If I were Wing Commander my top priority would be....

[RiverAux]

If through some freak accident you suddenly became Wing Commander....
1.  What would your top priority issue be that you could address inside your wing using your Wing Commander authority and influence?  What would you do to address it?
2.  What national level issue would be your top priority to address as a member of the National Board? 

Yes, yes, safety is job 1, yada, yada, yada... but beyond that were would you spend as much of your time and "political capital" as possible?

[Big_Ed]

1.  Funding - To address funding I would form a committee charged with seeking corporate donations to help members attend activities such as encampments and flight training.

2. National level?  Look into possibly revising the ICS 300 requirement for Communications Unit Leaders and Mission Safety Officers.  I've seen a number of, well experienced, members lose their ratings because they couldn't take off of work to attend the three day training events.

my $.02

[Flying Pig]

An oversized leather chair with a giant Marine Corps emblem embossed into the head rest!

[flyerthom]

An oversized leather chair with a giant Marine Corps emblem embossed into the head rest!

Launching an air raid on Fresno CA.

In all due seriousness my first priority would be to interface with experienced wing commanders and wing members with military command experience so I'd have a clue as to what I'm doing.

[jimmydeanno]

In all due seriousness my first priority would be to interface with experienced wing commanders and wing members with military command experience so I'd have a clue as to what I'm doing.

But I thought that everyone on here knew how to run the organization better than who's in charge currently...

[a2capt]

Consistency, and thanking the members who serve under you.

Thats the only pay they get, and it doesn't cost management anything.

Trust the training, allow people to do the job. If they can't, find out why, if the training is bad, fix it. This whole mentality of "no one can do it better than I can" just plain sucks.

[Eclipse]

Recruiting.

Numbers bring resources, fixed attitudes, and extra hands.  Spend a calendar year maintaining current ops, and focusing on recruiting.

Year two is training the new folks, year three is identifying the new leaders, doers, and dead weight (from the new and the old).

Until we bring our numbers up, most wings and units are so short-handed than check-box water-treading is their only option.

[Johnny Yuma]

1.  Funding - To address funding I would form a committee charged with seeking corporate donations to help members attend activities such as encampments and flight training.

This is actually pretty easy to do, especially when you wave the cadets around.

2. National level?  Look into possibly revising the ICS 300 requirement for Communications Unit Leaders and Mission Safety Officers.  I've seen a number of, well experienced, members lose their ratings because they couldn't take off of work to attend the three day training events.

First, never happen. ICS 300 for CUL is driven by the HLS domain, not CAP.

Secondly, this is a copout. How did these  folks become well experienced without taking some time off for missions? Missions don't just happen on weekends, holidays or on vacation days when you're lounging at home.

ICS 300 is not only mandatory, it's not bad training. It's actually a 40 hour course that's getting condensed into 3 days. Most of the trainier are professionals who are giving up their weekend to train when they're usually off.



my $.02
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[Eclipse]

2. National level?  Look into possibly revising the ICS 300 requirement for Communications Unit Leaders and Mission Safety Officers.  I've seen a number of, well experienced, members lose their ratings because they couldn't take off of work to attend the three day training events.

There's plenty of ICS 300 / 400 classes offered on weekends, you just have to be motivated about finding them.

[Fubar]

This is actually pretty easy to do, especially when you wave the cadets around.

Wouldn't you feel obligated to earmark funds raised by promoting the cadet program specifically to the cadets? The Red Cross got into a major trouble when they raised money during one disaster and then used it elsewhere.

[Fubar]

Numbers bring resources, fixed attitudes, and extra hands.  Spend a calendar year maintaining current ops, and focusing on recruiting.

I don't disagree that membership numbers need to grow, but if you dedicate a year to generating numbers and they all leave for the same reasons we're currently losing members throughout the country, isn't that a wasted year?

Issues like morale, funding, and training would need to be addressed before any recruiting efforts can be successful. Once your wing is in order, then pound the pavement focusing on recruiting, get some good folks into the program with a lower chance that they'll leave.

(Of course this assumes you're wing isn't a perfect utopia of morale, funding, and training    )

[flynd94]

Recruiting.

Numbers bring resources, fixed attitudes, and extra hands.  Spend a calendar year maintaining current ops, and focusing on recruiting.

Year two is training the new folks, year three is identifying the new leaders, doers, and dead weight (from the new and the old).

Until we bring our numbers up, most wings and units are so short-handed than check-box water-treading is their only option.

To bad you come to a new wing (ILWG) and, told by the local squadron commander that your previous experience doesn't mean anything.  Your told you have to go to Chicago (and you live in the Scott AFB area, half a state away)  to take a F5/91 check ride, all on your own dime. 

