My Squadron is embarking on a huge challenge and statically cycling 11,866.3 miles… covering the distance it would take to cycle to each and every Squadron in the ACO. Please take a look at our Facebook page for our promotional video and sponsor us once our Fundraising Page is set up!!
That’s pretty impressive!
`Good evening,
In celebration of the 75th Anniversary, Comdt AC has set the challenge to all Cadets to compete in the 2016 Sports Challenge (SC). The SC offers an additional and unique opportunity to engage in a healthy competitive competition outside of the usual ATC activities. The SC will consist of 5 challenges (TBC) performed by cadets over the period of 6-19 Jul 16. Cadets will represent their Sqn by working as teams and individually to complete the challenges and post their scores. The results will be scored pro-rata to determine the winning Sqn, Wing & Region. Certificates will be awarded to the top Ten Sqn’s & Wg’s and the Top three Regions.
With the wide variation of organised activities on offer in celebration of the 75th Anniversary, the SC has been structured to enable: straightforward planning & coordinating, cost efficiency, fairness & equality across all Sqns and focusing on our primarily aims:
· Mass participation
· Fun for all
· Promote fitness
· Generate sponsorship
We look forward to all of you engaging in this event, further details outlining each challenge will follow in close time.
`
Why sport? Why not something to do with flying / flight?
I think I know why. The latter would mean HQAC doing something and putting things in place, as a result lots of work. This means the bulk of the work can be shifted to squadrons, putting more work on to staff who are already busy in their own lives / doing ATC stuff and probably like us already planning to do our own things. The great and the good then turn up all smiles (thinking thank God we thought of this) getting opportunities for here today gone tomorrow social media updates.
I wonder if this about senior types wanting to create ‘a legacy’? Every HoD we’ve had, has had this notion and it’s lasted until the next HoD came in, who in order to asecend the greasy pole wanted to create their own legacy. The legacy that would be good for the current CAC is securing the long term future of flying (both types) for cadets. Not empty nonsense like getting kids to do what they will percieve as PE.
Frankly if in my time as a member of staff if I have had a positive effect on one youngster who joins the Corps or given them one piece of advice or knowledge they have used, then I have achieved all I need to. I have achieved this many times over, if the comments I have had personally (and not as a sqn) have been genuine.
You do not need grandiose gestures which is all this is.
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Considering the “gliding pause” debacle, I would suggest the 75th Anniversary target should be to get ALL cadets airborne - doesn’t matter in what or how, gliding, AEF, RAF, civilian clubs, whatever. Suspend ACTO35 or at least allow dispensation to a more local level to facilitate this. Bump up allocations, prioritise accordingly.
Pie in the sky dream I know, but at least it would give a focus on something that is of extreme importance to the ACO.
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fill up a C-130/C-17 or even Atlas with a whole bunch of Cadets…what is it 100+ seats in one of those?
Voyager (i know of two trips in one in the last 6 months) that must hold 30 or more…??
it is a grand idea! and not infeasible with some thought…
If a voyager has 230 seats and there are 45000 cadets that is less than 195 flights.
That may sound a lot but there are 12 voyager, 8 C17s, 30 C130s plus 5 sqns of Chinooks and pumas, 32 sqn all of the helicopters at shadberry and finally the Tutors at AEFs and a slack handful of gliders so far fixed.
Would it be difficult to get all of the cadets or the corps flown?
Scenario to get my wing of 650 flown in a day
Chinook can carry 40 pax, 3 AC, each flight 15 minutes.
Get all cadets to Airfield, split into groups of 40 = 18 groups. In two hours the whole wing is flown.
in 34 days the whole of the corps can be flown in three Chinooks.
in the words of Jeremy Clarkson, How hard can it be?
Brilliant ideas, unfortunately far too much imagination, work and air focussed for the Deadloss House lads and ladies.
even if the specific suggestion is impractical because the RAF only works weekends - when cadets are available - when its providing airlift of exercises or operations (nothing wrong with that), the core idea, that we get every cadet airborne in the 75th year is a good one, and not outwith the wit of man.
however, if we focus our efforts on getting every cadet airborne does it not rather highlight the massive hole that the lack of ACO flying has created in the cadet experience? if you were one of the people charged with providing that cadet experience would you want to focus attention on a subject from which you don’t emerge with any credit whatsoever?
no, far easier to ‘celebrate’ the cadet experience with something cheap, easy (if you’re at HQAC…), and completely diverting from the inconvenient ‘Air’ bit of ‘Air Cadets’.
expect lots of thou shalt in future ‘briefings’, and a refusal to authorise other, much more interesting, activities during this period, after which HQAC will declare a mighty success for its brilliant idea of having everyone else organise a week long sports day.
utterly, utterly pathetic.
