Major Rant...feel free to ignore.
I have, in the past, been an advocate for civil air patrol under certain circumstances, and still am. But I'm fed up with the squadron to which I pay dues, and have paid dues for almost 15 years. Covid really changed everything. Once back to in-person meetings, turns out close to 80% new members and new leadership. Due to my teaching schedule, I can only make meetings during the summer (when class isn't over until 8 pm, and students still have questions, not possible to make a 7 pm meeting.)
I don't remember. Did I post this rant last summer or is this the first time?
My goal last summer (2024) was to get signed off for VFR pilot, which would qualify me to fly the cadet orientation rides. Early in the summer I sent an email to the 4 IP (instructor pilots) in the squadron. Dead silence. Ghosted. Ignored. Not even the courtesy of "sorry, busy".
Side note: For those who don't know (and probably don't care), CAP is organized into 9 regions, each region contains multiple wings (state level). I've been on Region staff for over 5 years but still need to belong to a squadron. Fine. Advantage of being Region - I know everyone.
So I called a flying friend who's also CAP IP in a different squadron and asked if he'd get me thru the VFR route. He said contact the appropriate person in my squadron.
Well duh...I did...to dead silence. What's your next suggestion?
What no one told me until late in the summer the pilot onboarding program changed drastically, there was a HUGE collection of very boring videos (will someone PLEASE teach people how to do video presentations? Even more, please teach people how to MAKE usable video presentations!!!!) I find the appropriate person and inquired as to the schedule to get signed off for VFR Pilot. He informs me, in public, that "you're on the bottom of the priority list because you don't participate".
I truly believe that my reaction was incredibly polite & considerate when I walked away when in reality I wanted to rip his balls off and stuff them down his throat. From the bottom.
By now the summer is over and I no longer have time to deal with people's power trips. 130 lower division students takes up all my time, so I didn't even get much of my own flying in the cherokee, altho I doubled what I flew last year.
2025. New year. Same plan as before. By now I've gone thru all the videos, I've been thru the required G1000 training (2 days in person and NOT thru this squadron) But this time I started in March. Found out who to contact (not the ballsy guy from last year).
Sent email March 4. Dead silence.
Finals, projects, grades, busy. Now we're at the beginning of May. Sent same email but to different person. Got a response, he'll put me on the list and assign a mentor (new CAP policy) but he'll be gone most of the summer so please copy X & Y along with mentor M.
Email to M. Dead silence.
Another email to M, X, & Y 2 weeks later. This time I got a response but gee, he's gone most of the summer too, let's get started after the first of August. Sorry, guys, but I'll be out of town then classes start and once again, an entire year will have passed with no success. Well, M will try to find someone to work with me sooner.
Another week has passed and once again, I've heard nothing from anyone.
Unfortunately, the other instructors that I've worked with in the past (in CAP but not this squadron) and were helping me, are not flying for medical reasons.
I have no wish to transfer to a cadet squadron. The kids are fun to work with on a short term basis but not as my permanent position. The other flying squadron is a hour's drive under the best of circumstances. There are pragmatic reasons for me to get the silly pilot qual for my work at the region level - not a political thing but a credibility issue. Yes, I've been a pilot for over 25 years and own an airplane, but that doesn't make me a CAP pilot. If nothing happens in the next couple weeks, I'll be forced to call on other outside CAP pilots and that will make squadron leadership very unhappy because people will ask why.
I'll make sure people ask why.
bah humbug.
I have, in the past, been an advocate for civil air patrol under certain circumstances, and still am. But I'm fed up with the squadron to which I pay dues, and have paid dues for almost 15 years. Covid really changed everything. Once back to in-person meetings, turns out close to 80% new members and new leadership. Due to my teaching schedule, I can only make meetings during the summer (when class isn't over until 8 pm, and students still have questions, not possible to make a 7 pm meeting.)
I don't remember. Did I post this rant last summer or is this the first time?
My goal last summer (2024) was to get signed off for VFR pilot, which would qualify me to fly the cadet orientation rides. Early in the summer I sent an email to the 4 IP (instructor pilots) in the squadron. Dead silence. Ghosted. Ignored. Not even the courtesy of "sorry, busy".
Side note: For those who don't know (and probably don't care), CAP is organized into 9 regions, each region contains multiple wings (state level). I've been on Region staff for over 5 years but still need to belong to a squadron. Fine. Advantage of being Region - I know everyone.
So I called a flying friend who's also CAP IP in a different squadron and asked if he'd get me thru the VFR route. He said contact the appropriate person in my squadron.
Well duh...I did...to dead silence. What's your next suggestion?
What no one told me until late in the summer the pilot onboarding program changed drastically, there was a HUGE collection of very boring videos (will someone PLEASE teach people how to do video presentations? Even more, please teach people how to MAKE usable video presentations!!!!) I find the appropriate person and inquired as to the schedule to get signed off for VFR Pilot. He informs me, in public, that "you're on the bottom of the priority list because you don't participate".
I truly believe that my reaction was incredibly polite & considerate when I walked away when in reality I wanted to rip his balls off and stuff them down his throat. From the bottom.
By now the summer is over and I no longer have time to deal with people's power trips. 130 lower division students takes up all my time, so I didn't even get much of my own flying in the cherokee, altho I doubled what I flew last year.
2025. New year. Same plan as before. By now I've gone thru all the videos, I've been thru the required G1000 training (2 days in person and NOT thru this squadron) But this time I started in March. Found out who to contact (not the ballsy guy from last year).
Sent email March 4. Dead silence.
Finals, projects, grades, busy. Now we're at the beginning of May. Sent same email but to different person. Got a response, he'll put me on the list and assign a mentor (new CAP policy) but he'll be gone most of the summer so please copy X & Y along with mentor M.
Email to M. Dead silence.
Another email to M, X, & Y 2 weeks later. This time I got a response but gee, he's gone most of the summer too, let's get started after the first of August. Sorry, guys, but I'll be out of town then classes start and once again, an entire year will have passed with no success. Well, M will try to find someone to work with me sooner.
Another week has passed and once again, I've heard nothing from anyone.
Unfortunately, the other instructors that I've worked with in the past (in CAP but not this squadron) and were helping me, are not flying for medical reasons.
I have no wish to transfer to a cadet squadron. The kids are fun to work with on a short term basis but not as my permanent position. The other flying squadron is a hour's drive under the best of circumstances. There are pragmatic reasons for me to get the silly pilot qual for my work at the region level - not a political thing but a credibility issue. Yes, I've been a pilot for over 25 years and own an airplane, but that doesn't make me a CAP pilot. If nothing happens in the next couple weeks, I'll be forced to call on other outside CAP pilots and that will make squadron leadership very unhappy because people will ask why.
I'll make sure people ask why.
bah humbug.
just keep it about your getting the training you need/want.
