But you can’t deliver it on Squadrons though only AGS at this point…
I wonder how many squadrons are currently able to deliver Blue, I suspect not many, I know we cant and there’s seemingly very little support / opportunity for Squadrons to be able to fill this gap
They were originally Aerospace Ground Schools, then renamed to Astra Ground Schools because Astra 
But it is entertaining that so many places use different names.
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Aerospace and Astra both imply an element of space to me. Aviation and Air seem much more sensible (unless they are using space simulators?)
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If they were called Aerospace GS’ then they would have had to rename them Air & Space GS’ despite that meaning the exact same thing, because that’s the kind of important decision they like making.
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i fix that for you
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AFIK, the new Bronze Wings package is due to roll out in April. It will be a 2 day course when done full time which if restricted to AGS will probably require transport and overnight accommodation.
If a squadron has suitable synthetic training equipment and staff who have completed the required standardization, I see no reason why that squadron should not be approved to train for Bronze Wings. Of course not all squadrons will meet the specs, but those that can could share resources with other nearby squadrons.
I intend to keep pushing this one.
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Wouldn’t it make more sense to swap these new quals around, so that you get blue ATP for synthetic only training and then bronze after your first flight?
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Absolutely.
Especially if you can be waiting an age for that first flight
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Seconded. We’re not handing out commercial licences here, blue at the very least should be made as accessible as possible. Pointless having to wait three years to get arguably the most fundamental of blue badges due to RAFAC’s (sometimes self-imposed…) lack of flying.
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Or… you may be in a Region with no AGS at all… how’s that for accessibility?
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Making all of these things attainable only if you can give extra time and travel/do hotly-contested camps makes no sense.
You’ve now made badges the metric by which a successful cadet career is measured. You now need to make it as easy as possible to get them, at least to Bronze level.
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Just a single, unable to be used to generalise, data point but I’d never heard of an AGS until this thread.
I’m one of the nominated post holders on our squadron so get the both barrels of wing/region emails and having done a quick search for both AGS and Aviation Ground School… I’ve had nothing… Not even an off hand comment about them by anyone from our wing.
Saying that a Google shows some of them stood up with crests and evidently doing stuff so they must be well established?
Anyone able to produce a 5 second summary of what on earth they are and what they do that something like a VGS/AEF wouldn’t? 
as I understand it, VGS without a runway?
Basically, the synthetic bits of the flying courses
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Very sarcastic mode on…
Well, this all @rse about face, especially considering the lack of resources elsewhere for primary activities during 2024 (& maybe beyond??). 2FTS are trying to get their claws in even more - & all the sqns who invested in good tech flt sims = unable to do bronze?
Let’s scrap the AEFs, buy 3 axis simulators & go the whole hog, minimal or no flying.
No escape trainer/ parachute briefing to do, straight into the activity, no weather limitations, etc.
Pilot currency not needed, no safety aspects such as mid-air collisions, props detaching, or cracks in trim tabs, etc. No Av-Med forms, etc.
Actually, I’ve just given the enemy a biz plan that they could follow! 
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I mean when so few do it, why not go whole hog:
BGA for gliding
Synthetic training at sqns, funded and trained
Work your way through the package in order to qualify for a scholarship — actual flying begins.
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That would be the ideal!
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So long as every cadet gets at least a flight in a glider, which by using the BGA rather than the VGS ought to be extremely easy. Then I think that’s a near perfect format for it all to take
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You would think that but, as has been pointed out before, when you take BGA clubs that accept juniors, and also offer trial flights, south and east are pretty well covered but still no sites in Wales, and poor coverage in NW England and only 2 sites in Scotland both over to the east.
Then you have to remember that most of these have their regular members, visiting clubs and waiting lists for both members and ‘trial’ type flights, in fact at my club its about 3 months currently and we just about manage to get our members flights completed over winter with maybe 1 BGA voucher per day so capacity will be an issue. Most clubs are interested in gaining new/longterm members
Even if we were to provide all those clubs with a viking to fly aircadets with their ‘normal’ operation they would only likely be able to accomodate a similar number to the VGS’s each week just maybe a little more dispersed for those in the south and east of England
I think their is a lot of rose tinted spectacles and grass is greener view versus the potential reality.
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Got to be a bit chicken and egg.
Tonne of VGS instructors who have to spend half their time messing about being ‘military’, as if they were launching a fight of armed typhoons. Imagine plenty would be delighted to be able to swap into a BGA club and fly properly, still getting paid, etc etc.
Granted it’ll never happen and is totally hypothetical but I’d be interested to see the stats for the flying hours vs hours spent at the airfield ratio for BGA vs military. Amazed if BGA sites aren’t close to double the efficiency of some VGS sites.