The Girls Venture Corps Air Cadets (GVCAC) is a voluntary uniformed

youth organisation The following is a list of youth organizations. A youth organization is a type of organization with a focus upon providing activities and socialization for minors. In this list, most organizations are international unless noted otherwise. ...

in the United Kingdom for girls aged between 11 and 20. It is a registered charity, and a member of The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS).Full list of NCVYS members
the Corps Commandant is Yvonne McCarthy. The GVCAC receives no funding from the Ministry of Defence (MoD). All adult staff members are subject to DBS checks.

History

The GVC has its origins in 1940 as part of the

National Association of Training Corps for Girls The National Association of Training Corps for Girls (initially the ''National Association of Girls' Training Corps'') was formed in the United Kingdom in 1942 by the then Board of Education. It was the umbrella organisation for the ''Girls Trai ...

. This umbrella organisation was responsible for the Girls' Training Corps (GTC),

Girls' Nautical Training Corps The Girls' Naval Training Corps was formed as part of the National Association of Training Corps for Girls in 1942, with units mainly in Southern England. Its objective was congruent with that of the Sea Cadet Corps, teaching girls aged 14 to 2 ...

(GNTC) and Women's Junior Air Corps (WJAC). Womens Junior Air Corps

First woman to break sound barrier

Former

Air Transport Auxiliary The Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) was a British civilian organisation set up at the start of the Second World War with headquarters at White Waltham Airfield in Berkshire. The ATA ferried new, repaired and damaged military aircraft between factori ...

pilot, Diana Barnato Walker, became a pilot for the Women's Junior Air Corps (WJAC) shortly after the war, giving cadets training and air-experience flights to air-minded teenage girls to encourage them to enter the aviation industry. In July 1948, an aircraft that she was flying caught fire near White Waltham. Rather than bale out and lose the WJAC’s aircraft, she switched off the fuel and glided the aircraft back. In 1963 she undertook a flight in an

English Electric Lightning The English Electric Lightning is a British fighter aircraft that served as an interceptor during the 1960s, the 1970s and into the late 1980s. It was capable of a top speed of above Mach 2. The Lightning was designed, developed, and manufa ...

, attaining 1,262 mph (Mach 1.65) in a two-seat T.4 trainer and thus became the first British woman to exceed the speed of sound.

Girls Venture Corps

In 1964 the Girls Venture Corps replaced both the GTC and WJAC. The previous year, the Girls' Nautical Training Corps became more closely involved with the Sea Cadet Corps and in 1980 became an integral part of the Sea Cadets and ceased to be a separate organisation. The Girls Venture Corps had two wings corresponding to the former GTC and WJAC; it was common at this time for former GTC units to share premises with

Army Cadet Force The Army Cadet Force (ACF), generally shortened to Army Cadets, is a national youth organisation sponsored by the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence and the British Army. Along with the Sea Cadet Corps and the Air Training Corps, the ACF mak ...

units and for former WJAC units to share premises with

Air Training Corps The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British volunteer-military youth organisation. They are sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force. The majority of staff are volunteers, and some are paid for full-time work – including C ...

units. From 1983, girls were accepted into the ACF and ATC, which caused many GVC cadets to transfer to their respective counterparts. It was decided that the GVC would focus on air activities and in 1987, at the request of its membership, the organisation was renamed the Girls Venture Corps Air Cadets.

Activities

Schempp-Hirth Ventus 2b glider being launched at Lasham Airfield in UK

Duke of Edinburgh Award

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme is a voluntary, non-competitive programme of practical, cultural and adventurous activities for young people aged 14 to 25. The Award programme has three levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold, and Cadets are often encouraged to achieve these awards as they progress through their cadet careers. The Award is widely recognised by employers as it helps demonstrate that holders are keen to take on new challenges, have a higher level of self-confidence than their counterparts, and have leadership qualities with experience of teamwork. Until 2008, some cadets aged 16 or over participated in the Duke of Edinburgh's Millennium Volunteers Award.

Aviation awards

There is opportunity for all Cadets to undertake practical gliding and powered flying, underpinned by training courses in aviation subjects. *Air Discovery (from age 11 onwards) **Basic study and practical experiments *Air Ability (ages 12–13) provides an introduction to: **

Air Traffic Control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airs ...

Weather Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloud cover, cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmos ...

**Engines **

Flight Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...

and Navigation Theory *Air Proficiency (age 13+) ** Air Traffic Control & Radio **

Meteorology Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did no ...

