I had exactly the same thought / heart attack.
So I can see where it may be considered inappropriate to have a Dining In night during National Mourning, however it’s the cost that is the issue for and a main reason we don’t do a sqn dinner.
We had one of our main fundraising events cancelled last weekend, usually brings in well over £1k so yes, a huge financial impact with the shutdown.
The Cadets however are more put out by the cancellation of their DofE exped, which is looking unlikely to be able to rescheduled before the DofE window closes as the campsite shuts for the season at the end of the month and the group are all not available until November and they won’t consider an expedition without the whole group. To quote one of the group ‘I think the Queen would have liked us to carry on with our expedition than sit at home doing nothing’
We need to stop calling things “pauses” and start calling them what they really are, “enforced shutdowns”. No one is being fooled by the word pause, we know what they are.
The longer I’m in this organisation the more I need to advocate for detaching and uncoupling the few remaining links we have with the Air Force - they clearly cannot handle us and don’t want us in any meaningful way, other than a nice opportunity to show off how much they “do for the community” once in a while.
And before anyone complains about all the things we’ll miss out on, the Sea Cadets don’t.
In fact, it may lead to far greater opportunities for things like flying with civilian organisations, and better contacts with other CF units.
I agree completely that we should move to a SCC/RN style relationship with the RAF. The problem would be finding/forming a charity to take on the running. Though I imagine Civ Comms would be able to take all the non-public money with them.
Paging @Aries
Associate with the Air League or the RAeS. Or the original model of the ADCC.
Perhaps we could convince them to be the MSSCAC
You would then probably have RAF regiment detachments in units similar to the Royal Marine Cadets
Imagine the required fundraising for the crayon budget.
I think I’m just fed up with being told how to run a volunteer led, youth minded organisation by people who have never had a job outside the airforce, have never actually engaged with young people or volunteers in any meaningful way and then expect us to be grateful when they give us some crumbs from their table.
The changing of the commission should have been the opportunity to relinquish control by the RAF to a more modern, accountable and knowledgeable charity led organisation.
We don’t really get uniforms. We don’t get any notion of flying and gliding sufficiently for the demand. We don’t get any shooting. The adventure training we do is paid for and facilitated by us. The only possible thing we get is a building (usually in crap condition) and utilities bills paid for, and even then we don’t get rubbish collections, phone lines or any infrastructure.
We need to start questioning our place in this society and why we aren’t doing it better.
cough
Honourable Company of Air Pilots
Thank you, are they the successor organisation?
No, just another friendly organisation that have the same goals to encourage, promote and make aviation accessible.
Looking at your username and avatar I’m assuming this is a formal offer from the Company?
I’d love to say yes, but alas i’m just here to promote the Scholarships and Aptitude testing.
I’ve heard of Wings allowing DofE expels to continue during the stop, don’t quote me on that though.
Yep. Know of 2
A pause implies that when we un-pause, we carry on from where we were. If I pause a song, I expect it to play from where it stopped. When we pause the organisation however, it normally involves many people being put-back weeks/months. Be that a pre-planned intake evening, awards night, dining in night, fundraiser etc. etc.
If I paused my music and it had skipped back an album when I click play I’d be a little annoyed.
Which does not take into account any financial implications for the Squadrons in particular expenditure already sent to suppliers of which there is a fair chance to nil that there would not be any refunds as the supplier had not cancelled the events etc
. Civ-coms in particular would be hacked off because that could be a lot of money wasted for no reason, and they and the Squadron have to start again to fund-raise. That at the moment maybe difficult to impossible to do and replenish a bank balance. Charity commission could take a dim view. Is CRAFC going to provide recompense if receipts were sent to him, yeah right?
Lots of units are going to be very angered including civ-coms and just as importantly parents at the stupidity of CRAFAC/HQAC over all this. If I was still a civ-com chair and we’ed lost money I’d be trying to find out how we could bill HQAC.