Hi All
Last week we received the warning order for National Aerospace Camp and we duly advertised it to our cadets. Over the weekend the order has been amended and “Due to an HQAC directive” all of the places allocated to our region have been removed. Has anybody got any ideas why? We’re obviously going to have some disappointed cadets…
Don’t think of them as removed; think of them as erroneously advertised 
I believe it is an attempt at transport efficiency.
Save some £££
I heard that they’re planning to alternate allocations for RIAT and National Aerospace Camp…
Anyone else heard this?
I have also heard this. Perhaps not just those to camps either.
it is exactly this
there was uproar than only three regions were getting places for RIAT this year, Social media (RIAT - air cadet Staff) indicated this was to save money and have coaches with 80% capacity or better from 18 wings rather than 30+ Wings worth of allocations travelling in coaches only a third full.
those Wings missing out in 2019 will get places in 2020 - and in place of 2019 RIAT places get Aerospace camp places.
fast forward 2-3 months and the Aerospace Calling notice comes out indicating open to all - egg on face and embarrassment all round the RIAT SMT.
this was raised on Friday afternoon after HQAC had gone home - i suspect there was a phone call first thing this morning following up emails sent over the weekend to correct it.
there is a chance other National camps may have similar restrictions such as STEM and D&C - if your Wing doesn’t get a place this year, expect places next and likewise if you have places this year don’t expect them next year.
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It’s alredy been discussed at length on the funding the Cadet experience thread, it’s going to apply to all the big ticket camps (RIAT, Aerospace, Shooting, D&C) the only exceptions will be the National Band Camps, JL’s and QAIC as they are Gold Badge Courses rather than camps.
Had this confirmed a few weeks ago
The idea of targeting regions for camps works up until the point that cadets can now only bid every two years. Where there are cadets that have been unsuccessful in their bids in previous years they may well age out, or leave for university before they have the opportunity to bid again.
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yes, but the Aerospace paperwork only came out last week - those who don’t listen to the grapevine will have seen they have places and then taken away…
all true, but for the years they do have a potential place, they are twice as likely to get one…
yes it will be tough for that individual who is 36th on the list of 35 Cadets going, but that is better chances than otherwise
This has been the case for as many years as I can remember. Cadets don’t get to go to or do something and leave before the next chance. They don’t just leave because of age or going to uni, these in my experience are very, very, very few, the majority have been long gone by that point.
I think what the ATC is poor at is getting the dates out early enough. RIAT is not an ATC thing and almost a fixed calendar event, but the others aren’t and to ensure maximum uptake should be advertised by the end of the preceding September. By now people will have booked holidays and given the number of cadets from ‘broken homes’ they have multiple holidays. Cadets and similarly staff might want to go, but don’t fit around their holiday dates. I’ve yet to meet anyone who arranges personal holidays around air cadet camps.
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I make that point to my staff every year, things like a Squadron Camps I want out the preceding September so that families can plan. I also make that point when we aim asked to do annual camp, my leave goes on each October, asking me in Januarybis too late!
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The problem is that requests of RAF stations are started too late, and it then has a knock-on effect through the whole process.
Surely there should be, like in most things, a ‘thank you’ to each RAF station at the end of the camp season(September) with a request for the following year.
They do…
Normally Oct/Nov they have the camps confirmed and then issued to the Regions end of Nov… its Regions and wings then that slow it down
We seem to get some info from stations about the next year’s camps in August and others in December or later. There is then an allocation task done at HQAC which was a little later this year and I don’t know if it would be feasible to get all of the ducks in a row any earlier.
I think getting all “normal” camp places advertised by September in the previous year is a pipedream.
i have also heard similar
i have also heard Wings can “accept or reject” the allocated station.
the reasons for rejection i would assume being number of Staff to fill the week or transport costs to get there - how many S&NI Cadets have a Annual Camp at Brize Norton, Benson or Odiham and likewise SW Cadets go to Lossimouth…
i can only presume this takes more time (ie more than a week) and why we only hear about dates in February
Steve, over the last few years:
Brize, Halton, Valley and Marham were the mainstay of camps for S&NI.
we have had Spaedadam and Boulmer a number of times too
This year it is Lossiemouth the first for about 5/6 years
As for camp length, It is still Saturday to Saturday regardless of where the camp is
i stand corrected in that case…
our camps are typically within an hours drive. two years ago it was at a Station within the Wing!