So, I’ve been seeing a lot of Facebook posts from the VGS’s at the moment, where they are highlighting their ‘successful weekends’. An example being this from Syerston.
Weekend of Success for 644 VGS!
*This weekend saw a very successful one for 644 VGS, RAF Syerston! *
*On Saturday, FSC Katie Nixon was awarded her Gold Wings after completing 5 solos. This is the first set of Gold Wings for 644 VGS in 2022. A very well done to FSC Nixon. *
*FSC Nixon’s Solo was launched by FSC Lauren Griffen-Edmondson who was operating the winch at this time, great to see cadets working together from the ground to the sky. * Saturday also saw 3 more cadets awarded their wings following the delivery of the new GIF training syllabus. On Sunday, 5 more cadets were awarded their wings following the delivery of the new GIF training syllabus. A great achievement by all. Sunday was also 644’s first, 4 aircraft operation for 2022.
When I showed this example to the old boys at my gliding club, they were unanimous in their agreement that 8-10 cadets flown over the weekend with 4 gliders available, is anything but successful, even if they had 5 flights each.
Admittedly, they did have to waste half the day teaching the non-FSC’s the groundschool and PTT element of the Blue ATP, but this got me thinking. What will happen to VGS productivity once cadets, who have completed the groundschool on squadron, start filtering through at weekends?
Presumably, these cadets will arrive and go straight onto the airfield for their flights. VGS’s, you would imagine, will become like AEF’s, in that, they won’t be doing groundschool and will be able to accomodate one set of cadets in the morning and another set for afternoon slots?
There is no excuse for the capacity at the VGS’s not to double, at least, in the near future.
You make an interesting point, that is a lot of time, effort and money diverted away from helping Squadrons operate, for not many cadets…Let’s hope they can up the capacity.
I just assumed that the groundschool was done for cadets, in addition to the ones getting to glide. Either as extra cadets going along for that purpose, wet weather days etc.
Are you saying that cadets honestly went to, for example, Syerston, and just say about doing lectures for a few hours with the gliders being unused and then went out for a quick flight?
I know it’s irrelevant due to it coming in house on a squadron level but that’s nuts if it has been the case!
There are different routes across the patch to managing the old syllabus. Some VGS offered midweek online briefs, some do other tasks while the cadets are briefed. The post inferred that VGS staff only do the GIF training and sit there waiting for cadets and only fly 8 cadets in a weekends and nothing else. When that’s clearly not the case.
It’s also worth noting the reason for ground schools in the first place is provide an awareness and introduction therefore this allows all the time in air to be maximised and not being used up by going over what the ground schools were teaching
What I don’t get is why this has only suddenly become an issue? We’ve been gliding for 80+ years… It feels awfully coincidental that the ‘need’ for a ground school only came around when access to gliding has been dramatically and irrevocably reduced.
My experience as a previous FSC and CGI was that the VGS staff were more concerned about wrapping up for the day to get on the source rather than the actual flying operation
I left as i dont drink and was effectivley bullied out as a result, apparently my “social personality” didnt fit in and no one in the CoC had the spine to deal with my complaint. Its just a boys club full of initation ceremonies, face fitting and looking gucci for little 13 year old johnny.
Alas this was 15 years ago… I do hope things have changed.
PTT is a hideous waste of money. Overpriced computer game (costing mucho pounds sterling each) that isn’t really a flight simulator from a flight training perspective. Repurposed to justify the cost of buying something that would otherwise be useless for gliding scholarships, etc.
As in any large group there is a range, and I could probably rank all the remaining VGS on scales of various attributes but can’t think of any that would represent those comment anymore.