ULAS at the beginning of the 1970s as a student on the Chipmunk was excellent as well. 3 years paid as an APO, 1 year paid a Plt Off - and no pressure with one's flying apart from being told to ease off if you turned up too often at White Waltham. Summer camps at Thorney Island, Marham, Newton and Abingdon. 3 of which have now closed. I flew 130 hours, 55 of which were solo.
ULAS at the beginning of the 1990s as a Bulldog QFI was more fun than I'd expected it to be - particularly when we were at Abingdon. Quite a few APOs still, but they weren't paid as well as we'd been. No real pressure on their flying apart from the annual cull of those who didn't pull their weight. Summer camps at St Mawgan and Benson.
Visited ULAS earlier this year at Wyton. No pilot APOs. A few bursars who aren't paid much. The students have to do well enough in 62 hours plus up to 18 hours of flex element spread thinly over 3 years so that they'll be streamed FJ. They don't go away on Summer Camp any more.....
Met a lad recently at a flying club who'd done the 'tactical recruit' thing. To get enough continuity at a UAS for FJs whilst studying for a good degree was, he'd decided, unlikely. A bursary wasn't going to help him clear his student loan as well as getting a vacation job would. But were he to save his UAS flying for the vacations in order to get some continuity, he wouldn't be able to find a job which paid enough to help with his loan repayments. Neither would he have much of a holiday between university terms or any time to study. So he decided to wait until he'd almost finished, then applied for the RAF. He was successful; he also timed it right so that he had a good break after University, went to Cranwell in the late Winter and then did EFTS in the Summer with excellent continuity....