P.S. when LaSER SSO last came up, I emailed specifically to say how I’d considered applying but that the role just wasn’t the right fit for me.
i have to agree
this might indicate which Wing i am in but -
recent history of OC Wing has seen, after the role, two move “up” to Region/HQ and one leave the organisation altogether.
all of those three were in the 50-60 year old bracket, and perhaps a “natural” move for them.
our current OC Wing is far younger, age starting with a 3. if they stick around for 2 terms they’ll still only just be in their 40s and then where? 10 years at Region level then 10 more at HQ?
only if the roles are there to allow it…else could well end up leaving because they don’t want to/can’t be a OC Wg for 20 years and there is nothing of interest higher up to achieve.
(those OC Wgs who moved up could be considered SME in their personal interest and went into roles which were aligned with those interests - that isn’t always the case or can be guaranteed)
while it is natural to want to no go down the ranks, it does limit the options after OC Wg in my opinion.
This. There is a viewpoint that people need to be on squadrons. Yes without squadrons there are no cadets but there are a fair few volunteers who could achieve a lot more, and enjoy their time more, in a specialist or wing/region or eve. HQ role. But the squadron commitment seems to hold people back.
IIRC there was talk of allowing specialists including CIs to sit on SME teams at wing or region without needing to be the SME lead. But I don’t know if it went anywhere.
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We used to have a special squadron for retired OCs and stuff so we could retain their skills and experience while giving them relevant roles and projects of interest, and not requiring them to lose their rank.
Much better that than risk losing them because there was nothing to stimulate them or an easy move without demoting.
I think we should consider this for our people, once they’ve done their time.
We’re not paying them and so it wouldn’t matter if we let them retain their rank (minus one) as a sign of experience.
And they’ll already have paid out of pocket for ranking etc.
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With a ‘young’ Wing Commander finishing in his/her early 40s who wishes to remain and become an OC, should they be ‘encouraged’ to change Wings, so as not to be compared to or even challenge the new incumbent if they wish to change things around?
Well, there is a Gp Capt post available 
while i get the reason behind this comment, how practical is that for
1 - a volunteer
2 - an organisation that does most of its activities in the evenings after work.
i am almost sat on the border of our Wing, and so to get to the other side requires traversing two counties. while i have no aspirations of OC Wg, the idea of trying to get around every unit just once in a two year period puts me off if i also want to see my family of an evening.
it simply is not practical for me, and i suspect most, to consider changing Wings.
While i do sit near the border and some neighbouring Wing units are closer than my Wing units just considering those within 30 minutes drive.
but i am still on the far end of the neighbouring Wing and so to get half way into/the other side of the Wing is still a 2+ hour round trip
While i accept that the role of an OC Wg is not just to be seen at Squadrons during parade nights and there is far more to it than that - those Units hold weekend training which could be attended, be on Squadron or at local facility and so there are opportunities for a OC Wg to be seen by the troops which would require significant travel.
and that is me who is on the border of two Wings. Where i work (30 minutes into my Wing) if i lived there or further in still, moving Wings appeals even less
Also if you are Northern Ireland wing it’s a hell of a commute.
If the former OC goes to a wing staff role then would probably cause a conflict but I can’t see an issue for them leaving the wing staff team & reverting to Sqn based role including OC Sqn.
Also promotes a reap-what-you-sow mindset so OC wings make it good for the OC Sqns so they have an easier time when they revert.
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i guess the same is true to for the extremities of England, Scotland and Wales - Cornwall only offers one option as a “neighbouring Wing”.
North Scotland too has limited options, and both have less than ideal transport links across the County to get across to another Wing.
Kent and Norfolk have two/three borders but still less than ideal if on the coast
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I’m never going to be in the position of OC Wing, nor do I want to.
If in some parallel universe I would I’d likely move from there to an HQ function or region SSO role, then after that tour revert to being a CI and enjoying actually teaching cadets.
Maybe not at some point, BUT I think for higher command ranks (Flt Lt (WSO, RSO etc) and Sqn Ldr and above) there should be an expectation that an officer has served time as a squadron commander, and not just a couple of months “filling in”. If not, I just feel they are not qualified for a higher rank.
I’d be a believer in more movement between command roles and staff roles like the regualrs, ie have to do 4 years as an OC before you can apply for a WSO position. Then after 4 years as WSO, back to Sqn Cdr. Only on your second staff tour can you be considered for Sqn Ldr promotion.
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while i don’t disagree with the 4 year “tour” this works in the regulars because it is their 9-5.
we as volunteers don’t have the flexibility to jump in and out of roles - whereas in the Regulars that means moving to a different office/floor, block or even relocating to a new Station, for the CFAV that role opening could be 30 minutes drive further away which for a volunteer is less appealing.
it would only work if everyone was on board. all Sqns in the Wing knew that every four years the OCs play musical chairs, and swap.
that simply wouldn’t work - we all know of an example of an OC who was in post for 20+ years and lead a very successful unit - new leadership at the top so frequently, while it might work in the regulars, would not be such an easy fit for the ATC in my opinion
…that then took a dive after a change of OC.
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Going back about a million years, I was offered an OC Wing post by the Regional Commandant. I declined on the basis that, 1, I didn’t feel I had the time to commit to such an important and demanding role and , 2, if I was honest, I enjoyed the job I already had and didn’t want to give it up at a time when so much change was happening and I wanted to be there when it happened. (I’ve always been more concerned with the role that I had than the rank that I held)
Credit due to anyone who is willing to take on the OC wing job with all the demands it requires? Just not for me. However, my recommendation was successful in the role/rank and has recently been succeeded by a very competent person.
I genuinely think that term limits aren’t the best idea, in and of themselves.
If interviews are held and the person with the best vision (and good track record) for the role remains the person who’s been doing it for 12 years and they want to keep driving it forward, they should stay.
They could always take on a new deputy to broaden development opportunities.
I know that new blood is also important, but we can factor that in at interview. No need to rule someone out just because they’ve already done it.
I absolutely love my OC role and the basis on which I’d decide to step back would be fatigue or stagnation. If I was forced to do something else before I was ready and I still had positive things to achieve, I wouldn’t really appreciate that.
Same on the badges and heraldry role.
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I wonder if there’s anywhere outside of LaSER that would be geographically close enough for it to be possible?
My Wing, for example, it is nearly 2½ hours between the furthest squadrons East to West, and 1½ hours North to South. So assuming each OC takes each seat in rotation, at some point someone would have a 5-hour roundtrip twice at least twice per week.
In my sector (not my wing even) the driving time right now from one side of the sector to the other is an hour.
In the evening on a parade night it can be up to 2 hours.
It would actually be quicker by public transport but due to a lack of foresight we didn’t locate our squadrons in railway stations.
Even if you don’t factor in travel, I think it would make more people leave or not want to take up being an OC.
Also, I know we’re not supposed to say this but, not all OC’s are equal…
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Indeed.
1.
In reality it cpukd/would only work wotjin sector’s.
In ours we’re approx 30-40 minutes away and so “reasonable” to consider at least close enough that we get one off sector visitors every so often. Hiw much of a drain that would be twice a week, four weeks of the year though is down to personal preference and circumstance