How do you Train your New Cadets?

[Patterson]

^ How often is this Academy offered?  What do you do with Cadets that want to join right after the weekend academy?  Everything up to the Wright Brothers in a single weekend??  That seems like way too much!

[Extremepredjudice]

Drill-wise not really...

[NateF]

Patterson: I took over as the Maine DCP last summer-ish and that is part of the reason I decided to get rid of the academy as it was. Instead, we are going to do shorter "clinics", ideally once per quarter for a total of three per year. (the quarter in which our encampment falls being the exception.) That way every cadet should have the opportunity to attend.

In order to entice cadets to go, the plan is now to offer a scholarship to cadets who attend, (I'm thinking $150 because that is what I charge for encampment) although I haven't hammered out the details on how to select a winner/what that process will look like, yet. My long term goal is to get the wing out of the business of training airmen entirely and push it back on the squadrons. Providing them with this program of about 20 hours of instruction over a 2-3 day period. I'm leaving room for individual squadrons to add some electives in, as long as the minimum 15-20 hour curriculum is met, and they don't exceed a certain time frame. My plan to to keep awarding that scholarship even when I get out of this business. (god willing).

It's actually a little disappointing if you break down exactly what they need to get all the way to wright bros. Really, including several hours of drill, my curriculum is only hitting 15 hours. Now you are right that it is a little much to expect the cadets to absorb such a tremendous amount of material in such a short time. However, I'm not concerned about whether or not they absorb all of it. I'm am betting on the idea that once they have had exposure to all of the material, the cadets will find it easier to actually learn it when they actually start studying for the test(s) in question.