IMHO this thread has seen far too many posts that have been dedicated to "bashing the head" and the belittling of the management structure of the ACO.
It matters not who or what is to blame for the "temporary" grounding of Air Cadet Gliding Operations. The whole point of the matter is that the Operational Duty Holder (ODH) made the "right call" in the bringing to a halt of gliding operations.
It matters NOT how "excellent" everyone, in the past, might have been within their old style management of the ACO. Moreover, "the system" has since moved on and, like it or lump it, everyone within the ACO is now held accountable for their actions within the structure of the MAA.
EVERY aircraft platform, within the RAF (Army or Navy), must have a risk register. It so happens that the Risk to Life (RtL) register of the glider platform was proven to be lacking with the engineering documentation. The fact of the matter is... there have been many repairs made to the glider fleet that didn't have an "authorised" repair schedule. The quantifying of those unauthorised repairs has become the subject of closer examination and, upon the necessary re-examination of those unauthorised repairs, new work schedules have been written, where appropriate, to approve the work that had been previously undertaken.
Hence, it matters not whether or not a flying suit didn't have the correct "stitching" to a name badge or that a fire extinguisher was found to be out of date (as previously reported), the whole "point" of the matter is that there were many shortfalls, within the engineering documentation, that warranted the "pause to flying".
Flying Regulation and the following of "correct engineering procedure" is the cornerstone of "airworthiness" for the whole of the ACO. The Viking and Vigilant, none complex platforms that they might be, remain under similar close scrutiny as any other aircraft platform that the RAF, Army or Navy might operate.
No one is doubting the ability of the VGS staff who have painstakingly made every effort to continue with their professional contribution to this worthwhile organisation. I would ask everyone who's involved with Air Cadet Gliding to reconsider some of the negative attitudes that have been so vociferously displayed here on PPrune to think again. Your "worth" to the young folk who wish to continue to fly within the ACO is within your hands.
TCF