Senior Member (Officer) Meeting Schedules

[DeputyDog]

Okay everyone...my first topic.

As you can gather from the subject, I am looking for examples of meeting schedules from senior squadrons and from composite squadrons that have a large number of active senior members (officers) in them.

Does the typical senior squadron meet weekly? Monthly? What does the meeting schedule look like? What training is covered, and what do the supernumerary (i.e. the ones that don't have staff positions) senior members (officers) do during the staff meeting portion?

As for the composite squadrons with a large number of senior members (officers) assigned, does the senior side meet weekly? Do those kind of units have meeting schedules encompassing training for senior members (officers)?

Now for the reason I am looking for answers on this. There are two squadrons in my group that are facing having excess numbers of senior members (officers). Everyone wishes they have that problem, don't they? 

Anyhow, one of the squadron professional development officers approached me about what to do with the excess personnel in their units. He expressed his concern that there was no suggested meeting schedule for senior members (officers) in the regulations. I told him that I would think about it and work on a recommendation for him.

Well, it is about a month later and I am stuck. HELP!!!

[sschwab]

What do with too many members is like having too much money, its a problem everyone wants.  As for my SR. squadron, we meet twice a month, usually on the first Monday and third Tuesday.  The different days of we week works out for some members who have other commitments.

For training, that is usual held on the weekends, but one-on-one, like 182 glass cockpit training happens whenever the two members can meet.

2nd LT Schwab
Gateway Squadron, Missouri Wing

[DeputyDog]

What do with too many members is like having too much money, its a problem everyone wants.  As for my SR. squadron, we meet twice a month, usually on the first Monday and third Tuesday.  The different days of we week works out for some members who have other commitments.

Thank you for your answer. So what does the meeting schedule on those two days a month look like?

[dwb]

The squadron I'm in used to be a composite squadron.

The senior program was geared specifically towards pilots and ES folks.  They met the first week of every month, at the same time as the cadets.

The monthly safety briefings were conducted, and the deputy commander for seniors would plan a different activity for each meeting.  This could be anything from runway markings flash cards to classroom training for ES quals.

A few years back, we had an influx of new seniors that wanted to do aircrew, so we signed all of them up for the ECI scanner and observer courses (back when it was called ECI).  They started to meet every week instead of once a month, and they all learned the book materials together (along with extra material taught by qualified aircrew).  They all took their tests on the same night, and all got to train together in the aircraft.

That worked really well, and it brought the senior member component closer to the cadets as well, since they were in proximity to each other more often.  We even had a couple of cadet officers do uniform inspections on the seniors, and help them fix discrepencies.  For a brief time, there was a senior flight in formation too, which the seniors actually enjoyed quite a bit.

[Eclipse]

Composite Squadron, which due to space limitations requires our cadets and seniors meet on seperate nights.

Seniors - Tues, Cadets Thurs.

1st Tuesday - consolidated "all hands meeting" - UOD blues
General info, and catch up, required safety briefings, etc.

1st Thursday, cadets only - optional meeting because of the combined Tuesday.
PT, out of cycle testing / retests, other as needed.

Rest of cadet meetings are on a derivative of the 13-week cycle.

2nd Tuesday - Senior staff meeting.

3rd, 4th, 5th
Directed training, aircrew, ground, whatever we're working on.

We run an aircrew school on these nights from Jan-May, with Ground training happening on the same nights.

Other than time like Spring encampment, or large SAREx's, I try to avoid canceling any meetings because it kills the momentum.

[Psicorp]

In my experience it goes either in one extreme or the other, too many Senior Members or not nearly enough.  I've often wondered why communication from Squadrons to Group and from Group to Squadrons seems to have always been lacking (speaking as someone who's been a member back in the '90s).  Members might be willing to travel an hour or so to attend meetings when there is a need at another unit.  But I digress.

I'm in a Composite Squadron. We meet every Wednesday evening from 1900 to 2100.  Quite a few members are usually there from 1830 to 2130.
The first Wednesday of each month is Blues uniform, every other week is BDUs. The first Wednesday's focus is the monthly Safety briefing as a squadron followed by testing opportunities for Officers and Cadets.  On the last Wednesday of the month the Cadets do P.T.

