That’s exactly why you should do it. The organisation doesn’t need those who toe the line, it needs people to challenge the status quo and come up with inventive, new ways of working.
That’s good work, but doesn’t answer the question of if they’d be will to do it every day they flew? Seeing a BGA governed club flying cadets last year all they could manage was doing 1 day a month for 4 months over the summer, as it wiped them out for instructors/pilots to do all the other task they wanted/needed to do.
1 day a month is sure better than a 4 year ‘pause’!
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I guess it depends on the size of the BGA facility / number of instructors.
Realistically, I would sell my soul to the devil if I could get 4 solid days (even over 4 months) for cadets to get some gliding in. Each day, say one launch per 30 mins (assuming instructor availability) from 0900 hrs until 1900 hrs (not unusual in summer) = 10 x 2 = 20 launches x 4 = 80. In reality, if each launch was a quick circuit & land, you could probably double those numbers.
Other than one half day’s gliding under ACTO35 for about 6 cadets at our nearby BGA facility + about 4-5 at Aerospace Camps, etc, we haven’t experienced any gliding for about 7-8 yrs.
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So 640 launches in a year if you use every one of the 80 BGA clubs in the uk? A nice add on but not really a replacement form the “nepotistic” VGS system that would be putting that and more flights into cadet gliding.
If set up / coordinated properly, it would be many, many more launches than that; I looked at several days at a time for school half-term, etc. Equally, cadet attendance would probably be higher - parents could drop off / wait for an hour, rather than sqn staff drive only 4 - 6 cadets to a VGS for the day. Also, at a BGA, a parent / guardian could go for a flight…
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And yet hasn’t provided any Cadets at the 2 units I’ve been at with a single launch in 9 years.
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Then neither would the BGA. The numbers dont stack up to replace, to add on in addition sure. Replacement as paracetamol suggests above you’d replace something already too small with something smaller.
You’ve got VGS out there doing upto 20 ATP a day plus SGS alongside 130days of the year, you’re not going going to get that from the BGA.
I wonder what the cost per VGS launch is when you account for all the direct and indirect cost/resources from all consumed/provided to 2FTS? Anyone ever tried to do the costing?
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We haven’t had meaningful proper flying opportunities in the AIR Cadets for nigh on 7 years and this looks extremely unlikely to be resolved for another 7.
After these last few months the Air Cadets is in great danger of imploding, unless it comes up with something attractive, not a web of maybe or if world of promises, but something definite and attractive to help bring cadets back. It’s not about messages intimating it’s difficult, as the difficult bits as far as I can tell, are being created by the MoD / Air Cadets, just to make it difficult.
We don’t need some “exciting” online/virtual opportunities that are far from exciting or engaging. We need viable and sustainable real flying (and other) opportunities going forward.
What we don’t need is a continuation of the protectionist jobs for the boys and retaining redundant infrastructure mindset.
Given what’s happened this is year it’s not for us at the coalface to pick up the pieces and continue to try and make it work (like it’s been since 2014, followed by a tissue of downright deceitful communications), we all have bigger problems; unemployment, dealing with restrictions on our lives, unable to live normally. We will but that just lets the great and the good off the hook. We need dynamic people at the top end of the organisation and RAF, removing their thumbs and doing more for us. It’s not like any of them have been furloughed, and or potentially facing unemployment so it makes you wonder what they’ve been doing to justify their not unsubstantial taxpayer funded salaries since March. They could have spent the time in serious talks with the governing bodies of civvie gliding and flying (along with other activity providers), to give the cadets what they actually deserve and the CFAV a real helping hand.
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My local club, who have sent 3 lads solo outside of cadets, are crying out for more junior members. They keep asking me to promote the club at parade nights.
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If the BGA provided 1 launch per year for the Squadron that would still be a 100% increase on what the VGS have provided for the past decade.
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Apart from the weekend flying, they also hold Flying Weeks. These are deliberately scheduled during school holidays to attract juniors.
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This would be a good FOI request to make.
‘In the last 5 years, how many gold gliding wings and how many civilian gliding wings has 2 FTS issued?’
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I do for ours - at least one cadet has gone solo with them recently.
