Air Cadets grounded?
A bad situation getting increasingly worse...
As an aside, I have a cadet training book for the Vigilant 'borrowed' from 633 around 1998 if anyone wants a bit of nostalgia....
As an aside, I have a cadet training book for the Vigilant 'borrowed' from 633 around 1998 if anyone wants a bit of nostalgia....
Confusing rules
I think AEF is suffering the same fate as ATC Gliding; in that the rules have escalated to the point that actual flying gets more difficult to achieve just because they have increased the 'operational' limits to operate.
We all know how the Gliding got 'paused' and how difficult it is to 'un pause it' due regulations, plus lack of suitably trained and current staff.
The AEF operation has been made even more 'complicated' by insisting on a cockpit warning system, plus has to operate under an Air Traffic service.
Neither of these is a substitute for the real basic airmanship operation of LOOKING OUT. Once you try to substitute a basic VFR rule with anything requiring 'equipment', and an Air Traffic service you merely add yet another level of conformity that has its own level of serviceability and operational limitations.
The AEF issue no doubt was influenced by the fatal accident some time back.
However this rather overlooked the fact that there was a human failing element that predominated over a system failure and rather like the Shoreham Airshow situation it is difficult to impose yet more rules that do not really rectify something that should be covered in NORMAL airmanship.
If you fly VFR YOU LOOK OUT and if you fail to do this then you are negligent. Relying on radio and 'warnings' is no substitute ever.
We all know how the Gliding got 'paused' and how difficult it is to 'un pause it' due regulations, plus lack of suitably trained and current staff.
The AEF operation has been made even more 'complicated' by insisting on a cockpit warning system, plus has to operate under an Air Traffic service.
Neither of these is a substitute for the real basic airmanship operation of LOOKING OUT. Once you try to substitute a basic VFR rule with anything requiring 'equipment', and an Air Traffic service you merely add yet another level of conformity that has its own level of serviceability and operational limitations.
The AEF issue no doubt was influenced by the fatal accident some time back.
However this rather overlooked the fact that there was a human failing element that predominated over a system failure and rather like the Shoreham Airshow situation it is difficult to impose yet more rules that do not really rectify something that should be covered in NORMAL airmanship.
If you fly VFR YOU LOOK OUT and if you fail to do this then you are negligent. Relying on radio and 'warnings' is no substitute ever.
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The AEF operation has been made even more 'complicated' by insisting on a cockpit warning system
Requiring it and the ATS might have something to do with these:
https://www.gov.uk/aaib-reports/6-20...-february-2009
https://www.gov.uk/aaib-reports/5-20...t-14-june-2009
The AEF operation has been made even more 'complicated' by insisting on a cockpit warning system
If it was the need for a cockpit warning system, you would think there would have been a release to staff first, followed by a grounding in the coming weeks. Then again.............you can't beat knee-jerk to disappoint kids!
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All AEF flying has, this weekend, been paused for the foreseeable future.
The Commandant Air Cadets has gone on her Facebook page to say, confusingly, she cannot discuss the reason on a public forum.........but, at the same time, doesn't have a clue what the reason is!?!?
The Commandant Air Cadets has gone on her Facebook page to say, confusingly, she cannot discuss the reason on a public forum.........but, at the same time, doesn't have a clue what the reason is!?!?
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A quick glance at flight Radar 24 in the last few minutes reveals G-BYUM and G-CGKK and G-BYXM all Grob 115E's registered to Babcocks being flown in the Wittering area. So not much wrong with the aircraft it would seem.
Funding Perhaps ???
Funding Perhaps ???
I think I read somewhere that radar services are 'contracted out' and the twit who assigned the contract didn't think they'd be needed at weekends 'cos it cost too much.
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chevvron,
I think that you'll find that it's the other way round. Radar is performed by the RAF and the Tower is contracted out Babcock staff.
A lot of Tutors are nothing to do with the AEF's. University Air Squadrons, CFS, RAF Elementary, that is a lot of Tutors.
I think that you'll find that it's the other way round. Radar is performed by the RAF and the Tower is contracted out Babcock staff.
A lot of Tutors are nothing to do with the AEF's. University Air Squadrons, CFS, RAF Elementary, that is a lot of Tutors.
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Tutor 9 Ship
Some are free to practice 9 ships. Would prefer they flew students and cadets but no doubt some career hungry officer wanted to show off to the Magisterium in London.
Bitter? Mines a pint please!
Some are free to practice 9 ships. Would prefer they flew students and cadets but no doubt some career hungry officer wanted to show off to the Magisterium in London.
Bitter? Mines a pint please!
See and be seen 'limitations'
Everything has 'limitations' but keeping a very good look out is a very good way of avoiding Air Traffic and 'systems' limitations, and is the only way when they both get overloaded.
As for Tutors, I thought they were 'pooled' nowadays with AEFs and UASs being co-located thus each unit drawing from the same pool of aircraft.
Doesn't the EFTS still use Slingsby T67s or am I out of date with that too?
Last edited by chevvron; 23rd Jan 2018 at 17:12.
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Tutor 9 Ship
Some are free to practice 9 ships. Would prefer they flew students and cadets but no doubt some career hungry officer wanted to show off to the Magisterium in London.
Bitter? Mines a pint please!
Some are free to practice 9 ships. Would prefer they flew students and cadets but no doubt some career hungry officer wanted to show off to the Magisterium in London.
Bitter? Mines a pint please!
Chevvron,
Actually, from the pr article I saw (I forget where) the Tower air traffikers all looked too young to be retired from anywhere. Most of them, certainly the female boss, transferred with the contract when the units moved to Wittering from Wyton.
I expect that all Tutor maintenance is centralised, which under current curcumstances will give more availability to instructor and elementary flying.
No Slingsby T67’s left anywhere in the RAF, they all went Tutor years ago. In fact the RAF Elementary squadrons are about to convert to the Prefect T1.
Actually, from the pr article I saw (I forget where) the Tower air traffikers all looked too young to be retired from anywhere. Most of them, certainly the female boss, transferred with the contract when the units moved to Wittering from Wyton.
I expect that all Tutor maintenance is centralised, which under current curcumstances will give more availability to instructor and elementary flying.
No Slingsby T67’s left anywhere in the RAF, they all went Tutor years ago. In fact the RAF Elementary squadrons are about to convert to the Prefect T1.
Gentleman Aviator
what she doesn’t know about aviation can just about be fitted into the Grand Canyon
Is it so that no Region Commanders have wings these days?? o tempora o mores .....
Tutor 9 Ship
Some are free to practice 9 ships. Would prefer they flew students and cadets but no doubt some career hungry officer wanted to show off to the Magisterium in London.
Bitter? Mines a pint please!
Some are free to practice 9 ships. Would prefer they flew students and cadets but no doubt some career hungry officer wanted to show off to the Magisterium in London.
Bitter? Mines a pint please!
Dammit, Ninja'd by cows...