As others have said the current problem is a factor of neglect for many years. However, I do believe that people have tried to do the right thing and I would say that there was a cultural problem close to the gliders and a lack of resource at leadership/risk holder level until 2FTS was stood up. IIRC the situation unfolded like this in recent years:
1. Gliders bought about 20-30 years ago were serviced by a RAF mobile glider servicing team until replaced by contracted engineering services without significant oversight.
2. The gliders were operated under HQ Air Cadet control for many years.
3. On the stand up of the MAA and Duty Holders then the first to oversee was I believe 1EFTS. However, a spate of incidents with Tucano meant that there was no manpower to oversee the glider operations properly.
4. Transferred to 3FTS where once again there was a problem with Tutor and so again the manpower was not available to oversee the glider operation. However, OC 3FTS acknowledged the issue and lobbied hard to stand up a seperate Delivery Duty Holder organisation.
5. HQ 2FTS formed with an OF-5 head and a OF-4 with CAMO responsibility. Within about 6-12 months of both arriving then gliding was 'paused'. Set this against a back drop of more pressing airworthiness related problems across 22Gp at the time then the already stretched A4 Eng were unable to look at the gliding operation properly prior to this due to a lack of manpower.
That's my recollection. This was another classic 'can do' that should have been stopped a while before it did. Wilful negligence? I don't believe so. Corporate/Organisational failure? Yes. However, as would have been usual after a fatal accident there would be a lot of hindsight and hand-wringing so it was a good job that the VGSs only had one fatal accident in 20 years - and that was non technical.
I standby to be corrected on the exact details on how the VGSs were passed 'from pillar to post' between organisations, but I hope it shows how the review systems fell down?
However, if your glass is half full like mine then the right thing happened in the end
. But, and its a big but, the recovery to the current stage could have been done far better in my considered opinion. I am of the opinion that the volunteer staff, and more importantly the Cadets, have been let down by this whole shambles.
LJ