1900 sharp - Opening formation is as a full squadron, Cadet and Officer Flights.

1910 to 1930 - Officer Staff Meeting (nearly all Officers have a staff position) while Cadets have inspection and do their own announcements, etc.

1930 to 2045 - Officer Training (Professional Dev. / Specialty Track / E.S.), we usually break into smaller groups, those who want Aircrew or G.T. or Mission Base.  Cadets do their Cadet Program activities.

2045 to 2050 - Wrap up and schedule updates.

2100 - Closing.

[DeputyDog]

The monthly safety briefings were conducted, and the deputy commander for seniors would plan a different activity for each meeting.  This could be anything from runway markings flash cards to classroom training for ES quals.

For an excess number of members, planning for the meetings are key. I realize that is something that I am going to need to stress to the squadron's deputy commander for seniors and professional development officer.

That worked really well, and it brought the senior member component closer to the cadets as well, since they were in proximity to each other more often.  We even had a couple of cadet officers do uniform inspections on the seniors, and help them fix discrepencies.  For a brief time, there was a senior flight in formation too, which the seniors actually enjoyed quite a bit.

The squadron that I am referring to does that in some fashion. They have the senior members (officers) fall in as the "staff flight" for openings and closings. I may think about expanding on that idea.

[DeputyDog]

2nd Tuesday - Senior staff meeting.

The squadron currently conducts a 30 to 40 minute senior staff meeting each week, which does bite into the available time. I think I will have to recommend what your unit does by conducting that once a month.

[DeputyDog]

In my experience it goes either in one extreme or the other, too many Senior Members or not nearly enough.  I've often wondered why communication from Squadrons to Group and from Group to Squadrons seems to have always been lacking (speaking as someone who's been a member back in the '90s).  Members might be willing to travel an hour or so to attend meetings when there is a need at another unit.  But I digress.

Unfortunately my group is geographically large. It takes about an hour and a half of driving to reach each squadron in the group from another. The time element combined with gas prices kill any desire to be an administration officer an hour and a half away, especially when you have a large squadron in the same city that you live in.

1930 to 2045 - Officer Training (Professional Dev. / Specialty Track / E.S.), we usually break into smaller groups, those who want Aircrew or G.T. or Mission Base.  Cadets do their Cadet Program activities.

It seems that the majority of training for senior members (officers) is one-on-one training. I'm kicking around an idea that the professional development officer gives a presention one week, the emergency services officer presents something the next, etc.

Has anyone had much success conducting some form of aerospace education for senior members outside of the Yeager?

[RiverAux]

In my area most squadrons are composite with the seniors meeting twice a month for 2-3 hours and cadets meeting 4 times a month for about 3 hours.  In some units the senior meetings overlap with the cadet meetings and in some squadrons they don't. 

[DNall]

Has anyone had much success conducting some form of aerospace education for senior members outside of the Yeager?

Not really, but you should present the yeager material spread out over they year. At once a month that'll cover half the year, and you can do by modules & jointly with cadets. The other half the time, you can do flight safety & aircrew related topics. You can actually cover some pretty good advanced AE while still relating it back pretty strong to those two headings. Honestly we hadn't had much success doing AE with adults, but that's where I'd like us to be.

[Trung Si Ma]

Has anyone had much success conducting some form of aerospace education for senior members outside of the Yeager?

We have a ground instructor who is doing basically a year long private pilot ground school on our AE night for all squadron members.  Then if you want to take an FAA written (he is AGI/IGI), he'll get with you one-on-one to "polish" you for the exam.

So far, we've done WX briefings and the E-6B.  Next is Weight & Balance and then charts.

[DNall]

thats bad azz. wish I had that kinda resource. Do take good care of him.

[Pylon]

We have a ground instructor who is doing basically a year long private pilot ground school on our AE night for all squadron members.  Then if you want to take an FAA written (he is AGI/IGI), he'll get with you one-on-one to "polish" you for the exam.

So far, we've done WX briefings and the E-6B.  Next is Weight & Balance and then charts.

Wow, I agree - that's awesome!