisation of the Royal Air Force. The primary purpose of the AEF organisation is to provide air experience to members of the Air Tr ...
–
Glasgow Airport
*
No. 5 Air Experience Flight RAF
No. 5 Air Experience Flight (5 AEF) is one of thirteen Air Experience Flights (AEFs) run by the Air Cadet Organisation of the Royal Air Force. The primary purpose of the AEF organisation is to provide air experience to members of the Air Trai ...
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RAF Wittering
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No. 6 Air Experience Flight RAF
No. 6 Air Experience Flight (6 AEF) is an Air Experience Flight based at RAF Benson.
It is one of twelve Air Experience Flights run by the Air Cadet Organisation of the Royal Air Force.
It was formed in the 1950s, along with the other AEFs, ...
–
RAF Benson
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No. 7 Air Experience Flight RAF
No. 7 Air Experience Flight (7 AEF) is one of thirteen Air Experience Flights (AEFs) run by the Air Cadet Organisation of the Royal Air Force. The primary purpose of the AEF organisation is to provide air experience to members of the Air Tra ...
–
RAF Cranwell
*
No. 8 Air Experience Flight RAF
No. 8 Air Experience Flight (8 AEF) is an Air Experience Flight based at RAF Cosford.
History
8 AEF was formed in October 1958 at Cosford, later moving to RAF Shawbury in 1960. It then returned to Cosford in 1978, moved again to Shawbury in ...
–
RAF Cosford
*
No. 9 Air Experience Flight RAF –
RAF Leeming
*
No. 10 Air Experience Flight RAF
10 Air Experience Flight (AEF) is one of thirteen such units run by 6Flying Training School of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in the 1950s, along with other AEFs, to teach basic flying to members of the Air Training Corps (ATC), Combined Cad ...
–
RAF Woodvale
Royal Air Force Woodvale or RAF Woodvale is a Royal Air Force Station located next to the towns of Formby and Ainsdale in an area called Woodvale which is located to the south of Southport, Merseyside. Woodvale was constructed as an all-weathe ...
*
No. 11 Air Experience Flight RAF
No. 11 Air Experience Flight (11 AEF) is one of thirteen Air Experience Flights (AEFs) run by the Air Cadet Organisation of the Royal Air Force. The primary purpose of the AEF organisation is to provide air experience to members of the Air Tra ...
–
RAF Leeming
*
No. 12 Air Experience Flight RAF
No. 12 Air Experience Flight (AEF) is an Air Experience Flight run by the Air Cadet Organisation of the Royal Air Force.
Operational role
12 AEFs role is the teaching of basic flying to cadets of the Air Training Corps (ATC) and Combined Cadet F ...
–
Leuchars Station
*
No. 13 Air Experience Flight RAF –
JHC FS Aldergrove
*
No. 14 Air Experience Flight RAF
The numero sign or numero symbol, №, (also represented as Nº, No, No. or no.), is a Typography, typographic abbreviation of the word ''number''(''s'') indicating ordinal number, ordinal numeration, especially in names and titles. For exampl ...
– TBA
Aircraft
Previously operated:
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Scottish Aviation Bulldog T.1
*
Beagle Husky
*
de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk T.10
File:DHC 1 Chipmunk.jpg, Chipmunk T.10 in RAF colours
File:G-BZMD.jpg, Bulldog T.1 in RAF colours
File:Woodvale08 019.JPG, 10 AEF
10 Air Experience Flight (AEF) is one of thirteen such units run by 6Flying Training School of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in the 1950s, along with other AEFs, to teach basic flying to members of the Air Training Corps (ATC), Combined Cad ...
Grob Tutor and hangar at RAF Woodvale
Royal Air Force Woodvale or RAF Woodvale is a Royal Air Force Station located next to the towns of Formby and Ainsdale in an area called Woodvale which is located to the south of Southport, Merseyside. Woodvale was constructed as an all-weathe ...
File:Grob G 115E EA-3.JPG, No. 8 Air Experience Flight Grob Tutor in flight
References
{{reflist
External links
RAF Air Experience Flights
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Royal Air Force
Air Cadet organisations
British Cadet organisations
Youth organisations based in the United Kingdom