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Old 7th Jan 2017, 22:36
  #3117 (permalink)  
planesandthings
 
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People discussing that the VGS and BGA systems don't work together, the Australian Air Cadets do just fine operating under their Civilian National Body and as I mentioned, run a scheme that blows the ATC out of the water. The key is standardisation, the VGSs should've been kept standardised as much as possible to the BGA regulations, I know there are obviously some differences that can't be overridden but for example there is no need to teach a different type of circuit to how the BGA do!

As for the injection of youth, sure the Air Cadets getting involved would help, but the injection is already there, Junior Membership in the BGA is well about 1000 and quickly climbing, it is the biggest membership success of the current era. The Junior National competition is totally full of 50 top under 26 pilots, a British Junior Gliding Team who won gold at the latest junior world championships, instructor courses have juniors on them fully funded by various organisations, some who have gone instructing professionally across the world kick starting their professional aviation careers, we have flying examiners aged 19, dozens of solo pilots aged 14, maintenance inspectors under 20, junior club committee members. Just to name a few!

This might not be visible to every club but the structure and success is already there, and any addition by the air cadets would be building to that, not starting it.
I'm very much sure the BGA is willing to help as much as it can, but the ball is in HQACs court with all the regulation, clubs are not struggling to find capacity, they're struggling to find ways to deal with the bureaucracy some have been faced with.
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