What I mean is that we had a provision that was national and gave cadets a regular and good service. As opposed to what has become at best poor and sporadic.
Therefore if the idea cadets want real flying like we used to have and it doesn’t faze 2FTS, why do a survey, just get their finger out and deliver and scrap the BS simulated flying as a supposed replacement. I get why professional pilots use simulators, as training as situations and scenarios can be created on the ground, which is a heck of a lot safer than trying to make them happen in the air.
Probably 99% of cadets are not going to be pilots, so sitting in a simulator to provide training prior to getting into an aircraft for an experience flight is a waste of time and money, when generations of cadets previously went to a VGS or AEF got into an aircraft, mostly having a great time and who knows learnt something. But who cares about the latter, we need to get away from everything being a “learning experience”, we are an organisation which youngsters join to do things and have some fun.
There is nothing better than a group of cadets sharing their experiences after going flying in an excited way and those who my not have done things spoken about, having something to look forward to. I’ve taken cadets to “ground school” and there has not been any excitement going or returning. It was mind numbingly soul destroying for me as an adult. But then as a old timer cadet, I know what they could have been doing.
Given that you’ve already acknowledged that CAC has suggested it’ll be mainly sim flying going forwards, and CAS has recently written that it’s the future of RAF training, this could well be 2FTS’s attempt at illustrating that cadets want real flying and gliding rather than simulators.
They have acknowledged that no one (pilots or cadets) enjoy the simulator bits and since John Middleton left it’s not something that’s being driven by them (they’ve handed it to the ATC and CCFs). It wasn’t something that was specifically asked in the last set of questions, I don’t believe. This could well be the fight to keep real flying (as the survey asked) over the sims.
It was maybe in another thread, had a quick look to see if it was here and couldn’t spot it on my phone, I posted after SSIC chat with CAC he reiterated the importance of real flying as a USP that differentiates us and the aim to provide a flight, glider or tutor, experience each year.
Ok we all know there were more opportunities/it was better ‘in our day’ but in the modern era that would be an improvement.
Maybe the survey is to help 2FTS improve capacity/availability of the fleet 🤷
There has been over 7 years to improve capacity and availability, which is long before the notion of cadets using simulators became “a thing”. In 2FTS you sense a general case not seeing it as important enough to just do something like starting to replace the lost aircraft. People were very happy to collect salaries and doing nothing for them.
Some sqns had flight sims but they fitted into the IT/tech project sphere, for those with the knowledge and enthusiasm. Not a spend forced on sqns to meet a HQAC requirement.
Without going into too much online, I can say that the one thing Comdt 2FTS has said from day one, and every day since, is that for him it’s all about getting cadets airborne. The other things are useful to support that but the flying is the main effort and the most important thing. Hence other requirements have been waived during the COVID recovery period to maximise cadet airborne time.
i completely get the frustration…but i wish them well for two reasons
1 - they are a charity much like RAFAC with similar aims.
2 - the easier and simpler they make it look the more egg on the faces of those who RAF Officers who made the decision by justification of “not economically viable”
but it is in the past - there is nothing we can do (except complain on here) about it so why not wish them well and use that as ammo to indicate 2FTS don’t always know best?
Although technically correct, the constant reference to the “RAF fleet” with no mention of Air Cadets feels disingenuous as if to make it all sound better to the public.
Again, nothing against Aerobility, but it becomes clearer with each development and update that we were lied to and completely shafted:
Southern Sailplanes and Grob both involved and clearly providing solutions, AND a government grant has been used. Much of that’s not news, but I don’t recall hearing about that engine offer before.