my unit, pre-lockdown, had 1 (yes, one) female cdt!
1 Like
We have the same - Cambridge Gliding Centre is very close to us - & we used it only once under ACTO35 provisions before permissions were withdrawn. More cadets gliding in one day than the previous 5 yrs.
A couple of our cadets have solo’d there - it’s so frustrating to have an excellent facility that we cannot use for cadets under any kind of self-arrange basis.
7 Likes
I don’t think gender is the only diversity figure they’re going for, though…
agreed.
At my last unit, two Cadets ended up going privately to the local BGA site, paid for my parents rather than through the ATC it is a shame it occurred that way, and for me an embarrassment. I find it very hard to promote the ATC when what should be our “bread and butter” is such a flop.
We’ve had more Cadets march in Nijmegen and complete JL course (both niche topics, not open to all, and not something you see in promotional literature) than we have go flying - yet which activity is photographed on the front page of the website, or in the 80th Anniversary logo or front and centre of the Twitter and Facebook cover photos…?
8 Likes
Did anyone wake up this morning feeling angry about being conned into wasting 20 minutes of their life on this survey?
It’s quite clearly been drummed up by some thruster at 2FTS who is after a promotion. It’s only purpose is to act as a delaying tactic. They know the problem(s) already, they know the obvious, quick solution(s) already, but it’s a path they will never go down!
What differences will we see in the next 2/3 years? None. Pointless exercise.
6 Likes
We have more cadets in squadron with the civilian ‘C’ wings for gliding than we have cadets with RAFAC issued gliding wings.
That in simple terms, is both your problem and solution!
6 Likes
I’d be very for the solution being the RAFAC opening up VGS’s all over the place and pushing thousands of cadets through every month.
Sorry you can’t have any of what I’m taking as I seem to have taken it all in one go!
1 Like
I made the point about cadets being royally narked about traveling 4 hours to sit on a computer for half an hour. The AGS thing is a massive waste of effort.
“Why do you have problems filling slots?” Because schools don’t let anyone above year 9 have days off…
And why don’t you want to join an AEF, VGS, etc?.. Because I actually want to help people.
4 Likes
Completing that was cathartic.
4 Likes
One powered flying detail since Nov 2013 in Jul 2018 and no gliding since August 2013, survey didn’t go well. How many thousands of cadets have joined and left and never had that amazing experience that is a two seat aircraft? How many said ‘laters’ when flying and gliding stopped or became less and less? Where was HQAC when all this was happening? What were HQAC doing while this was happening? Sod all and making all sorts of lame excuses for not giving us a solution. New CAC or not, the damage has been done and will need a proper, accessible and deliverable flying experience with none of the ‘ground school’ simulator BS, established. When this has been delivering for 3 years and seen to be sustainable then we might be getting somewhere. But I imagine some headline, flash in the pan activity to placate the now when we need something that is set for the future. Unless we have an headquarters that can actually act independently on the area of flying/gliding provision, are they really worth the effort?
I think too much is made of all aspects of diversity, but then we’re part of the public sector. But we can’t recruit with any diversity slant. I never have and never will push activities to specific cadets on any basis other than where the criteria are set, be that age, gender, qualification or an ability. Outside of these it’s a free for all IMO.
I thought that the careers question was rubbish, we are not and never have been careers advisors, even in the heady days when we had a largeish RAF and if we were we would display too much bias. The armed forces are now too selective and if I’m honest the cadets don’t seem that interested. I can count on two hands how many have joined up in the last 30 years and of them 3 that have made it beyond 10 years. We did a trip with cadets to a local careers event 3 or 4 years ago. They weren’t in uniform but gravitated to the RAF stand. it was a waste of time. I watched as several kids with parents spoke to the Sgt Every time it came to availability of jobs, he was we’ve got x for this, y for that and z for the other and the numbers were extremely small no more than 4, then came the question what about in 2 or 3 years, don’t know was the stock reply, you’ll need to ask then. Which was absolutely pointless. One of his “chat up lines” was you have to be able to run this or do that and I can outrun many of the youngsters regardless of being over 50, overweight and a gammy leg. As a parent listening to that I wasn’t thinking ‘just the place and people for my children to work”. He didn’t present a good image of the RAF. Not once did he mention the basic training or trade training and potentially being binned at most points. It was all travel the world. I didn’t introduce myself as it was too much fun just earwigging.
