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 Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

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 near to the village of Cosford, Shropshire, England just to the northwest of Wolverhampton and next to Albrighton. It is a training station, home to ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

, 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 serv ...

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. UBAS is also the parent squadron of 8 Air Experience Flight, who jointly fly UBAS' Tutor fleet. A

Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr or S/L) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Squadron leader is immediatel ...

is the

Commanding Officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, 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 give ...

, 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 The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

Birmingham City University Birmingham City University (abbrev. BCU) is a university in Birmingham, England. Initially established as the Birmingham College of Art with roots dating back to 1843, it was designated as a polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic in 1971 an ...

Aston University Aston University (abbreviated as ''Aston'' for post-nominals) is a public university situated in the city centre of Birmingham, England. Aston began as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School in 1895, evolving into the UK's first College of a ...

Coventry University Coventry University is a Public university, public research university in Coventry, England. The origins of Coventry University can be linked to the Coventry School of Art and Design, Coventry School of Design in 1843. It was known as Lancheste ...

Warwick University The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of a ...

Keele University Keele University is a Public university#United Kingdom, public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, it was granted uni ...

Wolverhampton University The University of Wolverhampton is a public university in Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, England, located on four campuses across the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire. Originally founded in 1827 as the Wolverham ...

Staffordshire University, Worcester University, 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, Shropshire, Newport, in Shropshire, England. Established in 1901, the college is a specialist provi ...

. Students volunteer to join UBAS at their university's Freshers' Fair 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 (RAF) in the event of another war. The Air Ministry intended it to form a supplement to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force ( ...

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

flight Flight or flying is the motion (physics), motion of an Physical object, object through an atmosphere, or through the vacuum of Outer space, space, without contacting any planetary surface. This can be achieved by generating aerodynamic lift ass ...

sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...

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

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 business strategy, strategy throug ...

, adventurous training, charity and community work and a vibrant social scene. The scope of UBAS, like other

University Air Squadron University Air Squadrons (UAS), are Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve units under the command of No. 6 Flying Training School RAF. That offers training and flight training to university students, with the goal of attracting students into a ca ...

s 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 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. 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 Jamie Watson 2023-Present * Sqn Ldr Colin Massy - 2021–2023 * 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

Alumni

* Sqn Ldr Michael Child, University of Birmingham Environmental Geoscience, joined the RAF in 2001, Red Arrows from 2012 * Flt Lt Mandy Hickson, joined RAF in 1997, Author of: An Officer, Not a Gentleman: The Inspirational Journey of a Pioneering Female Fighter Pilot Paperback – 2 Jun. 2020 * Sqn Ldr Martin Withers DFC, Joined RAF in 1968, Captain of Vulcan bomber that took part in the Black Buck 01 raid, Falklands war 1982

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 into three flights, each commanded by a Flight Commander who holds the rank of Acting Pilot Officer. The squadron also has a Senior Student who 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 Quinlan Prendergast.

References

External links

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

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

Air Squadron