Cats
I understand that the order books are full, but also I understand that the company would likely, for the right order, open up more manufacturing capacity if needed. The RAAF have just had a sizeable order fulfilled.
I agree, using MAA-land to engineer gliders is cloud cuckoo land. Swapping to BGA regulation would involve training up the cadre of ass/full cat instructors and BGA engineering inspectors, but a large proportion could have been done by now. What would be in it for the BGA? Go to most gliding clubs and the average age is high. The BGA is suffering like most other GA sports from a lack of youth coming into the sport - this would be an instant fix for them by delivering their syllabus and guarantee them a bright future.
Plowing on with ~70 old Grob 103 Acros and a handful of modified Grob 109s under MAA rules is an expensive folly. The 109s will be dead by 2019. So what then? A bunch of old Acros slowly being nibbled to death by regulations designed for military combat aircraft.
If you want to be really radical, the RAF have over 22 Air Sports clubs ranging from light aircraft, gliding to microlight. Get 2FTS to administer Air Cadet flying through these clubs, many of which have worked on the civil regulations for many years, and bolster the club's instructor/support cadre through the extant network of cadet force volunteers. There is ACTO35 in place at present and this could provide the mechanism to deliver if it allowed defence budget money to be used - there would be an instant saving as the cost to run a mil registered glider/motor glider is high compared to the club aircraft. I'm not saying these clubs are in a position now to deliver this, but could be with the capability/capacity the manpower within 2FTS/VGSs, with training, could provide. If coupled to the 12 remaining VGS, running on BGA regs, we might have a system that could deliver what these youngsters deserve.
CPL Clott