I suspect it will be kept quiet until after the new commission details after finalised (bury bad news)
Itâs a world of difference to be open and honest and itâs another to achieve the task youâve been set or decided to take on.
You can be open and honest and say âitâs difficultâ, but when people are getting paid a lot to do a job, you expect them to overcome the things that are proving a bit difficult and seek other ways around the problem. I thought that this was a mainstay of the training etc officers get in the forces and skill they acquire as they ascend the greasy pole. Itâs been expected of us poor sods doing this in our spare time, when we have lost in toto or effectively our USPs. When Iâve asked about flying/gliding WSOs have said you can do this and this and this instead, but when say you can do that anywhere at anytime without the aggro imposed by the ATC and you ask what they are going to do, it goes quiet.
Not sure this would be a good strapline for an advertising campaign to get people to join. But just about sums up the ATC in so many ways.
1 Like
Theyâve not had the additional 20/30 meetings, yet.
I guess the BGS is actually the BGA. The BGA has a network of Junior Gliding Centres: https://www.gliding.co.uk/juniorgliding (scroll down for a map)
These clubs have undergone additional accreditation, Iâm sure the BGA would be delighted to provide the relevant people a copy if it hasnât already done so. But as noted above by Batfink, all BGA clubs are already regulated, as are the various other providers of adventure sports.
I wouldnât bother looking to use the BGA. Our dear leaders are so determined to stop cadets getting airborne theyâre now actively denying opportunities through them.
1 Like
We were successful (under ACTO35) last year to get some cadets gliding with our local BGA.
It is intensely frustrating to have had the relevant work done by our R Av O in order to get local BGA centres âpre-approvedâ & now have everything frozen. Unless something happens very quickly, no gliding for our cadets in 2017âŚ
Weâre in the same boat. Donât hold your breath though - there was an aviation meeting last week to decide the future of such arrangements and I doubt itâs good news. Probably because it makes 2FTS look bad when we can privately source better opportunities outside of the organisation without wasting taxpayersâ money for 3 years.
What reasons have been given?
OC 2FTS no longer wanted to hold the risk so stopped anyone using the centres (apart from about 6) until they had this meeting where AOC 22 Grp could decide if he wanted to hold the risk.
I find it frankly insulting that theyâre treating BGA clubs like this. They have their own approval process to make sure theyâre safe but âweâ donât seem to trust them.
1 Like
Considering that most British âassociationsâ of any type are generally more closely regulated than the rest of the world itâs ridiculous for us to try and further regulate them.
Usually the B in an acronym stands for Ban. Through red tape.
I donât think any of us can expect anything less from the pension protectors employed at HQAC.
Theyâre so scared of litigation itâs paralyzing them.
Has anyone ever told them what the Corps motto is - or used to be? Venture Adventure, not âcotton wool and bubble wrapâ.
5 Likes
[quote=âGunner, post:1374, topic:1152, full:trueâ]
I donât think any of us can expect anything less from the pension protectors employed at HQAC.
Theyâre so scared of litigation itâs paralyzing them.[/quote]
This seems to have been the default since Hungerford and later Lyme Bay and Dunblane ; something happens close the shutters until theyâve invented a rash of policies et al. Although with Hungerford and Dunblane they got very touchy around mediaâs questioning and the supposed problem of young people using rifles.
However wrt OC 2FTS, if we were able to just use BGA centres heâd be out of a job, notwithstanding that IIRC he retires soon. But youâd have thought it would be easier and could in military terms require a Gp Capt to run it, so more time for golf, gardening, lunches, meetings etc and still getting paid for not doing a lot.
1 Like
I think 2FTS forgets that gliding clubs generally run on volunteers, whoâd rather be maximising the flying! For some there will be neither the time or patience to deal with the ACOs bureaucracy to allow a few cadets to take up valuable instructor time at weekends. Cadets will lose out but once again, should be advised that there are plenty of scholarships and Junior Gliding Centres who provide far more flying than a yearly ACO sub would buy! For years the scouts, schools, Army/Sea cadets have had no issue flying with BGA clubs.
4 Likes
I wouldnât worry the whole ATC, RAF and associated bits forget we are volunteers, so 2 FTS not understanding the BGA has a large contingent of volunteers should not be a surprise.
As were a huge number of volunteers on this day a few years ago, heaven help us if the same mentality had been in place then:
5 Likes
To be fair the entire RAF are still volunteers, just paid quite well.
I wouldnât say they were paid quite well. Not paid well enough imo
I> envisage all VGSs to be operating gliders by the end of Summer of next year.
Comdt 2FTS
Good news but I still have not been told where my cadets will be gliding from after 636 closing and 634 becoming an AGS
Could be any VGS in the UK, I think the plan is they are now national assets ala NACATC so you could in theory be allocated anywhere âŚ
As long as they pay for and organise the transportâŚ