Its been a while, here are some delibertately controversial musings on the flying ‘syllabi’ in the Royal Air Force Air Cadets.
The new ‘Flying Operations’ module of First Class is a breath of fresh air and builds on the progress made by the SW Rgn Trg Off in their 2020 re-design of the old material (the old bright-yellow-against-pastel-blue slides of the original airmanship were so illegible on projectors that it made my head hurt.) This course also has an associated qualification, ‘Blue ATP Ground School’; I guess we are supposed to add this qualification to cadets once they complete the course.
Synthetic training that we might deliver on squadrons is also a sensible approach. Those who look to buy flight simulators should make sure they engage with their cadets and younger staff (these kids will know a lot more about the best and cheapest than old dusty squabbling leaders at wing level).
One of our wing staff officers managed to spend a six-figure grant with a computer gaming company for about six or eight bespoke portable VR flight simulators built on 2006 software (soon to be unsupported) that renders the world as autogenerated farmland — nigh useless for practical navigation without spending more money on scenery packs. 
For comparison, modern appropriate software and equipment can be sourced below £1300 per unit (roughly 10% the cost and more capable than our wing managed to blow the grant on.)
This money could have (and should have) equipped each squadron in the wing with about three or four simulators perfect for synthetic and realistic flight training. See the image comparison below between the wing purchase and what we could have won with a bit of openness and SME engagement:
And that’s about it; if cadets want the Bronze or higher badges, they need a scholarship or a ‘RAFAC approved service provider for Private Pilot’s License (PPL)’, whoever they are (assuming it’s just Tayside Aviation for now) to achieve Gold.
The concept of RAFAC approved service providers is barmy; the RAFAC do not award PPLs, the CAA do, and irrespective of funding source, the training and examinations are conducted by CAA-approved civilian flight instructors.
For the same reason, could ‘C’ wings not be mirrored to the Silver badge?
In conclusion
Blue badge: good, if a bit fiddly for those without sims or if the wing is run by dinosaurs.
Bronze badge: if you manage to get on ACPS/GS but its too windy to solo.
Silver badge: if you manage to get on ACPS/GS during the nice weather.
Gold badge: nobody knows unless you live on a VGS for a few years or presumably spend over £6000 at Tayside Aviation and live in Dundee for a few months. We won’t know until somebody updates ACTO34 (it still describes the old system) or announces an update to IBN 029 - 2021.
I don’t mean to knock Tayside Aviation or Dundee. They’re both fantastic, the CFI Marjan Bledowski was formidable and his students flew very well. Dundee is pleasant (though the taxi drivers talk a lot) and the city is home to a new and very snazzy V&A museum.
