ATC Structure

Please note this information is subject to Copyright 2018 Thomas Grocott. Not for reproduction. Thomas Grocott has asserted his right to be identified as author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved.Some images in this publication are Crown Copyright and contain public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

 

The Air Training Corps has around 950 squadrons spread all over the country, with 1000’s of cadets and staff. It also has it’s own headquarters at RAF Cranwell and Wing and Regional headquarters. Where does your squadron fit into the bigger Air Cadet organisational structure?

Basic Structure
The basic structure of the Air Training Corps is below. We will go through each stage in more detail later.

Squadrons
Squadrons are the basic unit of the ATC. They have a minimum of 30 cadets. The staff are volunteers. The squadron is normally commanded by a Flight Lieutenant. There is a Civilian Committee who looks after finance and the welfare of the cadets. here are two types of squadron, open and closed. Closed squadrons are run by school staff. Open squadrons are open to anyone who fits the right criteria and is at least 12 and in year 8 at school.

The Adjutant will normally manage all of the squadron’s administration and take charge of health and safety. They support the Officer Commanding in the management of the squadron. Other key staff include the Training Officer who looks after all of the training needs on the unit, and the squadron Senior NCO (SNCO)/ Warrant Officer (WO) who manages drill and discipline. There are also other instructor cadets and staff who teach lessons and run individual parade evenings. Cadet NCOs look after the discipline and welfare of the cadets.

 

Regions

There are 6 regions in the Air Cadets:

Scotland & Northern Ireland

North

Wales & West

Central & East

London & South East

South West

Each region has four full-time staff, commanded by a full time Group Captain. Each region also has a Civilian Committee and a
Padre.

Headquarters Air Cadets (HQAC) is based at RAF College Cranwell in Lincolnshire. It has a large group of full time staff and is commanded by an Air Commodore. It looks after rules and regulations for the Royal Air Force Air Cadets. It works with and has some responsibility for the RAF
Section of the Combined Cadet Force. Air Cadet officers and NCOs complete their training at RAF Cranwell.

QUESTION: What is the name of the current Commandant?

Summary

All the staff on your squadron have their own roles and responsibilities. Squadron’s and detached flight’s are normally ran by an volunteer officer.  Your unit is a part of a much larger organisation. The RAF Air Cadets is mostly run by volunteers, with a small number of full time staff who provide administrative support. A Full Time Reserve Service Air Commodore is responsible for the Royal Air Force Air Cadets.