Helping at Southend Airport for the Airshow 2006

    Cadets went along (nice and early) to help at Southend Airport for the Airshow over this weekend. They had a great time even thought they had lots of hard work to do. Maybe it had something to do with all the free flights they got... Below is a link to the video from the day.

"On Saturday the 28^th of May, cadets from all over Essex travelled down to Southend Rugby Club to spend the night in preparation for the Air show the following morning. As soon as we arrived we pitched up three tents in windy conditions and then had our first briefing. After that the cadets were free to do as they please within the clubhouse until bed.

 The next morning all the Cadets were woken up extremely early by Sgt Hyde (276 (Chelmsford) Sqn) and his megaphone (edit – this is the cadets’ word for Sgt. Hyde’s voice box – webmaster). After breakfast, which consisted of sausages, bacon, beans and toast, we closed our tents and prepared for coaches to arrive at the club to transport the cadets to Southend airport. As soon as they were checked in and assigned duties to perform throughout the day, the visitors started to arrive and enjoy the many activities in the airport including amusements and fast food stands. The cadets then began their duties which included car parking and marshalling the airfield. Each cadet was on duty for two hours and then off for two hours to explore the airport and visit the local McDonald’s for food. Halfway through the day, the Chinook, Lynxes and Sea King were used to give free rides to all the cadets as a “thank you” for helping out. I got to ride in the Chinook which was a once in a lifetime experience. Some cadets also rode in the lynx helicopter, and both of these you can see a video of here. 

After a long day the cadets made one final sweep of the runway for litter and anything that could damage the aircraft, or FOD, (Foreign Object Damage). After that, the cadets were given posters and gifts for helping out and made a return journey to the rugby club to put down our tents. After that we returned home, with some cadets staying to help on the Monday. Overall the weekend was brilliant and I will hopefully be helping there again next year."

Cdt. Ottley

Click to see the Southend Airshow 2006 video