Remi Morgan: What I’ve Learnt from Air Cadets

Having grown up in a military oriented family, I have always been inspired to pursue a career in aviation.

More specifically, a career in the military, and I knew from a young age that I wanted to join the Air Cadets for the aviation experience. I joined in 2019, at the age of 12, eager to learn more about aviation and to have the chance of flying myself when I turned 13.

Throughout my cadet years I gained multiple qualifications including Advanced First Aid, Method of Instruction, and Silver Leadership. As well as the qualifications, I also had the opportunity to partake in various activities such as shooting, sports tournaments and leading a team. Leaving Air Cadets I gained a multitude of skills of which are valuable in everyday life, specifically; personal admin, an ability to prioritise and manage tasks, working under pressure (of which I found comes in handy in an aircraft!) and a sense of punctuality and discipline. I ascertained that one of my greatest challenges in the Air Cadets being a female in aviation, was carrying out leadership tasks. I often found myself leader of large groups with a highly unbalanced ratio of male to female participants, I was conscious of being taken seriously. As I progressed through the ranks, becoming more experienced and comfortable leading, I found myself developing into a role model, encouraging and inspiring younger female cadets to grow in confidence and take the lead.

With regards to flying in the Air Cadets, my first experience was a trip to RAF Syerston to fly in a Viking glider when I was 14. As soon as we were airborne, the pilot talked me through the controls for the first time and gave me control of the glider. I felt an instant click and desire to pursue flying as a career. After that first experience, I was desperate for more flying time. I signed up for two more flights with the Air Cadets, this time in the Grob Tutor, a powered aircraft. I knew immediately that I had a spark for flying, and from what I could tell with the little experience I had, I was good at it!

Following on from my flying experience, I applied for an Air League Flying Scholarship in 2023 funded by the Swire Charitable Trust and was successful. Having been told to, “Reconsider my career goals”, or that, “The aviation industry is not made for women”, I made it my personal goal to prove these statements wrong, and to demonstrate that the stereotypes traditionally surrounding women in aviation are no longer relevant. I carried out my flying scholarship at South Warwickshire Flying School, and now I'm continuing to study and revise to achieve my PPL. 

Air Cadets has provided me with numerous beneficial experiences, however along the way there were challenges. I found that throughout my 5 years of participating in the Air Cadets, my most common struggle was being undermined in my abilities and understanding of the aviation industry. I consistently drove myself to increase up the ranks in the Air Cadets regardless of the challenges faced from being in a male dominated environment. Whilst I experienced doubt in my abilities from others, I persevered, taking confidence in my abilities and relinquished from the Air Cadets at the rank of Flight Sergeant. I continue to support and encourage young girls and women who have an interest in aviation, especially in the military element, to pursue their dreams and neglect any negative stereotypes. Having left Air Cadets, I am now fully focused on studying for my PPL.

I also use my knowledge and experience in flying to encourage and educate young people, most specifically girls (having researched statistics of female pilots) to become part of the aviation team. I aim to prove stereotypes are not always correct and should not hold you back in your aspirations. I’ve found it can be difficult to find advice and help from other women in aviation, which is why communities like Elevate(her) are so beneficial.