A Mission OTHER than SAR

Started by etodd, August 18, 2018, 12:53:16 AM

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etodd

Quote from: Eclipse on September 02, 2018, 07:15:18 PM
The starched shirts are the ones holding up all the rest of the corners that allow
a select few to "have fun" and then have to deal with the ramifications of that "fun".


That's just crazy. You can be professional and still have a smile on your face.  I guess it's a good thing I never graced the doors of some of the Squadrons y'all belong to when I started. . All the sad, stern faces.  😳
"Don't try to explain it, just bow your head
Breathe in, breathe out, move on ..."

Blanding

Quote from: Eclipse on September 02, 2018, 07:15:18 PM
The starched shirts are the ones holding up all the rest of the corners that allow
a select few to "have fun" and then have to deal with the ramifications of that "fun".

Thank you for your service.

I had fun yesterday flying orientation flights - will have fun today conducting aircrew training. Every minute I spend with this organization is fun - even when I meet those who "deal with the ramifications of me having fun", I find that fun too.



beachdoc

When my service in this organization becomes a burden and stops being "fun", I will do what I did in the Army.......retire.
Everyone needs to lighten up.
Major Jeffery S Anderson, M.D., CAP
MAJ, MC, FS, USAR (ret)
Mission Pilot
Squadron Safety Officer/Medical Officer
MER-NC-022
ASMEL Instrument Airplane
Former FAA Senior AME

UWONGO2

I can't imagine doing all the BS that comes with CAP if I wasn't having some fun along the way.

I like to think I'm putting the FUN back in DYSFUNCTIONAL.

Eclipse

No one said not to have fun, it's how you characterize it that's the issue.

etodd, again, your admittedly limited perspective may put you at a disadvantage, but
at this point you've been around the block more then enough to understand how CAP actually works.

CAP has had a historic issue with pilots who refuse to do anything but fly, and in many cases only
on the government's dime, then they arrive ill-prepared, disconnected from current operations and procedures,
and make a mess of things for those who keep the doors open the rest of the 167 hours that week, so it's a hot-button
to a lot of us dust-back-drafters when we hear stuff like that.

There's plenty of things in CAP that are "fun", but they are generally circled around getting missions and tasks
performed, or bringing others into the fold and seeing them perform.

Frankly, "fun" is over-rated. People should be striving for "satisfaction".  There are a lot of things in life
that aren't "fun", but when completed are very satisfying.

"That Others May Zoom"

TheSkyHornet

Quote from: Eclipse on September 05, 2018, 01:18:38 AM
CAP has had a historic issue with pilots who refuse to do anything but fly, and in many cases only
on the government's dime, then they arrive ill-prepared, disconnected from current operations and procedures,
and make a mess of things for those who keep the doors open the rest of the 167 hours that week, so it's a hot-button
to a lot of us dust-back-drafters when we hear stuff like that.

It's interesting how many pilots I know in CAP yet only a handful of them regularly fly training sorties or orientation flights, let alone "actual missions" (but you can't really control that, I suppose...to some extent). I generally see the same faces on the flight line.

QuoteThere's plenty of things in CAP that are "fun", but they are generally circled around getting missions and tasks
performed, or bringing others into the fold and seeing them perform.

Frankly, "fun" is over-rated. People should be striving for "satisfaction".  There are a lot of things in life
that aren't "fun", but when completed are very satisfying.

I think "fun" goes hand-in-hand with retention. There has to be some form of fulfillment for someone. Awards are a great tool to recognize someone for something that may not have been fun, but the work paid off. Personally, I like to recognize those who go "This wasn't fun, but it had to get done."

On that note, there are a number of fun things that happen 'at the bottom' that the people at the top of an activity don't get to experience. That comes with the job. Sometimes, you have to not have fun so someone else can. But it can't be perpetual, or else you get burned out.

So I get the point about the satisfaction of success. Maybe we're using synonymous terms here that are subjective to the individual.

Bottom line: if morale isn't maintained, numbers drop. That's not always a bad thing depending on who you're dropping, but I don't like to have a policy of "I'll hold the door open" because it's a general, blanket statement that affects everyone. There are absolutely people I would prefer over others to stick around, despite the amount of fun we have.

If we can accomplish our tasks while having fun, by all means. If we're having fun and getting nothing done, we have a problem. The root cause? Unknown. But we have to figure it out and correct it.

etodd

QuoteIf we can accomplish our tasks while having fun, by all means. If we're having fun and getting nothing done, we have a problem. The root cause? Unknown. But we have to figure it out and correct it.

And there you have it. As I said earlier, I believe our Squadron to be one of the most successful in our Wing, AND the most fun. Yes, you can have the best of both worlds. But it truly takes the right combination of people. Maybe we are unique. I would sure hate to think that's the case.
"Don't try to explain it, just bow your head
Breathe in, breathe out, move on ..."