So hold your AvO’s feet to the fire then. Get them to do their job and ask the question so that you have the answers to give to your ‘angry parents’?
Rather than blame the AEF for not giving you the information in a format you like it, do something about it…
Just a suggestion of course. Or you could just continue to moan about it on a forum like this to get it off your chest? Of the two options, I know which is going to improve the situation more…!
Ah, wait for the Reds to move in there; cancellations due to operations will be common 
Why do they need to go digging though? I get your point, but at the same time, what’s wrong with them just being open in the first place? It rather makes it feel like they’ve got something to hide (even if in reality they absolutely don’t).
Why go to the AvO? He’s just the middle man. I’m sure there’s a very good reason as to why the day was cancelled but the AEF could have been more open and honest to those directly affected by the cancellation, rather than having the AvO go to them for clarification.
Moreover, it probably requires more effort to come up with the term ‘infrastructure issues’ and to deal with the subsequent ‘are you going to bin flying this WE?’ questions than it does to just say ‘sorry, flying binned this weekend as there’s no fire cover/ATC/there’s a dose of the squits going round the crew room’.
Pathetic, pompous, and self-defeating.
Ok. Contact the AEF commander then…!
But why have an AvO if you’re not going to use them??
this this and once more this!
the anger we feel at being told nothing is only equally shared by the parents, who as we demand more information, demand the same from us.
Why is it the professionals who make things happen are always so quick when they can’t make it happen they leave the volunteer scratching their head wanting to know more while trying to pick up the pieces of the mess the professional created??
There’s only a small number of units slated to fly on a given day - surely as the AEF are cancelling the flying, they should be the ones contacting the ATC units telling them why the day is cancelled? After all, if flying is cancelled, they have the capacity to make a few phone calls…
Because there’s nothing like getting it from the horses mouth? If the AEF can find the time to phone the AvO, why can’t they find the time to ring the units?
OC AEF doesn’t have to deal with disappointed cadets and their families, many of which may have made alternative arrangements when little Johnny or Jane have been given a flying opportunity. They take these frustrations out on the Sqn OC and if he can’t give them an accurate reason why the flying has been scrapped, it makes the OC look like a muppet as well as portraying the ACO in a bad light.
in the defence of the AEFs, do they actually know who to expect??
they issue 20 places as a morning slot to the Wing, the WAvO then allocate theses.
does the information go back up the chain to the AEF saying on 28th March you’ll have
4x 123 Sqn Cdts (lead Sqn)
4x 128 Sqn
3x 567 Sqn
3x 1122 Sqn
3 x 2000 Sqn
3 x 2100 Sqn
I would guess not. and even if it did does the WAvO also share the contact details of those Squadrons? ie a telephone number for the Sqn OC/Squadron AvO?
If they work anything like our AEF, they probably have little idea who is actually coming. Swapping around of initial squadron allocations can mean the reality on the day is very different from the initial plan, plus the AEF probably don’t have contact info for those people actually attending.
The WAvO is probably better placed to know who will actually attend (or should be able to find out on SMS) than the AEF.
Having the AEF post onto a sharepoint announcement that all squadrons can follow and get an email about may be the best method. The voicemail announcement that all units can call and check before departure worked well for us in the past too until our AEF stopped doing it.
I do agree that more information that “infrastructure difficulties” should be passed without us needing to ask, as a courtesy if nothing else. If they don’t provide us actual useful information, we will just blame the AEF staff when the parents as us.
The AEFs don’t have access to the individual squadron contact numbers. They don’t know which squadrons are attending as a rule. All they generally have are the wing the squadrons are from. CCF are different as the school contacts are available.
The primary contacts for AEFs are the AvO’s who are responsible for resolving issues just like this…
This thread is a prime example of some individuals making assumptions and attacking the wrong people.
So, as I’ve said perhaps the AvO has the means to resolve this issue for those that want to apportion some kind of finger pointing?
The AEF in this case didn’t contact that AvO though, as the OP already said all they did was change their answerphone message and that’s it, I’ve got no problem with the AvO being the point of contact, but in this case the AEF haven’t contacted them.
Last minute sqn swaps, sharing transport, etc - calling answer ‘phone = functional.
I might be seeing OC 5AEF this weekend so will have a chin-wag. 
there are two issues here
1 - the method of cascading information - RAFAC never seems to get it right
2 - the use of the phrase " Infrastructure Problems" which only causes more questions than understanding and recognition of the decision.
to answer 1
not ideal, but quick functional and to the point.
to answer 2
shows a lack of respect for the AEF customers, namely the Parents and Cadets and the extended team by way of CFAVs. It is issues like this which puts me off being an OC again, having to offer “Infrastructure Problems” without any further explanation details to parents would wear me down given the potential for an emotional response
OK - I get the point about the AEF not necessarily having individual Unit contact details but one would reasonably believe that the 21st Century 2-winged master race, could communicate better than leaving a message on an answering machine?
Another question is, did they even bother to make the respective AvO('s) aware? They may not hold unit contacts but surely they do have WgAvO contact details…………
Leatherworker doesn’t actually make it clear who the answerphone message came from?
If it’s 5AEF then we phone and listen, no one’s going to phone us.
As Teflon said from my understanding it wasn’t a message left for anyone, a unit phoned the AEF and they had recorded a message saying that Flying was off.
It was the message on the answerphone at 5AEF
At the end of the day it sounds like the only way you’re going to clarify what the actual detail is will be for somebody to contact 5AEF?
You obviously have their number, so I would suggest you give them a call or ask your AvO to call them?