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12th September 2005

Crafty Rafting

A warm late summers evening at Priory Lake in Bedford provided the perfect setting for 134 (Bedford) Squadron to hold their annual inter flight raft building competition. Afterwards the three flights where challenged to write press releases about the raft build, read on to discover what the cadets made of it all.

 

Sink or Swim by - Tornado Flight.

On the 5th September 2005, Cadets from 134 (Bedford) Squadron deployed to priory marina on one of the most thrilling and daring exercises a cadet can do, a raft build.

Three teams were deployed, one being Tornado flight, who decided who was to be in command. After two minutes nervous waiting, Cadet Denham was assigned to be in command of our Flight. Then the designs were decided, after a quick discussion, a new and original design of Corporal Scully was deemed the best. Work quickly began on the raft.

After 20 minutes of hard building the HMS Lightning was finished and ready for action. With the first crew chosen, we were all ready for the race. A race that would need stamina, quick wits and amazingly good teamwork. As the whistle blew all three teams set off at top pace. Right from the beginning, HMS Lightning looked a very formidable foe! As it crossed the halfway mark and began to turn to the shore nothing had changed! 

All was going well until a new engineering idea was revealed by typhoon flight, a towrope to pull their craft back to the shore! With desperation in their minds, the valiant crew from Tornado flight, fought with all their might to win. But was out done in the last ten seconds by typhoon flight and their crafty towrope. However as all was not lost and in the races to come, and with the addition of our own towrope, HMS Lightning was to prove herself as a quick and reliable craft.

Overall the raft build evening was deemed to be a complete success with cadets and staff alike leaving the priory marina with smiles on their faces and water in their boots. Plus the thought of a warm shower dominating their minds.

 

Rafts Ahoy as Cadets Set Sail - by Harrier Flight

Monday 5th September 2005, a group of cadets from 134 (Bedford) Squadron were deployed to Priory Marina, Bedford, to endure a night of hard work building rafts out of Pine poles, barrels and several lengths of rope.

The cadets were split up into three different flights in order to build their raft. In order to keep the night exciting, the cadets took part in an inter-flight competition to see which flight could travel to the buoy and back in the fastest possible time. After a successful night, swimming through the lake, pushing a large self made raft, the Cadets packed up their equipment to finish up the night.

Cpl Scully quoted "the rafts were constructed well, which lead to a success in the end" meanwhile CWO croft was heard to say "I was impressed with the way the cadets worked together, they really put the effort in" 
AWO Taylor concluded with "We thought the evening went successfully and the cadets enjoyed themselves on what was a well organised night.

 

Cirin set sail as Bedford gets Aboard - by Typhoon flight

"I name this raft HMS Cirin, God bless her and all who sail in her" The launching of the HMS Cirin did not involve the traditional champagne, but it was enjoyable none the less

We arrived at Priory Marina full of enthusiasm. After being told to remove all objects from our pockets we were ready for the daunting task ahead.

We were briefed that we were a troop of cadet engineers supporting an amphibious vehicle construction unit. Our mission was to construct a vehicle that could be deployed to a distance of 20 metres and back again in the quickest time possible. To help us achieve our goal we had:
3 Pine Poles
4 Barrels
A large amount of rope

After 20 minutes of furious knotting, lashing and thrapping we had created a raft capable of completing our objective, in the next half hour we tried our vehicle capabilities many times, but it took only one dive in the priory marina to soak us to the skin.

During HMS Cirin's various voyages the high morale and encouragement of all squadron brought everyone together and was an exemplary show of the Air Training Corps value of teamwork.

At the end of the strenuous but fun night, our amphibious vehicles hit the water and made a successful journey around buoys, the whole squadron admitted to have learnt and least one new skill that evening, be it tying a knot, handling pine poles or just teamwork.