At the moment, I don’t see the RAF/VGS locations as that relevant - once the precedence has been set for 2FTS approval of BGA facilities, then lots more options will open up.
Perhaps if other units could nudge their RGOs to push 2FTS for approval, it might help move things along…
i have to second this!
i was once at RAF Benson and asked to give up my slot as Jersey Sqn were coming in and had priority given their journey (coach to the airport, flight to London, coach to Benson)…
i did get it back as they didnt fill their allocation, but if Benson’s “catchment” is that large it makes me wonder how many units are actually within 45minutes of a flying station
Via social meejah, extract from a composite “update” post from Cmdt ACO:
I had a catch up call with the AOC and he is focussed on mtgs associated with the glider recovery programme, which is at a critical stage. As soon as we know what option has been agreed, we will ensure that information is cascaded to everyone who needs to know but, due to commercial and contractual sensitivities, I regret I cannot tell you what option are under consideration. Rest assured, the boss and his senior colleagues are doing all they can. I know many of you are fed up of waiting for the recovery but there are massive constraints at play and all I can ask is that you continue to be patient and, in the interim, make the most of all the other opportunities that the ACO has to offer.
Ref the above, I thought the AOC was female?..or has this now changed.
Cmdt ACO is female, AOC is a different RAF entity…
Aha…yes of course…I am getting old and senile!
All VGS OCs are being summoned to Syerston on 24Oct15 to be briefed by AOC 22 (Trg) Gp. The following weekend, Comdt 2FTS will begin a series of 5 town hall meetings to which all VGS staff have been invited to attend.
Uh oh, that sounds ominous.
Sounds like they need to bring the old Slingsby Grasshoppers out of retirement…
You don’t have to be that clever to work out that someone hasn’t been up to the task and the worst case scenario is back to square one. I think ‘fed up’ is a massive understatement.
I don’t see the meeting with AOC 22Gp as a positive.
Could you imagine using the Grasshopper toady. RA’s galore and pound to a penny cadets wouldn’t be able to do it. Mind you it would end problems with winches!!
I heard that 2FTS has asked one of his IT guru’s to have a large map printed with all the Sqn’s on it. It will be displayed to staff and the asked which unit they want to report to. From what little i heard, the fleet are to be scrapped as it’s not economically viable to repair/re-certify and the Government won’t stump up the cash.
Well if that is the case I hope they have a plan B ready to go from the day it’s announced.
That would be all well and good, but I am sure squadrons would have a say in whether they want them 
Well, the options are somewhat limited.
My thoughts…
Best guess for short-term - option 2, with work towards option 4. Long-term, buy new. Regardless, the VGS system will take a big hit - perhaps move to 5 - 6 “super” sqns?
Getting the gliders ‘up to spec’ was never going to be a cheap option and frankly once extent of the problems were know (c.May 14) and the timeframe and costs were becoming excessive it was time for a hard decision, which is now appears has been or will be taken.
But I suppose throwing good money after bad has been a trait wrt defence spending and projects.
Never mind I can see promotions and gongs aplenty for all those high up the food chain.
From MJs options 4 is the way to go IF we the ACO are to remain a viable youth organisation with a viable flying element, however once opened up to “civilian” gliding (I can’t see where the difference between military and civilian is, except the military like to wear green overalls) would there need to be a need to return to as we were, ie with VGS? The problem we would face going back is needing to build up a cadre of instructors to the pre-fiasco levels effectively from scratch, which would take time and money. From all accounts there are a few who have decided they don’t need it in their lives. This was always going to be a problem once the instructors has been out of the air for a few months, as they would have lost the inate skills and nous built up by doing it and the habit of turning up for their stint like all volunteering. I’m sure there would be enough in terms of desk jobs to keep senior bums on seats administering it. Then there would be no staff cadets so actually running weekends would become more problematic.
I wouldn’t see a need for “super VGS” as their I imagine their remit would ostensibly be scholarships and as we already farm FS to a civvie contract so the model is there for GS to easily go the same way, with no loss to the organisation. I’m also tending to think going down the “civvie” gliding route would open the world of gliding up to cadets in a much broader way than the bubble of the ACO environment.
If it is correct that the OC VGS have been summoned for a meeting in a fortnight, I wonder how long it will be before the whole plan will be passed to us? I hope it quickly so we can start to get cadets in the air sooner rather than later as we need to draw a line and move into tomorrow.
Option 4 sounds good but will take just as much planning, It could be a case of binning the entire VGS syllabus and moving entirely to the more stringent BGA Syllabus. We’ll start to get mismatches otherwise because of the differences between the two syllabuses otherwise if VGSs were to start
operating again. Due to the EASA Transition if not already qualified in BGA
Gliding I’d imagine any VGS Instructor would be required to go through the modular BGA/EASA
FI (S) course which is a course that now takes a few months not weeks to
complete unlike the old style the BGA used to carry out.
Overall I’m confident that dependant on if/how these meetings in the fortnight go that the BGA will be more than willing to try and help where possible, but there’s an issue on
capacity as well within the BGA so it’d be a very partial solution to this big
problem. The Club I instruct at is one of the largest in the country with a dozen two seaters, but we’ve got enough problems at times trying to fly our own members!
I would imagine the financial element for the BGA would be attractive and if some VGS instructors converted, more people to do things.
The major fly in the ointment could be the ACO insisting on it’s own spin on everything and micro managing it, rather than being a paying customer and expecting a few caveats, like we do of any activity provider.
The financial incentive is good but unlike CGS the BGA does not have hangers full of spare aircraft to deploy for extra capacity and any agreement would be on a club by club basis.
From my point of view it’d be an ‘All or nothing’ scenario if the ACO want to use the BGA, with EASA and everything there isn’t room for choice, all clubs have to operate in the same way to eventually ensure a smooth transition so that the BGA can become an effective FTO to represent all clubs.
The good thing is that I have heard that at a top level of ACO Gliding there are more people with experience of both BGA and VGS flying. But I’m also well aware of people having totally given up on VGSs and focusing on BGA instructing only. Hopefully the meetings and decisions further on provide a positive outlook to properly return the ‘air’ in air cadets.
On the brighter side. If the ATC loses its glider fleet. 2FTS can stand down. 