Another CAP Visit

I attended another CAP cadet meeting tonight, again with the intent of further developing an idea of how the group works and what they really do.

By now, I've done quite a bit of online research, but it's a shallow well compared with the vast amounts of information on other topics. The official CAP website is a bit daunting for a novice, and there is so much jargon that it would seem to discourage any but the most persistent. I get the feeling that it is partly due to the inherent bureaucracy and quasi-military attitude. In reality, however, this is a public volunteer organization. I would think they would want to be as open as possible to outsiders to promote the group.

At this meeting, I formally asked about the idea of writing articles about my experiences for aviation publications. The squadron commander supported the idea, and gave me the name of the wing PR officer to discuss it further. This may actually gain some traction.

I'm starting to put pieces together regarding promotions and "professional development", the official term for the technical expertise side of the operation. For instance, there are wing and squadron "officers" for such things as public affairs, logistics, and aerospace education. Serving in one or more of these roles contributes to promotion, though I haven't quite figured out what the benefit is of being promoted...

The main item of business tonight (aside from cadet physical training) was organizing an upcoming weekend outing. Since I am not yet a member, I can't really do much and am not able to work directly with the cadets on anything of substance. One of the steps of membership is to be fingerprinted and have a background check done. I think this is a pretty common step these days for any kind of youth leadership role (scouts, coaches, etc.)

I'm now looking forward to the upcoming senior member meeting, where I will hopefully meet a few more folks who are actually pilots and can tell me a bit more about that part of the program (I hear it is pretty important...)