Air Cadets grounded?
If true then I think that the lack of weekend flying that some may be experiencing may be a local issue and not part of some convoluted conspiracy.
'I know a man who knows a man who was told by his boss's cleaner' come on, really? Go to the source and find out for yourself what is real, or do you prefer spreading nasty rumours?
Last edited by beardy; 30th Jan 2018 at 14:43.
beardy
The Tutor fleet is a pooled asset, shared between Elementary Flight Training, (top priority), University Air Squadrons, (second priority) and the Air Cadets, (bottom of the pile).
When the hours on the aircraft are getting low, or the Tutor fleet pot of money is running out, who do you think is chopped first?
You say it is scurrilous nonsense because you know the real reason Air Cadet powered flying has stopped? Please tell us.
Like speaking to someone quite senior in the organisation?.........oh yeah, I've done that.
The Tutor fleet is a pooled asset, shared between Elementary Flight Training, (top priority), University Air Squadrons, (second priority) and the Air Cadets, (bottom of the pile).
When the hours on the aircraft are getting low, or the Tutor fleet pot of money is running out, who do you think is chopped first?
To imply that AEF flying has run out of money is scurrilous nonsense.
Go to the source and find out for yourself what is real
Air cadet powered flying has not stopped. I am still doing it, weekend as well.
And since you asked 8AEF.
Now which AEF is curtailing cadet flying, apart from Woodvale which has airfield problems?
And since you asked 8AEF.
Now which AEF is curtailing cadet flying, apart from Woodvale which has airfield problems?
Sky Sports,
The Grob Prefect is replacing the Tutor as an elementary trainer, so by your reckoning they have just moved up one notch in terms of priority.
The Grob Prefect is replacing the Tutor as an elementary trainer, so by your reckoning they have just moved up one notch in terms of priority.
Last edited by pr00ne; 1st Feb 2018 at 07:55.
The airframes are a shared asset, but each role has a contracted number of hours and rate. I doubt that, over the contract period, the hours allocated to the AEF have not, nor will, change.
I can understand how what looks like a temporary, local problem appears worse than it is especially after watching the gliding debacle from afar. It must be frustrating on a daily basis. But from where I sit there is no change to AEF cadet flying policy nor hours.
I can understand how what looks like a temporary, local problem appears worse than it is especially after watching the gliding debacle from afar. It must be frustrating on a daily basis. But from where I sit there is no change to AEF cadet flying policy nor hours.
RAF Woodvale airfield has been a contracted operation for years, what has changed?
OK, I see, thanks beardy.
In my opinion there is no legal requirements for any safety-related information page. Using a FB Page is as legal as any police notepad, closed website or service codebook. The use of a suitable forum may only need to be a procedural requirement (if written into procedures)
I was once part of an international group of companies that required me to join FB to discuss flight safety issues and processes for 400+ aircraft and 5000 personnel across 13 quite diverse states. I had never been on FB before, but became a user quite quickly as it helps keep in touch with distant extremes of our families. I still use it.
The XXX Flight Safety Forum worked well for a while but ceased when taken over by another company that did the same thing in another, more expensive, way. Possibly more secure, but certainly a lot more expensive!
A secure FB page is simple to set up, easy to secure and monitor, easy (for permitted people) to access from the widest variety of portable devices and easy to quickly share information and also to discuss issues with a fair amount of privacy.
Air Cadet Central
I have just been over to Air Cadet Central 
The users of ACO gliding and flying (Air Cadets and Adult Volunteers) seem very unhappy with what has been going on in the Air Cadets since the "pause".
It appears to have started when OC 2FTS grounded the glider fleet without a plan, either short term or now, long term. The glider fleet has been destroyed, with some Volunteer Gliding Squadrons killed off. The adult volunteers are complaining about the mushroom treatment from on high and are voting with their feet! They get promises of AEF gliding and flying which appear not to come to fruition. Seems they have run out of excuses to give to the cadets' parents as to why in the two/four years that little Johnnie has been in the Air Cadets he has not had the opportunity to fly!
