Originally Posted by
cats_five
At my club a cadet pays £8.50 for a launch and up to 30 minutes in a club glider. Travel can easily cost more than flying.
That is exactly my point really, prices are I think the same as at the site I fly from.
To progress you really need to fly about once a week. But first you need to get there which depending where in the country you are could cost your prospective cadet another £10-20 or more a week. £8.50 a launch and 30 mins isn't bad but some days you're not going to stay up for half an hour, either due to weather or training requirements, so you'll be looking at a few launches. Then there's food, club membership which itself can cost more than £100 at some sites. You're looking at a weekly cost that isn't affordable for many young people. - Yes, there are scholarships, but unless you're lucky they won't get you very far.
Added to that, in terms of sheer numbers getting every ATC cadet and RAF section CCF a winch launch a year would be an increase in BGA winch launches of about 20%. That's neither sustainable for the BGA nor good enough for the cadets.