Size does matter...

You are happy, well-adjusted member of the fourth element in your flight. It's another meeting night, inspection is complete and it's time for the drill period. That's fine with you, you like drill.

Cadet staff sergeant Smith is leading drill tonight. He's just come back from wing NCO school and he's found a couple problems in the squadron's drill that he's determined to fix. He takes command of the flight from the flight commander, puts the flight at ease and begins to explain and demonstrate the correct manner of performing a drill movement.

Problem! C/SSgt Smith is your height and, while you aren't the shortest member of the flght, you sure aren't the tallest. There are plenty of people taller than you are and it seems like most of them are between you and Smith! You try to lean around the guys in front of you but it's hard - C/SSgt Smith is moving around while he's demonstrating. When he's done, you really aren't sure exactly what he talked about...

Too late for that now, it's time to give the corrected movement a try. S/SSgt Smith calls you to attention, gives you a right face to move the flight from line into column formation and gives the command Forward, MARCH.

Oh no! You remember now that C/SSgt Smith has an odd way of calling his commands. You listen closely, but between the rhythm of the boots and his voice, you have no idea what preparatory command you hear. When you hear the command of execution MARCH you try to just go with the flow, but it's no use - you (and three or four others with a similar predicament) end up destroying the movement.

Stadium seating is that way for a reason!

The drill manual requires that a flight be 'sized' after falling in. While this is obviously not practical for squadron formations where it is important to be in your assigned element, it should be done prior to a drill period.

Sizing the flight the taller people furthest away from the flight sergeant and the shortest people closest. There are several good reasons to size the flight:

• It gives everyone a better view of the flight sergeant, so that they can see and hear what he is doing. This is especially important during instruction.
• It gives the flight sergeant a better view of his people, especially when on the march. It also allows him to easily see the people farthest away from him. While this may not be important in a small formation, it can become critical when there are thirty or more flight members!
• Sizing the flight and placing the taller people up front puts the people who take bigger steps toward the front while marching. This help keep the flight from compressing as taller people in the back run up the heels of the shorter people in front of them

Of course, element leaders should always march at the head of the column, regardless of their height.

How'd that go?

Sizing a flight is easy: use the "taller-tap" method.

Place the flight in column formation and have anyone who is taller than the man in front of them - except the element leaders - taps the shoulder of the man in front of him and takes his place.

The flight commander then turns the flight to the right into inverted line formation and has the taller people tap and replace the people in front of them. In this case, the element leaders should also move. This will put the shortest element leader in the first element with the tallest in the last element.

The flight commander should continue this process until the flight is correctly sized.