Buckley boy
To address some of your questions:-
You are correct that the public transport category of C of A has gone under EASA but some of the requirements for tighter operating standards remain under the ANO. As the aircraft in civil terms is being operated as a commercial venture it requires a pilot with at least a CPL unless it is operated under a military waver.
This is why a service pilot has to be up to wings standard, just think of the headlines in the Daily Mail if a cadet was killed and the pilot instructor was not qualified up to the basic RAF standard or if a civilian did not hold the basic civilian qualification for the civil operation of the type.
As for a financial interest in the Viking recovery program....... That is in the lap of the MoD and their contracts department as a few crumbs might indirectly fall my way. However a large slice of the loaf might come my way should the MoD opt for a sustainable Vigilant recovery program but a realistic view of the costs involved makes it a non-starter, the airframe recovery will cost the same as a Viking plus the the engine retrofit adds IRO £60k per copy. Add to this the aircraft having a civil type certificate and so is an immediate candidate for putting on the civil register so the aircraft is financially a very attractive candidate for disposal.
( it should be noted that the RAF policy of not shutting down the Vigilant engine in flight adds to the engine problem, in civilian hands the Gilder part of motor glider would no doubt be taken advantage of extending the engine life)
As much as my wallet would like to see a big Vigilant recovery program I see it as the wrong way to go for the Air Cadets, real gliding is a much better team building a exercise involving cadets occupied all day ( rather than sitting about the Crewroom waiting for their flight ) and the numbers stack up towards the Vikng recovery program with the money saved by not recovering the Vigilants ( and selling them ) being spent on other forms of cadet flying or new gliders.