Unlike the AEF, VGS staff can’t claim VA for normal flying attendances (so don’t claim for any weekends etc). It’s volunteering in the same way as a normal ATC sqn is.
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So are you saying that all CFAVs shouldn’t get VA because one element of the winged wonders doesn’t 
If they do that twice per month, that’s probably equitable to running a sqn two nights a week, give or take.
Makes sense that might fall under “core volunteering”.
But also, you’re getting to fly, so…
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No - Lamplighter is suggesting that we cannot claim VA for our “usual duty” on a parade night, this is our bread & butter commitment.
for the VGS staff, their weekend commmitment is their “usual duty” and bread and butter of what they do and thus not eligible for VA while the CFAVs who escort their cadets can claim it as it is “above and beyond” their “standard” commitment
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By this argument I would be questioning why AEF volunteers get VA then 
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Exactly this!
Are not AEF staff RAFR not CFC?
They are still VR(T)
Must admit, i genuinely did not know that AEF get paid VA for normal flying days.
Thats rediculous.
Its their standard volunteer role just as ours is parade nights.
Theres your VA saving, right there.
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All uniformed CFAV are entitled to claim VA as it stands. Some don’t, some claim some and some claim all their allowance.
I have no issue with individuals claiming what they’re entitled to. HQ are happy to return claims if they don’t believe an individual is entitled.
We need to be careful about singling out particular groups of CFAV. The comparison between VGS and AEF staff is an interesting one but the important thing is the value of getting cadets into the air. What value do we put on that? If we take VA away from AEF staff, fewer cadets will fly…
Personally I would be happy to continue what I do as a CFAV without VA, but as we know others would not.
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For some insight into why I don’t claim much VA. I used to claim the full VA allowance but this has significantly dipped over time. As a younger Plt Off/Fg Off ~10-15 years ago, I used to claim around 28-35 VA days as I had the freedom to do so.
When I became an OC Sqn/Wing SME, I was still doing just as much volunteering but claiming less VA. This was because my available time was either diverted to picking up the additional admin involved in both roles or because I ended up attending a larger proportion of local community events that were not eligible for VA. I also started to pick up additional responsibilities in my professional career. I still claimed around 15-20 VA days.
Following COVID, becoming a dad, a further promotion, and more recently a WSO (still OC Sqn). I don’t do nearly as much that qualifies for VA. I still get the weekly volunteering hours in (on and off sqn) but my availability hasn’t been allowing me to do full weekend days. I pop out to events for a couple hours where time allows but nothing claimable. I’ve claimed 1-2 VA days this year, and maybe 5 last year. I would completely burn out otherwise.
The worst bit for me, is I plain cannot be bothered to fill in F1771s and haven’t done for the last 18 months because it is just so much more effort than the 6-month HTD I could do when established on sqn as primary location.
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The roadmap for the digital team is available on SharePoint and linked in the latest weekly update. It looks like the digitisation of the 1771 process using the Volunteer Portal is on next quarter’s sprint cycle.
Hopefully this means we have a user-friendly system in place by April.
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So ive finally had chance to watch it and my thoughts:
Overal impressed with this level of comms.
Providing detailed rationale behind hard communications is something this organisation has lacked for years and years.
Do it again. This type of thing quarterly, especially during 2024 with strategic updates on the review.
Only thing i would feedback is this should have been sooner after or even better before the announcement to prevent the social media rumour mill.
Im certainly looking forward to seeing what 2025 brings
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Not just what we do - but how much it costs me to do what I do. If my VA goes, then I would expect NOT to have to pay to go on camp, I wouldn’t be happy paying for my mess bill or my meals, or my stamps to send pointless paper to WHQ. This will unfortunately pass these bills onto the cadets - so we will see costs of camps increasing. We will become more like school trips, where the teachers don’t pay to go and the costs of having teachers there is levied onto the pupils who attend. So for an 8 day camp, 1 staff member is looking at approx £15 per day (meals, mess bill) so that’s £120 for the week. x 9 staff (for 40 cadets) 1,080 or an additional £27 per cadet. That takes the camp cost to around £90 - £100 per cadet, and out of reach of some of our low incomes families, especially where there are siblings.
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What RAF Hilton are you going that costs £15 a day!? Get your Civ Com to allow a small sundries fund for stamps/postage.
But that is then spending non public funds ie cadets’ money on admin. We do too much of that already with the cost of PCs, printers, broadband etc
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That’s literally what it’s for. Daily running costs. Postage is part of that…
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Probably negligible on the £1000s sat in the bank and the interest being gained, neither of which being spent on them. Apart from DBS forms, scan and e-mail any replies.
£1.50 mess subs
£3.50 Breakfast
£3.50 Lunch
£4.50 Evening Meal
~ £15
Soon adds up
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True. But I don’t mind covering the odd bit of postage, and I print quite a lot stuff at home for courses, on the basis that I will get VA for them.
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