A Provincial Chair is, or designate, expected to make three official visits to your squadron during each training year. Two of these visits occur between September and the end of March. The final visit is the Annual Review which occurs in May or June. This is the minimum number of visits required; nothing is stopping the Provincial Chair from visiting more frequently! Regular contact is an essential part of our role in supporting you, your squadron and sponsoring committee.
The Official Visit
Prior to the visit, your Provincial Chair will contact the Sponsor Chair and the Commanding Officer to arrange a convenient date. You are the main contact at the Squadron; the CO is contacted merely to ensure the visit is convenient in terms of the training schedule.
The Provincial Chair may expect to:
- meet with the Sponsor chair and other members of the Committee who may be present;
- meet with the Commanding Officer and his/her staff;
- inspect the Squadron at the beginning or end of the evening;
- speak with the cadets as a group; and
- sit in and observe training activities.
The Provincial Chair is obliged to file a Squadron Visit Report and will be asking questions raised on the report form. This report should include the current number of officers and civilian instructors as well as the number of cadets enrolled and actually in attendance. During each visit, a check will be done on the squadron’s progress in completing necessary League reports that must be submitted by specific dates each year.
At the end of the evening, the Provincial Chair may want to sit down with the Commanding Officer and , the Sponsoring Committee Chair to review general observations.
Follow-Up Activities
You can expect to receive a copy of the Squadron Visit Report. A copy will also be sent to the Commanding Officer.
Attending a Squadron Sponsoring Committee Meeting
You may, at any time, invite your Provincial Chair to attend a meeting of a Squadron’s Sponsoring Committee. The Provincial Chair may even ask to attend, as it is a valuable opportunity to meet all the members of the Sponsoring Committee and to see how your committee works together. It also provides the Sponsoring Committee the opportunity to discuss, with an PEIPC Chair, any concerns they might have.
The Annual Review
The Annual Ceremonial Review (ACR), formerly known as the Annual Inspection, is the final major event of the training year. It is also an official visit made by your Provincial Chair. The squadron should decide on the date for the ACR in February or March. A few weeks prior to the ACR, a briefing package should be forwarded to the Provincial Chair providing information about the date, time and location, as well as what he/she will be expected to do as part of the event. As the official representative of the Air Cadet League, the Provincial Chair will expect to:
- be part of the Reviewing Party;
- be asked to present suitable awards to the cadets; and
- be able to address the cadets and members of the public; a couple of minutes are usually quite sufficient!
Following the ACR, your Provincial Chair will complete the final Squadron Visit Report. This form summarizes the performance/effectiveness of the Squadron Sponsoring Committee for the entire training year. Again, you and the CO can expect to receive a copy.