So is that for the start of the ‘recovery’?
The fact it’s got to this position says a huge amout amount the lack of professionalism in the overarching organisation and should be the subject of ministeral scrutiny.
Think you will find the minister is to be happy with the best plan possible given the amount of monies made available!!! You can only buy so many toys if your pocket money has been reduced.
It looks like making the best of what is available is the name of the game now,
Hopefully everyone will stop moaning once the plan is briefed (we are all dying to hear it at last) may not be the best news we would like to hear but gliders flying at last has to be good.
Looking forward to the 24th also, see you all there hopefully.
The minister will only be working from the supplied by senior officers.
I don’t feel making do will do anything positive for the organisation, unless we are able to source / seek other providers unhindered by policy. We use an outdoor centre to do climbing and canoeing and no one bats an eyelid, why we can’t use other providers for gliding is a mystery, other than a sort of closed shop protectionism.
We make do with annual camps as the RAF doesn’t have the space to accommodate enough cadets which is not a positive for the organisations. As a result Wings and some Squadrons run additional camps, which HQAC are quite happy to allow as it gets them out of a hole and from my perspective at least more cadets get the ‘camp experience’ even if it isn’t aviation based.
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not too late to invite him…!
Any news on this official announcement that Commandant Air Cadets promised us almost a week ago?
I have been liaising with 2FTS for a while as it is very clear that whatever the news for the end of the “pause,” the timescale for resumption of any significant amount of gliding will still be extensive. As such, we have been leading the way to try & get ACTO35 amended to incorporate BGA gliding parameters, as currently the content all relates to powered flying. [EDIT - I think that BGA have probably made significant input too.] Hopefully, if any other sqns are looking to arrange gliding with a BGA club, this will be the way forward.
Today, 2FTS have confirmed to me:
2FTS will adapt the ACTO to reflect the qualifications, experience and structure of BGA clubs.
This will include:
Specifying which type of BGA instructor can undertake which type of flights with cadets – Full/Asst cat for instructional flights and Full/Assistant/Basic cats for passenger flights.
Allowing BGA clubs to provide a list of instructors/quals/experience who can be ‘block cleared’ for the purpose of the ACTO35 flights (in the same way we do for FTOs).
Despite the BGA not requiring DBS the ACO does. ACP 4 (Chapter 8 para 8) does permit pilots to offer ‘one-off (occasional)’ flights to cadets without being subject to a criminal record check. Whilst no definition of ‘occasional’ is provided, 2FTS considers this to be more in the order of one flight in a 6-month period rather than a number of flights in a week or month. Therefore, DBS checks will be required for the BGA instructors.
The instructor(s) must be qualified, meet certain experience requirements (which in this case will likely be met by the qualification held ) and have flown recently enough to ensure currency. This will be equivalent to the powered aircraft flying requirements in the ACTO and will likely to be have flown a minimum number of launches in the preceding x weeks.
Key requirements:
DBS cleared
Full/Assistant/Basic cat instructor
Under age 65 and over 21
Passenger flying only
Minimum 50 launches on type
Minimum 10 launches on type in last 30 days
Waiting for ministerial sign off still apparently.
The minister has probably seen the documentation and wondering which idiot has been running this and if they sign off extra money, is it going to go up in smoke like the first lot.
Either that or they’re not back from lunch yet!!
From another site:
I hear there is a 7+ day delay to any decision. Not clear why, but I’m guessing the Minister is asking a few questions?
Or minister is trying to avoid being blamed for bad new as per the usual rhetoric from this government.
Probably more like “You’ve spent so much, to do so little, over nearly 2 years? Forgive me if we re-check the validity of all your planning/financial information…”
They should nave made the announcement today as the engine trouble on the Type 45 Daring class is a bigger story. 
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It was only a matter of time before the Type 45 story broke after it was realised by the grown ups just how bad the situation really was. The crews have known since the vessels were new how bad they were…
Good grief, how did someone actually allow that to be written let alone go into ‘print’.
From the article 
Air Vice Marshal Mike Lloyd, the Air Officer Commanding 22 (Training) Group which will oversee 2FTS, said: " I am delighted to see the gliding community recognised in this way and I look forward to many more cadets earning their wings under the expert guidance of John and his team".
Thankfully the item is from January 2014 and not January 2015 or 2016.
Based on the current rate of ‘recovery’ of c.2.6 months per glider, a conservative estimate is full fleet availability by 2045 or there abouts. If we see cadets gliding at all before 2020 it will be a surprise.
The story last week about the primary school headmistress in Darlington who asked parents (not unreasonably) not drop off or pick up (amazingly) their children wearing pyjamas caused all manner of things on social media, shows what can happen. Social media noise and national press coverage almost instantly. Pity we can’t mobilise parents on social media and other ways to similarly to get annoyed with the great and the good by the lack of oppoortunities for our USP and get some press coverage and force the likes of CAC and OC 2FTS to go on public record to defend the situation.
Apparently AOC 22 Group has a meeting with the minister on Wednesday, following that assuming both the Miniater and the PM are happy we will get the announcement next Friday(ish).
A great activity for cadets and more reason to visit this year then, it’s free admission and ample parking.
And you can sit in a glider, what a treat.
I say a great activity when we went one of the cadets was very unwell in the bus heading home!!! Lovely