** Air Navigation **

Propulsion Propulsion is the generation of force by any combination of pushing or pulling to modify the translational motion of an object, which is typically a rigid body (or an articulated rigid body) but may also concern a fluid. The term is derived f ...

& Theory of Flight *Air Brevet To gain this qualification a single specialist subject is studied: *

Aeronautical Engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is sim ...

(Engines) * Air Navigation

Challenge Award

The Challenge Award has ''drill and etiquette'', ''service to the community'', ''life skills'', ''outdoor/adventure activities'', ''interests/skills'', and ''physical recreation'' sections.

Drill and etiquette

The GVCAC, as a uniformed youth organization, sets itself and its members very high standards, including dress and behaviour. Drill (marching) is a vital part of encouraging teamwork, discipline, co-operation and self-confidence. Practicing drill is a means of instilling discipline and teamwork; it is also used in formal parades, for moving around military bases and moving cadets in a smart and orderly fashion. The Corps instills good manners and customs ( etiquette) into cadets' behaviours; this transfers into having respect for each other, their family and is often well received by prospective employers.

Other activities

GVCAC Cadets can also take part in the International Air Cadet Exchange (I.A.C.E), and

Nijmegen Marches The International Four Day Marches Nijmegen ( nl, Internationale Vierdaagse Afstandsmarsen Nijmegen) is the largest multiple day marching event in the world. It is organised every year in Nijmegen, Netherlands in mid-July as a means of promoting ...

Flying and Gliding Scholarships

RAFA Flying Scholarship

The

Royal Air Force Association The Royal Air Forces Association (also called the RAF Association or RAFA) is the largest single service membership organization and the longest standing registered service charity that provides welfare support to the family of RAF members. Th ...

each year invites applications from both the ATC and GVCAC for a limited number of flying scholarships.

Ducat-Amos Gliding Scholarships

In 2007 six grants were awarded to GVCAC Cadets which enabled attendance on a weekend course at a local gliding club. The scholarships were named after Air Commandant Barbara Ducat-Amos CB RRC (1921–2008), Director of the

Royal Air Force Nursing Service Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (PMRAFNS) is the nursing branch of the United Kingdom, British Royal Air Force. It was established as the Royal Air Force Temporary Nursing Service (RAFNS) in 1918, and became part of the permanen ...

Structure

The headquarters is in

Tinsley, South Yorkshire Tinsley is a suburb of north-eastern Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England; it falls within the Darnall ward of the city. The area is associated with: * The former Tinsley Marshalling Yard, which was used between 1965 and 1998 to separate railw ...

, east of the

Tinsley Viaduct Tinsley Viaduct is a two-tier road bridge in Sheffield, England; it was the first of its kind in the United Kingdom. It carries the M1 and the A631 for a distance of over the Don Valley, from Tinsley to Wincobank, also crossing the Sheffie ...

at junction 34 of the

M1 motorway The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the country was the Preston By-pass, which ...

, off the Tinsley Roundabout at the start of the A631. The

Meadowhall Centre Meadowhall is an indoor shopping centre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It lies north-east of Sheffield city centre, and from Rotherham town centre. It is the largest shopping centre in Yorkshire, and currently the eleventh-largest i ...

is nearby to the west.

Ranks

Cadet ranks

As well as learning new skills by working through the GVCAC syllabus, experienced cadets can be awarded a

rank Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as: Level or position in a hierarchical organization * Academic rank * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy * ...

. The GVCAC allows its cadets to take on responsibility and leadership as non-commissioned Officers or

NCOs A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

Staff ranks

Uniform

* Unit ** Cap ** Black tie ** Blue shirt ** Blue RAF jumper **

Brassard A brassard or armlet is an armband or piece of cloth or other material worn around the upper arm; the term typically refers to an item of uniform worn as part of military uniform or by police or other uniformed persons. Unit, role, rank b ...

** Lightweight green trousers ** Black shoes ** Stable belt * Formal ''(As above but with)'' ** RAF skirt * Camp uniform ** Blue shirt or polo shirt ** Navy blue sweatshirt ** Lightweight green trousers ** Black trainers

Unit locations

External links

*
International Air Cadet ExchangeLife in the Minsterworth Girls Training Corps during the Second World War
– BBC History, 2005
The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS)
– archived March 2010

References

{{Royal Air Force 1940 establishments in the United Kingdom Royal Air Force Air Cadets British Cadet organisations Organisations based in Sheffield Youth organizations established in 1940 Youth organisations based in the United Kingdom