Originally Posted by
Krystal n chips
Back to the Cadet Mk3 and why the design and operation of the aircraft allowed so many 16 yr olds ( inc me at Burtonwood ) to safely launch themselves into the air solo.. The irony is the public, in the main, are unaware just how iconic this seemingly unremarkable glider is and how many people subsequently became professionally involved in aviation thanks in no small part to flying the aircraft
I've made this point in the 'other' thread in the military section.
Air Cadets don't 'need' a high perf.glass ship for the 'proficiency' badge (later re-named BGT or Basic Gliding Training badge; probably something else nowadays) as you're initially only trained to 'first' solo and the MK3 fulfilled this role adequately, trouble is no-one makes a 'low performance' trainer nowadays and a true Mk 3 replacement would need designing from scratch.