How much of a crossroads is the ACO at?
In terms of its USPs the grounding of the gliders with no real timeframe for a return. Flying isn’t quite what it was, especially for those serviced by 5 AEF.
Add into this shooting being a protracted route to get into let along deliver and new rules around FMS, what you can do easlly to keep the cadets engaged is limited largely to AT and only then if someone has the NGB ticket or you go through a provider and get all the required admin.
I do especially feel how the organisation comes out of the gilding debacle, will dictate how it goes forward over the next 20 to 30 years, of course notwithstanding what happens in the general UK defence world. If our senior management get it wrong and thus far they haven’t exactly covered themselves in glory, there is a strong possibility that the ACO will diminish. We rely on word of mouth and despite other activities we do, the one thing prospective cadets ask about is flying, I’ve never had one ask about anything else we do. They only find out about them later on.
Once the gliders are fully operational I do most sincerely hope that there is no patting on the back and job well done comments, as the one thing that it isn’t is a job well done by any stretch of the imagination. As has been said OC 2FTS has to be lucky he’s in charge of this where he can keep fobbing people off with half-baked excuses and not something that is in a competitive marketplace.
Since the last Tutor grounding and since the move to Wittering, 5 AEF haven’t been able to fully deliver for various reasons and now it doesn’t seem likely until September at the earliest, bar some potential slots in the school Summer holidays. If they didn’t know this was going to happen beforehand it does show yet again that project management is not a strong suit. One of the questions when looking the move from Wyton to Wittering should have been … is there anything that will prevent full scale delivery of cadet flying, but it seems it wasn’t asked or was and the answer ignored. Don’t know about other AEFs in terms of full scale delivery.
WRT gliding, if some of the stories I’ve heard from those closer to it are true, there is going to be a shortage of instructors; as a number aren’t looking to come back, or may consider it once the ACO has got it sorted out and some told they are no longer ‘on the books’ as they haven’t gone to sit around for weekends doing “admin”. This doesn’t include the effect of reacquiring currency and flying skills. You can have all the gliders in the world, but they are display items if there is no one to fly them. Then looking to the future, we have had year with no GIC, where cadets get to learn about gliding and assessed for GS aptitude and none (or very few) passing GS which spawn the future instructors and even for those able to have passed a GS in the last 12 months to then become Staff Cadets on a VGS, for continued learning and extension of flying skills etc. The immediate and medium term when gliding gets started again doesn’t look particularly bright and as for the longer term, only time will tell.
Reading MJs comment from the gliding thread
[quote]We had a provisional plan, with approximate (very reasonable) costings, for a VGS pilot to be checked out at a local gliding centre & then take cadets up.
Wallop, along came the provisions of the ACTO, thou shalt not organise any flying anywhere else, & killed off the plan [/quote]
It seems that the idea of using civilian gliding clubs had been considered quite seriously and then for some reason known only to HQAC / MoD quashed through diktat. It beggar’s belief that people who are or have been in the RAF and those that are now in a youth organisation that has flying at it’s core and makes a lot of noise about the benefits of gilding, allow what are surely only administrative issues to prevent it happening and or using the military vs civilian argument as a smoke-screen. The only military angle is the RAF through contracts manage/service our gliders. I feel sure any VGS instructor could get into a club glider and fly it.
It is even more irritating when at squadron level we have had to constantly pass bad news with little or no good news for what seems like the last 4-5 years. How many more parade notices will start with ‘unfortunately ….’. I have found it hard to look cadets in the eye when I pass these on, as I feel they have been and are being quite seriously short-changed, by events that are out of my control.
Worry beads – cadet and staff numbers dropping, I suggest they get their thinking heads on Aunt Sally, but given the drop in provision and the administrative burden it shouldn’t take too much thinking about. I do feel we must have people in the top jobs taking a bloody hard look at what we actually need as an organisation and start earning rather than just collecting money each month. We tell cadets through leadership and NCO courses they need to show initiative and similarly staff, yet those up the tree show little or no initiative, innovative thinking or risk taking. At work we feel we are still in jobs because we have done all of these over the last 7/8 years. We could have sat back and carried on doing what we do and do well. But we decided to take a risk and branch out and extend our service. Now we, despite a few hiccoughs along the way, feel we are in a stronger position than we feel we would have been had we just kept ticking along.
