Wales & West Air Cadets

11/09/2026

Congratulations from Wales and West Region

🌟 Introducing our new RAFAC Warrant Officer: WO Alex Corbin 🌟

We are delighted to announce the appointment of WO Alex Corbin as the new Warrant Officer for the RAF Air Cadets!

Alex brings over two decades of experience to the role, having started his journey in 2002 as a cadet at 171 (Christchurch) Squadron. Over the years, he has served across both Dorset & Wiltshire Wing and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wing as a Civilian Instructor, Squadron SNCO, Sector SNCO, and Wing Warrant Officer.

Holding a Level 7 qualification in Leadership & Management through CVC, Alex brings both deep cadet/CFAV experience and extensive corporate leadership expertise from his career in global software consulting. He is passionate about ensuring the Cadets' and CFAVs' voices are heard at the highest level while championing simplicity, pragmatic policies, and strong support for our volunteers.

Outside of uniform, Alex lives in the New Forest with his partner Isabelle and their Labrador puppy.

We’d like to thank the outgoing RAF Air Cadets Warrant Officer, WO Donna Hall, for her time in the post and her absolute dedication to the organisation.

Please join us in sending a massive congratulations to WO Alex Corbin as he steps into this vital role! 👏✈️

02/09/2026

WALES, WEST & THE REST

Did you know that Wales & West Region is also home to 1 Overseas Squadron Akotori. It was fantastic to have a number of the Squadron attend ROSE|DRAGON26 and get to interact with other Air Cadets from around the Region. New friends where made, and we're sure plenty of plans for some return visits where being discussed in the mess. Fun Fact, The Original ROSE|DRAGON Camp took place on Cyprus!!!

While the rest of the Region had a civilised departure time on the last Day of camp, our friends from overseas stayed behind to await a 4am departure to catch their flight home. So what better way to kill time than to conquer Pen y Fan for that world famous selfie.

We hope you enjoyed Rose|Dragon26 as much as we enjoyed getting to know you all. See you next year!!!!

Commandant Air Cadets RFCA for Wales Cadets In Schools Regional Commandant Wales and the West

31/08/2026

WHAT A WEEK!!!

As the dust settles on Rose|Dragon 2026 we can reflect on what was the biggest Royal Air Force Air Cadets camp this Summer. Wales and West really knocked it out of the park with 400 Cadets and 145 Staff from all over the Region working together to offer the widest range of activities anywhere in corps.

A big thank you to everyone who took part in providing over 20,000 training hours. There are not enough words to express how grateful we are for the amazing staff who provide these opportunities for our cadets, and to the cadets themselves who greated every opportunity with enthusiasm and passion.

Watch out for more in depth stories and achievements from Rose|Dragon 26 over the next few weeks on our social media channels.

The planning for next year begins now!!!

Commandant Air Cadets Air Officer Wales Cadets In Schools RFCA for Wales



Cadets are taught weapon handling skills as part of a structured programme of supervised training that emphasises safe and responsible use.

31/08/2026

£35, 7 days, 400+ cadets, huge amount of opportunity!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting Rose Dragon, the Wales & West Region’s annual camp, where more than 400 cadets and around 150 volunteers have come together for a week of activities, training and experiences.

I was there alongside West Mercian Wing Treasurer Su Stone, Royal Air Force Air Cadets Senior Volunteer Group Captain Ben Wakefield, Wales & West Regional Commandant Group Captain Rog Simon, RFCA for Wales CEO Dom Morgan and Royal Air Force Air Officer Wales Air Commodore Rob Woods, with the Camp Commandant Wing Commander Rhys Brown and Training Officer Squadron Leader Huw O’Connell showing us around.

Su and I have been helping with some of the finance administration behind the scenes, so it was fantastic to finally see the camp in practice.

The day we visited was Industry Day, with cadets getting the chance to engage with the police, health board, RAF engagement team, mountain rescue and fire service, alongside activities including esports, cyber communications, fieldcraft and shooting. There are 16 different streams across the week.

And all of this is available to cadets for £35, including accommodation, meals, activities and merchandise.

The real value, though, isn’t something you can put a price on. It’s the skills they develop, the experiences they have, the confidence they build and the friendships they make with other cadets from across the region.

As Chair of Trustees for West Mercian Wing, I’m particularly conscious of the work that happens behind the scenes to support opportunities like these. Trustees across the Air Cadets help manage and invest charitable funds so that volunteers can continue creating opportunities for young people.

Seeing Rose Dragon in action was a brilliant reminder of exactly why that work matters.

Huge credit to everyone involved in making it happen!

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Cadets are taught weapon handling skills as part of a structured programme of supervised training that emphasises safe and responsible use.

28/08/2026

The future of aviation, technology and competition landed at Rose Dragon 2026 Industry Day!

Our cadets explored a range of exciting technology and seeing how much innovation is shaping the world around us.

🚁They got up close with modern drones,
🥽 Stepped foot into a cockpit without ever leaving the ground,
🎮 battled it out to see who would come out on top!

A big thank you to 633 AGS for lending us their kit to enable cadets to take part in some VR Flight Simulation using their plethora of top of the range training kit.
Inside our tech zone we were lucky to have a wide selection of esports kit giving the cadets the opportunity to have a go at games such as ‘Rocket League’.

The Drone simulators allowed cadets to put their flying skills to the test in a safe and immersive environment.

Cadets who took part in this activity spoke very highly, describing it as ‘An amazing opportunity’ with many saying they couldn’t wait to try it out at home.

From the skies to the virtual world, there was something for everyone.

27/08/2026

It’s time to get hands on with STEM!

Our cadets have put robots together to programming them to complete different challenges. Cadets had to use their problem solving skills, creativity and team work skills ti bring their ideas to life.

It isn’t always as simple as writing the code and pressing go, cadets had to test, troubleshoot, and make adjustments when things didn’t quite go to plan.
We could have some future engineers, programmers and innovators in the making!

27/08/2026

Industry Day 2026 was a huges success. Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen.

27/08/2026

We were delighted to host a fantastic line up of VIP guests who visited us during Industry Day!

Our guests had the opportunity to meet cadets and see all of the training in action. The camp is buzzing with excitement. They saw first-hand the breadth of opportunities and experiences available to our organisation.

This visit provided cadets with the chance to meet and engage with senior figures from across the wider organisation, sharing their experiences.

26/08/2026

STREAM 8 - ADVENTURE TRAINING

Y Bannau Brycheiniog are the home of Outdoor Adventure. Rose|Dragon makes the most of the best of what Wales and West has to offer. Our fantastic staff and cadets are having so much fun pushing their limits out in the hills.



Commandant Air Cadets RFCA for Wales

26/08/2026

INDUSTRY DAY

A thrilling day for cadets as representatives from Fire, Police & Mountain Rescue along with RAF Recruitment arrived at camp with various displays and stalls for the Cadets to enjoy. We where treated to a flyover by an A400M along with free ice courtesy BFBS Radio .

Inside our tech zone we were lucky to have a wide selection of esports kit giving the cadets the opportunity to have a go at games like ‘rocket league’. The cadets who took part in esports spoke highly of the activity, describing it as ‘an exciting opportunity’ and some said they couldn’t wait to try it out at home.

A huge thank you to 633 Aerospace Ground School for bringing along their kit to enable the cadets to take part in some flight simulation.

Look out for highlight videos coming from our media team over the next few weeks.