2FTS Aerospace Experience Survey

Since 1st Jan 2019, 9 of my cadets of a Sqn of 40 have flown anything. 7 Tutor flights, 4 Viking.

How is that a good service?

Selling the silly little aircraft, buying some grand caravans and massively expanding parachuting & paragliding. #justsaying #morerealflyingforall

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#fallingisntflying :joy:

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If that was the minimum standard needed, how to we get away with chucking cadets in the back on service aircraft, with none of that?

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Tell these people that…

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You know that optimism I had before lunch… Reading through this, and the thought that @Drainingtheswamp is likely giving an insight into what is to come next… Yup, that optimism has just evaporated.

Less flying on the cards. Great.

Also, survey seems to be a little late - maybe the data will just be skewed to support a decision that has already been made as we’ve seen that happen before.

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I particularly like this bit where you’re blaming the volunteers for the lack of flying…

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Is that the Gold badge course? :wink:

Cool video!

does it need to be?

given the (long) list of what an AEF achieves over a typical civilian club how much “safer” realistically are AEFs than the a typical CAA approved training school?

in my time as a CFAV three Cadets have died as a result of mid air collisions in AEF aircraft (Tutors), there has been a couple of propeller/hub instances forcing a grounding

Does “on site medical cover” make the AEF more “safe”? and does it help when an aircraft “goes down” 15 miles away from base?

Have the ground training rigs proven their worth? Ie is this just another hoop to jump through or is this a knee jerk “fix” to a problem with no evidence it helps?
Have parachutes ever been successfully deployed from a Tutor? (the 6 people in the two incidents where three Cadets died didn’t use them) - what is the lowest safe altitude for these parachutes to operate effectively?
Given Tutors fly at ~2000ft, and upon an incident could loose 500ft, and take another 500ft to make the decision to abandon the aircraft, the aircraft is already down at 1000ft before anyone has abandoned the aircraft…

Does the “enhanced medical screening” prove anything?
Example: AAIB Report "

Contributory factors
1. The Tutor pilot’s medical condition, Ankylosing Spondylitis, limited his ability to conduct an effective look-out."

I am not suggesting CAA approved schools are untouchable (although no examples come to my mind) but with all of what you suggest demonstrating the equivalence cannot be demonstrated - it hardly is a ringing endorsement these changes make any real difference…

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You lucky, lucky …

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Does anyone ask cadets before coming up with any plans above a Sqn level?

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I’ve not hidden where I work previously on this forum, We have integrated PilotAware, displayed on Moving Map (Skydemon) - This shows us other A/C as well as approaching confines of controlled airspace.

Furthermore, tell me, how does a Traffic Service (big picture) assist in a learning environment (at PPL Level its enough of a distraction to Joe Bloggs whilst teaching them effects of control/ Climbing/Descending/Turning/PFLs etc that a Traffic Service is more of a Nuisance) TBH it also stops the student from performing a decent lookout, thus an over-reliance on ATC - not great when operating somewhere where there isn’t the option for a Traffic Service.

But I digress as we’re not talking about PPL Students - we’re talking about little Johnny - who again if its their first flight will be so overwhelmed with everything that’s going on - are you telling me they’re not getting distracted by the R/T instead of assisting the pilot with (again) a visual lookout.

No, but again its not necessary at the vast majority of GA airfields - why do I need a Ground frequency to cross the grass manoeuvring area to the runway? I have eyes!

On site medical cover - most GA airfields have just about as much medical as we do at any VGS - now I know I’m including VGS in a discussion about AEF, but I feel it is one and the same if we can go to a VGS that doesn’t have an onsite hospital, why can’t we use a GA airfield - The majority have RFFS to a level that would easily put out any major GA fire (considering where I work there are PC-12s and various larger helicopter’s operating).

Furthermore onsite medical facilities don’t really help when you’re operating in a local training area - so during a flight you’re still relying on the NHS Ambulance service unless something were to go drastically wrong during Take-Off/Landing.

5 point harnesses - parachutes - crash resistant seats - again, all sounds great, but the vast majority of GA aircraft don’t have this - most ‘failures’ are vastly survivable - any that aren’t I’m sure a parachute a) wouldn’t have helped/ time to fully deploy (yes I have a skydiving license) from whichever Altitude the cord is pulled b) would little Johnny actually have the capacity to pull the cord and pull off a ‘landing’ that didn’t leave himself/herself severely incapacitated.

No but if a Class 1 Medical “Annually or 6 months if you’re lucky enough to still be flying >60yrs” is good enough for commerical airliners I’d be more than happy for my son/daughter to fly with Instructor X.

Yes, Company FI Standards Checks & FI Renewals/Revalidations with a CAA Examiner as applicable.

I think based on facts/figures (based on the number of training flights/schools) that occur, compared to the number of incidents - it is quite obviously demonstrated as ‘safe’

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Which one is it then? The more chances to fly in a glorified taxi, or quality time with a pilot learning about effects of controls and airmanship?

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Yep. Our plans are made based on what cadets have liked in the past or asked for.

@Drainingtheswamp you are John Middleton and I claim my five pounds

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Nah, clearly the VGS bloke that told me I’m an idiot for going to BGA instead of becoming a FSC.

Not at all but fact is thousands of sorties are not being used every year due to messed up allocations, no shows and no reallocation of unwanted places.

I think this is a candidate for some hard data. How many places are lost due to the factors you cite, along with how many opportunites are lost due to other factors - no ATC cover, no pilots, last minute cancellations, etc. etc.

Anything but hard data is just claims.

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Formal source / link please.

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You can add “no viable hangar space” to that list.

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