If that is true then I'm delighted too for the cadets of the squadron.

If it turns out like that, then brilliant. Unfortunately my contact was unable to help as charity allocations for the year had been finalised. good luck to the sqn.

Whilst I agree with this in principle the practicalities of this is not that great, primarily due to the distance many parenting units are from their cadet squadrons.

When I was a cadet we were parented by RAF Uxbridge, yet I was a member of a squadron in Kent Wing, not the shortest of journeys to pick up rifles etc for shooting at Ash, let alone to pick up a vehicle. Then as a serviceman I was responsible for parented cadet units when I was at Headley Court, 48 squadrons (if memory serves me correct) yet our MT fleet consisted of a few cars and three minibuses, not a great deal to offer.

If local TA units could be used then such a scheme could theoretically become more practical but they parent Army Cadet units, which are more numerous, and white fleet wise, TA umits don't have a great deal of minibuses either (lots of Land Rovers and 4 Tonners though, both unable to be used to carry cadets).

Parenting of cadet units is a major problem these days.


One needs only look at a map of the UK to see how few stations there now are and hence how many ATC units (there are about 1000 sqns) some RAF stations will be supporting.


Travel to ones parenting unit will be a journey of several hours for some.


O-D

Thank you for your kind words throughout this thread.

All at 1860 Sqn are touched by how far reaching our story has become.

We have recently received confirmation that the Avon and Somerset Police are kindly donating a vehicle which has come to the end of its service life.
We do not yet know the condition or suitability of the vehicle, so have started an appeal to raise funds for a replacement minibus or to alter the donated vehicle.


We hope to have a Just Giving webpage live in the next few days.

If you would like to contribute to this appeal by cheque, please send a cheque made payable to 1860 East Bristol ATC Welfare Fund.

Please send the cheque to our Wing HQ at the following address:

1860 East Bristol Sqn
C/O Bristol and Gloucestershire Wing HQ
4 Highliffe Drive
Quedgeley
Gloucestershire
GL2 4QN

Once again, many thanks for your support.

Si


Simon Claridge
Adjutant
Flying Officer RAF VR(T)
1860 East Bristol Squadron
Air Training Corps
[email protected]

Cadet units are entitled to access to white fleet vehicles (with drivers if necessary) to support training via project Phoenix.

There we go; excellent.

ISTR that the police are responsible for replacing stuff destroyed or damaged as a result of riot under what may still be called the Town Police Clauses Act 18??. I think it applied after the Garden House Hotel riot in Cambridge in the early 70s

I don't think one burnt out minibus constitutes a riot.


Posted from Pprune.org App for Android

Riot Legal Definition: Three or more persons who assemble and advance a purpose together, with the intent to use force if necessary, and raising alarm of a reasonable person(s). Not the outcome that is the issue, so...............

Sorry, Roadster280, excuse me while I laugh hollowly...

Have you actually tried using PHOENIX to get transport? ATC sqns have always been entitled to demand transport. Why do you think so many have spent their own cash on a minibus?

tmmorris - Yes, quite successfully.

Not being a cadet instructor, no.

But if you and others have, and it has failed, why has this happened? Has it been staffed up through the CoC?

If a facility or service exists (that the MOD, and therefore every taxpayer, is paying for), and it is not working, then the "users" of that service are reasonably entitled to ask why not, and get it working.

You are/were entitled to have combat clothing laundered by the military to preserve the IRR dyes in the fabric. Granted it was an utter ball-ache to push it though (everyone used their own washing machines), but despite the fences thrown up by the relevant departments, they couldn't actually say "no".

While the ATC can call upon whitefleet for approved "corps" activities, the drivers also need to jump through the MT hoops to do so (D1 license, MT600 etc.)

SOVs are more flexible, always available, may not require D1, don't need a 600 and can be used to support any squadron activity regardless of whether it attracts MOD funding (is sports, social events).

That's certainly not going to happen. With manning always tight and legal driving and rest hours on the drivers, they don't have very much slack in the system to support non-military tasks.
As has been said elsewhere - there are some precise definitions of what military MT can be used for. A lot of what an ATC Sqn might want to do is going to be outside those definitions. Hence they have their own vehicles.

By the way; there are over 1000 ATC Sqns across the UK. That is a lot to support with a dwindling RAF.

1000 gosh.... best news all day. Makes one quite proud to know there are so many kids wanting to be part of it all and adults willing to volunteer to support.

In a day when it is so easy to get jaded this was glorious to read

:D

Aggamemnon - I take it you have access to DII then......

Bookings can only be done on a DII terminal (or that's what we are told), which for ATC Sqns is at Wing HQ level. As for CCF, don't know; maybe TMMorris can enlighten us on that.

Maybe someone could post up some useful info regarding white fleet or hire vehicles.
It seems the ATC are a bit useless here sometimes, while the ACF find using the above vehicles very simple.
The ACF do have their own core white fleet but do also use hire vehicles of varying sizes whenever needed.........including at the same cadet centre this thread is based on.
This all sounds a bit like a lack of willingness or understanding from some within the ATC, as squadrons are using the SAME system with differing results.

https://www.avonandsomerset.police.u...ll-air-cadets/

Well done Avon and Somerset :ok::D

I've found it quite simple. Request to Wing HQ for Phoenix support, Wing make the booking, wagon delivered.