If squadrons are as short staffed as you say they are, why are they turning down people with 12+yrs of experience in CAP?

[Eclipse]

To bad you come to a new wing (ILWG) and, told by the local squadron commander that your previous experience doesn't mean anything.  Your told you have to go to Chicago (and you live in the Scott AFB area, half a state away)  to take a F5/91 check ride, all on your own dime. 

Well, since that information is incorrect, either the Squadron CC is misinformed, or you misunderstood.

[flynd94]

To bad you come to a new wing (ILWG) and, told by the local squadron commander that your previous experience doesn't mean anything.  Your told you have to go to Chicago (and you live in the Scott AFB area, half a state away)  to take a F5/91 check ride, all on your own dime. 

Well, since that information is incorrect, either the Squadron CC is misinformed, or you misunderstood.

Since I am the one involved in coming to ILWG, I guess I am wrong.  I guess the email from wing staffers regarding my 5/91 were incorrect, when they stated that I had to go to Chicago for my ride (I am a check airman and, no one in Southern IL can do my ride).  That's fine, I still pay my dues but, don't participate, its a shame.  I had a lot to offer ILWG, just ask my 2 previous wings (TX/CA).

[Eclipse]

Since I am the one involved in coming to ILWG, I guess I am wrong.  I guess the email from wing staffers regarding my 5/91 were incorrect, when they stated that I had to go to Chicago for my ride (I am a check airman and, no one in Southern IL can do my ride).  That's fine, I still pay my dues but, don't participate, its a shame.  I had a lot to offer ILWG, just ask my 2 previous wings (TX/CA).

It is, but you've already ground that ax here, and apparently moved on, so what else is left to do?  If you worked the problem, you would find there are alternatives.

[flynd94]

Since I am the one involved in coming to ILWG, I guess I am wrong.  I guess the email from wing staffers regarding my 5/91 were incorrect, when they stated that I had to go to Chicago for my ride (I am a check airman and, no one in Southern IL can do my ride).  That's fine, I still pay my dues but, don't participate, its a shame.  I had a lot to offer ILWG, just ask my 2 previous wings (TX/CA).

It is, but you've already ground that ax here, and apparently moved on, so what else is left to do?  If you worked the problem, you would find there are alternatives.

I would still like to be an active participant, considering the time I put into CAP.  When you hit your head up against the brickwall enough, you give up

[Eclipse]

I would still like to be an active participant, considering the time I put into CAP.  When you hit your head up against the brickwall enough, you give up

CAP does a lot more than fly.  Far be it for me, but if you're that interested in being active, you'd be much better off transferring in somewhere and jumping in than sitting on the sidelines.  I can assure you there are closer check pilots than Chicago, and if you're flexible, these things can be worked out, meet someone 1/2-way, etc.

If its more comfortable to just sit and say "I shouldn't have to...", well, you shouldn't, but you do.  As a Major you should know how CAP works.

In a state that large, with the population center primarily in one place, what do you expect?  Its not like you can force people to move just to distribute the resources, better.

Also, to be fair, you're not just looking for a 5/91, as I recall, you're looking to restore your mission check pilot status, which is fine, but a different conversation.  You should have a lot less challenge with a 5/91 and could worry about being a check pilot later.

[CadetProgramGuy]

Since I am the one involved in coming to ILWG, I guess I am wrong.  I guess the email from wing staffers regarding my 5/91 were incorrect, when they stated that I had to go to Chicago for my ride (I am a check airman and, no one in Southern IL can do my ride).  That's fine, I still pay my dues but, don't participate, its a shame.  I had a lot to offer ILWG, just ask my 2 previous wings (TX/CA).

It is, but you've already ground that ax here, and apparently moved on, so what else is left to do?  If you worked the problem, you would find there are alternatives.

I would still like to be an active participant, considering the time I put into CAP.  When you hit your head up against the brickwall enough, you give up

PM sent

[flyguy06]

My top priorities would be building relationships with outside organizations (Young eagles, state EMA, National Guard, etc) to let them know about CAP and interact with them. I would also focus on recruiting quality members that share the ideals of CAP and want to make it a better organization and I would develop relationships with the state government to try and get laws that will allow members to be excused from work on real missions.

Nationally, I would develop a senior member training program that would be the model for national to train new senior members.

[lordmonar]

I too would make establishing a relationship with my local customers a priority.  Followed by working MOAs with all the surrounding wings.

As for national objectives....I would start holding national to the fire about updateing all the regulations as changes are adopted.