Good to know that ‘Experience of, and/or involvement with, RAFAC’ is only a ‘desirable’ trait despite that being the raison d’etre for the post in question.
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Mind you the current lame duck had previous experience with the ATC and it did us no favours.
I would have thought an essential would be 'well versed in blocking all attempts to do things, even when there is a policy which allows it" ref ACTO 35.
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The position is a non-flying role.
He saw that in the job description and made it happen.
That about sums it ATC gliding nicely.
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The interesting point is liason with BGA clubs, now is that to facilitate gliding in suitable clubs or stamp out gliding altogether by raising the bar so high that no gliding with them is mandated.
It’s to audit and inspect the 6 or so clubs selected as appropriate for use.
As the ACO is rapdily losing its gliding experience, will they know what they are looking for?
I suspect it will hardly be on the lines of ‘Taceval’.
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I’d venture to say that it probably doesn’t even need to be in the “desirable” attributes. You’ll probably have a far better chance of recruiting a high-calibre, relatively recent regular G/C or W/C if they have no experience dealing with RAFAC.
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No doubt any applicant will have had their ear to the ground before applying to open this can of worms.
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They will get someone who wants to perpetuate their lifestyle on the FTRS gravy train.
We don’t need high calibre (no idea what that means/looks like) we need someone willing to ditch the current set up and go into one that actually gets AIR cadets into the AIR. At some point someone said the CAC was a high calibre individual, but I don’t think we’ve seen any of the drive that you would associate with someone branded as ‘high calibre’.
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I’ve just had AEF cancelled for the third time. Weather affected the first time, but the second and third times were cancelled as the AEF forgot about the Benson Bash and RIAT and their effect on staffing and airspace. These events crept up on them as both times I was given three days notice!!!
I had the very hard task of telling enthusiastic cadets that they would not be doing the one thing they joined for!!!
Can the Head of 2FTS add explaining stupidness to disappointed cadets in their job description?
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Though I tend to agree, AEF is under the control of 6FTS
If there is no gliding, why do we need 2FTS?
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If there was no gliding then we wouldn’t need 2FTS, but there is.
Maintaining people on FTRS conracts.
Gliding will be coming back near me apparently. With my luck I’ll be on some crummy camping trip when it comes around.
What’s the actual problem with that?
I’m sure you do know what a “high calibre” individual is; you’re ultimately probably just trying to be antagonistic (as normal). I’m sure they even have some “high calibre” individuals in the civilian world too.
And as an aside, a “high calibre” aviation specialist probably looks far better than a “high calibre” blunty.
Adds to a wage bill when the money ould more usefullybe deployed elsewhere.
Interesting range of comments, but when yo look at figure (Scotland Charity returns), year on year the ACO is in decline and it does not help when flying and gliding is paused. We suffered AEF cancellation, and I note for whatever those slots are lost, and you dont get offered replacements.
Unfortunately the Trade Descriptions Act does not extend in this direction but it makes me wonder how an Organisation can claim to be for air minded youth, when the only aircraft available comes out of an Airfix box.
Maybe there is a belief that all the High Fibre senior ranks look so impressive in their NO1s that cant fail to deliver.
But why don’t you go talk to your Civcom and see about fundraising and get some flying, but dont be surprised if you dont get any where, a) because the high fibre did not think of it first, and b) there is a perception that Civcoms are now controlled and have to do what they are told.
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But how do they add to “the wage bill”? You can’t just magic up an FTRS post out of thin air, and any FTRS job would either need a qualified regular service person or a suitably qualified civil servant. Either way it costs money.
You could look at all the retired senior officers doing Flt Lt FTRS jobs. I’m sure the initial reaction is “what a waste of money”, but actually, when you look at the other costs (of recruiting/training another individual etc, benefits given to regulars vs full time reserved etc) the sums begin to add up.
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“High calibre” is one of those throw away phrases that means different things to different people. To some it is highly qualified, to some experienced and to some someone who isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty.
What we actually need is someone who can see and understand what the problems are and then get stuck into fixing them, why part of the JD or TOR isn’t to get gliding to pre ‘pause’ levels baffles me.
What we don’t need some high ranking patsy who’s been able to get up the RAF’s greasy pole who sees this role as a way to remain living the dream, which is how I perceive “home commitment” FTRS. I wonder how many FTRS, who after all are retirees, would go for them if they were part-time, offering no more than 2-3 days a week and or at no more than a third of the salary figures.
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