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| Ground Training |
As West Mercian Wing's Training Officer Sqn Ldr Paul Haygrth is responsible for all aspects of ground training from classification exams to training courses to planning and organising the Wing Training weekend where many of the "blues" competitions such as drill, banner and smartest squadron take place. Classification TrainingDuring their time in the ATC cadets study a number of aviation related subjects starting at a fairly board basic level and progressing to more specialized study of in depth and more complex subjects, some of which have much in common with 'A' level physics. Initial training of cadets to first class standard should take three to four months, following that each subsequent level should require six to nine months of training, therefore it should take a cadet three to four years to qualify as staff cadets. Summarized below are the requirements for progressing through the training syllabus and the classification badges worn by cadets. Cadets only where the badge that is appropriate to their current classification with staff cadets wearing the prestigious yellow lanyard and no classification badges.
On joining a squadron a cadets main objective is to successfully pass their first class cadet examination as this allows them to attend summer camp and several of the subjects are a pre-requisite for powered flying at an Air Experience Flight (AEF). Training for the first class exam should take three or four months. Approach to the first exams vary between squadrons with some teaching all of the subjects and the cadets sit the exam at the end, others prefer to teach one subject set the exam for that topic before moving on the next. As the exams are sat at the discretion of the squadron commander both methods are equally valid. The first class cadet examination consists of:
For Leading cadet and above examinations are set by Headquarters Air Cadets (HQAC). West Mercian WIng offer three opportunities a year to sit exams these are in March, May and November. Cadets are also required to complete a minimum of twenty five hours of project work before sitting the exam. The format for all HQAC set exams is the same with each paper consisting of 25 multiple choice questions and a pass mark of 13. Cadets who fail one or two papers in the exam are awarded a partial pass and only need to resit the subjects they failed. The subjects sat at Leading level are:
Cadets are also required to gain their Young Life Saver Plus qualification before they are awarded their Leading Cadet badge and certificate.
As for the Leading Cadet examination, the Senior and Staff Part One exams are set by HQAC and consist of 25 multiple choice questions, again 25 hours project work must be completed before the exam can be sat. Cadets study two different subjects from the list below at each level. A failure in one of the papers results in a partial pass with only that subject needing to be resat. Once cadets have successfully passed their Staff Part One examination they are eligible to claim a BTEC in Aviation Studies.
The coveted yellow lanyard is awarded to cadets who have successfully passed both their Staff Part One and Part Two examinations. The Staff Part Two exams consists of a ten minute assessed lesson and an interview with the squadron's Wing Staff Officer (WSO) to cover:
In order to sit their Staff Part Two examinations cadets must meet the following requirements:
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First Class Cadet
Leading Cadet 
Senior and Staff Cadet Part One
Staff Part Two