National News

(Standing, below, from left) Cadet Airman Basic Jacob Waters, Cadet Master Sgt. Nicholas Miner, Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Matthew Hockman, Cadet Basic Rebecca Doud, Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Moriah Efries, Cadet Staff Sgt. Daniel Smith, Cadet Airmen 1st Class Cody Howell and  Nathan Crist, Cadet Airman Basic Jacob Chesbrough, Cadet Airman Senior Chris Ward, Cadet Airman Basic Jacob Waters, (standing on wing, from left) Cadet 2nd Lt., Trevor Baier, Cadet 1st Lt.  Jim Norton and Cadet Senior Airman Douglas Woischke.
 
Photo by Pam Ward


1st Lt. John Morgan
Public Affairs Officer
Group VIII
Ohio Wing

OHIO -- Cadets from two units recently visited former U.S. Air Force Capt. James Hagedorn – now the chief executive officer of Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. – and his collection of aircraft in Marysville, where he told them about his experience as an F-16 pilot, his education and his background as head of the nation’s leading lawn and garden company. 

The cadets, members of the Columbus Composite Squadron and the Union County Flight, were especially intrigued by Hagedorn’s accounts of some of his close calls as a fighter pilot.

They were able to take a close look at some of his vintage aircraft, such as a 1947 T-6 Texan, a McDonnell Douglas helicopter, a 1940s Piper Cub and 1960s-era Cessna 185. 

The star of the night, however, was their host’s famed P-51 Mustang “Old Crow,” the original of which was flown by World War II fighter ace Col. Bud Anderson of the 357th Fighter Group.  Anderson, a good friend of Hagedorn’s, has flown this particular Mustang as well. 

Two years ago Hagedorn was instrumental in organizing the largest and most likely the last assembly of surviving P-51 Mustangs and their famed pilots, the “Gathering of Mustangs and Legends,” in central Ohio.  

“The cadets had a great time and learned a lot,” said 1st Lt. Jim Ward, Union County Flight commander/ “They were allowed to climb in the planes and ask as many questions as they wanted.”

Also on hand to answer questions from the eager cadets were some of  Scotts-Miracle Gro’s corporate pilots.

Along with the two units’ members, Marysville Mayor Chris Schmenk, Union County Sheriff Rocky Nelsom and Lt. Col. Jenny Baker, Group VIII commander, were in attendance as well.


 

(1)
Much of the learning at National Staff College took place in small seminars, where participants examined at length and in depth lectures they’d just heard.

(2)
National Staff College participants.

(3)
Lt. Col. Amos Plante, Louisiana Wing chief of staff and director of the National Staff College

 (4)
A Medal of Honor recipient, retired U.S. Army Col. Jack Jacobs, and the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation secretary, retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Perry M. Smith delivered a powerful message on leadership to CAP volunteers attending National Staff College.

(5)
Medal of Honor recipient and retired U.S. Army Col. Jack Jacobs

(6)
Maj. Aaron Oliver, commander of the Virginia Wing’s Langley Composite Squadron.

(7)
Maj. Marie Rivera, commander of the Puerto Rico Wing’s Mayaguez Cadet Squadron.
 
(8)
Lt. Col. Carlos Fernandez, commander of Puerto Rico Wing Group 5


Photos by Susan Robertson, CAP National Headquarters


Kristi Carr
Staff Writer

NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS -- Eighty-four came, and they were a diverse bunch. They represented 32 Civil Air Patrol wings. The youngest two were 26; the oldest two were in their 80s.

All were CAP volunteers. All attended the 2009 National Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. And all came looking for ways to become better leaders.

Working towards the next level
Maj. Aaron Oliver, commander of the Virginia Wing’s Langley Composite Squadron, took a leave from his regular job as an Air Force fighter pilot to attend, hoping to gain a better understanding of CAP and corporate leadership.

