Ona slightly different topic, the first Senior Volunteer Adviser has been appointed (and first volunteer Group Captain - excluding Honorary Group Captains): Group Captain Andy Pass who also was awarded the MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List this year. About to relinquish command (if he hasn't already) of South and East Midlands Wing, so it will be interesting to see (as a former RAFVR(T) Officer myself) what difference it will make in future...

Pegasus,
Sorry for the late reply.

I'd heard the ACO became RAFAC in late 2017. Maybe that was part of the reason, after 42 years as in instructor, I left......

"One could easily argue that the gains from the amazing experience of solo flight with associated decision making are indeed an aid for youth at an important part of their life"

One could and should but it doesn't cut much ice with head teachers who are measured on the schools exam results - just like the idiot restrictions on taking a short holiday in term time

This is soo depressing...:{

I'm glad I went through the system when I did.

No sooner than the air cadets were allowed back in the air with the AEF's, all flying has been paused again due to another tech issue with the Tutor.

Anyone know what the latest issue is, and how long its likely to take to fix it?

Officers to 'carry the can' ....
 

...
Can't help with the Tutor, but one is tempted to suggest it might have something to do with Ben Wallace's cunning plan to hold VSOs accountable for their defence management shortcomings -

The perceived danger in Whitehall would be "It might catch on, so we'd better ground everything that might get us into trouble ... until we can get him replaced ..."

Times, Nov 26, by Larisa Brown - ......... Officers to 'carry the can' for Ajax tank fiasco

Why stop at Ajax ?

LFH

Who said cadets were allowed back in the air? None have flown since Mar 20.

You’re quite a long way behind: there was a rudder attachment failure and all the Tutors are being inspected and (as required) fixed. They are trickling back in; UAS flying has restarted; cadets in the New Year. Reduced capacity due to COVID precautions. (Think shared helmets.)

I've known about the rudder bracket for a while now and know that they had been back in the air for a few months, (regularly seen in the locality of Wittering).
I'm also aware that 2FTS were cleared to fly cadets again at the start of November, and some units, such as 7 AEF at Cranwell had restarted the flying program pretty much straight away.
I'm also aware that cadets who were scheduled to fly between now and Christmas have been told their slots are now cancelled due to a tech issue with the aircraft. Hence my question!

There’s a restriction on aerobatics due to things being found in the oil that shouldn’t have been, but that hasn’t grounded them again.

Anyone got an update on which VGS are operating now and which are 'working up'

615 at Kenley has been flying for some months now - can't recall when they restarted, probably June or July.

615 Operations
 

Upholding a fine tradition of 'surviving & providing' just like its historic base. (Image Treads) PC
Just for the record Pobjoy was a very early 'volunteer' for Gliding AEF before it became part of the 'Gliding schools' program in addition to training.
Having only just got my uniform I happened to be one of the few Cadets left at our (450 Squadron ATC HQ Kenley) after the squadron bussed off to White Waltham for Chipmunk flying one Sunday. We were supposed to be cleaning the HQ, but a landrover arrived from 615 and asked for some Cadets to go over for a 'trial' AE flight.
We promptly ditched our 'bumpers and brooms' and went Gliding, and in my case I just kept going back to help out.
The joke was the Chipmunk brigade did not fly (weather) and we got 2 or 3 three launches each in a MK3. Bit of a row when the Squadron officers found out, but we had participated in some of the first programmed Gliding AE, and it started me off in an amazing adventure of actually flying AE Cadets myself whilst still a Cadet !!!!
615 & Kenley, unbeatable combination. (the MK 3's replaced the Hurricanes), and we called them the fretwork fighters.

Apparently, AOC 22 Gp and HQAC have removed the responsibility for teaching ground school and the flight simulators from 2 FTS and the VGS.

It took some time, but it was finally seen as a terrible waste of time to have cadets at a VGS, but for them to spend a whole morning in a classroom. Hence why gliding numbers have remained painfully low since the end of the pause.
As a knock-on from these low numbers, the lack of slots at VGS meant only a small number of cadets were getting the ground school and this was an unnecessary blocker to cadets getting wings for their flight at an AEF, (of which there were hundreds).

The ground school and flight simulator sortie will now be taught within squadrons, where it should always have been.

Here ya go Pobjoy!

Wait... can't find it. Try when I get back home...

Survivors
 

When it comes it should be Flagged Up as Kenley (Survivor) 615 (Still going strong) With some help from 111 Squadron which survived until 2011

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....3896a7e9bd.jpg
Kenley (Survivor) 615 (Still going strong) With some help from 111 Squadron which survived until 2011

A link to this came up on my FB page.

It appears the Grobs are getting a new lease of life, for a worthwhile cause. My apologies if this has already been posted about on here.

It's a shame all the locations are in the South and therefore beyond any realistic participation for me. That said, whom they are seeking in terms of experience, and what they offer, is quite specific which is understandable. It would be interesting to see who is doing the certification and under what auspice however.

Project Able (g109able.org)

There was an article about it in one of the flying magazines a while ago. I must admit it gave me very mixed feelings.

I was delighted to see that the aircraft are in fact "recoverable" and that they will be used in an excellent cause. Aerobility is a great organisation. I do have a few doubts about how robust they will be in their new role though.

This delight though was probably overcome by sadness and anger that the air cadet gliding organisation was decimated because apparently these aircraft were "not recoverable". I find it amazing that a charity (with a large grant from the government to help them) is able to acomplish this whilst all the resources of the MOD/RAF/ATC were not.

Perhaps we should nominate Mike Miller-Smith to be the next Chief of the Air Staff. (He could be deputy as apparently there is now a vacancy!)