Winter on NUAS

Northumbrian Universities’ Air Squadron has had a great start to the new academic year. The new intake of students has settled into squadron life very quickly and the staff and students are as busy as ever, making the most of every opportunity, from regular flying to Adventurous Training and Force Development!

Xmas Draw 2022

On 2nd December 22, staff, students, and guests visited The Copthorne Hotel in Newcastle for the annual Christmas Draw. This is one of the biggest celebrations in the NUAS calendar, as it is a chance for everyone to come together along with friends and others from outside the squadron. The night began with a three- course meal, with excellent service from the hotel staff, followed by the raffle draw and music from a DJ. Draw prizes included a Top Gun: Maverick DVD, a miniature Spitfire model, a coffee machine, a laptop, and more! It was a great event as always and we are already looking forward to Christmas Draw 2023.

Between 16th and 19th February, 10 students and 2 members of staff visited Poland on a Force Development trip. The aim of the trip was to develop personnel understanding of the Holocaust through visiting key locations in and around Krakow, including Walwel Castle, AuschwitzBirkenau, and Oskar Schindler Factory Museum. The group also decided to book on to a tour of the Wieliczka Salt Mine one afternoon. Students were tasked with preparing and delivering 10-minute stands on topics such as Medical experiments conducted on Auschwitz prisoners, The Holocaust denial and the importance of remembrance, The Nuremberg

Trials, and Jewish aid and rescue. Force Development is an important part of squadron life, and we are looking forward to the next trip which will see students travelling to Belgium in March.

Between 23rd and 27th January, a number of this year’s intake of students took part in Ex Rising Star, introducing them to squadron life. Students were briefed on various topics such as RAF Ethos, structure of RAF stations and chain of command, and were given an introduction to flying. They also completed their swim test, parachuting drills and gym induction, as well as learning drill. To end the camp, students were given the opportunity to develop their team building and leadership skills at Adrenalin North Yorkshire, where they took part in high and low ropes challenges, before finishing with a military assault course.

Ex Andorra Advance

Between 29th January and 4th February, students from NUAS and YUAS travelled to Grandvalira in Andorra for a week of skiing. The exercise was aimed at students with little to no previous skiing experience. Each morning, groups of students delivered briefs about various topics including ski clothing and equipment, ski code and etiquette, and weather, with one afternoon being focused on avalanche training. Students made great progress, from learning how to snowplough at the beginning of the week to confidently parallel skiing, navigating the resort, and leading the group by the end of the week. Everyone gained lots of confidence on the slopes and achieved their Ski Foundation 1 qualification!