Maj. Marie A. Rivera traveled from Puerto Rico to attend. As commander of the Mayaguez Cadet Squadron, she said she was particularly interested in the programs on ethics and core values.

Her husband, Lt. Col. Carlos Fernandez, who oversees the Puerto Rico Wing’s Group 5,   was another 2009 National Staff College student. Professional development was at the top of his list as reason for attending.

Learning on the field of battle
For Lt. Col. Amos Plante, chief of staff for the Louisiana Wing and director of the 2009 National Staff College, the highlight of the week was the presentation on “Leadership Lessons from Combat” by retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Perry M. Smith, secretary for the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, along with retired U.S. Army Col. Jack H. Jacobs, a Medal of Honor recipient and MSNBC military analyst.

By way of introduction, Smith explained why Jacobs was selected for the highest award given to military personnel. On his first tour of duty in Vietnam, Jacobs, then a first lieutenant, suffered severe injuries to his head and face, yet managed to pull 25 of his fellow soldiers off the battlefield. Thirteen of them survived.

Jacobs picked up the story, explaining what he faced, both in combat and later, as he fought to recover from his wounds. Often asked what led him to respond as he did, he cited a quote from Rabbi Hillel, one of the most influential scholars in Jewish history: “If not now, when?”

It was the Army, Jacobs said, where he learned lessons he’d need on the outside. Those lessons obviously served him well, because after 20 years in the military, Jacobs went on to successes as an investment banker, real estate developer, business entrepreneur, West Point professor, author and television military analyst.

Delivering the best course of study
Curriculum for the weeklong National Staff College is heavy on leadership, but it also includes lessons in ethics, finances and communications, as well as an in-depth look at CAP’s national-level operations. 

CAP regulations, Plante explained, spell out what students are expected to accomplish so the program’s format remains similar from year to year. Lectures by experts are interlaced with more intimate seminars, each with its own adviser, where students dissect the lectures and examine case studies.

A large pool of highly qualified lecturers, many with backgrounds in the military or with federal and state agencies, provide a rich mixture of information about strategic planning, policymaking and all aspects of governance.

Because it provides CAP with its very top leaders, National Staff College is one way to advance toward senior membership’s highest honor, the Gill Robb Wilson Award. Although there are alternatives, such as attending War College or other armed forces schooling, Plante estimates that 90 percent-95 percent of CAP volunteers achieving Level 5 — CAP’s top level of achievement for senior members — have used National Staff College as their preferred method for advancement.

Because of its graduate-level design, those attending National Staff College must hold the rank of major or above, must have completed CAP’s Region Staff College or its equivalent and must have the endorsement of their wing commanders.

Achieving ‘above and beyond’
“We call National Staff College the capstone in CAP’s professional development courses,” said Plante. “We’re leading leaders, and anyone who’d dedicated himself enough to get here has CAP in his heart and is the kind of person we want to train.”

As testament to the caliber and quality of CAP members attending National Staff College, even before they arrived some had taken to heart the lessons of the battlefield about which Jacobs spoke.

Step up
Oliver, who joined CAP as a cadet in Baton Rouge, La., was an experienced pilot in his twenties. He had always flirted with the idea of serving his country by flying fighter jets for the Air Force. Candidates for fighter jet pilots must be in the program, however, by the time they reach 30 – then fast approaching for Oliver.

Then America was attacked Sept. 11, 2001. Oliver joined the Air Force and now flies F-15s out of Langley Air Force Base, Va. Often assigned to presidential support, he flies over Camp David and other places where the president is.

In March, he will be training to fly the Air Force’s new F-22. At the same time, he remains active with CAP as Langley Composite commander, in which capacity he said he is particularly interested in setting the tone and pace for cadets.

“I could have been the guy who ‘coulda, woulda, shoulda,’” Oliver said. Instead, in the mode of Jacobs’ response on the field of battle, Oliver stepped up.

