Air Force Cadet

About the Book

This story was written as one of a series of books covering some familiar professions intended to entertain, as well as inform. It was a glorious opportunity for the new author to write about his most unusual choice of a career and life after school, whilst others were going for the traditional professions of Law, Medicine, and Engineering. The Story starts with the main Character, Ola, just about to end his school days at the Prince of Wales School, and applying for a Cadetship at the Royal Air force College, Cranwell in Lincolnshire, United Kingdom. Even for the British candidates, that training leading to a Commission in the Royal Air Force was only available to a select few, and so this was bound to be dealing with the mainly unknown. Soon after his acceptance by a local Selection Board, Ola embarks on a series of personal experiences that took him overseas to Europe for the first time, and a life in a Temperate country with quite different customs, and weather. He has little time to adjust to his new way of life, and to attend a proper Selection Board before arriving at the College to start his training, and life as a Flight Cadet that would last over a period of three years. The reader is made to feel every bit of this military and exciting journey involving so many special programmes that would turn those young men into fully trained pilot officers on Passing Out. The jewel in the story is, of course, Ola’s experiences in the air whilst flying in trainer aircraft or in gliders, and this together with the adventure, comradeship, and achievements gained through discipline, and determination would leave any young reader wanting more. Ironically, Winston ends his career working with the young cadets in the Air Training Corps who would undoubtedly find this riveting reading.

About the Author

The Author served at RAF Khormaksar in Aden from July 1965 – June 1967 where these letters were written As a precursor, on 27February 1963, he wrote to his then girlfriend these words that have proved her lasting, and favourite quote: [Dear Gloria neigh Patience, How time flies! “These days one needs to muster all the vigilance possible to keep abreast of the ever escaping minutes and days”. When I promised to write to you over the phone on Monday, I really meant to get down and do it that evening, but one thing led to another, and here am I now on Wednesday still trying to do it!] Later that year, they were to have a serious row that threw them apart for the next two years until he decided to renew contact by writing the enclosed amazing letter on 3rd December 1965. The rest is History!