CAP as "Slave Labor" at Airshows?!!

[a2capt]

In Sunny Southern California, our various units that support the airshows during Airshow Season, which seems to run almost along with Hurricane Season .... so the Tornado with a known Date comment is right on target it seems.. 

Anyhow, parking cars seems to be the most undesired event, and the answer is "We are the civil *AIR* patrol, not the parking lot patrol.  Our cadets and senior members tend to get flightline duty, walking the lines, standing the positions at the taxi way entries, staffed in BDUs unless they're doing recruiting, then it's service dress.

No one does any labor for for-profit vendors, table moving, trash picking up, etc. Rather we deal with aircraft, it's an aerospace event, how cool is it to go back to school on a Monday and brag that you had a B-17 taxi right  past you, and in some cases the wing tips over your head? While your friends just played ball or slept..

As for food and water, never a problem. It seems though at times they have rerouted the Colorado River directly to the airshow site, water is never an issue. the vehicle rolls the show and provides CAP, pilots, other staffers with all the water they want. CAP is usually included in the volunteer food service where lunch is provided, sometimes their asked as part of the signup process, to bring $5 bucks, sometimes it's free. 2 hour rotations, everyone gets to see the airshow from their post, and gets a time block to just attend the show as well.

the last time I can remember doing parking was at the first launch to SpaceShipOne, when we were expecting a 3AM curtain call and instead got out there at 1AM because CHP had unblocked the road too early. Some of us walked the line to keep people off the runway, others got out there and routed cars, but with the significance of this event, about about 30 minutes 'till showtime, we radioed all the CAP personnel to come to the flightline. It was an Aerospace History Event in the making and no way was anyone in CAP going to get stuck hearing it from half a mile away instead of seeing it depart after taxiing past the crowd.

Airshows in Southern California tend to be great fun for cadets.

[Eclipse]

Back to air shows.  I could see, and I'd have to be convinced, CAP (specifically cadets) being responsible for parking cars at a small local airshow at a local airport with limited crowds; maybe because the airport allows CAP to use a building or park a plane for free.  Like I said, CAP better be benefiting in some major way for me to allow my squadron to sweat our butts off rather than enjoy an air show.  YMMV.

I think providing a building, parking area, and heated hanger space to the tune of thousands of dollars a year is benefit enough - many smaller airports provide this exact service to CAP, and in return all they ask is a little help once a year.  I prefer our people work the flightline, crowd safety and recruiting, but if cars need to be parked and we're it, so be it.

In some cases a show supports an airport without a unit but where emergency operations are run, or the visible benefit to the GA community is enough to warrant our assistance because of the ancillary intangibles we receive later.

Where I have heartburn is with CAP literally working for a private enterprise and being paid for the work, such as selling programs, food, or tickets.  I think this runs contrary to the volunteer spirit of the organization.

We should be in the "business" of "Quid Pro Quo" for agencies and organizations that provide a mutally beneficial relationship, tangible or otherwise.

[link]

:-[Well, our Deputy Commander for Cadets along with the other units DID take action on that Sunday to remove the cadets from parking cars when the weather got too hot & their wasn't any support!!! (I'm sure the base security people had water, seems logical as soon as they saw a problem they would react).  The only reason I knew there was a problem (I was sitting at home in a/c over 80 miles away!!!)  because some other radio hobbyists ran an internet feed via teamspeak that used a radio scanner/antenna close to the base/action to monitor both the ground support & aero radio freqs.  I heard security calling into their dispatch basically telling them that CAP was removing their people from the parking detail.  So I asked the question at the next squadron meeting -- How did it go?... I also know that from radio monitoring the entire activity that the military (Air National Guard & other "paid" personnel) seem to be very confused at times (including overreacting at security checkpoints & than completely closing down the checkpoint and just letting people in) and IMHO not running a very good coordinated effort.  We discussed this at the squadron level, and felt that it shouldn't be 16-18 hours of work for cadets (or seniors) for that matter each day.  My feeling is that 4 hours at tops doing work and than let them enjoy the show PERIOD.  I might also add that CAP was looking for close to 100 people and only got around 55 to 60.  SO at that point they should have decided what they could reasonably support and TOLD the air show sponsors.  Again we are VOLUNTEERS, not slaves.  I think the right decision was made when it became apparent that it was a safety problem, BUT when THAT base has another open house don't you think word is going to get around and it's going to be very difficult to get volunteers.   

RADIOMAN015     

Why would (insert your rank/name here) let it happen?

Let me ask a couple questions:

  1.  Who is responsible for the safety of our people?
  2.  If ANYONE saw a problem, why didn't they raise the issue?
  3.  Who communicated the problem up the chain of command, during or after the incident?

My thoughts...

  1.  ALL of us are responsible. 
  2.  Anyone from a cadet basic on up could say "Sir, its hot.  We're tired and thirsty.  What can we do?"  I can not imagine that at ANY military airshow, if a CAP officer (cadet or senior) approached an Officer or NCO from the host unit and said "CAP has a heat/hydration issue.  We're can we get shade and water?"  That there would not be an INSTANTANEOUS response.

Radioman, if this took place in your Wing why weren't you there?  You complain that there weren't enough people to work the event but yet you chose to stay at home?    Sounds kind of hypocritical to me. 

Tags - MIKE

[Lancer]

Where I have heartburn is with CAP literally working for a private enterprise and being paid for the work, such as selling programs, food, or tickets.  I think this runs contrary to the volunteer spirit of the organization.

So exactly how is it you intend for units to do fundraising? The volunteer spirit you're so keen on expressing is shown in it's members giving up thier time for thier unit.

If your unit is given hanger/meeting space and nothing in return is expected except for some minor volunteer effort, that's fine, AS LONG AS IT'S MANAGED PROPERLY.

Regardless of whether or not we're earning money for our 'volunteered' time or it's in return for hanger/meeting space, making sure everyone involved is properly taken care of and has a chance to have a good time should be the primary concern of the events project officer. Period.

[JayT]

Out here, sometimes crowd control/parking cars might be the big events of the month/year.

I love love love love love love watching cadets park cars wearing full twenty hour gears, with a boonie and aviator glasses on.

A lot of people in CAP have no sense of perception.