Does anyone know if civilian gliding time counts towards any of the Air Cadet gliding qualifications?
Since there is no gliding opportunities currently with the cadets, I’ve joined a local club and getting close to solo. Once I go solo, do I qualify for blue wings?
Hmmm, good question.
I have looked through ACTO32 (Gliding Training) & cannot see any reference to “transfer of experience” from a civilian gliding club.
This is what is says concerning the Gliding Scholarship:
Now, to me, logic would suggest that flying solo in a civilian glider would be the same as flying solo in a cadet glider… However, I suspect that this would be an unusual concept for the ACC! 
Unless anyone else has got a solution based on “real-life” I would suggest that this would have to go via your sqn aerospace officer to the Wg GLO to seek advice. The might need proof of the syllabus that you had to follow + number/types of flight, etc, to show that the “required” aspects had been covered.
Sqn Aerospace Officer? Never heard of one of those…
Apparently, I are one! 
Sounds posher than Flying (if the Grobs don’t lose a prop) or Gliding (when the airworthiness is all sorted) General Dogs-body!
I bet the problem will be my age.
Looking at the website http://www.raf.mod.uk/aircadets/whatwedo/glidingscholarshipcourse.cfm it says you have to be 16 to go on the scholarship course to get the blue wings.
I am only 14 and doubt they will want anyone so young walking round with wings. :crying:
Ah, that might be an issue! However, I still think it is worth asking as (a) there may be others doing the same & (b) it might take some time to get a policy answer (or even a change to policy).
Even if this gets agreement but only from the age of 16, if you were still in the cadets (& hopefully still gliding), then it could be all worth while.
Whatever the verdict of the ACO wrt wearing a badge, well done … exceptional effort.
I just hope someone doesn’t try and piggy-back the achievement as being somehow related to what the ACO provides for PR purposes.
Probably not - Cadet Harry, what made you go off & pay a lot of money for civilian gliding…??
Probably not - Cadet Harry, what made you go off & pay a lot of money for civilian gliding…??[/quote]
Well I suppose that could be somewhat embarrassing and quite rightly.
The irony is the ACO is supposedly fundiing scholarships through the RAFGSA, which is a civilian organisation. So it makes you wonder if cadets will be able to wear badges gained by doing those?
Well, on the basis that the scholarship requirements should have been specified by ACO, I see no reason why not. It would rather defeat the object if the RAFGSA training was compatible with the ACO GS syllabus, & then no wings were awarded.
This was a previous 2FTS statement:
On the basis of that “distancing” of the ACO from RAFGSA, I wonder if anyone has asked the question yet…
Probably not - Cadet Harry, what made you go off & pay a lot of money for civilian gliding…??[/quote]
I want to be a pilot and am very determined to do it. Since there is no cadet gliding at the moment and only about one Tudor slot per year, I contacted a local gliding club and negoiated a cadet scheme with them. I go and help at the weekend and they give me launches for £3.50 and free instruction.
Good initiative, Cadet Harry!
One of my cadets soloed at a civvy club and the Regional Gliding Officer authorised him to wear ACO silver wings after getting a copy of his flying log book.
MB
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[quote]
One of my cadets soloed at a civvy club and the Regional Gliding Officer authorised him to wear ACO silver wings after getting a copy of his flying log book.[/quote]
Sounds promising - just to check though, what age was the cadet?
He was 16 at the time of his solo.
Thanks - that of course ties in with the GS requirements.
[quote=“MikeJenvey” post=23139]This was a previous 2FTS statement:
On the basis of that “distancing” of the ACO from RAFGSA, I wonder if anyone has asked the question yet…[/quote]
Well on the basis of fundng something and removing / distancing yourself from any postion of blame, why do we have any banned activities?
Surely on this basis squadron can pay for say paintball, with the caveat it’s nothing to do with us if anyone gets hurt etc, which is exactly what we had in the old days of local activities where parents were presented with a disclaimer to sign, which is exactly what this is, effectively your child can do this, but on your acceptance there is no comeback on the ACO, but we’ll take the plaudits. Or is it one rule for HQAC becuase it suits them at this particular juncture and a different rule for everyone else?
Troll alert ladies and gents. Don’t bite.
Personally, I don’t see it as trolling (although it might be starting to move off topic). It’s a valid point.
ACO says - cadets can use “another organisation” (introduced by ACO), provides the funding but then states it’s a private arrangement between said organisation & cadets + parents/guardians.
This is (at a higher level) very similar to a sqn saying to parents “We wish to organise a sqn visit to “another organisation” - are you happy for your son/daughter to attend?”
It could be seen as being a little hypocritical for the ACO to act in such a way.
For example, as a private individual, “non-cadets” can visit an approved flight school (approved by CAA, so licensed & insured, etc, or even listed at a higher level as an ‘Approved Training Organisation’) Ah, ACO (2FTS) state that for cadet use, all such flight schools have to be approved by them. Does that make them safer? Of course not. What that does do is unreasonably restrict opportunities for cadets.
It’s trolling. One only has to take their head of the sand and look at the wider picture for 0.1 of a second.
One is nationally checked by the legal team, and independant of all responsibility to other organiations (ie. there is a contract set up between parent and provider), the other is an ad-hoc activity with VARYING legal terms of responsibility and accident clauses which often push the burden of blame to the end user.
For example: if a cadet falls over during “lazer quest” and breaks their leg, the chain won’t cough up, but if it was an ACO activitym the MOD would have to. Defacto.
Hence troll. THink about it for a second…
[i’m not saying it’s right or wrong, it’s the fault of society at large]