The University of Birmingham Air Squadron, commonly known as UBAS, is a squadron within the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

established on 3 May 1941. It is based at

RAF Cosford Royal Air Force Cosford or RAF Cosford (formerly DCAE Cosford) is a Royal Air Force station in Cosford, Shropshire, just to the northwest of Wolverhampton and next to Albrighton. History Origins RAF Cosford opened in 1938 as a joint aircraf ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

, and flies a fleet of six

Grob Tutor The Grob G 115 is a general aviation fixed-wing aircraft, primarily used for flight training. It is built in Germany by Grob Aircraft (Grob Aerospace before January 2009). The E variant with a 3-blade variable pitch propeller is in service wi ...

s. In 2009 the squadron upgraded the aircraft to the Grob Tutor EA which has an advanced avionics suite. The Squadron has three Flights, A, B and C; each with a student Flight Commander who holds the rank of Acting Pilot Officer and a Deputy who holds the rank of Officer Cadet. UBAS is also the parent squadron of 8 Air Experience Flight, who jointly fly UBAS' Tutor fleet. A

Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...

is the

Commanding Officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

, while UBAS also has several other Qualified Flying Instructors, a Ground Training Instructor, 15 civilian support staff who are contracted from Babcock, plus an adjutant and two civilian admin staff. There are some 70 members from the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

Birmingham City University , mottoeng = "Do what you are doing; attend to your business" , established = 1992—gained university status1971—City of Birmingham Polytechnic1843—Birmingham College of Art , type = Public , affiliation = ...

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Warwick University , mottoeng = Mind moves matter , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £7.0 million (2021) , budget = £698.2 million (2020� ...

Keele University Keele University, officially known as the University of Keele, is a public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, Keele ...

Wolverhampton University The University of Wolverhampton is a public university located on four campuses across the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire in England. The roots of the university lie in the Wolverhampton Tradesmen's and Mech ...

Staffordshire University , mottoeng = Dare to know , type = Public , endowment = £70 million (2015) , administrative_staff = 1,375 , chancellor = Francis Fitzherbert, 15th Baron Stafford , vice_chancellor = Professor Martin Jones , ...

Worcester University , motto_lang = la , mottoeng = ''Aspire to Inspire'' , established = 1946 – Worcester Emergency Teacher Training College 1948 – Worcester Teacher Training College 1976 – Worcester College of Higher Education 1997 – ...

, and

Harper Adams University Harper Adams University, founded in 1901 as Harper Adams College, is a public university located close to the village of Edgmond, near Newport, in Shropshire, England. Established in 1901, the college is a specialist provider of higher educa ...

. Students volunteer to join UBAS at their university's

Freshers' Fair Student orientation or new student orientation (often encapsulated into an orientation week, o-week, frosh week, welcome week or freshers' week) is a period before the start of an academic year at a university or tertiary institutions. A variety ...

and then undergo a selection process. If successful they are attested and join the

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) was established in 1936 to support the preparedness of the U.K. Royal Air Force in the event of another war. The Air Ministry intended it to form a supplement to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF ...

. All Students are given the rank of Officer Cadet, and are issued with a uniform. UBAS activities include

flight Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

and

leadership training Leadership development is the process which helps expand the capacity of individuals to perform in leadership roles within organizations. Leadership roles are those that facilitate execution of an organization's strategy through building alignment ...

, adventurous training, charity and community work and a vibrant social scene. The scope of UBAS, like other University Air Squadrons is to let young people experience life in the

and to develop their skills in the fields mentioned.

History

Birmingham University Air Squadron was formed on 3 May 1941 and began its first undergraduate initial officer training course in October 1942. In October 1946 it began flying training at

RAF Castle Bromwich Castle Bromwich Aerodrome was an early airfield, situated to the north of Castle Bromwich in the West Midlands of England. The site now falls within the City of Birmingham. History Creation to 1937 A large piece of Warwickshire grassland (Ca ...

on the DH Tiger Moth T Mk 2 aircraft. The Squadron re-equipped with the DHC-1 Chipmunk T10 in July 1950 and was renamed the University of Birmingham Air Squadron (UBAS) on 15 October 1951. In March 1958 UBAS was relocated to

RAF Shawbury Royal Air Force Shawbury, otherwise known as RAF Shawbury, is a Royal Air Force station near the village of Shawbury in Shropshire in the West Midlands of England. History The First World War The station at Shawbury was first used for military ...

. The Chipmunks served for 25 years until the SA Bulldog T1's replaced them in June 1975. UBAS moved "temporarily" to

in March 1978, and it has remained based there ever since. The Bulldogs were retired in 2001 and were replaced with the Austrian-built Grob G-115E Tutor aircraft. In November 2009 the Grob 115E's were partly replaced with the higher specification Grob 115 EA.

Commanding officers

* Sqn Ldr Colin Massy - 2021–Present * Sqn Ldr Craig Finch 2019 - 2021 * Sqn Ldr Ged Sheppeck 2015–2019 * Sqn Ldr Phil Atkinson 2013 - 2015 * (Acting) Sqn Ldr Ian Grogan 2012 - 2013 * Sqn Ldr Mark Richardson 2009 – 2012 * Sqn Ldr Chris Parkinson 2007 - 2009 * Sqn Ldr Laurie Dunn 2005 - 2007 * Sqn Ldr Ged Sheppeck 2003 - 2005 * Sqn Ldr Andy Baker 2000 - 2003

Flying

All of the cadets have the opportunity to participate in the flying syllabus for the University Air Squadrons. Successful completion of the Core Syllabus qualifies the student pilot for the award of the Preliminary Flying Badge, or 'Budgie Wings' as they are sometimes called.

Student Leadership Team

Squadron activities are largely run by students who take on various executive roles within UBAS. The squadron is split in to 3 flights, each commanded by a Flight Commander who holds the rank of Acting Pilot Officer. The flights also have a deputy flight commander who holds the rank of Officer Cadet. One of the flight commanders also takes on the role of Senior Student and is in overall command of all students, serving as a link between the student body and the staff. The current senior student is Acting Pilot Officer Lucy Pepper.

References

External links

{{Royal Air Force Military units and formations in Warwickshire Organisations based in Shropshire

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...