View a gallery of photos that were taken!

18 Months ago a trip to the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic seemed as far away as the 8000 Mile journey to get there! However after much hard work and preparation Air Commodore Moulds, former Commandant ATC gained permission for Cadets to visit the South Atlantic Islands! 2412 Sqn recently became only the third unit to visit the Falklands in as many months!

Departing on Sunday the 11th October from the Hive at RAF Odiham, an MT coach was to be our first mode of transport to RAF Brize Norton before embarking on phase one of a very long flight to Ascension Island. At midnight the flight departed and the eight hour countdown began! Approx 0700hrs local time we landed at a very warm and humid Ascension Island. Having disembarked we were to wait in what is commonly referred to as “The Cage”, a holding area whilst the aircraft was refuelled and stocked ready for phase two of the trip to the Falkland Islands. One hour later we re-boarded the aircraft. Another eight hour flight and we were landing at RAF Mount Pleasant.

Leaving the aircraft this time the cadets experienced immediately the harsh weather that is common place in the South Atlantic, namely freezing winds and snow! This quickly changed to sunshine before we had completed the walk from the aircraft to the terminal!

Once we had our luggage etc we boarded another MT coach, escorted by the Station Air Cadet Liaison Officer Flt Lt Carl Watling, and headed for our accommodation block at the far end of camp. Straight away it was time to get dinner and so the cadets embarked on their one mile walk (via indoor walkways) to the Junior Ranks Mess.

After the Welcome Brief in the evening it was time for some sleep in preparation for what was to become an exceptionally busy week!

Day 1

We were due to be VC-10 Flying, but due to high winds and rain a change was made to the morning schedule as the aircraft could not take off. Instead the cadets spent the morning being shown around 1312 Flt’s VC-10 and Hercules Aircraft. An interesting visit complete, a visit to the newly arrived Typhoon Fighters in the afternoon was next! Having only arrived in the Falklands 2 weeks prior to our visit, they are replacing the now aging Tornado F3. A thoroughly enjoyable visit was completed with a group photo in front of the Aircraft.

Day 2

At 6am the day started with a loud Alarm signalling a station exercise was in place. All personal were to report to their stations and the cadets were to be part of the exercise. We promptly arrived at 1312 Flt and boarded the C-130K Hercules. Within a few minutes we were airborne flying low-level on maritime patrol. Later during the flight we were role-playing as an un-identified aircraft and subsequently escorted to Mount Pleasant Airfield by the Quick reaction Typhoon! Upon landing the cadets dis-embarked the aircraft one at a time to be greeted by the Resident Infantry Unit and RAF Police! Quite a sight! After a few cadets had Role-played as per their brief, the exercise was stood down and it was time for lunch. After a quick visit to the mess, it was on to the Fire Section. After a tour around the appliances, three cadets at a time were taken for a drive in the BV vehicle across the Off-Road Training Area! In the evening it was Bowling! The cadets tried hard but were outclassed by Air Commodore Moulds!

Day 3

A slightly more leisurely start to day three saw the cadets arriving at the Sea King Search and Rescue Flight at 0900hrs. Having received their safety brief and fitted with PAX Helmets, they were split into two groups. As a member of the second group we embarked on to the aircraft and headed out to Pleasant Peak. There the Sea King landed and all the cadets and Flt Lt Logan dis-embarked and were left behind! After a few minutes a flair was signalled by the Crewman and the helicopter returned. The four cadets and Flt Lt Logan were then winched back into the aircraft hovering approx 100ft above – an amazing experience! Things couldn’t get better right? Wrong! After lunch we returned to 1312 Flt ready for a flight in the VC-10. Three and a half hours later and the cadets had experienced a once in a lifetime opportunity – Typhoon Air to Air Refuelling!

