Largest/Smallest/Median squadron 2017?

Started by jfkspotting, May 21, 2017, 01:07:19 AM

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Eclipse

Quote from: CAPLTC on July 17, 2017, 03:45:14 AM
Fertile ground for recruiting.

I disagree - my experience has been that people who spend the whole day in a uniform
aren't that interested in spending their off time in one, double for their kids, who
a lot of time resent the wandering the uniform forces on them.

I've seen a lot of kids with "dad in the military" cycle through CAP with little tangible success.

The transient nature of assignments doesn't help, either.

The areas that have retirees or recent separations seem to be more fertile then the
areas with a lot of active forces because all of a sudden they find themselves without
the team spirit, etc., they took for granted.

"That Others May Zoom"

CAPLTC

Quote from: Eclipse on July 17, 2017, 03:59:10 AM
Quote from: CAPLTC on July 17, 2017, 03:45:14 AM
Fertile ground for recruiting.

I disagree - my experience has been that people who spend the whole day in a uniform
aren't that interested in spending their off time in one, double for their kids, who
a lot of time resent the wandering the uniform forces on them.

I've seen a lot of kids with "dad in the military" cycle through CAP with little tangible success.

The transient nature of assignments doesn't help, either.

The areas that have retirees or recent separations seem to be more fertile then the
areas with a lot of active forces because all of a sudden they find themselves without
the team spirit, etc., they took for granted.

Fair enough.

Do LA, NYC, Chicago, Miami, and DFW (just based upon population density?) have the same CAP cadet population density as the greater DMV area does?
If it's retirees, I guess we'd investigate FL, TX, and NC - they seem to draw a good % of the retirees I have ever known.

Maybe it's just proximity to DoD stuff that helps the DMV squadrons?
Thoughts?
"Find the enemy that wants to end this experiment (in American democracy) and kill every one of them until they're so sick of the killing that they leave us and our freedoms intact." -- SECDEF Mattis

dwb

You're both right. We do benefit from big gov being so close by. We lose some people to military rotations, but more importantly we have a lot of folks with busy jobs and long commutes, which means they're able to commit less time to CAP. So we have a lot of seniors doing a little to chip in, rather than a few who have the hours to commit to the time consuming duty assignments (like command).

Also, "the DMV" is a pretty sizable geographic area that has its own subcultures and peculiarities. Some of the NATCAP and MDWG squadrons may be more impacted by DoD personnel rotations than Leesburg is.

Another point is that this is a high cost of living area. I know I'm not retiring here, and in fact most people don't retire here. Let's be honest, a lot of the work of CAP, especially the flying, is done by folks who are not working full time. We have a smaller pool of those people relative to our population.

All of this is to say -- yes, the raw numbers are large, but we still have our challenges like everyone else.

NIN

NVM things like the traffic in that area is *awful* for the density.  Its not like driving in downtown Boston, where you *expect* it to be horrible. You're 20+ miles out of the city, even, and going from Point A to Point B that are 5 miles apart might take you close to an hour between 4 & 6pm depending on direction. That kind of factor has an impact on your recruiting area, etc.



Darin Ninness, Col, CAP
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SarDragon

The last time I looked (and it's been a while), all of the NatCap Wing were meeting outside the DC city limits, i.e. VA & MD, leading to more commute issues.
Dave Bowles
Maj, CAP
AT1, USN Retired
50 Year Member
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C/WO, CAP, Ret

NIN

Quote from: SarDragon on July 17, 2017, 06:02:18 PM
The last time I looked (and it's been a while), all of the NatCap Wing were meeting outside the DC city limits, i.e. VA & MD, leading to more commute issues.

Not precisely true anymore.
Darin Ninness, Col, CAP
I have no responsibilities whatsoever
I like to have Difficult Adult Conversations™
The contents of this post are Copyright © 2007-2024 by NIN. All rights are reserved. Specific permission is given to quote this post here on CAP-Talk only.

