ACPS Cancelled: another kick in the teeth

Might hit this up when I’m at Thetford in Oct

https://www.virtual-aerospace.com/product/worlds-only-vulcan-bomber-flight-experience/

Expensive, but novelty.

Actually £120 per hour for dry hire (bring your own instructor) is not a bad rate for a certified FNPT MCC machine. I wonder who they would allow to act as instructor on a dry hire? If they will accept somebody who is current FI(A) and formerly B737 type rated I might be able to help out.

From the Tayside Facebook page;

We’ve just welcomed back the Royal Air Force Air Cadets last week for their Air Cadet Pilot Scheme.
Huge congratulations to Megan Granville (left) of 230 Squadron on being our first post COVID solo! Great effort.

Not heard anything from HQAC about this.

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I’d heard from RC SNI this week that ACPS had started again, but didn’t know it had been going quite long enough to get to solo level.

I was there 4 days before my solo so might of been first week :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Speaking as an ex RAF A2 QFI, there is no way you can teach basic handling manoeuvres in a Sim. It just does NOT work and leads to all sorts of bad habits.

The PTT system bought by HQAC was a cynical attempt to cover up that Cadets are not being taught to fly.

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Agreed.

I believe (stuff I’ve been told by a in the loop CI) future flying syllabus is quite Sim/RC heavy

It’s a tragedy. I did my A & B BGA Qual with 637 GS at Little Rissington in 1979. For a 16 year old Cadet that was pretty awesome! THREE solos on the Kirby Cadet MkIII.

The following year I gained a Flying Scholarship - in those days it was 30 hrs of powered flying training. My Father paid for the extra 5 hrs such that I could gain my PPL.

When I did my Driving Test my Driving Instructor could not get his head around the fact I already had a PPL but not a car licence.

I an utterly convinced that my Cadet career led to me gaining a University Cadetship with the RAF, accelerated promotion within the Air Force, and just ove 6500 Military flying hours.

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Restarted on a small, trial basis on 31 May, so a first week solo is plausible.

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Ah! But did you do your three solo’s in THREE different TMkIII’s?

637 at RAF Gaydon in Nov\Dec 1976. My first solo and coming into land on 9000ft of runway and I found the only traffic cone on it.

Crunch.

Second solo - a different MkIII. Coming in to land and the skid broke (it wasn’t a heavy landing - it was worn!).

Third solo and OC637 told me not to break this glider or I’d put him out of business. I didn’t. Perfect solo but I think he was glad to issue me my wings and see the back of me…

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637 had not long moved to Rissi from Gaydon and we were accomodated under canvas at Brize.

I forget whether all the solos were in a single glider or not - I’d have to dig my logbook out.

I do remember the CFI shouting at one cadet: “Not at the bxxxxx CADF!”. Said cadet was aiming directly at the becon on his landing run!

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Similar, early / mid 1970’s.

Gliding Scholarship (Swanton Morley), then Flying Scholarship, ma & pa paid for the extra 5 hrs = PPL.

Due to a variety of circumstances, I passed my RAF advanced pilot trg first (brevet award), then passed my motorbike test, & a couple of days later, my driving test!

Yep, undoubtedly helped for RAF selection & subsequent pilot career.

Oh, from a Cranditz QFI, their guess is not much happening with the Tutor until at least Sep. :frowning:

Enough time to expedite its replacement then :smirk:

My understanding is we’ll be lucky to see any Tutor flying before next year… in truth I don’t think anyone really knows when they’ll be back.

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It’s going to be the gliding pause all over again

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Followed by binning a whole load of airframes as unsafe, only for a cheap sale to a dealer that will have them airworthy and on sale with a ludicrous mark up.

History repeating itself before our eyes?

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Then buying a few Pa28s that can fit 3 cadets and 1 instructor in and calling each 20 min sortie AEF for all 3

In fairness… for some cadets that would be enough.

Only problem…
No easy parachute or inflight egress from a PA28. Not from rear seats anyhow

Isn’t the tutor fleet due to be replaced anyway?

I’d imaging there isn’t really an appetite to maintain our Tutors now the real airforce has moved on to Prefects.