Choose your battles
At National Staff College, Jacobs spoke of the utmost importance of teaching and mentoring America’s youth, who will one day inherit the reins of the country.

Rivera has already made her choice. “Cadets are the most important thing I can do in CAP,” she said.

In addition to establishing both short- and long-term goals for her cadets, Rivera wants to advance in CAP herself.

“Only a few from Puerto Rico attain Level 5,” she said. She is anxious to become an example for other Puerto Ricans.

She found the perspective of CAP’s national commander, Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter, who addressed those attending National Staff College, of particular interest.

“It’s an honor to serve her as a CAP volunteer,” Rivera said.

Don’t sweat the small stuff
Jacobs warned the students not to make everything a crisis.

Native Spanish-speaker Fernandez could easily have let language be a barrier to his full participation in CAP. Instead, he took the long view, attended National Staff College and put himself in the hands of other CAP volunteers, whom he described as courteous and kind as they helped him absorb material presented in English.

His experience underscored the value of teamwork as members of his seminar group went above and beyond — CAP-style — to help him understand the discussions.

While Oliver, Rivera and Fernandez each attended National Staff College to sharpen their skills, each is already a leader in CAP.
 

Good reading for good leaders

• “If not now, when? Duty and Sacrifice in America,” by retired U.S. Army Col. Jack Jacobs, recounts how he came to be chosen to receive the Medal of Honor. The book is laced with Jacobs’ observations about how today’s citizens handle, or fail to handle, the demands their country makes on them. 
   
• “Rules & Tools for Leaders,” by retired U.S. Air Force  Maj. Gen. Perry M. Smith, gives advice on how to run an organization.
   
• “Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty,” by Peter Collier, portrays the stories of living Medal of Honor recipients, who today number 94.

(1)
Cadet Airman Allen Ellis with his parents, Robb and Kristen Ellis, and his brothers.

(2)
Cadet Airman Allen Ellis with the Civil Air Patrol Lifesaving Award he received from Maj. Nic Goupil, Seacoast Composite Squadron commander.

Photos by Maj. Penny H. Hardy


Maj. Penny H. Hardy
Public Affairs Officer
Seacoast Composite Squadron
New Hampshire Wing

NEW HAMPSHIRE -- Cadet Airman Allen Ellis of the Seacoast Composite Squadron has been recognized with the Civil Air Patrol Lifesaving Award for having helped save his 3-year-old brother’s life while on a summer camping trip.

Just a few weeks earlier the cadet, son of Robb and Kristen Ellis, had attended the New Hampshire Wing Cadet Summer Encampment, where he learned many first-aid skills – little knowing that he would need to put what he had learned into practice so soon.

His mother, who was carrying a pot of boiling water, told Allen’s younger brother to stay where he was while she carried the container into the family’s camper. Instead, though, the child ran after her, causing her to spill the hot liquid on him.

Allen immediately realized the seriousness of the situation and told his mother to take off the boy’s clothes and pour cool water on him, while having someone called 911. 

The youngster was taken to a nearby hospital and later to a Shriners   Hospital, as he had suffered second-degree burns over 10 percent of his body. 

Thanks to the cadet’s quick actions, his little brother has fully recovered from the injuries.

 

Phoenix Composite cadets take a look at one of the Blue Angels’ Boeing F/A 18 Hornets between performances.

Photo by John Clark


Cadet 2nd Lt. Mary C. Clark
Phoenix Composite Squadron
Texas Wing

TEXAS – Cadets from the Phoenix Composite Squadron spent a memorable weekend Oct. 24-25 at the Fort Worth Alliance Airport, helping out as assistant at the 2009 Alliance Air Show.

The U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels staged the final performances both days, and the cadets got an up-close look at what it takes to be a Blue Angel.

Throughout the weekend the cadets had a chance to tour many different planes and ride in simulators. After the Blue Angels landed their Boeing F/A 18 Hornets, the cadets were able to get autographs, talk to the pilots and have their photographs taken with them.

