I've fond memories of looping in Chipmunks, firing a bolt action .303 converted to .22, trying to memorise all the different types of aircraft the RAF had back then and camps to Bruggen and Laarbruch.
Former members who join the armed forces are easier to train, more willing to conform, have lower attrition rates in training, better pass rates, remain longer and generally cause less trouble, than those with no previous cadet experience.
In might be testament to the RAF's training, but my opinion differs... I find it difficult to guess who in the RAF was an Air Cadet and who wasn't. From my experiences, after a few weeks everyone in the RAF was at the same standard.