How do you figure that?
Because its our aim and its at the top of the list:
To promote and encourage among young men and women a practical interest in aviation and the Royal Air Force
You can take that as literally as you want really.
I arrange for pilots/engineers/people in industry to come in a couple of times a year for a chat. We also take our cadets to local airports or local clubs to visit different sections. As well as visits to aviation museums etc etc. That adds on to the corps summer/easter camps and special visits etc.
As a newbie OC i lost sight of our three aims for a while and focused to much on badges and certificates and squadron performance tables. It didnt take long for it to drain the life out of me.
Now i try and do a 50/50 split and try and do more of the things that i enjoyed as a cadet. It transformed my squadron.
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You can promote all you like, but as the saying goes ‘you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink’.
Over the years I’ve found some things advertised at a local airport and with a couple of large companies, goes on the wall and it’s up to the cadets to act.
Things get into the comic so there is another avenue. If the aviation industry was that bothered they would be doing more.
If we went down the local flying club route it would have to be the cadets getting themselves mobile to do it. But they are over 20 miles from us, unless there is a family link that’s not going to happen and we are not a taxi service.
You need to have that latent interest in aviation and I would say it’s fair to say not very many cadets in my experience join with that interest. They see the Air Cadets as a place to meet new people and make some mates and so some things. We are not a recruiting service for anyone.
So what are all the marvellous things all the people here are doing, especially those who don’t live near an airport or flying club, been in the RAF; have a PPL or work in the aviation industry or have staff with any of these? Just give a poor misguided soul like me a clue, that doesn’t involve me or the staff on the squadron, dipping more into our spare time taking cadets all over the place.
this speaks volumes. (particularly my bold)
it sounds like you want a golden arrow to hit the target but without putting in any effort.
you opened your statement by leading a horse to water…
what solution do you want which requires no effort from your or your staff that isn’t the same??
to answer the question seriously, visits to an airshow, or aviation museum tick the boxes, both are trips I have conducted and filled the transport, whether a 17 seater or on two occasions a 55 seater!
(airshows have been 70 miles away, museums even further on one occasion)
You can’t travel 70 miles. Poor Teflon will get a nosebleed being that far from home
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The things we should be looking at are things like a bloke mentioned at work today. His 15 year old niece went to a BA(?) careers event one evening about a month ago in North London and came away more informed. His niece has wanted to work in aviation in some form since she was little, he said she’s fascinated by accident investigation. He said his sister-in-law went and wished she was 30 years younger.
Did any cades from that area know about it and or go to it?
Things like this are far better than air show trips etc, as it gives all cadets the opportunity to find out what they could do within the industry.
I often find things like this and advertise them to cadets who then go. I know you hate social media but by following a couple of regional aviation officers and the commandant you find out about these non cadet events when they retweet them. @tmmorris is a good one to follow for that
Seconded!!
We take our Cadets to the local Royal Aeronautical Society Talks (RAeS) ok so these are not careers events, and mainly historical stories of how Concorde was designed, or how Drone technology will change aviation but these are aviation related topics, delivered by experts. It may only be that 3-4 Cadets are interested each time but they get to hear a aviation theme lecture delivered by a industry expert. it plants that seed.
Although we adopt the Teflon approach by only sharing the topic or event rather than offering it as a event with transport, if there are careers events occurring locally we do share these on our Facebook group so the Cadets and Parents can see them.
With my own personal following of aviation in various groups I am aware of and share opportunities like the following
Flying Scholarships
Tiger Moth flights for £10
One Cadet I know applied for a scholarship last year and spoke to me about what to include in their application. They were not successful, but i was heartened that it was being picked up by someone…