The weekend ended with a grand tour of an active U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry.
 

Lt. Col. Evelyn Johnson

TENNESSEE -- Legendary Civil Air Patrol aviator Lt. Col. Evelyn Johnson celebrated her 100th birthday earlier this week. Johnson, known as "Mama Bird" to senior members and cadets in CAP's Tennessee Wing, turned 100 on Wednesday, Nov. 4. A pioneer among women aviators, Johnson has been inducted into six hall of fames, including the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Ohio. She was recognized this week, in celebration of her 100th birthday, with a story in her hometown newspaper, the Citizen Tribune of Morristown, Tenn.

(1)
Maj. Tom Vreeland, New York Wing director of information technology, demonstrates some of the new Wing Operations Center’s capabilities to wing staff.

(2)
Col. Ken Andreu, New York Wing commander, cuts the ribbon to the new Wing Operations Center.


Capt. James Ridley
Assistant Public Affairs Officer
New York Wing

NEW YORK – As members watched before the start of the quarterly New York Wing staff meeting Oct. 24 in Westchester, Col. Ken Andreu, wing commander, cut the ribbon to the entrance of the wing’s newest asset -- a state-of-the-art command operations center.

The Wing Operations Center will provide operational space and situational awareness for seven to 20 mission staff personnel and will function as the Wing Academy for advanced technology training, simulations, tabletop exercises and other training when not in use for missions and operations.   

 “It’s all about how we bring what’s going on out there, in here.” said Maj. Tom Vreeland, wing director of information technology and the center’s chief architect. 

In dedicating the new center, based at Wing Headquarters at Westchester County Airport, Andreu called it “only the beginning in what we envision as the state of the art in centralized command over a large span of control.” 

Andreu regards the airport as an excellent site for coordinating efforts across the wing or on Long Island, in response to such possible occurrences as a significant coastal hurricane or flood damage, or a radiological event at Indian Point Nuclear Reactor Facility.

The wing flew daily missions out of Westchester County in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, 2001, he recalled. The airport “was the perfect location, as it was just outside of the affected area of New York City but close enough to easily and quickly launch aerial surveillance flights.”

The center boasts advanced communications components as well as geographical information systems and weather information systems, along with high-speed internet access for accessing Civil Air Patrol’s Web Mission Information Reporting System, or WMIRS, and other CAP resources. 

 

(From left) Cadet Basic Beatrice McCarty, Cadet Senior Master Sgt. Sarah Peyton and Cadet Senior Airman Suntaya Robison were among the Birchwood Composite Squadron cadets participating in Wreaths Across America fundraising.

Photo by Senior Member Cary Kimball


1st Lt. Pamela Speer
Deputy Commander for Cadets
Birchwood Composite Squadron
Alaska Wing

ALASKA – Birchwood Composite Squadron cadets raised enough money in a single day to place 80 wreaths on graves at Fort Richardson National Cemetery as part of the annual nationwide Wreaths Across America observation Dec. 12. 

The Birchwood squadron’s cadet activity director, Senior Member Cary Kimball, arranged for the fundraising activities and presented associated teaching material. 

"Kimball really made sure the cadets understood who they were doing this for and why,” said 1st Lt. Pamela Speer, deputy commander for cadets. “He spent a lot of time showing them videos and just talking about veterans and their sacrifices for all of us."

The squadron’s Wreaths Across America fundraising efforts are just starting. Several other activities and appearances are planned throughout November.
    
"Our goal is 4,800 wreaths,” Kimball said. “We want to place one at every grave in the Fort Richardson National Cemetery."

“Learn to Lead,” which will replace the cadets’ current leadership text, launches on 1 April 2010, concurrent with achievement tests moving online.

Visit the "Learn to Lead" homepage to download an update on this project. Better still,Module 1 (chapters 1-3) and half of Module 2 (chapters 4 & 5) are available for your comment. If you have general comments about “Learn to Lead,” please leave them below. If you find typos, errors, or confusing passages, please email Neil Probst nprobst@capnhq.gov. 

