Visit by 1st Shawbury Cubs 19 June 2025
Where does time go? It is some three years since the last visit by Shawbury Cubs, but it felt like only yesterday.
There is nothing more challenging than a group of enthusiastic and inquisitive youngsters and RAF Shawbury Gliding Club were delighted to welcome on Thursday evening an excited group from Shawbury Cubs who are part of 1st Shawbury Air Scouts. Arriving at 1830 in Hangar 4, after a H&S brief….
…..they were welcomed by Club CFI Ian Gallacher and then watched a short introductory RAFGSA gliding video set in the French Alps.
The Cubs were split into four groups, each group assigned to one of the stands in Hangar 4. As they left the clubroom the Cubs were issued with a quiz related to the activities that they would be involved with, the quiz this year organised by Darcey.
The groups rotated through each stand, each stand designed to give our young visitors an understanding of how gliders are launched and how they fly using the forces of nature to stay aloft. In addition, we wanted them all to be able to experience “hands-on” in the cockpit of each aircraft. Sophie on Stand I explained the controls and instruments, and this provided an opportunity to sit in a 2-seat glider and understand how the controls functioned.
Meanwhile, on Stand 2 using R35 Brad explained how the glider is attached and released from the tug and the additional safety devices used to ensure that the tug and glider can be released from each other. BTW the young lad wearing a blue polo is Brad and not a cub!😍
Positioned in front of R35, on Stand 3 Nick explained how the tug is used to launch the glider and how you can borrow the tug to fly away on holiday!
The single seat Astir proved very popular. Rob explained the stage at which we convert to the single seater and some of the essential difference – a retractable undercarriage not least. Bits of red string stuck on the canopy seemed to attract a lot of interest and questions, eg, “How can a piece of red string help you fly? Sadly Alan “STRING” Swan wasn’t around to explain!
The quiz also attracted a lot of interest and prompted numerous questions at each stand.
Time shot by and after all groups had completed a visit to each stand we gathered around the aircraft for a group photo in Hangar 4.
Then, it was back to the clubroom for juice and crisps and the answers to the Quiz run by Quiz-Master Darcey.
A more enthusiastic group of visitors it is difficult to image and they are a great credit to scouting and, who knows, some may be the RAF pilots of the future. In recognition of how amazing our young guests were, we’ve made them an Activity Badge.
Many thanks to to our Club members who gave up their time on the evening to make the visit such a success.