CAP Talk

I've been a squadron commander and a deputy commander for cadets at three squadrons. As a CC, I'd say I spent between 10 to 15 hours per week working on CAP (not including the weekly meetings). I suppose you could increase that average if you factored in weekend activities, encampments, and/or NCSA's. But I'm talking about the amount of time you spend working as a squadron commander for your squadron.

I'd venture to say I spent an equal amount of time working on CAP related issues as the CDC, too.

What's the going rate for a good squadron? Active unit with one or two weekend activities per month, ES program, etc.

I would say that it averages out to be 10-15 hours per week.   AVERAGE.  Some weeks you can get away with just the squadron meeting time but other months you may be putting in 30 hours a week to CAP.   But for a "selling point" to tell a new guy interested in taking on the job.

The first few months you are going to be putting in a lot of CAP hours.   Once you get settled and if you got a good team working for you.....that gets cut back.
And then it surges up during SUI time.

And that's just CC time....that is not if you are also doing any ES/COMM/FLYING/PD/CP activities as well.

Quote from: lordmonar on July 22, 2019, 03:59:17 AM

And then it surges up during SUI time.

For a well-functioning Unit, it should not really be an issue.

SUI's are much less invasive than they were even 5 years ago... I can do 80% of my inspection even before I set foot at a Squadron. Most of a current SUI is simply providing (uploading) proof of what you are already doing IAW the Regulations.

For a poorly led Unit, yes, it is crunch time.

9907

A properly run unit should be inspectable at any time without advanced notice.

Life would be much easier for everyone if they were not treated like a final exam.

As CDC, I definitely put in the 15+, and it can vary week to week from nearly as many hours as I put in for my full-time day job, to as little as maybe half that. Rarely do I fall below the 10-hour mark, and that's only if I'm traveling for work.

I don't expect others to put in the same amount I do. But it definitely requires more than checking your emails periodically and considering text message complaint-fests as "CAP duty time."


My curiosity arises—what spawned this topic?

I easily did about 10-15. That's addressing personnel issues, operational issues, meetings with facility managers, emails, reports, directing inquiries, contact with higher echelon staff and commanders....that doesn't include professional development, weekend activities, the occasional mission, etc. It increases with the level of responsibility. When I was a group staffer and deputy commander, it was about 20ish hours a week, and when I was wing ES, it was darned near a full time job. Having a good staff to delegate to helps, but there is always stuff that needs to be addressed by the guy in the chair.

Quote from: TheSkyHornet on July 22, 2019, 01:21:29 PM
My curiosity arises—what spawned this topic?

Just curious to see what the going "rate" is these days. I've always found it helpful to be able to work on some CAP stuff at work, but for the first time I'm limited because so much is done via Google docs and a few other things that I can't access to work on in the office. BITD, before kids, I had A LOT more time to focus on CAP and probably reached the 20 hour mark regularly.

15+ hours, 3 hours of which in each week is getting the runaround from wing.

In a perfect world where the wing supported me I could drop this number to 5-10 hours.

Quote from: Stonewall on July 22, 2019, 02:59:07 PM

Quote from: TheSkyHornet on July 22, 2019, 01:21:29 PM
My curiosity arises—what spawned this topic?

Just curious to see what the going "rate" is these days. I've always found it helpful to be able to work on some CAP stuff at work, but for the first time I'm limited because so much is done via Google docs and a few other things that I can't access to work on in the office. BITD, before kids, I had A LOT more time to focus on CAP and probably reached the 20 hour mark regularly.

Yeah, electronics are a hindrance in some capacities but a blessing in others. Technology has made a lot of things easier, but it also means that there's more of it, and people assume that because it's technology means it's suddenly always easier (and it's not always the actual case).

Way long ago WIWASC I probably did about 5 hours a week on CC duties, BUT I had a decent sized unit that had a cadet deputy commander that basically handled everything related to cadets, and functioning officers in all the other key positions.  So, if yoiu've got a well-staffed unit, the duties put upon any one individual, including the CC, can be kept to a reasonable level.  Sadly, that is the exception and not the rule and if you've even missing 1 key position, the CC's job duties start to become a real burden very quickly.

Quote from: TheSkyHornet on July 22, 2019, 08:48:51 PM
Yeah, electronics are a hindrance in some capacities but a blessing in others. Technology has made a lot of things easier, but it also means that there's more of it, and people assume that because it's technology means it's suddenly always easier (and it's not always the actual case).

And yet CAP does tech in a hodge-podge, one wing uses G-Drive (poorly), the next Office 360. And no one appears to understand the power of an integrated CRM. Very odd, as that could cut the hours down to size, quickly.