Accelerated Promotions: Flight Officer vs. Second Lieutenant

[TheSkyHornet]

An interesting conversation came up by way of social media:
What happens to an 18-year-old member who joins CAP as a senior member that already has their Private Pilot License?

This topic stirred up some discussion behind-the-scenes with our unit's members as a good review of the regulations on skill-based promotions.


Under CAPR 35-5, if you are 21 years of age, have a Private Pilot certificate, and complete Level I, you may be eligible to be promoted to Second Lieutenant without serving time-in-grade (as a non-graded Senior Member).

However, also under CAPR 35-5, if you are 18 years of age, the skills you possess are moot; you must still have at least 6 months of time in CAP to be promoted to Flight Officer.


One side of the coin said that maybe this is a maturity-based rationale. The 18-year-old doesn't normally have the maturity of the 21-year-old, hence why they would have to wait the 6 months. The other side of the coin argued that this is the intent of the Flight Officer grades to begin with; so what difference does it really make?

Is the spirit and intent of the regulation that the new member should wait the 6 months to promote to FO? Or is it a mis-match of text when the regulation was written?

Is there perhaps a recruiting tool to be found here in shaving that time off the promotion cycle? After all, that can accelerate the officer-level promotion down the road when they turn 21.


Just sparking up a discussion, nothing more. It was a good review of the regulations, especially from a recruiting and professional development standpoint in remembering that accelerated promotions do exist (also remembering that these are Commander-approved and not automatic).

[PHall]

Based on what I've seen in 40+ years in CAP. People who join as pilots really don't care that much about what grade they are at the beginning.
They're usually busy enough completing all of the requirements so that they can fly CAP aircraft and start working on their Mission Pilot quals.

[MSG Mac]

Good arguments on both points. Put him in for 2LT as a P/P. Let National and Wing sort it out. because you're right in both instances.

[Spam]

Of course, the joke here is:

by the time Wing and NHQ sort it out, he will be age 21 and eligible for 2LT as a duty performance promotion.

Cheers
Spam

[Fester]

If your Wing is at all familiar with the appropriate regs, the F2 requesting his promotion to 2dLt will get tossed back quite quickly.  The eligibility for a PPL to promote to 2dLt is a "Mission Related Skill" promotion outlined in Section 4.  The very first prerequisite for all Mission Related Skills promotions is "4.2.1. Be at least 21 years of age"

The only section of this reg that he is subject to is Section 7, "Flight Officer Grades."

[Luis R. Ramos]

Am I missing something here?

CAPR 35-5 CAP Professional Appointments states the "squadron commander is the approving authority for all except Professional Appointments." Pilots are not professional appointments therefore the promotion of a pilot does not have to go to Wing. Pilots are mission-related appointments. This same regulation states that mission-related appointees have to be above 21, see 4.2.1. There may be other regulations that require a pilot be 21 to fly corporate aircraft, but Wing, according to CAPR 35-5 does not have to be included in appointing a PP to Lieutenant.

Please correct me, my squadron will be facing promoting a PP to Lieutenant soon.

[TheSkyHornet]

An early promotion still has to go up the chain because it's paper-based, right?

I was promoted early for Private Pilot (really only a month early because nobody knew that was a "thing" until I asked about it). I'm not a CAP pilot (didn't click well with the good-old-boys' flying club).

So you don't need to be a CAP pilot to promote early based on mission skills; you need the FAA certificate.

[Luis R. Ramos]

Even if paper-based, once the squadron commander signs it since CAPR 35-5 says "the squadron commander is the approving authority" it can go direct to NHQ. I would sent courtesy copies to Group and Wing, but that is FYI only. Not for their action.

[Edited to add following]

Of course I was only talking about Lieutenant. In case the member has a CFI, CFII, or ATP and is being promoted to Captain, it has to go for Group approval.

[arajca]

The appropriate section here is 1.8.4 dealing with waivers, since you are looking to promote a member without them meeting the requirements listed in CAPR 35-5.

[Luis R. Ramos]

Again, am I missing something here?

1.8.4 only refer to Majors and Lt Cols, not Captains or Lieutenants.

For Lieutenants, once the squadron commander agrees, it can go to NHQ. For Captain, to Group. For Majors, to Wing through Group. For Lt Col, to Region through Group and Wing.

Edited to add:

CAPR 35-5 1.8. c. (1) The CAPF 2 will be forwarded to the unit commander, who will personally approve the form and forward it through channels to the appropriate promoting authority.  The promoting authority will forward the approved CAPF 2 to National Headquarters.  Forms may be submitted by electronic mail, fax or through the U.S. Postal Service.  If submitting by e-mail, complete the form and place the name, title and unit of the approving authority in the signature block of the form and attach to an e-mail addressed to LMMeforms@cap.gov.  The e-mail must contain the name, title and unit of the signing authority in body of the e-mail.  Completed forms may also be transmitted as a scanned document (to include the person's actual signature) via fax or e-mail. 

If the Promoting Authority is the squadron commander, he should send it to NHQ for Lieutenant according to this. For others, he is not, so he has to send to Group, Wing, or Region through channels.

[jeders]

Again, am I missing something here?

1.8.4 only refer to Majors and Lt Cols, not Captains or Lieutenants.

For Lieutenants, once the squadron commander agrees, it can go to NHQ. For Captain, to Group. For Majors, to Wing through Group. For Lt Col, to Region through Group and Wing.

1.8.4 has to do with waivers. The OP asked about promoting an 18 y/o senior member to an advanced grade based on his being a pilot. 35-5 requires that anyone seeking advanced grade for mission related skills be at least 21 years old. Therefore, in the case that the OP presented, the individual would need a waiver in order to receive an advanced promotion at this time. This was mostly a response to MSG Mac who recommended sending the promotion paperwork up to NHQ even though the member did not meet the minimum requirements for the appointment/promotion.

In your case, which is separate, assuming that the individual in question is at least 21 years old, once the commander approves the CAPF 2, it goes directly to NHQ without any stops along the way.

[Luis R. Ramos]

From what I see in CAPR 35-5, there is no waiver for age. The private pilot still has to be 21 years old, no matter what.

[TheSkyHornet]

From what I see in CAPR 35-5, there is no waiver for age. The private pilot still has to be 21 years old, no matter what.

That's because you have to be 21 to be a Second Lieutenant.


The discussion is: Why shouldn't an 18-year-old be able to become a Flight Officer if they have their PPL? What's the grand difference?

[PHall]

From what I see in CAPR 35-5, there is no waiver for age. The private pilot still has to be 21 years old, no matter what.

That's because you have to be 21 to be a Second Lieutenant.


The discussion is: Why shouldn't an 18-year-old be able to become a Flight Officer if they have their PPL? What's the grand difference?

Because it doesn't happen very often if at all. It's a one off situation that will require a waiver because the reg doesn't address it. It's that rare.

[ZigZag911]

You could try to get the 6 months  TIGER for Flight Officer  waived on the basis of the  PPL.

It might get approved.  It might also take 6 months!

Age waiver for 2 Lt just isn't going to  happen.