I asked some of the people about apprenticeships and none of them had anything for 16 yo school leavers, which explains why cadets are so serious about their FE courses. Mess them up and job prospects become fewer. If we had to do careers advice I would be as we said to our kids, try and find a course and job doing something you are interested in and see where it takes you. We have 4 or 5 “engineering/trade” apprentices at work each year, who are now taken on at 18 for a 4 year apprenticeship. Why 18, no need for DBS etc, which would be a major cost for the firm, which I imagine is the same everywhere.
Unless we can offer 50% of all cadets a gliding day once per year, it’s pointless maintaining the VGSs.
Make a deal with the MOD. Sack off the VGSs, all money saved to go into provision of gliding via civi gliding.
Or at least allow Sqns to buy it’s own provision of gliding at civi clubs.
Its pathetic we cant.
Civi clubs have insurance. Cadets can sign waivers.
All we do is provide transport and arrange the opportunity.
Zero risk to RAFAC.
Just advertise it correctly as such, a trip to a 3rd party supplier.
If the worst happens. So be it. It’s no different to if there is a fire on a Sqn or something.
I just get this sinking feeling that HQAC and the DDHs have never felt happier than now as the ‘risk’ during covid has never been so low.
We are not ‘Venture Adventure’ anymore.
Just ‘mitigate and deteriorate’.
3 Likes
Exactly the same. We had a local club who bent over backwards to help us, we bought 4 junior memberships with them and had plans to go every 2 weeks. They gave us dedicated instructors and agreed a programme of experience and then “scholarship”. I took 8 cadets in 1 day and they got more air time than any had before or since.
I told 2 FTS of my plans to go back and gave them the date, and heard nothing. 2 days before when I confirmed the names of those attending as required, they told me I couldn’t go and permission wasn’t given. No further explanation. The absolute arrogance and incompetence of not bothering to tell me beforehand was staggering, and I won’t lie I was pretty rude to the SO2 I was dealing with at the time.
5 Likes
I remember one Wing Training Day the Wg Cdr standing in front of us the year after the Super VGS were announced and said something along the lines of
“yes we have lost our local VGS, and we’re waiting for the new VGS to come online, but bare in mind this will not be a speedy process nor should you expect an immediate flood of gliding slots.
if 100% of the aircraft are 100% serviceable, and there are 100% of flying days (ie not influenced by weather) and there is 100% pilot cover to allow for every flying day to be 100% efficient the best the VGS will be able to achieve is 50% of what we saw before”
That said it all really…
given the number of times we have all had pilot shortages, aircraft unserviceable, or weather issues influencing our flying/gliding slots it it was clear the “super VGS” was only going to achieve what the previous VGSs could but to a wider catchment…
I think it is probably the same SO2 that I correspond with. From last year:
I shall be candid, the easiest option would be for the RAF to continue to restrict all non-service flights…however, 22 Gp and 2 FTS have elected to continue to explore the subject. I’m confident that we will have a workable solution at some point, however, I’m unable to say when.
1 Like
The irony in all this is we are constantly reminded of the reputational risk the RAF has if there is an accident with a private provider, but they have forgotten the reputational risk of lying to your members and stopping them from doing the activity they join to do…
7 Likes
This a million times
Not a single pound of public money will be going to an outside provider. As soon as a single pound of public money is paid, the risk is owned by the MOD.
The ability to make local contracts will be delegated to civ comms with locally raised funding. It will be made clear that civ comms will be personally liable for the risk.
Is that “inside knowledge” please? In other words, the 2FTS formal proposed solution?
That’s nonsense.
In your scenario civ Comms would just be paying for a service from a fully insured and licenced 3rd party. The activity risk is with the provider.
If the worst happens, it’s on them.
Reputational wise, if the worst happens and the gliding took place in an authorised manner, that risk would be on HQAC.
Furthermore, civ coms arent currently personally liable if we pay for and take cadets swimming. If someone dies no one from the civ com is liable as long as the activity went ahead iaw all rules and regs. This would be no different.
2 Likes
Sounds more like total garbage to me.
1 Like