Ascent Flight Training

Congratulations to Ascent's cycling stars, Reka and Sven, who successfully completed a combined 125 miles to raise money for the RAF Association. is taking place across the UK this summer and we are delighted to be a sponsor. Our cyclists send their thanks to the organisers for a fantastic ride from Kendrew Barracks - both agreed it was a great experience!

Congratulations to all recipients and a special mention of the UKMFTS Fast Jet Transformation Team at RAF Valley and Abbey Wood, for their team commendation from the Air & Space Commander.

Congratulations to all personnel associated with the Royal Air Force who have been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours List this year.

For details of all RAF Whole Force recipients, visit: https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/raf-kings-birthday-honours-2026/

If you haven't yet returned your data for the 2026 Women in Defence Charter , there's still time. Each submission helps build a clearer picture of representation across the defence enterprise.

It's not often that the team at Ascent are invited to a fancy book launch, so we were delighted to attend the release of Monarchy and Democracy: A History of Leadership, in the gardens of Westminster Abbey this week. And why were we there? Because Ascent features in Volume 1 of this mammoth 2 volume publication, in the section dedicated to education and training. A great testament to the work we do in close partnership with our UKMFTS colleagues. Our Deputy MD, Adam Clink, was on hand to collect the publication, and copies will be on display at our sites across the UK.

Our thanks to the amazing Watoto Children's Choir who recently paid a visit to Ascent at . Watoto is an East African organisation dedicated to caring for orphaned and vulnerable children, while also empowering women to rebuild their lives. Through the Choir, stories of transformation are shared globally, bringing hope, inspiring action, and helping raise a generation of future leaders.

Their performances and stories proved inspirational and during their visit we were delighted to provide the young people in the choir with an opportunity to experience life as a trainee pilot.

Sqn Ldr Kev Crawford, a Watoto ambassador, said: "I am truly grateful to the Ascent Flight Training team for supporting the Choir during this time. Enabling the Watoto children and adults to have the once in a lifetime experience of ‘flying’ the Prefect aircraft in the synthetic trainer was such a generous contribution and real highlight of their time at Cranwell – the joy on their faces when they took the controls of the Prefect was so heart warming. I would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to all the Ascent team at Cranwell."

Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (DI&B) are a fundamental part of Ascent's ethos and we are delighted to welcome Operations Improvement Lead, George Nickson, as the new Chair of our DI&B employee committee.

"I believe employers have a responsibility to ensure that people leave work each day as happy and healthy as when they arrived, both as a moral obligation and a foundation for high performance. This includes areas such as health and safety, mental wellbeing and job satisfaction. The DI&B committee provides a practical way for everyone to contribute to creating that environment. In my experience, this work is never finished and I’m keen to play my part," says George. Find out more about him: https://ascentflighttraining.com/people/george-is-our-new-dib-chair/

Congratulations to Ascent's own Eddie Anderson and Simon Harbron, who are both finalists in this year's British Forces in Business Awards! 👏 Eddie, our Head of ICT, based at the Training Hub, has been nominated as Team Leader of the Year. Meanwhile Simon, MEPT QFI based at , is in the running for the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Forces in Business Awards is the world’s largest celebration of ex-military in second careers – recognising the value veterans add to businesses as well as the employers that support the transition of servicemen and women. The awards ceremony takes places on 25 June in London. We wish all finalists the best of luck.

We are proud to share that Ascent will feature in a book marking 325 years of royal and parliamentary leadership. Launched in June, in the grounds of Westminster Abbey, Monarchy and Democracy: A history of Leadership, is an official History of Parliament project written by a team of prominent academics and award-winning authors.

Stephen van der Merwe, a Group Director at publishers St James's House says: "Through in-depth interviews with the leaders of organisations such as Ascent Flight Training, and by spotlighting their work, Monarchy and Democracy provides a compelling, first-hand perspective on how today's organisational leaders are shaping the future in a wide range of areas, including governance, education, charitable work, enterprise and industry."

Available in both print and e-book formats, and distributed on a controlled-circulation basis, the publication will be made available to key political, institutional and educational audiences in the UK, Europe and the Commonwealth.

Ascent is delighted to support the British Open Aerobatic Championships this summer - particularly as our own Nick Riddin, Deputy Prefect Chief Pilot at , will once again be competing, flying his self‑built Rihn DR-107 aerobatic aircraft.

The Championships, hosted at Sywell Aerodrome in Northamptonshire in July, are organised by British Aerobatics and represent the pinnacle of UK competition aerobatics. The event features five competitive categories, beginning with the Beginners class for aspiring competition pilots, progressing through Sportsman, Intermediate and Advanced, and culminating in the prestigious Unlimited category.

Category winners will be awarded the title of British Champion or Open Champion, and we wish Nick every success as he competes in the Advanced category. It's great to see our people doing something they love, while showcasing their expertise! Read more: https://ascentflighttraining.com/supporting-british-aerobatics/