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actually yes! you’re quite right.
See the “gliding paused” thread for the 2012 flying and gliding review and on page 5 of the review the following can be found (para 11.a)
Making the effort on the 75th anniversary to do what already is being done is like getting every Cadet uniform that fits…it is (should be) the norm not the exception seen only on a special occasion…!
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One AEF flight per cadet per year? PMSL - I haven’t seen allocations near that for many years! Two slots for 4/5 cadets, of which one slot is usually cancelled…
my Sqn has cadet SNCO’s who have never flown with the ACO, i certainly doubt that 20% of the Sqn has ever flown with the ACO, and we’re probably talking about less than half a dozen (from 45 parading most nights) who’ve flown in the last year.
i’m struggling to think of an activity that we do less of than flying. we’ve got to a point where we can’t use official recruiting/publicity material because flying plays no more part of our annual cadet experience than winter mountaineering.
we simply can’t answer the question ‘so, how much flying do you do…?’
Many people here don’t realise the RAF actually have stuff to do which doesn’t involve flying cadets. Sometimes, they can, and it’s fab. But this isn’t everyday for various reasons which include pilot hours, maintenance, ops, and training.
I don’t think anyone one on here is under the impression that the RAF’s sole job is to fly cadets @Plt_Off_Prune, but more that as it is such a significant anniversary maybe that somebody up at HQAC could organise some flying related activities with any spare resources that the RAF have available. We are AIR Cadets after all and it would do some of the higher ups well to remember this once in a while.
Your idea makes more sense than others’
I’m new, maybe they’ll get worse with time served!
As the people effectively doing the work, it shouldn’t be us doing the work in order to celebrate this.
Where I work has had several anniversaries and for each one Head Office has organised things that we turn up to and enjoy. We have been asked for input and anecotes, but in essence we haven’t had to do the event organisaing.
What I see in this is as said above volunteer (and let that be the recurring word) staff are expected to put HQAC’s grandiose idea into something that happens. As a result it will be disjointed and messy as each Wing will no doubt set a date to do something which will mean us running around like blue bummed flies to do something that will be of no consequence and forgotten quicker than in the blink of an eye.
IMO HQAC more correctly the ACMB should be doing all the legwork and as said using their contacts and the supposed influence that CAC has in the corridors of power to get cadets in the air and not a load of stupid sports events that have no significance within the context of what the Air Cadets are about. If we were an athletics or some other sport oriented organisation then yes, but no as we aren’t an intrinsic sporting organisation.
The fact they have come up with this idea, ampliflies the sort of clueless individual(s) we have running the organisation. Who on earth would think 75 years of the AIR TRAINING CORPS and think that marking it with sport was the obvious choice? It would appear that Prune sees the obvious link that is eluding me and as it seems many others.
We’ve got a service planned for ATC Sunday, a series of displays at the locations the squadron has met over the years and a buffet/dance in mind for later in the year. Funnily enough not a sports day.
My wing is having a massed parade with the service in a cathedral for ATC Sunday opposed to the usual sectorised events, a re-run what we did for the 50th anniversary; sadly I’ll be away with work and not able to make it. I can’t see us having an airshow for this anniversary like we had for the 50th though!
There is so many things that can be getting done…
All it needs is a bit of input and cooperation from everyone…,
I suggested asking Brize Norton to arrange a flight for cadets in a voyager 1 flight per wing
Yes I know needs a bit of come and go but it’s feasible!
I am up for the sports thing if it’s an add on to our main activity of aviation!!
There are lots of nationally organised events, details or which are to be released at the start of 2016. Some of which are already out there due to the preparation required.
To those whiners, please find another thread. I’m interested in knowing what local units are doings for local press and PR. It’s a good chance to get inches in your local rag, perhaps get a few more cadets or staff. Or just have a bloody good time and let the cadets enjoy themselves.