Wings for the ATC

A glider is brought onto the airfield and an ATC cadet is strapped into the cockpit. A civilian instructor explains some points to the cadet before the glider is launched. Shots of the countryside below are taken from one of the gliders before it comes in to land, and further shots of the gliders taking off and landing. The film closes with a speeded-up sequence of the cadets jumping onto the back of a truck and rushing to the canteen.

Through the 1920s and 1930s Martlesham was a testing establishment for aircraft, engines and equipment, both civil and military. During World War II, Martlesham served as an active airbase for both the RAF and USAAF before it became the home of the RAF Battle of Britain Flight, and from 1958 was the base of the first search and rescue helicopters. It also housed some experimental units. The Air Training Corps glider school operated at the base at weekends from the former USAAF buildings and blister-hangers on the west side of the aerodrome. The Suffolk Police Headquarters was built on the site in 1974. There is a new village on the airfield itself, built during the late 1970s.