Back to Halton one week after the last trip

But todays trip to the home of RAF training was for a very different reason, today it was to mark the end of another Basic Recruit Training Course, and the graduation of the newest members of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. A total of 26 completed the course, 8 of which are members of 606 Sqn.

New recruits into the RAuxAF are first given training at their home units for between 2 and 3 weekends. Once they have completed the pre study required they attend a 2 weeks residential phase at RAF Halton in Bucks. During this period they under take an exam to confirm the information they have previously learnt and then move onto a number of new subjects. These include the field skills required to operate alongside their regular colleagues should that be required. The key areas are weapon handling using the Individual Weapon, First Aid and working within a Chemical, Nuclear and Biological environment. At the end of the course these skills are tested in a deployed field exercise run by the regular RAF instructors.



AC Bryer from Hythe in Kent has joined 606 to become a Flight Ops specialist she commented 'I have learned a lot about myself and come away with fresh enthusiasm for my career in teaching'.

AC West-Letford from Bracknell is a chef in his civilian career, but on 606 he will be trained to become an RAF Regiment Gunner. He found the best bit of the course to be the end of course exercise 'putting everything we learnt together, plus it was great fun at the same time'. When asked what parts of the course may be useful at work he thought the first aid, primarily 'for when young chefs start chopping their fingers'.

The next training for all those that graduated today will be at their home units, normally for one weekend a month until they are fully qualified in their chosen trades.


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