Inspired by our shiny new Strategy document - of which I have seen nothing - I wondered, what would the massed ranks of ACC realistically like to see in our 5 year strategy??
Would do you - on the coal face - deem our priorities? What time spans would you put on things, and how would you affect the change?
Interested to see how it could differ from what HGAC deem their priorities for us…
I think what would be an easy thing to do and something which will help the RAFAC a lot is more integration between atc and CCF
I think a key aspect is actually put the air back into air cadets with increased flying opportunities by what ever source that is
Lock half a dozen really switched on people from 2FTS, the engineering contractor, the regulator, and the civil gliding world in a room until they come to a decision over what direction of flying/gliding provision should take, and then pile resources into that direction.
If it doesn’t produce massive results in 2 years chin it off completely and spend the whole ACO’s flying budget on minibuses.
It’s been done already, with less people than that - but then the wind direction changed… 
Waste of time, all they’d come up with is carry on with the current mess and slide back under their respective rocks.
They haven’t got an idea so sack every single one of them. There are plenty of shelves that need stacking or things to be picked in Amazon warehouses.
Minibuses need people to drive them or they become an expensive ornament, as one of the nearby sqns has discovered recently.
For our vision; able to source local flying and gliding opportunities if you are more than an hour from an AEF or VGS, without any hinderance.
Minibuses need people to drive them, as one of the nearby sqns has dixcovered recently.
RAFAC to become a bona fide Home Office registered civilian firearms club. Staff could then join as members, thus satisfying club membership requirements.
Any LPW’s could, with appropriate paperwork / weapons chest etc, be held legally by Staff, and brought to Squadron ranges for shooting. This would restart shooting at a local level in the organisation, and likely give Cadets and Staff access to a rifle far superior to the L114.
Appreciate the process has been simplified and truncated for this post, but it’s a way to get us shooting again.
From what I’ve heard there are hitherto undiscovered tribes deep in the Amazon who have access to weapons far superior to the L144.
An investment in camps, and greater work with the RAF to secure more time on stations.
I had a dream that once we had weapons fit for purpose and good access to them along with ammunition and facilities, all local to Sqns.
Crazy talk.
I first saw this and started plotting in my head improvements I would like to see HQAC make…but realised that would be too aspirational.
The trouble with a strategy it has as much belief and clout as a political party manifesto…there will always be excuses why X, Y or Z has not been achieved. So what would like to see - make the strategy actually realistic.
20k hours flown per year was achieved by the VGS fleet prior to the pause, what is the view on this figure for the next 5 years – will it go up or down?
If it is going up – tell us how (with limited pilots and aircraft will other routes be considered?)
If it is going down – tell us why. (the rollout has been slower than expected, aircraft are not serviceable…?)
Indicate where those hours are going, ie GIC, GS or Staff training. And from there offer a ratio of GIC/GS hours:cadets = ie in a communist world how many hours would every Cadet get if every planned flying hour was achieved and shared equally.
Likewise the same for flying hours, and also for camp places, (be that national RAFAC camps or “traditional” annual camps)
And use these figures to indicate how they are spread across the population and then offer an example of what an “average Cadet” can hope to achieve;
with the X number of flying hours, and Y number of gliding hours, Z camp places, the “average Cadet” should be able to achieve in two years, (as an example) 1x 20 minutes AEF flight, 5x 20mins VGS flight, 1 place on a national or annual camp.
These are elements that RAFAC have real control and/or influence over. The rest by and large is subject to CFAV availability. (I accept camps will only happen by CFAV staffing them, but make the opportunities happen and programmes worthwhile (service engagement*) and there becomes a draw to attend.
Shooting, Adventure Training, Classification and PTS, fieldcraft are all elements that RAFAC does not provide for, ie although training material and infrastructure (classrooms/ranges/MT) are provided by the MOD, these topics are delivered by the CFAV. Other than a few specialist national camps (shooting, aerospace etc – which come with a prerequisite that CFAVs have delivered A or B with C) much of the Cadet experience is provided by the CFAV.
As such a HQAC strategy on first aid, or leadership, or fieldcraft are not areas which is actually see a benefit for the Cadet unless/until there are CFAVs willing to run with that idea or scheme.
The Space topic/project/subject is a perfect example. Big announcement, yet no substance and it is all on the CFAV to sort the fall out.
*we’re the RAFAC but have very little connection with the “real” RAF – ie those on the ground (SIs aside) – not only should more camp places be made available but more HQAC involvement in creating the programme with the hosting Station Commander, rather than left to a junior Airman ACLO, or whatever the Camp-Com can wangle out of each section on the station after delivering a packet of hobnobs.
Personally, I would want to see two things:
1, Strategy of how to increase the Non-Public funds that the RAFAC has at it’s disposal, and then a plan for how to use those funds at a grassroots level.
2, Linking in to 1, a plan of how to support delivery of the “Cadet Experience” at the grassroots level i.e. what support do CFAV’s, and squadrons, really need?
Essentially the bulk of non-public funds come from subs and the bit we give to HQAC etc is essentially like a tax. Therefore if you want it put to better use at grassroots, don’t take it away in the first place. Personally I feel that HQAC, Regions and Wings should be finding their own non-public funds through their contacts and efforts to enhance the cadet experience and allow squadrons to have all the subs money they collect.
Sure, one way of doing it, but potentially only a limited difference.
Basically all membership organizations pay some sort of dues higher up the chain and many organizations seem to help the grassroots level with greater success, in my opinion, than the RAFAC.
The onus should be on Wings up to raise their own money for big projects, like squadrons have to. We as sqns have had no assistance whatsoever to purchase IT and AT kit and SOVs to name a few things which have enhanced the cadet experience for decades, that have all come from non-public funds and taken a lot of bloody hard work in terms of getting out there and grants. Think about IT alone sqns were told effectively they had to have the equipment to allow HQACs dream of an online system to work and many squadrons had to pay for phone lines to be put in and we’ve all had to pay for internet connections from day one, all from non=public funds. We had a couple of squadrons who relied on a mobile internet connections, until they managed to get IIRC Rotary and Lions donate to help cover the connection costs.
The question to ask is do all membership organisations have to do as much as we have to and still just give money away with no appreciable support.
So let our higher functions raise the money to up the grassroot cadet experience, with no handouts from us, as they’ve had it far too easy. Just think rather than meetings to come up with a strategy, they could be doing some real good for the cadets.
Why dont we follow the Sea Cadet route, and employ direct from the private sector a Business development manager at regional level, purely to go out and fundraise from business etc at the regional level, thus generating more non public money at regional level.
I’d like to see more support for struggling sqns in terms of resources and training. Sometimes the difference between 2 squadrons, although only minutes drive apart, can be staggering!
As said above, get the AIR back into Air Cadets, in any (safe) way possible.
Shooting back at a local level.
A national clearance to use local activity centres so that they can be booked if you were doing something and wanted a day of activities to keep cadets amused and needing no staff input.
I knew a lady who worked for the county council, she said there was a database of approved activity, transport and all manner of accommodation providers used mainly by the youth service, but anyone could use. Not beyond the wit of the various people in HQAC and RHQs to compile such a thing and build it into SMS activities
Oh yeah, I forgot the big ones…
Ditch the academic syllabus and focus the classification system on knowledge and skills that the cadets will/could use in their cadet careers and early adulthood - and go to one night a week instead of two…