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Only problem is, before sending a cadet solo, all the VGS do is teach them to fly the circuit, nothing else.
Before sending a civvy solo, the club has (quite rightly) to teach them the full BGA syllabus. Stalls, spins, soaring etc.etc. This takes something in the region of 80 launches. Much safer than the handful they get at VGS!
There is also the small matter of ages. You can solo at a BGA club at 14, whereas you have to be 16 to do it at a VGS.
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We’ve had 3
So the syllabus might look a bit different.
Is it better to have a select minority of cadets go solo, or for lots more cadets get a go?
If tied in with a BGA club, those that want to progress can… the groundwork is already laid, it’d just need funding.
But better to have every cadet that wants to glide to have a few flights a year… mixed in with some PTT and regular AEF.
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There were some statistics issued about 2-3 yrs ago, & further back than that (5-7 yrs).
Don’t forget the announcement back in 2016 - “14 Mar 16 - ACO GLIDING – VGS TRANSITION MANAGEMENT.”
Just found my last sign-up sheet for gliding (Vigilant) - Jun 2012!!
From the ACMB minutes, 21 Sep 2015:
The Snr Bud Man informed the meeting that the forecast at AP04 showed an under-spend against RDEL of £748K reflecting the continued lower levels of cadet activity as a consequence of the gliding pause.
That could have easily been directed at BGA - cadet gliding / retain currency of VGS pilots.
And:
ITEM 6 – FLYING, GLIDING AND ASSOCIATED TRAINING
Comdt 2FTS Update. Comdt 2FTS provided an update on the glider recovery programme but was severely constrained in his ability to provide detailed information due to commercial and contractual sensitivities. He was able to share with the ACMB that, due to unforeseen technical and staff resource challenges, costs for the planned recovery programme had proven significantly higher than originally anticipated and that, due to the requirement to spend in FY, further options were now under consideration to identify the best possible solution within the available budget. Senior staffs remained absolutely committed to retention of cadet gliding. A further complication was the potential impact of the DIO Basing Strategy and the current location of the 25 VGSs was highly likely to change due to factors beyond the AOC’s or 2FTS’s control. Comdt 2FTS has submitted an options paper, which is subject to investment appraisal, and decisions on the way forward were anticipated in late Sep, early Oct. Once the agreed option is known, the AOC, Comdt ACO and 2FTS will craft a communications strategy to ensure that every member of the VGS community, the wider ACO and other interested stakeholders were briefed on the way ahead. Some of this messaging might not be popular with certain sectors and Comdt ACO sought the support of her senior managers in helping to relay the decisions in a positive manner, acknowledging that cadet gliding will necessarily change as a result of the pause and the new basing options, but that we should focus on the positives and ensure that the current and future generations of cadets achieve as much gliding as possible within the new world order.
Simulators. COS briefed on background of the paper at Annex C covering the governance of the new simulators in the RACs. Debate ensued regarding when 2FTS should have direct responsibility for the quality and type of training delivered via flight simulators and part-task trainers.
Decision: It was agreed that 2FTS oversight would be limited to the Viking, Vigilant and Grob Tutor and only for formal training of cadets/staff on these ac type. Comdt 2FTS would provide a definition of what constitutes formal training. It was not expected this definition would cover cadets who use simulators on sqn/Wg and regional facilities for social and fun activities using a commercial software flight simulator package even if the cadets were flying the Viking, Vigiliant and Grob tutor. Anyone wanting to deliver a formal flight sim trg package on these ac types must use the approved syllabus as issued by 2FTS and be approved by 2FTS as a suitably qualified instructor.
Still waiting for the “release” on the syllabus for sqns to use their own flight sims.
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The syllabus is identical apart from spinning although elements of the spin exercise are taught that may realistically be encountered such as spiral dive recovery. The spin isn’t taught as VGS don’t aerotow to get reliably high enough and the minor point the the Viking is very difficult to spin without whiskers fitted. No one through the VGS system goes solo on a “handful” of launches, they go solo when they have attained the standard. the fact they generally do this at fewer launches than 80 is testament to the caliber of cadets Vs joe bloggs