1921 (Lewisham) Air Cadets Squadron (From News Shopper)

1921 (Lewisham) Air Cadets Squadron

9:49am Tuesday 18th September 2007 in Lewisham

CADETS from the 1921 (Lewisham) Squadron boarded the Ark Royal on June 16 to get an insight in to the working of the Royal Navy's fleet flagship.

The Ark Royal arrived in London on June 13 and remained in Greenwich until June 18 as part of the National Falklands 25th Anniversary commemorative events.

The cadets explored the flight deck. Sat 60 feet above the waterline, the deck was extremely windy with most cadets clinging on to their berets as they made their way over to the new Merlin helicopter display.

They climbed into the not-so-comfortable seats while the pilot talked to them about how the Merlin functions and its role.

Some of the cadets then joined the pilot in the cockpit.

The final treat was to walk to the end of the ship's ski jump' and look over the edge, posing for photographs and waving to tourists before running back to safety.

After the trip, the squadron's training officer, Pilot Officer David Preece RAFVR(T), who organised the trip, said: "I wanted to thank The Royal Navy, who were brilliant in arranging this trip for us to visit their flagship.

"As the only Air Cadet squadron invited onboard, it's been a great opportunity to explore a front-line warship."