The Squadron will be holding a unit-wide training day this Saturday 20 March 2010 from 1200 to 1600 (4pm) at the Blossom Hill complex.  We will be focusing on our drill routine for the upcoming drill competition, and Tango Flight cadets will be completing part of their required training for advancement.

Please have lunch before you arrive.

Please confirm that you will be in attendance with your Flight Sergeants.


Capt Edward Hollo, CAP
Commander

Last week, Captain Hollo mentioned that we have been working to resume the Orientation Flight program in our squadron. I am happy to report that we now have three dates on our calendar (http://www.ohio131.org/calendar) to go flying. I know many of you have been waiting a long time for this, so this is certainly good news for all.

The dates of the flights are:

10 April 2010
11 April 2010
08 May 2010

The plane and pilot are available to us between 0900 to 1700 hours (9:00 am and 5:00 pm) on each of these days. We can accommodate between 6 and 8 cadets per day. On each flight, the pilot takes two cadets at a time - one cadet in the front seat and one in the back. The cadets switch seats on the return trip. Each round trip flight takes about 2 hours.

I am asking that each cadet fill out the following form, indicating which dates/times you are available. Priority will be given to cadets in the following manner:

1) To cadets who have not previously had an Orientation Flight
2) By CAP grade
3) On a first-come-first-served basis (the order in which you sign up)

The sign up form is located at:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/a/ohio131.org/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dExGN1BKUkVRV3N1dUQ0MXdPcncwVEE6MA

Please sign up before 03 April 2010. The final schedule will be published after that. If there are any questions on orientation flights, please contact o-flights@ohio131.org.


Captain Dennis Hancy, CAP
Orientation Flight Scheduler

As mentioned by Captain Hollo last week, we've been asked by Wing Headquarters to ensure that all cadets have completed Operational Security training. The guide on how to complete this can be downloaded from this link. If you are a cadet who has logged into your CAP account at www.capnhq.gov, you've already completed this training.

We apologize for not posting this sooner. Some may have noticed a brief interruption of our website's availability; this was due to a problem on the part of our domain name registrar, and hopefully has been resolved now.


Capt Thomas Rehman, CAP
Deputy Commander

Many cadets and parents have been curious where the promotion eligibility requirements for Civil Air Patrol can be found. All of these materials are spelled out in Civil Air Patrol Regulation 52-16, Cadet Program Management. However, this is a long document and a lot of it is rather technical. The simplest way of visualizing cadet promotion requirements is to look at the charts on pages 28-29. For your ease, I've also uploaded that file here.

Cadets are required to pass examinations in both leadership and aerospace for most of their promotions, but some, like the first promotion, do not require an aerospace exam. Cadets must also pass physical fitness testing, participate in moral leadership discussions, actively attend meetings and activities, and demonstrate that they are prepared for increased responsibility before they can be promoted. Cadets must also spend at least two months between each promotions. These requirements are all spelled out on page 28, while page 29 shows how our leadership expectations of cadets evolve as they progress through the Cadet Program.

One important thing to remember is that the Cadet Program does not allow a cadet to "test ahead" of their current promotion, or to bank previously completed tests. For instance, if you are a cadet working on Cadet Airman First Class, and you pass both the leadership and aerospace tests you need, you cannot test again until you've been promoted, because otherwise you would be "testing ahead" of where you are currently. This is the same reason why cadets only take the Cadet Physical Fitness Test once for each promotion.

Our unit views it as the responsibility of a cadet to keep track of where they are and what they need to move toward promotion. This is why it is the cadet's responsibility to request testing using the testing sign-up form (http://www.ohio131.org/testsignup/) and to request review when they believe they are ready for promotion (using a Squadron Form 1, available at http://www.ohio131.org/forms/). This is an important part of becoming responsible for your own progress and development.

As always, parents should feel free to contact any staff officer when they have questions on promotion eligibility. Cadets should utilize the chain of command to get feedback on where they are and what they should be doing for promotion.


Capt Thomas Rehman, CAP
Deputy Commander

Here is a slideshow of photos from this weekend's banquet!


You can also find these photos online at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Thomas.Rehman/GLROH131Banquet

Deep thanks to Mrs. Sandy Tryon, who took a majority of these photos, for being our impromptu photographer! If any parents would like higher-resolution copies of photographs, they should feel free to contact me at cd@ohio131.org.


Capt Thomas Rehman
Deputy Commander

As discussed by Lieutenant Hollo in his January newsletter, the unit is establishing a dues policy. You can read this policy online by going to http://www.ohio131.org/policies/ and checking out the "Policy Letters" section. As stated in the letter, if the dues policy presents a financial hardship for anyone's participation, please let Lieutenant Hollo know! Please allow me, along with Lieutenant Hollo, to thank you for your continued support of our unit.

On 23-24 January 2009, the Wright Brothers 282nd Aero Composite Squadron at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base will host the Training Leaders of Cadets course. This is an excellent course for all senior members who are working with cadets, and it is a required course for the Senior rating in the Cadet Programs Specialty Track.

Some of the topics covered during the course include:

• Putting excitement into squadron meetings
• Getting cadets off to a great start
• Developing partnerships with parents
• Mentoring cadets to develop their potential
• Providing each cadet with a tailor-made challenge

More information on the course is available at http://members.gocivilairpatrol.com/cadet_programs/library/tlc_course/tlc_students.cfm.

The course is FREE, however, participants will be responsible for their own meals and lodging if applicable. The uniform of the day will be the blue short-sleeve uniform with or without tie, the blue long-sleeve uniform (with tie only), or an applicable corporate equivalent.

Please check with Captain Rehman (pd@ohio131.org) before registering for this course. The event has been added to the unit calendar.

We're up and running with the new www.ohio131.org! This new website includes new email address services for squadron members, an updated place to share files and information, and better services to help us reach out to parents and the community! Please enjoy checking out our new site!

Online registration for the banquet is now closed. Please contact Senior Member Lou Lia for any further questions.

The Cuyahoga County Cadet Squadron - "The Blacksheep" - will host a squadron banquet on 31 January 2010, celebrating our successes in 2009 and our bright future in 2010. The event will be held at the Brecksville Community Center, at 1 Community Drive, Brecksville, Ohio, 44141, from 1400-1700 (2:00PM - 5:00PM). The uniform for this event is the service dress blue uniform or a corporate equivalent. Non-members are asked to dress in business attire (ties for gentlemen).

The meal will be a buffet-style dinner with beverages served. Families are asked to bring a dessert to share for approximately 15 people.

The cost will be $10.00 for cadets and parents, $8.00 for children 10 and under. Please RSVP by Monday, 25 January 2010. You can register by using the link below!

Project Officer / Point of Contact:
Senior Member Lou Lia
lh4lia@aol.com