Good question… I’ve been told Jan 2022, but I’m not sure if that’s set in stone yet. That may be for the First Class but maybe not yet the higher classifications.
Interesting
We - and I guess this applies to a lot of Squadrons - have a fair number of new cadets who have joined recently.
Currently they should be starting first class fairly soon, it would be a big disruption if we had to change what we are teaching mid way through.
Hopefully there will be a lead in time or ability to continue with old syllabus.
Though the new one will surely be better!
Really off topic now…
But some of it has already changed. I hope they’ll provide more resources to support engaging activities as more subjects are introduced.
They released a briefing note a while ago about the classification updates:
https://rafac.sharepoint.com/sites/CadetTrainingPortal/Shared%20Documents/Training%20Update%20Briefing%20Notes/Classification%20Training%20Update-BN-MAR%2021.pdf
out of interest does anyone know what this is a knee jerk reaction to?
I would guess someone wasn’t following the rules and rather than ensure those who do are, it is a ban for everyone regardless.
but how were those rules known to be broken?
ie what really went wrong which resulted in someone being found out?
Someone on a range could be shooting outside of the rules, but nothing is done about it until something goes wrong, investigation and found out the Cadets never got trained on the weapon, but coached 1-2-1 throughout their shooting.
So does anyone know what happened with Drones?
Or was it a case of one of this mystery audits on SMS was completed and found holes?
Or am I being too pessimistic and it is 2FTS actually recognising their admin is out of date and so hitting the big red stop button befoout of interest does anyone know what this is a knee jerk reaction to?
I would guess someone wasn’t following the rules and rather than ensure those who do are, it is a ban for everyone regardless.
but how were those rules known to be broken?
ie what really went wrong which resulted in someone being found out?
Someone on a range could be shooting outside of the rules, but nothing is done about it until something goes wrong, investigation and found out the Cadets never got trained on the weapon, but coached 1-2-1 throughout their shooting.
So does anyone know what happened with Drones?
Or was it a case of one of this mystery audits on SMS was completed and found holes?
Or am I being too pessimistic and it is 2FTS actually recognising their admin is out of date and so hitting the big red stop button before anything goes wrong to give them chance to get the paperwork water tight again?
re anything goes wrong to give them chance to get the paperwork water tight again?
I’d guess that someone used one to get pictures / videos and shared that on social media, which showed they might not have been following rules to the letter.
Better not check out the ‘Cluster at the Muster’ 
What’s wrong with the 1st Class now?
Is this just new man syndrome needing to change something for the sake of it to make it look they’ve done something for the next job CV tick.
Been on the end of this sort of idiot mentality before.
If he’s going to get rid of all the silly badges that’d be OK.
As for drones why would we bother? Something else for sqns to buy that will be obsolete or stop working or never really get used. Let kids buy them and play on the fields with no Air Cadet involvement.
Because the core/academic training syllabus is Dog Poo, I’d be worried if any new person from the newest CI upto the Commandant couldn’t see that it needs changing.
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A quite serious near miss precipitated the ban (I’d say ‘pause’ but we know what pauses turn into!).
It’s unfair for purpose, out of date and in many places just plain wrong
Personally… I think it’s too much irrelevant rubbish. Plus, each work book requires around 100 signatures, not to mention you need to print off several additional worksheets, and sign those off. Then you have to have a member of staff who hasn’t taught any of it to sign it off, and to top it all, we have to store the completed books on the unit.
If that’s true (and I have no reason to disbelieve you), then why ban it, instead if just remind people of the rules?
Let’s face it, if you’re the type to break CAA rules, then I don’t suppose you’ll break a sweat about breaking a RAFAC ban.
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I never used to bother, never ever had a workbook audited, so get the Cadets to do their bit then file them away.
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Exactly the same.
If the squadron training officer is happy then great stuff.
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I’ve never used work/log books. When I saw the 1st ones, they were taken home and put in the recycling, so I imagine someone eventually wiped something with them, much better use IMO. Like @daws1159 never been asked to show one and I’ve never had a cadet ask for it. Says it all really. Whoever came up with the idea of the book must have eaten the cheese they found behind the fridge.
We concentrate on the bits the cadets need to know IET, map and airmanship and gloss over the rest. The history gets done in a night and half for each one, organisation a night. We always do a bit on the sqn history.
The problem is people are always wanting the syllabus to change, which is all well and good if you’ve got people who have an interest in instructing and it is fully supported with printed material. I’m in my first proper term working in a school and the kids in Y10 and higher are given textbooks and so much gets printed in terms of worksheets for classwork, tests etc it makes you wonder where someone in HQAC got the idea that not printing books etc was de-rigeur, was about as wide of the mark as they could be. All they did was pass the cost onto sqns to print things.
Interesting. The CCF have to submit the work book to HQAC for every BTEC claim.
So we have schools, who are used to ensuring that syllabus requirements are complied with having to prove that they have completed the training, whilst ATC squadrons can claim the BTEC without any checks, with some staff openly admitting that they don’t cover it as required.
Surely if we’re going to treat the two branches differently (which I really don’t think we should as it’s the same qualification) the schools should be the ones given the extra degree of trust when it comes to complying with academic requirements for a formal qualification.
I think that if a youth organisation is dishing out quals, then it should be set procedure for everyone, rather than “we trust CCF but not ATC”.
But anyway, seems no-one told the HQ media team that a Drone ban was inbound…
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Getting back on topic I agree with this to an extent, but if it was a case of someone following RAFAC guidance and thinking that meant they were complying with CAA rules when they weren’t that makes it a little different.
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Why do we need our own rules when there is a set of rules that cover the full gamut of usage and if anyone in the organisation has a drone and flies it for fun or business will use this. Any BS from the Air Cadets is redundant from the start. What extra does drone flying up the park as an Air Cadet squadron activity bring, excluding pointless “paperwork” and redundant rules?
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Commandant’s Facebook update:
… clarifying the rules to be followed when flying drones.
Not sure" “clarifying” would be my choice of word.
He did say this morning on the CCF conference that there had been no discussion of the ban yet at Command Board, though he was aware of it.