The month of May has seen major changes at 485 (Harborne and Quinton) Sqn. Flt Lt Peter Coates, who has been at the Sqn for 14 years, has had to step down and he has passed the reigns to Fg Off Simon Jennings who has transferred from 487 (Kingstanding and Perry Barr) Sqn.

Flt Lt Coates has given great service to not only 485 Sqn, but also to the Warwickshire and Birmingham Wing. He has for many years facilitated the wing radio courses and there are now many cadets in the wing wearing the communicators badge because of his dedication to radio communications.

Fg Off Jennings has been with the ATC since 2005 and he gained his commission in 2007. For the past four years he was the adj at 487 Sqn and also carried out the role of the Sqn media and communications officer.

Fg Off Jennings commented “I would firstly like to thank Flt Lt Coates for the service he has given to 485 Sqn. All the cadets, particularly the more senior ones, have commented on the work that he has done with the Sqn over the past few years and I know that they will miss his leadership. However, we are not losing him totally, Peter is coming back to the Sqn as a Civilian Instructor and we all look forward to working with him in the coming years. It's obviously of great benefit to me to have somebody with such great experience as a member of the staff. I'm really looking forward to working with the cadets and staff, we've already increased the cadet numbers, and we've also added two extra staff to our strength, and we will hopefully be gaining a further service helper in the coming weeks. Finally, many thanks once again to Peter”.

Sgt Lord, Lords it At Cranwell

Sgt Dave Lord ATC, an instructor with 485 (Harborne and Quinton) Sqn has recently attended a week long course at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire .

The Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Staff Induction Course (SSIC) is compulsory training for every Adult SNCO in the Air Cadet Organisation. Participants spend a week at RAF Cranwell focusing primarily on instructional technique, drill, child welfare and the role and responsibilities of an SNCO in the ACO. The course also offers an opportunity to spend time in the Sergeant's Mess, talk to serving members of the RAF and to meet other SNCO's from squadrons all over the UK . Every SNCO is assessed throughout the week on their attitude, bearing and ability and must pass both a written and practical test at the end of the course.

Sgt Lord commented “The week at Cranwell was a fantastic opportunity for us to all sharpen our skills, standardise our techniques and learn how to effectively instruct others. A great course taught by the right people!”

Fg Off Simon Jennings , OIC 485 Sqn commented “Sgt Lord has passed this intensive course at RAF Cranwell with some very favourable comments from the training staff at the ATF. I'm sure that he will continue to go from strength to strength over the coming years. He is a great asset to the Sqn and I personally look forward to working with him”

Cadets are blue all over

Sunday 22 nd May saw four cadets from 485 (Harborne and Quinton) Sqn compete at the regional Athletics championships.

Sgt's Campbell and Morel, along with Cpl Melvin and Cdt Williams were selected to compete for the Warwickshire and Birmingham Wing and they all travelled with the rest of the wing team the short distance to the stadium in Leicester .

As in recent years, the competition proved to be extremely strong, but all the cadets worked hard at their individual events, but they didn't make it into the medal positions.

Fg Off Simon Jennings , OIC 485 Sqn commented “I'm extremely proud of the cadets and the fact that they have gained their wing blues. I'm sure that they will all compete again in the future and I'm looking forward to putting more of the sqn's cadets forward for other sporting events later in the year”.