Hampshire and IOW Royal Air Force Air Cadets

13/06/2026

We are very proud of Hants & IOW wings own Sqn Ldr Hughes on receiving an MBE in the Military Division of the Kings Birthday Honours List!

Hants & IOWs Wing Commander, Gary Knell spoke about this amazing achievement:

‘Sqn Ldr Graeme Hughes has been awarded an MBE for his services to the RAFAC. Graeme has given many, many years of ATC service within HIOW Wing and the wider organisation. On top of this, he was our WExO, and continues to work with the CCF at Wi******er College.

I'm deeply honoured to call Graeme a friend and mentor and look forward to continuing working with him in the years to come’

Well done again Sir, very well deserved!!! 🫡🎉👏

South West Region Royal Air Force Air Cadets
Commandant Air Cadets

An incredible moment of celebration for the RAF Air Cadets community! 🎖️

A massive congratulations to Squadron Leader Graeme Hughes, who has been officially recognised in the King's Birthday Honours list with being awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This prestigious honour is a testament to his outstanding commitment, tireless hard work, and the profound impact he has made on the lives of our young people and fellow volunteers.

Adult volunteers like Graeme are the absolute heartbeat of our organisation, selflessly giving up their time to give cadets the confidence and skills to aim high. 🚀

Join us in celebrating this fantastic, well-deserved achievement! 👏

Read the full story here: https://www.raf.mod.uk/aircadets/news/selfless-volunteers-recognised-in-kings-birthday-honours/

03/06/2026

🎯 HIOW success in the Inter-Service Clay shoot! 🎯

HIOWs A-Team attended the Inter-Service Clay Shoot where they achieved fantastic results!

🥇1st Place: Sporting Trophy
🥈 2nd Place: Team Flush
🥈2nd Place: Overall Team Comp (Army Cadets / Air Cadets)

These results were incredible as this was a new team, with two of the team members taking part in the competition for the first time so all the staff are incredibly pleased with their efforts and proud of the team.

A-Teams members were:
🏆 FS Chivers - 1391 Romsey Squadron ATC
🏆Sgt Head - Waterlooville Air Cadets
🏆CWO Bradbury - 1391 Romsey Squadron ATC
🏆CDT Hughes - 2327 Havant Squadron - Royal Air Force Air Cadets

Well done to you all and congratulations!!!

Royal Air Force Air Cadets aircadets
swregionrafac South West Region Royal Air Force Air Cadets
Commandant Air Cadets comdtac

26/05/2026

✈️🤩 Gliding success! 🎉👏

A huge congratulations to FS Shepherd on his recent success on achieving his Silver, then gold wings.

Here is what he had to say after his first solo gliding experience! 🥇

‘Recently, I achieved my Silver wings, after achieving solo flight in a Glider at 622 Volunteer Gliding Squadron. This experience is something I will forever hold close to my heart, and a summary of the incredible experiences the Air Cadets has to offer.

Having wanted to fly and work in aviation for as long as I can remember, this solo flight is an opportunity of immeasurable value to me, helping me to develop powerful, decision making and technical flying skills. Having completed it in an environment in which I felt confident, safe and thoroughly enjoyed pushed me to secure this achievement, something which would have been considerably more difficult outside of the organisation.

I am incredibly grateful for what the Air Cadets has and continues to offer me in the form of gliding, aviation training and more.

Further to this, I have been invited back to 622 VGS to complete the Advanced Glider Training Course, this includes a further 5 solos, and more ground school and flight-based practical training, which so far has been challenging, but immensely rewarding.’

A huge congratulations again Flight Sergeant! 👏

622vgs 622VGS
Commandant Air Cadets comdtac
South West Region Royal Air Force Air Cadets swregionrafac
aircadets Royal Air Force Air Cadets

05/05/2026

🏕️ HIOW DofE success! 💪

This weekend 31 HIOW RAF Air Cadets took to the North Downs to complete their Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award Expeditions.

With our Silver Teams completing a strong 45km over the three days!!

We were really lucky with the weather (only a couple of hours rain in day 1!) which afforded us AMAZING views when we got to the top of each hill, the best of which we found at the top of Leith Hill beside the tower, and later from Ranmore Common.

We got a huge sense of achievement on the last day being able to see how far we had walked, with the tower in the very distance!

Well done everyone and good luck with the rest of your Awards!

Commandant Air Cadets
South West Region Royal Air Force Air Cadets
Royal Air Force Air Cadets
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award

23/04/2026

🎉RAF Little Rissington Camp success! 🤩

This month, 26 cadets attended a week's camp at Little Rissington, Gloucestershire. The cadets and staff, from 4 different Wings across Southwest Region, took part in Silver PTS training courses in first aid, leadership and radio, with a total of 53 courses being completed.