 We’re excited about “Learn to Lead” because we think it will make leadership more fun and more challenging. 

Kristi Carr
Staff Writer

NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS – Though the search for three missing Dickinson State University students in North Dakota ended tragically this week, the case points out how a cell phone can be used to locate missing people, many times with happier results.

One of the pioneers in cell phone forensics is Capt. Justin Ogden of Arizona Wing Headquarters, whose expertise pinpointed the students’ Stark County, N.D., crash site within 730 feet based on information he gleaned from their last cell phone hit.
 
The emergency manager for Stark County, Brent Pringle, told Lt. Col. William E. Kay, North Dakota Wing director of operations, in a phone conversation that the students’ vehicle would not have been found without CAP’s assistance.

The bodies of the three Dickinson State softball players -- Kyrstin Gemar, 22, Ashley Neufeld, 21, and Afton Williamson, 20 -- were found Tuesday in their Jeep, submerged in a stock pond. They had been reported missing Sunday night after friends received a pair of frantic phone calls.

Although CAP had aircrews from Dickinson and Bismarck on the scene with a ground team standing by, it was Ogden’s work conducted from some 1,000 miles away that yielded results. Ogden helped search and rescue controllers from the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center refine the search area down significantly, by more than 91 percent, from a 1 ½-mile radius.

Under federal law, cell phone companies can voluntarily divulge phone data to federal agencies such as the AFRCC when it is being used for lifesaving purposes involving the owner.
 
Ogden collects and analyzes data to determine approximate coordinates. “Even if a cell phone is not being used but is still powered up, and within coverage of the network, we can often receive enough information to allow us to concentrate the search in the right area,” he said.
 
Sometimes cell phone data is merged with other information, such as radar if the search is for a missing aircraft.
 
Ogden said nearly all cell phones and networks have some sort of location-sensing methods, whether through GPS hardware in the cell phone or through the phone network and towers. With the technology already in place, it is important to involve a cell phone forensic specialist early in a search, he said.

“Once the cell phone battery dies, there’s no hope of getting GPS-type coordinates from that phone,” he said.
 
Ogden, employed by General Dynamics and recently assigned to a new project to develop a nationwide communications system for the Department of Justice, became interested in radio signals and computer programming when he joined CAP as a cadet at age 12. He is routinely called in by the AFRCC to help with searches and last year participated in 27 search and rescue missions, resulting in the rescue of 19 survivors.

NEW JERSEY -- "Taking Flight," a three-page article in the November-December 2009 issue of Johns Hopkins University's "Imagine" magazine, features one of Civil Air Patrol's 23,000 cadets, Tristan Kooker, of the Cape May County Composite Squadron. Kooker is a cadet fourth class at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

(1)
Cadet Airmen Basic William Durham and Sierra Baumhoefener of the Winchester Composite Squadron assist a student through the Fatal Vision obstacle course.

(2)
Students line up to participate in the Fatal Vision demonstration.

 
Capt. Christopher Colvin
Public Affairs Officer
Winchester Composite Squadron
Virginia Wing

VIRGINIA -- The Middle East Region and Virginia and Maryland wings, with the Virginia Wing’s Winchester Composite Squadron playing a particularly prominent role, represented Civil Air Patrol’s Drug Demand Reduction program at this year’s Aviation Expo, which drew more than 600 students, faculty, parents and guests from schools in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

The DDR program promotes an aggressive, positive, drug-free attitude in CAP members, Air Force families, Department of Defense civilians and school-age children through a comprehensive approach.

The program

• Stresses CAP as a positive community-service lifestyle.
   
• Encourages youth to remain in school.
   
• Focuses on drug abuse education, prevention and awareness.
   
• Provides positive activities as an alternative to drugs and gang violence.

