In November 2018, 1015 Horsham proudly represented London and South East Region in the National Aircraft Recognition Finals.

Cadet Warrant Officer Briggs, Sergeant Tasker, Corporal Clemens, Cadet Findlay and CI Findlay took part in the competition at RAF College Cranwell. Everyone was very keen to demonstrate the hard work and dedication they put in to prepare for the competition. The team had won both the Wing and Region competitions earlier in the year, making it to the finals.

After a long, Bohemian Rhapsody-filled journey, the team arrived at the venue, incredibly excited and eager to compete. The team quickly found where they were going to compete and settled in for an afternoon on naming some of the most famous aircraft throughout history.

With the rules and regulations of the competition delivered, the waiting began. The team was quietly confident about their chances – this wasn’t the first time they had reached this stage. The last time 1015 went to a Corps Aircraft Recognition competition was in 2016 with Sergeant Tasker and Corporal Clemens being part of the under 16 team.

Everyone was deep in concentration, eagerly awaiting the challenges they were about to face. With over three hundred aircraft to learn, the Open Competition is known for its complexity. The competition soon began and was quite challenging. From the R22 and the S92 to PC21s and the 737, the course content made all the team think. Everyone had tried their hardest and everyone was proud of their efforts for being able to get to this stage.

Despite the difficulty of the test, team 1015 came third nationally with Cpl Clemens named as the third-best individual at aircraft recognition in the Corps in the open category. The team, Squadron and Region were all immensely proud of their standards!

Sgt Tasker