What are the chances of getting a gliding scholarship?
As there has not yet been any significant improvement in the âgliding pause,â I would suggest very remote. As I see it, the return to gliding will not be âno flyingâ one day, then 100% the next; it will be a slow process.
In 2016, there were some GS cses run at RAFGSA sites, but there was limited take up in some wgs due to relatively remote location(s) & the need for cadets to be accompanied by a parent/guardian for all the weekends. Havenât seen anything yet for 2017 plans for any similar opportunities.
If there is a UK GSA site near to a sqn, then worth trying to get approval for ânon-ACO flyingâ via ACTO35 - start now as it will take a while to jump through all the hoops!! Yes, it has to be paid for, but at least it is a gliding opportunity. If anyone wants âguidance.â then please PM me, went through the rigmarole last year.
EDIT - information on Sharepoint (under 2FTS -> Gliding):
For 2014 & 2015, document lists 24 names. Only 11 had a completion date & from those, only 3 went solo.
So, compared to previous GS opportunities, I would call the RAFGSA âinitiativeâ a failure. We should have gone to GSA as soon as possible to retain instructor skills & progress GS options.
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Thanks for the information! Iâm based in Trent Wing so unfortunately it looks unlikely 
RAF Syerston is the nearest, which for me (my mum )is a good hours drive or so. Would u say itâs worth handing the GS application form in to my CO?
I would hand in your form,
Whatâs the worst that can happen??
They say no, you donât have a space?
Remember in life if you donât ask, you donât get!
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Well, RAF Syerston is the home of 2FTS - as & when things start to pick up for ACO gliding, my guess is that they would probably be one of the first to start offering GS (under the ACO scheme).
Consequently, itâs probably worth submitting the application - even if it is only to get a place in the queue!
If you put your sqn post code into the GSA search, see how far away the nearest civilian club is. If it within say 30 - 45 mins drive, ask your sqn aerospace officer to see if this GSA location would be able to help your sqn out with any discounted youth gliding; note that as per my earlier answer, this would be ânon-ACO flyingâ so requires a formal process to get this all arranged. However, although it takes time to set up, I think itâs very worth while doing in order to enhance the flying opportunities available to cadets.
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Or take your uniform off, and go along to the nearest BGA gliding club (Google it). (Put some other clothes on first.) Ask what you can do to get cheap gliding. Some BGA clubs have very active youth âscenesâ; some donât, so worth asking around. Just bear in mind this is at your own/your parentsâ risk i.e. no MOD insurance; but club membership should include insurance. Again, ask.
I know there will be ACO gliding âsoonâ; and no doubt some will feel you should wait for this. But meanwhile you will get too old and have too much else on, and never get round to it.
Very true, but as we wanted to sponsor some of the costs, so that all could afford to have a go, we went down the âplease Sir, can we go glidingâ route.
All in place to resurrect for late Spring 2017 & try to get even more gliding.
As parents you take a risk whenever your kids do something and by paying the appropriate fee as long as you do what they tell you and an injury is sustained, then you would claim against the providerâs insurance if you so desired, especially if you felt that they were at fault. So whether itâs a trip to an activity centre or something in the ATC, youâve paid your fee and expect cover. Parents as I said accept this as being the norm. Schools would stop doing everything if parents were too âfussyâ.
I think the âno MoD insuranceâ and other guff has been over played to actively stop (notwithstanding hurried through policy/amendments) squadrons seeking solutions to provide gliding to cadets and it shameful that HQAC/MoD didnât actually do something positive with the BGA, because of a fear of losing a considerable fleet of aircraft linked to the RAFâs inventory and associated jobs that go with it from a Gp Capt all the way down. Losing aircraft off a flying military forceâs inventory, regardless of type, weakens its position as a stand alone force.
âI know there will be ACO gliding soonâ, is based more on hope than fact. I stopped telling cadets there would be gliding soon 18 months ago and unless we get something that says categorically that it is starting like a email saying we have a detail, Iâm not saying a word about it.
MikeJenvey I appreciate you deal with MUCH poorer cadets than me, but the cost of winch launches is very reasonable especially with âcadetâ membership at BGA clubs (they use the term as well). One of my cadets is a keen BGA member and his club (in Scotland) has a very active youth gliding group.
On the downside: they run summer camps like us, but where the cadets can fly multiple times per day. So, this chap has never been on RAF summer camp. That speaks volumes about the desirability of one vs the otherâŚ
Yep - & maybe poorer staff too!
There is also the consideration of âteamâ involvement & enjoyment, rather than just one or 2 cadets taking part as & when they can. From the logistics point of view, itâs much easier to take a mini-bus load across the the gliding site than multiple mum/dad âtaxIâ trips (even if car sharing). Very much worth any sponsorship or funding from the sqn.
Fij
Just apply for a civilian scholarship whether itâs powered or gliding, you only have to search online. There are loads out there, many that are far easier to get than you think. If you want to get somewhere in aviation right now itâs best to stop relying on the ATC, youâll be waiting a long frustrating time with a few trips in a tutor and for the lucky few a trip to Dundee to do a solo power scholarship. I waited like yourself too for a while dreaming of a GS, but I took a scholarship in civvie street, left the ATC and a few years later I now work as a Gliding Instructor. Had I waited Iâd still probably been waiting for a trip on a glorified flight simulator and maybe a trip in a real glider!
Best of luck.
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Thank a lot. This has really made me think and iâm considering all the possibilities .
Thanks every one for helping me out!!