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Element Numbers

Started by soar, October 13, 2021, 05:31:19 PM

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soar

It's been a while since I posted on this forum so I didn't know where else to ask this. I am currently putting new cadets into elements within my squadron. We have three elements (we are a very small squadron). Which elements should have the most cadets, and which should have the least?

Eclipse

Why would they not be balanced (equal)?

"That Others May Zoom"

TheSkyHornet

As Eclipse pointed out, you should try to balance the elements out.

Remember that splitting personnel into organizational elements (or teams) is based on two major factors:
  • The functional purpose of the teams
  • The span of control of the leadership

If you were to categorize personnel who fall into, say, Communications and Medical echelons, then putting them into their elements based on those functional areas would make sense. But in CAP, especially in the Cadet Program, we don't really use that approach.

So the remaining item would be the span of control. The elements would be designed to provide leaders with a balanced roster so that they all have the easiest/most effective controllability of their personnel.

If you had 8 cadets in a flight, not including the flight staff (flight commander and flight sergeant), then having two elements of four makes sense. If you had 13 cadets, then maybe three elements of 5, 4, and 4 make sense.

You'll want to avoid elements being designed where the imbalance is significant and very obvious; for example: 4, 2, and 2; or 7, 3, and 2.

Jester

As has been said, spread-load the elements as equally as possible.

Another thing I do is put the element leaders in order of experience.  My Element 1 leader is my most experienced EL on the flight, and fills in as the assistant flight sergeant.  Now I have a ready-made substitute if the FS has to miss a meeting or not be present during an activity (for example, controlling/maintaining flight discipline while FS is at a training meeting with the FC).  I'm also grooming a replacement FS for the future.

Then as the E1L moves up, the E2L moves into his place, E3L shifts over to E2L, and I bring up a new hard charger to the E3L slot.

Eclipse

Another question, may be semantics, but why "elements" instead of the standard "Flights" with a Flight Commander and Flight Sgt.

Elements are generally to reduce span of control within a large flight?

Or is this an issue that you don't have properly phased cadets for the Flight Commander and Sgt roles?

In that case, making the same cadets element leaders doesn't really solve the issue.
There need to be formations, obviously, but the staff roles should be handled by adult leaders
until you have properly phased cadets.

"That Others May Zoom"

baronet68

#5
Quote from: soar on October 13, 2021, 05:31:19 PM... Which elements should have the most cadets, and which should have the least?


Technically speaking, if there is an uneven number of cadets, the last element should have the most cadets.

Quote from: CAPP60-33 Civil Air Patrol Drill and Ceremonies4.3.1.4. Once it is formed, the flight will be squared off prior to sizing. The left flank of the
formation will be squared off with extra Airmen filling in from the last to the first element.
For
example, if there is one extra Airman, he or she will be positioned in the fourth element; if there
are two extra Airmen, one will be positioned in the third element and one will be positioned in the
fourth element; and so forth. The flight sergeant will occupy the last position in the last element.


Edit to add: This is done so that when the flight performs a right face (switching the unit from a line formation into a column formation) each marching file is aligned and has a marching leader to their right.
Michael Moore, Lt Col, CAP
National Recruiting & Retention Manager

coudano

Yep to tack on to Moore's good point...

There's assigning cadets to elements (organizationally) for care and feeding purposes (what element leaders keep track of what cadets 24/7/365).

Then there's how you line up in formation for 10 minutes out of every meeting.

Trying to make these two things make sense is probably going to cause mental strain.



To further complicate matters, IF you have a flight commander, when the flight commander takes over, you should expect your flight sergeant to occupy the last position in the last (back) element.  This is "reserved parking".

Hypothetically, Suppose you have 3 elements of 5 cadets including the EL's (plus. a. guide.) so 16 total, plus a flight sergeant and a flight commander (18 total).  When the flight commander takes charge of the flight, the flight sergeant should be lined up / marching as the 6th cadet in the 4th element.

TheSkyHornet

Quote from: coudano on October 14, 2021, 01:00:43 AMThere's assigning cadets to elements (organizationally) for care and feeding purposes (what element leaders keep track of what cadets 24/7/365).

Then there's how you line up in formation for 10 minutes out of every meeting.

Trying to make these two things make sense is probably going to cause mental strain.

This is the one that confuses people more than anything else in a unit formation: "To whom do I report...who reports to me?"

The criticality is knowing where to go once the formation breaks; and this is when cadets are scattered all over the place. The moment the instruction becomes "First Element, proceed over here...Second Element, over here..." the cadets who fell into the open spots are all scattered about and don't know where to go.

The last-to-first "extras" falling in drives me crazy. Other branches have their personnel fall in on their respective squad leader, regardless of number of people in the squad. If there's a gap, there's a gap. Mixing people with different units creates chaos.

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