High Flyer Elin

186 (Newent) Squadron has been honoured by having one of the highest achieving Air Cadets. 18 year old Cadet Warrant Officer Elin Caine beat off all opposition in the Southwest Region in order to be nominee for best female Air Training Corps Cadet and travel to RAF Cranwell for the annual Honours and Awards Ceremony, and to compete for the coveted Dacre Sword trophy. The award recipients began the day with a top table lunch at York House Officers’ Mess with Commandant Air Cadets, Air Commodore McCafferty and Group Captain J. Phillip Dacre, the cadets were then treated to a tour of College Hall Officers’ Mess.

Although Elin, who has been a cadet for 5 years did not win the Dacre Sword it earned her a 7 day visit to Sweden as guest of the Swedish Air Force in August. The visit will include the Swedish Air Force 90^th Anniversary event and air show in Linkoping and visits to the Swedish Air Force Museum, the main fighter squadron, Stockholm and also been selected to compete to be one of the 9 cadets who will fly with the Red Arrows from RAF Scampton to RAF Fairford for the Royal International Air Tattoo. Elin would like to be a forecaster in the military, her hobbies include dancing and music, and she currently represents her university at both, she is also a member of the Wing Band.

Asked how she would sum up the day she said “My experience at RAF Cranwell can be summed up in one word, amazing. It was lovely to meet the Commandant Air Cadets along with the other nominees and award winners, especially in the iconic setting of College Hall. I felt very privileged to be the Female South West nominee, and enjoyed comparing cadet experiences with the other nominees and award winners, along with meeting up with old friends from other regions. It was also fascinating to learn about the history of RAF Cranwell, from how it started to where it aims to be in the future. Overall my day at Cranwell was one of the highlights of my cadet career, and a day I will remember for a very long time”.