South Downs Challenge

The Sussex Wing Adventure Training Team (SWATT) organise an annual South Downs Challenge. Cadets who enter have to complete a 40-50km navigation exercise in 11 hours or less across the South Downs working teams of between 4 and 10 from the same squadron. This was, originally, done at night but because of safety concerns with staff being on the go for over 24 hours and then driving cadets home afterwards, has been carried out in daylight hours. In alternate years the start point is either close to Eastbourne (Eastern route) or just north of Arundel (Western route).

Approximately 200 cadets take up the challenge each year and approximately 50% successfully complete it.

Checkpoints and safety points are set up at intervals across the route and these are manned by staff members. All cadets are required to book in at each checkpoint and radio operators there transmit information back to a command and control centre manned by members of the Communications Training Team. Here, a record is kept of the location of every cadet and members of staff are directed to locations along the route. The ComCen also oversees any emergency action required should there be an accident or a team is overdue at a checkpoint.