EAA AirVenture 2009

Posted by Maj Paul Cianciolo on August 3rd, 2009 filed in Aerospace Education, Cadet Programs, Emergency Services, National Activities

Civil Air Patrol provided assistance at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s annual fly-in at Oshkosh, Wis., July 21 through Aug. 3 as part of CAP’s National Blue Beret.

For about 100 Civil Air Patrol cadets 16 and older, and selected officers, the National Blue Beret offered the chance to work at one of the largest and most prestigious air shows in the world, which last year drew 560,000 people and included more than 10,000 aircraft. Each participant worked several areas of the air show, including the flight line and exhibits, learning techniques of aircraft marshaling and electronic direction finding. Cadets are encouraged to take advantage of once-in-a-lifetime events that often occur during the air show, such as the opportunity to meet legendary aviators, celebrities and aviation professionals and to witness the flight of both vintage and sophisticated aircraft.

And CAP members were busy …

CAP Hunts Down Stray ELTs, Missed Flight Plans

Every pilot who flies into Wittman Regional Airport during AirVenture tries to put his or her best foot forward but some come up a little short. While there have so far been no major accidents or injuries at the show (as of Saturday afternoon) pilots do make mistakes and that’s where the Civil Air Patrol comes in. CAP crews were on duty throughout the event tracking down stray ELT signals and hunting for aircraft whose pilots forgot to close flight plans. “By [Friday morning] we had 32 ‘finds,’” said Lt. Col. Kathleen Wiley, of Biloxi, Miss., who was on duty in the North 40 aircraft camping area with Cadet First Lt. Kayla Galarneau, of Butte, Mont., and Cadet Capt. Warren Martin, of Roanoke, Va.

“We compete against the other patrols,” said Galarneau as she and Martin swung an antenna attached to a radio direction finder around trying to isolate an ELT signal. Most false signals result from hard landings. And most open flight plan culprits are Canadian, Wiley noted. Hundreds of CAP kids from all over the country help out at Oshkosh and most stay at a camp on the field.