Hey look, CAPP 151 is finally getting an update!

[JayT]

^ Your right I take it back, a kick in a certain Flight Officers pants would better serve everyone. 

Maybe a certain Captain needs something similar. You might be willing to loss a number of our most experienced members, who do a good chuck of our work (ie, a number of our pilots,) but for the sake of the Air Force, the program, myself, my fellow officers and cadets, my community, and my country, I'm not.

Let me state this very, very clearly. I agree with you. A more military program would be nice. But that's not, and can't, come from writing off a number of our members. That's gonna come from better enforcement of our current regulations, a shift in the basic training of new senior members, more military oversight of our cadet program, etc etc.

[Dragoon]

There are two groups of folks that CAP desperately needs.

Pilots
Parents


Pilots have thousands of dollars tied up in their training.  We need them.  They don't really need us.  (sure, our flying is cheaper, but you can't take your friends up in our birds).  And many of them aren't the least bit interested in grade, customs, or calling anyone "sir."  In fact, I've seen a very strong "independant" streak amongst GA pilots - flying is a pretty individualistic hobby.  Many of our crusty old CFIs, with thousands of hours and a willingess to train pilots for free, have zero interest in what they call "playing soldier."  But we need 'em.  We can't make 'em.

Parents put in all kinds of time supporting their kid's squadron doing the "scut work" that no one wants to do - filing stuff, driving vans, chaperoning, etc.  They aren't driven by a love of things military - they are driven by a love of their children.  We need 'em.  Otherwise, we'd have to do all that stuff ourselves.


WIWAC, many pilots and parents had prior military experience through the draft-era military - so it wasn't such a stretch for them to put a uniform on again.


But today....it ain't so. These critical CAP assets are our "golf shirt brigade" - essential, but unwilling to "play the game."

This is how we got into the dual-personality CAP of today.  And it's hard to get any folks to get in line with the military stuff when they notice that a third of the membership could care less about it.

How to fix this? I dunno.  Perhaps establish a class of membership for golf shirt folks that takes them out of the grade structure entirely.  Perhaps requiring military uniforms and courtesies in order to get promoted.  Perhaps eliminating grade from the senior program outside of CP - accept our true "civilian" status.

Or just keep letting those that want to "play soldier" have at it, and those that don't, ignore it.

As it stands, the only real benefit I think we're getting from our military side is as a recruiting tool for those who like to wear uniforms and earn grade.  There's so much more we could do with a military system if only we could fully implement it.

But we need those pilots and parents.

[mikeylikey]

^ We already have enough pilots that consider CAP to be their own private pilots club.  We need everyone (and anyone) to be interested in Cap's three missions, not just one.  Yes, yes....you may concentrate on just one, but at least know about and be able to do all three!

We also have enough parents that sit at my meetings and well, just sit there waiting for little Johny to finish up.  They consider it like waiting for their kid to finish soccer or karate class.  Then when Little Johny fails PT and doesn't promote I have to get verbally biatched at.  I am almost to the point of making that one of the reasons I may not renew.

[Dragoon]

^ We already have enough pilots that consider CAP to be their own private pilots club.  We need everyone (and anyone) to be interested in Cap's three missions, not just one.  Yes, yes....you may concentrate on just one, but at least know about and be able to do all three!

We also have enough parents that sit at my meetings and well, just sit there waiting for little Johny to finish up.  They consider it like waiting for their kid to finish soccer or karate class.  Then when Little Johny fails PT and doesn't promote I have to get verbally biatched at.  I am almost to the point of making that one of the reasons I may not renew.

Don't assume that the only "non-military" pilots are the Form 5 only, C-17 flying dudes.  I'm talking mission pilots and CFIs here, who contribute to the mission, but aren't the least bit interested in playing soldier.   As for parents, they are an excellent resource, if you can convince them to stop just sitting around and helping out.  And you can...but they'll probably do it in a golf shirt.  You get the help, but you pay a price in "military-ness."