If you scroll up we did…
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Ah my bad sorry - there have been so many responses to this thread that I can’t keep up!
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So the VGS’s at Kinloss and Arbroath are being shut. Unless I’m missing something, that looks very much like there will not be any gliding in Scotland at all. Is there a possibility that one of the two new AEFs could be based at Kinloss to make up for the complete lack of flying north of Leuchars? More importantly, why hasn’t one of the two of the VGSs been kept and made into the sole gliding unit for the whole of Scotland? Better that than nothing…
At least there will be more Tutors and more AEFs, especially since the Tutors are well established and properly maintained by a civilian contract. But I’m struggling to be excited by the possibility of no gliding whatsoever north of the border.
cough* independent by 2018 
cough*
Freeeeedom etc.
I was (and will very much remain) in the No camp, but it’s a bit disconcerting! Hopefully another announcement is made that secures some flying for the upper end of our fair land, or perhaps Scottish cadets can nip over to N.Ireland for a jolly at 14AEF!
You are missing 661VGS at Kirknewton, but nothing has flown there in years even before the collapse of VGS. I imagine they want to get benefit from the large amount of money that was spent trying to get the airfield back up to a usable standard.
it will of course mean that the nearest gliding to WHQs in NE and highland are 140 miles (2h40) and 179 miles (3h50) respectively.
Kirknewton is a shambles, the best option would be to sell up and move elsewhere. In fact the money being spent by developers in that area we would be able to buy a new school and a full new fleet
Looking at the report the conclusion I get is less flying for cadets in Scotland & NI
3 VGS’s going to 1 at a place they haven’t been able to glide at for 5years due to ground conditions.
4 & 12 AEF is struggling for staff from what I’m told
Ok they are going to open one in NI…
Maybe but realistically??
Nothing in Wales either, all gone. And a trip to England won’t be feasible for every squadron no matter what’s put in place, especially for 3WW.
It will end up the ACO flying school before long, where a sqn goes once a year for a weekend then it will be too expensive, so it will be a wing camp for 30 cadets once a year…
But don’t worry keep positive we have crap like first aid we can do all year long… It’s what the ATC is now the ambulance technician corps
Yeah, Kirknewton, another asset in the South! Even if it is built up, that will be the only VGS in Scotland. I still hope that an AEF will be based up at Kinloss or Lossiemouth to cater for the North. Wasn’t the VGS supposed to move from Kinloss to Lossiemouth at some point since the RAC provides accommodation there?
Kirknewton is still in Scotland albeit I grant you south of the centre.
I think with the maritime aircraft returning to Lossiemouth it would put the hold on any move and now with the vigilants being down sized it’s the end of it.
I am led to believe the Marines are looking to leave Arbroath so would perhaps explain that shutting.
The Link is now on ACO Announcements on sharepoint.
I do question the logic behind those they have decided to “close”
I was always under the impressions some VGS were doing very well in terms of hitting targets, indeed looking through SharePoint I find via
ACO docs library > acitivites > gliding> Stats figures that prove just that!
As such
They are disbanding
612 – 132% (Abingdon)
642 – 126% (Linton)
618 – 97%
635 – 97%
624 – 95%
634 - 93%
664 – 93%
636 – 84%
663 – 84%
616 – 79%
613 – 77%
611 – 75%
633 – 53% (Cosford)
And yet keeping open
621 -113% (Hullavington)
615 – 111% (Kenley)
626 – 92%
637 – 82%
614 – 75%
631 – 56% (Woodvale)
622 – 39% (Upavon)
661 – 35% (Kirknewton)
Ok so these numbers are from 2011 but consider there are no numbers for the last two years I doubt these will have dramatically changed much in 2012/13
No doubt we’ll see praise from HQAC and CAC with words to the effect
“as we enter this exciting new phase in Air Cadet Gliding we look forward to the thrilling opportunity this will offer our Cadet”
I like the line “no job losses” but how many pilots who have not been flying for two years are going to be returning and finding out not to their “local” VGS but now have a further distance to travel.
I know of a few VGS pilots at our local already have a 45-60minutes commute to their VGS which is listed to disband with the next closest for their wing now a 45minutes further commute!
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Don’t forget there are no VGS in Wales also. 5 1/2 round trip to Little Rissington or Upavon for me. Its over 8 hours from the sqn further west. With the shortage of pilots and no weekend flying in 1 AEF there is very little for the Air minded youth on Wales. they stood up 1 AEF in St Athan because the drive to 3 AEF was too long and now gliding is going to be worse. Could 622 and 637 cope with an extra 45 sqns to parent?
If I have to drive a minibus with 8 cadets for gliding with an arrival time of 09:00. I would have to leave my Sqn HQ at 06:00. I would aim to get to the sqn 15 minutes early with a 15 minute drive I would be setting my alarm for 04:45. Then departing VGS at 16:30 I would be getting home 21:00. That is a very long day and well over any duty hours for MT.
They are going to have to think very carefully of the duty of care for the escorting staff.
Wales and Scotland getting the short end of the stick again. This is a right royal shafting…
I gather retraining to fly Tutors will only apply to former A-cat Vigilant instructors? Ground based and administrative opportunities for the rest of us. Hmm…tempting.
Knowing people on 634 at St Athan this is not the news they were expecting at all.
Maybe the cross-training on Tutor of VGS pilots will enable 1 AEF to operate on more days than they are currently able to? Having said that I don’t know how many A-Cat instructors 634 and 636 had.
What about tasking though? Is this the end of GIC?
That might work to be honest as I’m not sure GIC was that relevant. If we could deliver more residential GS at a larger number of schools with more aircraft we could have a fair chance of doping something useful. Could pre-GS assessments be done synthetically?
For the longest time we treated AEF and GIC pretty much interchangeably except that AEF was more fun in better equipment.
And how many A-cat instructors are approaching retirement age. Who’s going to replace them? Surely they need a plan to replace VR(T) Tutor pilots as they grow old and die.