So basically he didn’t even finish 1st class training. He really doesn’t have any insight into the ACO back when he was a Cdt…
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Back in that time a lot of new cadets were thrown on their own into the aero modelling room until they could be fitted into the rest of the Sqn.
Pretty much the impression I got
So I joined a different CF
And I quite like aeromodelling!
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The UN would like to speak to you regarding the training of child soldiers. Any shape an expansion takes that appears to be explicitly targeted at a forces recruitment stream is dodgy ground.
And er, you’re sounding a little warmongery…
“Generals gathered in their masses…”
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We currently get away with recruiting under-18s into establishments like the Army Foundation College in Harrogate. I’m sure the UN would be very happy with us if we moved actual recruitment to 18 and cadets was more like AFC.
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We most definitely don’t have the budget to make cadets more like AFC.
Isn’t that the plot of the plot of the Harry Potter films?
I joined the army at 17 and was posted to BAOR before my 18th birthday. WWIII could have kicked off in Germany then (this was 1985). Many soldiers joined at 16 as Junior Leaders or even 15 years if they were apprentices. 17 year old soldiers fought in the Falklands and Gulf Wars, but you had to be 18 to go on patrol in N. Ireland.
This was at a time when most of us stopped being children when we left school at 16 and could get a good job with O Level qualifications, so joining the armed forces was just another career. I always thought that if WWIII started, then you’re better off in the armed forces: at least you can fight and protect yourself from the CBRN hazard. The UK has no Civil Defence that I know of these days.
Unless we in Europe prepare for war in every way we can, it will come to us eventually, and sooner rather than later. The Ukrainians, who are currently defending us, can’t conduct offensive operations with an army whose average age is 43, so they’ll have to make a temporary peace with Russia and build a defensive line between the free and occupied territories.
By then Donald will be in the White House: he’s one of Vlad’s best mates, so when the latter decides to ‘liberate’ Russian-speaking people in the Baltic countries, the US people, many of whom feel their own border is under threat, won’t want to get involved in that one. No-one else in the world will come to the aid of a European country: they just don’t like us anymore, so we’re on our own this time.
We could fend off Russia if we are prepared to do so: the message is finally starting to get through, with the big NATO exercises which are going on at the moment. However we do need to build up our physical defenses, war materiel and manpower, which will cost much more than the inadequate 2% of GDP allocated to it. The Russians will, of course, accuse us of aggressive warmongering and NATO expansion, but the alternative to standing up to them is worse.
WWIII is finally a real possibility by 2025, and it’s happening forty years too late for me. We don’t even have a Home Service Force I could join like we had in the 1980s. 
That might even have been the days where you didn’t get issued a uniform until you had passed 1st Class Cadet training. I joined a good squadron when I was a cadet: a group of us started 1st class training right away and completed it within four months.
Doing drill, uniform inspections, haircuts etc are the ‘deal breakers’ for ATC cadets, compared to other youth organisations. If children can hack all those things they’ll get the best out of the RAFAC.
Unfortunately we are probably feeling the effects of the cuts to our parent service. We are part of the RAF, so many of our activities will also be reduced in turn: there’s not even that many RAF stations left to host things like Annual Camps, shooting, powered flying and gliding.
I think we need a new business model, and outsource as much as we can to private companies like the UK Armed Forces do with their money. We can’t rely on ‘the government’ or ‘the Air Force’ to provide services for us like they used to.
…and why should they provide uniforms, weapons, equipment and training for a Corps which is not only bigger than its parent organisation, but constantly professes to ‘not be a recruitment organisation for the RAF?’
Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!
Such a statement is true: not even the ADCC, on the eve of a World War, claimed any such link with the RAF, but it just sounds negative and ungrateful to me. After all, they do have to kit out another air corps of young people, their adult staff and instructors. 
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Ukraine - wasn’t there a photo of one of the shoulders with an “Air Cadet” flash on their uniform?
cadets should be given old military equipment
what about G109B airframes, utilising the cockpits as PTT trainers…? 
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All heading to places east.
Although the Cyber training especially when it gets to Gold level and is delivered at RAF Cosford does seem very appealing to the new generation that are interested
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A few years (6/7?) ago I had one of our cadets’ parents write me a rant about how when he was in the CCF(RAF) in the 1980s they had loads more flying - primary glider at school, and camps where they flew every day. I politely wrote back asking him to moan to his MP not to me - which to be fair he did.
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I think we could do a lot more with cyber. The industry is desperate for people.
Our current Bronze course is showing its age but our Wing has no trouble filling them.
Erm… sorry…
You actually sound like you want Ww3… what is wrong with you.
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Those who desire peace must prepare for war.
Once Ukraine has been defeated, they’ll come for us. People way above my pay grade in this country have said that we must be ready for that, so I’m just mentally preparing myself for it… once again.
The difference is then we had civil and home defence forces to help protect our population and infrastructure: now we have nothing to prevent cruise missile or special forces attacks launched from aircraft and sea vessels.
Putin and his useful idiots in the West will say that WE are the warmongers, by responding to HIS unjustified paranoid aggression. If we choose shameful appeasement over rebuilding our defences we’ll get war anyway.
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China is the real threat.
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I promise this’ll be my last comment on this topic, about the Russian threat: according to Putin, all roads from Moscow lead to Ukraine, particularly if one has committed the latest terrorist atrocity.
The major factor in the investigation of this incident is that the Russian justice system has never been independent from the Kremlin regarding political crimes of any severity. The prisoners will be confessing to whomever Putin wants to be seen as behind the attack. For my money, it won’t be IS or the US. The former are at best an inconvenience to the regime, and the latter too big to pick on.
In fact, if I don’t see as evidential productions wads of Ukrainian banknotes and signed pictures of Zelensky in amongst the (Ukrainian made) Kalashnikovs and body armour, then the Russian state security services aren’t what they used to be when it comes to fitting up people for the crime.
The last people to have anything to do with it are, if course, the Ukrainians: such a murderous attack upon defenceless people wouldn’t gain them the smallest advantage of any kind.
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Probably longer term.
However, closer to home, when Russia annexed Crimea, what did the West do? You naughty boy Mr Putin.
When Russia started “assisting” in Ukraine (Donbas)***,what did the West do? You naughty boy Mr Putin.
(*** throw in the shoot down of Malaysian Air 17 too.)
Oh, you’ve invaded a sovereign state. You naughty boy Mr Putin.
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Do you reckon they could bring them back? I’m sure there some still kicking around in cadet unit sheds - surely 2FTS won’t be able to object as they’re service aircraft 
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