Day 4

After an early breakfast it was everyone to the Land Rovers for an hour's drive to Stanley. Low Ropes was to be first for the days, hosted by two Army PTIs it was a challenge for the cadets to achieve the goals set out for them, after a good session of team building (and a few mishaps!) we returned once more to the Land Rovers and headed out to the foot of Mount Tumbledown. With the wind blowing very strongly, we started our climb to the top! After half an hour of walking over very un-even terrain, a mixture of Gauze and Soft Peat, together with rocks and deep holes (A challenge in itself), it was time to scramble (Carefully and slowly!) to the top of Tumbledown. From the top we had an amazing view and a great sense of achievement. Also a massive appreciation for what the Scots Guards endured in the Battle to take Tumbledown 27 Years ago. We found it tough with no kit! 100lb Packs, Webbing and Rifles made this no mean feat!

Day 5

Saturday morning saw us take a trip to Mare Harbour to visit HMS Gloucester. The cadets saw first hand what life is like on a Royal Navy Warship. A very interesting visit enjoyed by all. Next it was off to the British International Helicopter terminal for a flight to Bleaker Island. After a 20 minute flight we landed on what could only be described as the middle of nowhere! Once off the aircraft we headed out in search of wildlife. It wasn’t long before we came across the largest colony of Cormorants in the South Atlantic, there were thousands of them! Moving on we were lucky enough to see a Sea-Lion, lucky as it was still early in the season, it is thought this one was patrolling the coast line in preparation for others. Moving on we saw our first Penguin! It was a Magellen Penquin nesting inland. Further on, and after a significant walk we came across a colony of some 50-100 Gentoo Penquins. After much picture taking it was time to return to the settlement to catch our helicopter back to mainland Falklands.

Day 6

Sunday, a day of rest? Not today, we headed out at 9am in a convoy of three Land Rovers on a Battlefield Tour. First stop was the Argentine Cemetery on the way to Goose Green. A very moving experience seeing all the graves, especially the ‘unknown soldiers’. Swiftly onward as we had a lot to see, we moved on to the scene of a very famous battle where Colonel H Jones, the Commanding Officer of 2 Battalion, the Parachute Regiment was killed and posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for Bravery. We then returned to the vehicles and on to Goose Green for a cup of tea in the only café! Once refreshed we moved on to San Carlos bay to see where the landings took place and visit the only British War Grave Cemetery in the Falkland Islands. Most of the fallen were repatriated to the UK after the conflict, very few remained in the Falklands and were buried here. The next destination was Teal Inlet where some Argentinian A4 Skyhawk Drop Tanks were found. We then moved on through the Sussex Mountains to visit the scene of an Argentinian Chinook Helicopter that was destroyed whilst on the ground by an RAF GR3 Harrier. Lastly, and by no means least we headed to Fitzroy, scene of much loss of life after RFA Sir Galahad and Sir Tristan were bombed. Overall a very moving and humbling day.

Day 7

Our last day! We started out early and headed for the RAF Police Dog Section to meet some of the dogs we had first seen as we dis-embarked the Hercules on our second day! They started out cuddly and cute, but that soon changed when the cadets entered the kennels! Next it was a visit to the Royal Engineers. The cadets were given the opportunity to experience some heavy plant machinery, driving many vehicles from heavy lift cranes, to JCB’s to Armoured 44 Ton Diggers used for clearing Runways! The final visit of the week was to the Royal Artillery section who man the Rapier Missile Platforms. After an excellent tour it was time to head back to the accommodation to pack before heading out for our last evening as guests of Commander British Forces, Air Commodore Gordan Moulds. After a good feed, great company and some traditional Paper Plate Awards it was time to head back for one more sleep and the long journey home!

All that remains to be said is a HUGE thank you to everybody at RAF Mount Pleasant, Falkland Islands for making us feel so welcome! Air Cmdr Moulds, Sqn Ldr Plumb, Flt Lt Watling (x2), Greenie!! Without the help and support of these and so many other personnel, we would never have had such a fantastic week.

Thank you from the cadets and staff at 2412 (Bordon & District) Sqn