Eclipse

An issue we have in ORD is people don't >live< in the loop.  At night it's a ghost town
and there aren't any airports or community type-centers in the downtown area, either.

Certainly not much that the average CAP unit could afford.  If you find a place, there's no
(free) parking, and if you commute you find yourself on the L at 1000 at night. No thanks.

That "cool dude in the next cube who wants to help kids" actually takes two trains and lives
nowhere near a unit.  The near neighborhoods are all but suburbs themselves, and at that point
it's easier just to try and hit an established unit.

This is why the second largest city in the country has essentially zero CAP presence.

I recently tried to poach make an opportunity for one of my wings highest performers.
He works in the loop and lives nearby.  Despite having a train station well near reasonable on
both ends for his office, there was nothing near his house.  No matter how we did the math nothing
was reasonable.  He was looking at 2-3 hours of commute time for a 2.5 hour meeting, and if he missed
a train on the late side, he might be sleeping at the airport until the AM commutes start.


"That Others May Zoom"

SarDragon

Quote from: NIN on July 17, 2017, 06:02:58 PM
Quote from: SarDragon on July 17, 2017, 06:02:18 PM
The last time I looked (and it's been a while), all of the NatCap Wing were meeting outside the DC city limits, i.e. VA & MD, leading to more commute issues.

Not precisely true anymore.

OK, I looked. There is now a unit meeting at Anacostia, which is still not a commuter's dream.
Dave Bowles
Maj, CAP
AT1, USN Retired
50 Year Member
Mitchell Award (unnumbered)
C/WO, CAP, Ret

Zingzing Jr.

Quote from: jfkspotting on May 30, 2017, 11:19:47 PM
Quote from: dwb on May 22, 2017, 10:49:17 PM
Leesburg, VA -- 115 cadets, 47 seniors. That's on the books; we don't get that many every week. Loudoun County is growing rapidly, which is a significant factor in our growth.

We have 1-2 aircraft at a time at KJYO depending on aircraft rotation in the Wing.

The average CAP squadron is probably closer to 15-20 cadets, ~10 seniors. NIN has some statistics on this in his role as RRO, but a disturbing percentage of CAP units are effectively under-strength and probably not executing all three missions.

[stupid]! that's huge! Are you the largest of VA?

We are indeed. Actually we are now up to 140 cadets and 54 seniors. Our highest ranking cadet is a 1st Lt. There are about 20 people that outrank me as a C/SMSgt. I'm also the Supply NCOIC for the squadron. Its a nightmare, not just because of the size, but the local guard goes out of their way to make my life painful. One time they stole the squadron flag, from a locked cage mind, and put it in their own cage.
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/YM31Ov8.png" title="source: imgur.com" />

C/CMSgt
Trainee: GTM3, MSA, UDF, FLM
Qualified: MRO, IS100, IS700, ICUT

Eclipse

Quote from: Zingzing Jr. on December 22, 2017, 06:04:27 PMOne time they stole the squadron flag, from a locked cage mind, and put it in their own cage.

Accusing your host of theft on an open forum is a great way to find yourself meeting at the library.

"That Others May Zoom"

PA Guy

#30
I assume you are a cadet and as such your contact with the Guard should be minimal. If you have a problem with the Guard you should take it to the Sqdn Logistics Officer. If you don't have one deal with your chain of command.

Remember, you are a GUEST in the Guard's house.

Lem

While the Lynchburg Va.  composite may not be the biggest in Va. with 68 cadets and 30 seniors  I can say our program is very strong. And not to toot my own horn well yeah maybe I am  we were named the National Squadron of Distinction for 2017

etodd

Quote from: Zingzing Jr. on December 22, 2017, 06:04:27 PM

Actually we are now up to 140 cadets and 54 seniors.


How many pilots in that 54? How many airplanes in the Squadron?  Do you have to schedule a proficiency flight 6 months in advance?
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