....and to cap it all they have removed the RAFVR(T) Commissions and replaced them with what the users are referring to as plastic commissions (rather like plastic policemen).....
Oh dear, oh dear. Nobody at the top (the very top) comes out of this smelling of roses. But after nearly four years of this (pause) debacle you can understand why!
The users of ACO gliding and flying (Air Cadets and Adult Volunteers) seem very unhappy with what has been going on in the Air Cadets since the "pause".
It appears to have started when OC 2FTS grounded the glider fleet without a plan, either short term or now, long term. The glider fleet has been destroyed, with some Volunteer Gliding Squadrons killed off. The adult volunteers are complaining about the mushroom treatment from on high and are voting with their feet! They get promises of AEF gliding and flying which appear not to come to fruition. Seems they have run out of excuses to give to the cadets' parents as to why in the two/four years that little Johnnie has been in the Air Cadets he has not had the opportunity to fly!
Many of us have spent the last few years plugging the gap caused by the total lack of flying and gliding and what's the recovery plan? Travel long distances and give up whole weekends for a couple of launches and some time on a PTT, well whoop de do! The attitude seems to be "well we can do more with less", the reality is that our cadets will get less with Squadron staff giving up more!
Oh dear, oh dear. Nobody at the top (the very top) comes out of this smelling of roses. But after nearly four years of this (pause) debacle you can understand why!
I wonder how many airframes Southern Sailpanes have recovered since they were awarded the contract?
I did not realise how important the recovery of our ACO gliders was to national security and for the training of RAF pilot recruits. How stupid of me!
“Such a contract is of utmost importance to national security and the training of RAF pilot recruits to defend this nation needs to be given priority over relatively minor AONB concerns.”
recovered airframes
It is 'rumoured' that SS have actually sorted around 20 airframes, but most of these have not 'filtered' back to a VGS (Gliding) unit.
I suspect that there is a shortage of both current and experienced staff to actually run several Viking operations other than at Syerston itself.
Many of the original staff will have 'aged out' and of course there has been little or no chance for serious training for any 'new influx'.
Much has been made of the use of the PTT, but of course no one is fooled to think that this is a serious replacement for actual flying.
Syerston seems to be growing into a mega centre with plenty of higher ranks and fancy titles, but the simple fact is THE PLOT HAS BEEN LOST,THE HORSE HAS BOLTED, and no one has a clue as to what to do to remedy this appalling situation. Without any credible leadership at the top and indeed any direction from anyone who has any idea of what they have thrown away the future must be slightly worrying for those left trying to hold the Cadet Squadrons together. The whole ATC 'Flying' theme is going to be a distant memory as the 'electronic' experience will become the future and replace the 'hands on' operation as we knew it.
I suspect that there is a shortage of both current and experienced staff to actually run several Viking operations other than at Syerston itself.
Many of the original staff will have 'aged out' and of course there has been little or no chance for serious training for any 'new influx'.
Much has been made of the use of the PTT, but of course no one is fooled to think that this is a serious replacement for actual flying.
Syerston seems to be growing into a mega centre with plenty of higher ranks and fancy titles, but the simple fact is THE PLOT HAS BEEN LOST,THE HORSE HAS BOLTED, and no one has a clue as to what to do to remedy this appalling situation. Without any credible leadership at the top and indeed any direction from anyone who has any idea of what they have thrown away the future must be slightly worrying for those left trying to hold the Cadet Squadrons together. The whole ATC 'Flying' theme is going to be a distant memory as the 'electronic' experience will become the future and replace the 'hands on' operation as we knew it.
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As I think I have said several times on here, the whole point of the ATC was to give some young men that tremendous lift to their personal confidence the day they flew alone in an aeroplane. There is NOTHING that can replace that. AEF is all very well, but hands on flying beats it every time.
I think it is high time that 'rumours' of whatever kind are replaced with honest statements about whether there is actually going to be any glider flying.
I think it is high time that 'rumours' of whatever kind are replaced with honest statements about whether there is actually going to be any glider flying.