As well as the 4 days of Silver training, cadets took part in a multi-activity day, including archery, and a wide range of evening activities, including a talent show, quiz and debate night.

The camp made the most of the excellent facilities at Little Rissington and the support from both permanent and volunteer staff.

Well done all and a huge thank you as always to the staff who facilitated the camp 👏

Commandant Air Cadets
South West Region Royal Air Force Air Cadets
Royal Air Force Air Cadets

15/04/2026

💫🔭🚀Bronze Space Success!!! 🪐👨‍🚀🛰️

On the 11th April a Hants & IOW Wing Bronze space course was held at 1391 Romsey Squadron ATC with 18 cadets from 9 Sqns from all over the wing.

Covering six areas of study, Cadets learnt about products developed from the Space Industry, Satellites, space debris, history of Rockets, how rockets work and lunar missions. Discussions were able to include the successful return of the Artemis 2 mission that very day! 🚀👏

Cadets also participated in practical elements including looking at Newtons Laws of Motion, Infrared satellite observations and tracking and dealing with Space junk. Cpl Malinowski from 1216 Eastleigh Squadron Air Training Corps supported the course after completing her Gold Space course only 24 hrs before.

Well done all for achieving your Bronze space badge and a big thank you as always to the staff facilitating the training. 🤩

South West Region Royal Air Force Air Cadets
Commandant Air Cadets
Royal Air Force Air Cadets

10/04/2026

🥾🤩 DofE Success for HIOW Cadets!🏕️🚶

Over the Bank Holiday 27 cadets from HIOW braved the elements (and it seems all 4 seasons) across 4 days!

Completing both their silver and gold expeditions teams contended with horizontal rain 🌧️, walking through clouds ☁️, gusty wind 💨 and bright sunshine ☀️!

Getting to travel through the British Countryside at its best. The views (when we could see them) were amazing. ‘The DofE Officer even let us have an ice cream on top of the hill when we got there- increasing our morale and enjoyment 100%’ 🍦👌

Our gold teams got to experience taking down tents with ice coating the outside AND inside of their tents this morning! Quote from Gold DofE Exped participant Drew Ringrose 2515:
“I could have used an ice lolly as a hand warmer last night… and it would have helped” 🥶

Everyone is immensely proud of everything they’ve achieved- and they’ve earned the completion of their expeditions this weekend for sure!

Well done all!!!! 👏🎉💪

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award South West Region Royal Air Force Air Cadets Royal Air Force Air Cadets Commandant Air Cadets

05/04/2026

Happy Easter from HIOW Wing!!! 🐣🍫🌷💐🪺🥚

Our cadets on their The Duke of Edinburgh's Award award expedition this weekend were treated to a fun Easter egg hunt! It’s been a bit wet and windy for them so hopefully the chocolate has lifted spirits ready for them to finish their awards!

Commandant Air Cadets
South West Region Royal Air Force Air Cadets
Royal Air Force Air Cadets

04/04/2026

A fantastic weekend of learning and teamwork at our Activity First Aid Training weekend! 💙⛑️

On the 21-22 March, HIOW Cadets and staff from across the Wing completed their Activity First Aid training. They took part in hands-on first aid scenarios, building their confidence and lifesaving skills, while our adult volunteers completed additional Catastrophic Bleed (Cat Bleed) training. This enhances their ability to respond in critical emergencies and be range medics supporting the cadet training syllabus.

Well done to everyone involved for your dedication and commitment to keeping others safe and a huge thank you as always to our brilliant Wing First Aid team! 👏

Commandant Air Cadets
South West Region Royal Air Force Air Cadets

26/03/2026

🎯 First Wing Shoot of the Year – A Great Start!

On the 14 March, 20 cadets from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wing attended the first Wing Shoot of the year at Barossa Ranges at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

It was a fantastic day on the range, with cadets demonstrating focus, discipline, and steady improvement in their shooting skills. As a result of their hard work:

🏅 12 Bronze Shooting Badges were awarded
🎖️ 1 Blue Shooting Badge was achieved

Congratulations to all the cadets who took part and earned their badges.

A special mention also goes to two members of staff who completed shoots ahead of attending future qualification courses, helping to further strengthen our wing’s shooting capability.

🙏 Thank you as well to the additional staff support from, London & South East Region Air Cadets whose help made the event possible and ensured the day ran smoothly.

📅 Looking ahead: The next Wing Shoot will take place in May.
Be sure to check Portal now to secure your place!

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

Commandant Air Cadets
South West Region Royal Air Force Air Cadets
Royal Air Force Air Cadets