We had 12 flights in the whole of 2019, doubt we had much more than that in 2018.
Sad how the current arrangements can be summed up by the fact that I, as a CI, know more about the PTS syllabus, than those at AEF’s, who are supposed to deliver it. Prove me wrong!
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It’s actually 10 cadets max a day, max 4 in a wave. 10 is grim though.
That’s because it’s your job to know it. It’s the pilot’s job to go up tiddly up up, and down tiddly down down, whilst hopefully flying around, looping the loop and defying the ground…
Not boring the pants of little Jonny by describing the purpose of a trimming tab, then demonstrating it.
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Sorry my bad… I was posting without recently read the reply… (corrected)
But as I said full days are tiring - God know I do my best to get out of trial lessons 
So, blue wings should be awarded for a cadet’s first ‘looping the loop’. Bronze wings for a second ‘looping the loop’. Silver wings for a third…you get my point.
Or, better still, actually teach them something, so that by the time they get to Tayside they don’t embarrass themselves, they go solo in the allocated time and taxpayers money isn’t wasted?
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Thinking about it on a purely theoretical level… What use is a flying scholarship?
Let’s say, for example, two cadets are fortunate enough to join the RAF as pilots. One did a flying schol, one didn’t.
Both will get taught EFT on the basis of no prior knowledge.
So what difference does it really make if they know it or not…?
The whole point of AEF is to whet our young peoples appetites. Show them how exhilarating military flying can be. Make them want to sign up tomorrow as a baby pilot. That’s all.
We don’t offer any further training on the tutor, like we do on the glider. It’s basically a showpiece for the RAF, and aviation in general. It’s not a tool for teaching, and it’s pointless to pretend otherwise.
The gliders, on the other hand, offer the chance to train up to and beyond solo standard, so I can see the logic of a PTS (even if I think the ground school is gash, and should be dropped).
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Apart from they go up at 13 years old, for a flash in the pan 20 mins, it’s exciting, they have a great time but can you remember being 13?
Would they really remember 12 months later what they were told on flight 1. No chance. It’s not long enough for meaningful training. It’s not long enough for the cadet to remember other than “that was great!”
AEF is not a suitable vehicle for anything other than air experience.
You’re asking for too much of the squadron, the cadet and the AEF pilot in an instance like this.
It is called AEF: Air Experience Flight
Not an air training flight, or an instructional flight.
This circles nicely back round doesn’t it:
Powered flying I think the expectation of a flight a year, of 20 mins, for experience, is reasonable.
Silver / gold scholarships should be coming from VGS.
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Maybe offering less Scholarships but to PPL standard would be a better bet?
Powered flying to PPL standard is expensive.
Indeed, but if we want the Scholarships to be “of use” could the money not be better spent giving the very few a full scholarship?
Yes. And they should give an experience of the effects of the controls, turning, effects of controls part 2, NAVEX etc.
Not give an experience of what a cadet has done on their previous flight(s).
“I know you did a loop on your last flight, but we’ll do another this flight. That should be a bit different!”
Sorry, but I did several loops as a cadet, and as a PPL I recently went up in a mates RV for 40 mins of loops…
Loops do not get old.
As a cadet, with limited exposure, on a 20 minute flight, if they turn down loops for feeling what a balanced turn feels like then I’ll be.
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Anything coming from the VGS’s would be a good starting point!
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More the point; to experience Aeros on civvies street costs a fortune!
Go for Aeros at aef - plus think of the recruitment on Monday morning school;
“Get up to much this weekend?”
“Flew a loop and a barrel roll…”
Sign up here…
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Way back did make a difference - my scholarship was 30 hrs of which 10 were solo and then post IOT I went straight to long course JPs and missed the EFTS stage…
…but then we offered scholarships at clubs all over the country - great 4 weeks away and worth missing annual camp
I’ve commented on a different thread that this is a good idea. But there aren’t staff at an AEF to do this. It’s often one person on the ground supervising (As in legal supervision of the flying operation) if you want an extra pilot brought in to do a ground role that’s a pilot short on another weekend. There is only the establishment for so many pilots (pilots cost money to train/check and kit) AEF’s aren’t flush with non flying volunteers and those we have are kept busy doing the safety briefings and strapping in.
If you feel like offering to give your weekends to do a ground role at an AEF please contact your local one!
Quite right, the official limit is 10 but as I’m sure you know it’s not really practical to achieve with mandatory breaks and refuelling.
equally, perhaps AEF’s should put the call out that they would like some “secondary duty” CFAV to deliver ground school/concurrent activity?
I would think the role would need designing first and then staff could be recruited to fill it.
If it was done right I’m sure there would be plenty of volunteers, potentially even Flight Staff Cadets?
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