Originally Posted by
TorqueOfTheDevil
And your parting shot (implying that currently no cadets get to fly) is an inaccurate slur - perhaps unintended - on those people who continue to work hard to deliver exactly that.
I doubt very much that it was an intended slur. Cadets in Norfolk and Suffolk Wing have suffered hugely a) from lack of gliding opportunities as 611VGS ceased flying long before the current pause, having lost their airfield when Watton was closed (as the then WGLO, it was greeted with dismay as they had purpose built facilities there) and b) they've suffered with the move of 5 AEF to Wittering with the problems with weekend ATC cover that followed. I left the ACO in June 2013 and I'm told that unless cadets get flying at annual camp and obviously available cadet places are less than there used to be, cadets in that Wing have pretty much forgotten what aircraft look like. I believe a handful have been gliding via the RAFGSA...
Taking your point about not being able to take the controls in a PA28 etc, that precedent was set years ago as my first flight as a cadet was in the Beagle Husky at 5AEF. I absolutely agree it's not ideal, but at least they'd get airborne...