Cancellation of AEF

Units in our Wing have had their AEF cancelled for today. Unsurprising, I hear you say, Storm Hannah is blowing a hoolie across Britain today! But weather is not the issue. An ansaphone message states that it has been cancelled due to “Infrastructure Problems”!
Does anyone know what those problems are?
Also that was the only source of info as our Aviation Officer had not received any formal information to support this statement.
Is it like ‘leaves on the line’? :face_with_symbols_over_mouth:

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Fire cover, maybe? Will be a catch all phrase for lots of things.

If that is the case, just say it!

With all the mess around ‘pauses’ this obscure message just generates scepticism!!

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Perhaps the infrastructure has blown away!

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Which AEF?

It was 5AEF

At least you were notified not to attend. Do you really need to know the detail at that stage?

If you are going to cancel something, why not say why? What’s to lose? Is it a state secret?
If nothing else we owe it to cadets and their families to say why something that they and staff alike will have made changes to their weekend to do has been cancelled.
We come under 5AEF and although cadets are keen, as staff we are not confident that it will happen.

Why not? It makes it a lot easier to let down cadets, and their parents, who have been looking forward to their rare AEF when you can give them a sensible reason. The reason given is too vague and seems like a responsibility avoidance tactic!

I feel the conversation at 5AEF may have gone like this…
Officer 1 “Oh no, something has gone wrong and we can’t fly this weekend! How can we keep cancelling without someone copping it?
Officer 2 “How about Infrastructure Problems? That’s vague and could sound serious!”
Officer 1 “Brilliant! And let’s just put it on the ansaphone and not tell anyone else!!”
A little while later…
Officer 2 “Have you seen the weather forecast? We could have blamed Storm Hannah!”
Officer 1 “Blast!”

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Now you’re making it up!
Why don’t you contact your wing AvO and ask them to clarify instead of coming up with conspiracy theories?

Either way not bothering to contact anyone and just putting it on the answerphone is pretty poor form.

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Well, the message got through not to attend. Perhaps if the primary contact had answered their phone then more detail would’ve been given?
Sometimes people will have a go about minor issues that don’t affect the outcome…!
The fact is that lots of things have to come together for AEF to happen.

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It may have been to avoid embarrassment to the “infrastructure” involved - lack of ground personnel, no fire cover, lack of ATC cover, etc, et.

How long before though had the AEF been planned, was it a known problem or something that came up at the last minute?

I’ve been to AEF at Wittering this year & on the day, there was a local Air Traffic coverage issue. Fortunately, it didn’t’'t affect flying though - everything had to remain in the “local” circuit.

Yes I am making it up! I wouldn’t have written the above satire if they hadn’t been so vague!
My Wing AvO knew nothing about this cancellation at all, they were not told either!!

I know! It is very resource intensive to get our cadets in the air and I appreciate what the volunteers at the AEFs do to provide this. It’s the vagueness and lack of communication that is annoying in this case!

Be open and honest and treat us like adults as all this vagueness does is stoke the fires of suspicion and as above people making up conversations.
Does it matter if we are told it is; lack of pilots, air traffic, fire cover et al, just say so.
As I say we are under 5AEF and since the move to Wittering you feel more certain about winning the lottery than a flying detail going ahead as planned.

Exactly. No it doesn’t. And it doesn’t necessarily concern the wider RAFAC organisation.
If you’re concerned speak to your AvO and they can make enquiries as to the detail?
There are occasional issues like lack of air traffic controllers or firemen due to sickness as an example.
Does it really matter that people don’t know the detail at the moment?
Do you really need to know that AEF was cancelled because Sgt Smith has tonsillitis?

Might make it easier to explain to Cadets and Parents, especially considering how bad Flying/Gliding provision is in some areas consequently.

If I say to a parent firings cancelled due to “imfrastructure issues” that means nothing to them, if I say “Staff sickness” they will be far more likely not to bite my head off for something that I can do nothing about.

Openness and Honesty never hurt anybody.

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