We have been allocated RAF Coningsby for part of our summer camp. I have never been and ii don’t ever recall our Wing having a camp there. Has anyone been. What is it like, is the programme full? Any guidance or tips appreciated.
I’m not sure which Wing/Region you’re from but if my memory serves, Kent Wing had a Summer Camp there last year (we bumped in to them at the motorway services on our way up to Waddington). If you’re local to LaSER, it might be worth trying to get in touch with them.
I think a lot of the programme is determined by how resourceful the staff can be & how far you’re willing to travel for outside visits etc if other things fall through. It certainly gives the staff less of a headache if the programme is full, however.
We were there in 2012 with tented accommodation that was infested with earwigs for all ranks.
The program was reasonably full and included the following:
Section visits to; fire, police dogs, ATC, squiper section, 29 sqn, 41 sqn and BBMF
On station high/low ropes
Shooting
Flying at Cranwell
Swimming at Waddington
Night ex at the former RAF Woodhall Spa
If the program this year needs to be bulked out then there is plenty on the station and there are also quite a few things in the local area.
Tents for summer camp? What fun.
Apologies for bumping a month-old topic, but this is the first real chance I’ve had to get on ACC since Christmas.
Kent Wing did indeed have a summer camp at Coningsby last year - I was one of the members of staff there. I was also on a summer camp there as a cadet in 2005, so I have seen the experience from both sides of the coin.
As far as I am concerned, Coningsby is one of the best stations to go to for a summer camp. The station is very active, with lots of different sections to visit and a very helpful liaison team helping to negotiate visits and work experience. As a bonus, the station is well-placed within a cluster, so there is not far to travel for off-station activities and the program is very full before the staff even arrive!
As a guide, last year on the Sunday we visited Newark Air Museum then the cadets spent the afternoon doing laser tag and bowling. The program was provisionally marked for flying but we all know what happened with flying last year, so the CC improvised! Section visits aplenty during the week (as per BMA’s post) and we had full use of the sports field and gym for evening activities. The camp was tented, but a lot of money is being spent at Coningsby to build new accommodation and it is rumoured that, when complete, there will be enough spare in the transit blocks to house cadets (as we were when I went in 2005).
I have been on fantastic camps and dreadful camps and, without a shadow of a doubt, Coningsby is one camp you do not want to miss!
Our school (ccf) was there last year and we had a great time.
The program consisted of:
BBMF, 3 Squadron, 11 Squadron, Fire station, ATC, fitness test (never fun), swimming (test at Waddington), Nitex and we went to Skegness bowling, drill comp, shooting. Sadly we had no flying because it was 2013 and the Tutor was still down or at least not available to cadets.
Accommodation was tents with the infamous ear wigs but it was bearable. I remember the tents getting very hot though. Long march back from the mess due to the stupid one way system they have in place with all the building work going on, but I don’t know if that has changed now or not.
Hopefully, from Friday (8 Aug 14), RAF Coningsby will be home to the BBMF and the visiting Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum’s Lancaster bomber!
Hi there. I’m on the aclo team for RAF Coningsby and can tell you the programme is pretty full.
I’m afraid it’s tents again though :-s, but there are new blocks being build at the moment, so we should be getting allocated a transit block for cadet use next year (hooray!!!).
There’s the usual section visits like dogs, fire sect, 29 sqn, with high ropes, decent nitex, swimming, fitness test (:-s). The BBMF visit has been moved forward a couple of days because of the Canadian lanc. You’ll surely see them both flying together closer than the public will, but I doubt you’ll be able to climb over them both as it’s going to be a very busy weekend.
I’m on leave the next couple of weeks, but if you need any gen that I can help with, just ask :-).
Purely out of interest, is fitness testing a common thing on Air Cadet summer camps, or is it just something Coningsby do?
Why is it done? Just out of curiosity?
It’s just the beeps on the MSFT machine haunt my dreams and I only like to go near it when absolutely necessary…
The cadets were put through the fitness test on camp at St Mawgan last year, so not just a Conningsby thing. The PTI said that it was to ‘give the cadets a taste of service life’. Frankly I can think of better things to do that like section visits and having the camp when the station isn’t on block leave. Still, the weather was good and there was enough to do in the area.
I suppose the point of camps is to taste service life, and the fitness test is a big part of it, as well as seeing all the various sections. Some cadets who are interested in joining the raf (I know the atc isn’t a recruiting tool) get a good idea of the level of fitness to achieve and maintain.
Maybe the p ed section should put on a ‘toned down’ circuit to do, which are more enjoyable than the fitness test.
I am not a massive fan of the test myself. Damages the knees. 
That certainly makes sense, and definitely a good intro to some of the older cadets looking to join up.
Thanks chaps. Happy fitness testing!
I’m off here in the summer after a change of plans. Still tents?