is there a maximum number off uniform staff per Squadron
so to answer the question 12 is the maximum
now that the OP question has been answered, to expand on the point/table
how are these numbers considered for time served Fg Offs gaining Flt Lt?
Column f is left blank, implying there is no scope for a second Flt Lt on a Squadron…
are these guidelines ignored?
its 13 for a Type A Sqn - 1 Sqn Ldr, 1 Flt Lt , 6 Fg Offs, 5 SNCOs, or if you have a band 14 as you get another SNCO.
And you could have more uniformed staff than that as per note 4
They are a nonsense. They are dreamt up by someone looking at staff as being able to turn up every night without fail, which is laughable.
With different working patterns etc affecting staff, trying to run a squadron with 5 staff is bloody hard work. I know I’ve been there too many times and with less a couple of times. Currently we have a staff of 11 (with squadron smaller than indicated) and you can perm no more than 4 or 5 on average, because of work and having families.
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The key wording here is in Note 4 - Uniformed staff can be appointed to individual squadrons in excess of the above scales provided that the overall uniformed strength remains within the Wings overall establishment allowance.
In short, each wing is allowed a max number of uniformed staff, this being determined by number and type of its constituent units (not that any wing is near it). It is up to WHQ how these personnel are distributed. OC Wing can put as many (or as little) of them on an individual unit as he/she pleases.
MB
Note 4 and the word appointed (even pre-fixed with ‘can be’), is where this further disconnects with the reality of a part-time volunteer organisation. It is fine in the armed forces where it is your day job (ie pays the bills) and you go wherever is deemed fit. Once they pay us enough to make this our day job, unless the individual(s) want to move, it is a pointless piece of documentation.
Uniformed or not we are not here to be moved or attempted to be moved around like pawns on a chessboard. As individuals we will volunteer where we want as we like the people and or is local / easy to get to and if that doesn’t fit with some grand scheme or guidlines, too bad.
Totally agree, and thankfully common sense prevails for the most part. I believe that all uniformed staff should be prepared to help out any local units struggling with staffing, but not at the detriment of their own unit or personal life. Oh and be extremely wary of the ‘temporary’ posting with no agreed timescale.
This is one of the benefits of the sector system, pooling of knowledge and resources so that all cadets are getting the full ATC experience. On my unit for example we have no SNCO (ATC), other units in the sector have several. If we need the services of a drill pig we can borrow this resource at sector level. In return we can offer our own particular speciality, be it first aid, classification training, DofE, AT etc.
MB
They probably don’t impact at all as time-served Flt Lt’s are paid at Fg Off rate.
I’ve been quite liberal in allowing staff from us to help other local sqns, but it has largely been one way traffic.
I’ll keep allowing it, but my patience has worn extremely thin, when I’ve planned for the cadets to go to another sqn or for a member of staff come in to take the lesson and the people supposedly delivering have not been there or got to us.
The annoying thing is all it takes is a phone call or modern equivalent and to prevent having cadets sitting around.