Members from the region and wings’ respective headquarters spoke with hundreds of people as they visited the Drug Demand Reduction display set up a short distance from other exhibitors, such as the Transportation Safety Administration and the West Virginia Air National Guard.

“Many of the students participated in the Drug Demand Reduction demonstration and learned just how impaired they could be on their own or in driving with someone else who had been drinking,” said Lt. Col. Duke Stanton, the Winchester squadron’s deputy commander for seniors. “I hope they took the demonstrations to heart.”

First Lt. Walt Murphy, assistant Drug Demand Reduction coordinator for the Middle East Region and Drug Demand Reduction administrator for the Maryland Wing, said that CAP’s “participation in events like this Aviation Expo do more than increase awareness of the CAP Drug Demand Reduction program.”

A highlight of the display was the Drug Demand Reduction obstacle course using Fatal Vision goggles designed to impair the wearer’s vision in simulation of the effect of alcohol or narcotics use. The impact of watching people try to perform the simplest while wearing the goggles was funny to some and sobering to others.

When the participants removed the goggles at the end of the course, they were asked if they would drive in the condition they just experienced or ride with someone under the influence of alcohol or drugs.  The answers always came with a quick shake of the head. 

Murphy said “The most important thing I take away from an event like this is, we get to reach kids from the elementary school age range to the young adults going to college.

“Before they have been reached by drug abuse, they get to see, while sober, what some of their actions would be like if impaired. They get the problems with perception. Sometimes they get the nausea associated with being drugged or drunk. They get the loss of balance.

The difference is, this time they can take it off,” he said. “They can make it stop.

“The reality of drug abuse is, you can’t take that off like a pair of Fatal Vision goggles.”


 

(1)
DHC-2 Beaver pilots Capt. Curtis Cebulski (left) and Capt. Brad Sipperley – commander and deputy commander, respectively, of the Ninth Composite Operations Squadron -- discuss their location and the time to the next waypoint during a Red Flag – Alaska mission Oct. 8.

Photo by Senior Member Brittney Ferreira

(2)
(Clockwise, from bottom left) Maj. Steve Brewer of the Eielson 71st Composite Squadron, Lt. Col. Gary Hunt and Capt. Curtis Cebulski of the Nine Composite Operations Squadron, Air Force 1st Lt. David Lang and 2nd Lt. Jon Rumfelt of the Eielson 71st discuss new waypoint locations before the early morning mass briefing Oct. 15.

Photo by Lt. Col. Mark C. Biron

(3)
Air Force Lt. Col. John Rydland and Capt. Curtis Cebulski load waypoints into a GPS database in preparation for a Red Flag – Alaska mission Oct. 15.

Photo by Lt. Col. Mark C. Biron

(4)
(From left) Second Lt. Jon Rumfelt, Lt. Col. Gary Hunt, Capt. Curtis Cebulski and Air Force Lt. Col. Matt Rytting listen to the CAP squadron coordination and safety briefing before a mission Oct. 15.

Photo by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Rachelle Coleman

(5)
2nd Lt. Jon Rumfelt and Lt. Col. Gary Hunt work through the preflight checklist Oct. 15

Photo by Lt. Col. Mark C. Biron

(6)
Mission scanners viewed this and similar landscapes during a Red Flag – Alaska mission Oct. 8.

Photo by Senior Member Brittney Ferreira

(7)
(From left) Maj. Steve Brewer, Lt. Col. Gary Hunt and Air Force Lt. Col. Matt Rytting file preflight plans Oct. 15 with Base Operations.

Photo by Lt. Col. Mark C. Biron

(8-10)

Air Force Maj. “Bat” Simmons, Alaska Red Air mission commander, takes questions at the conclusion of his pre-mission brief during Red Flag – Alaska exercises Oct. 15/

Photos by Lt. Col. Mark C. Biron


Lt. Col. Mark C. Biron
Public Affairs Officer
71st Composite Squadron
Alaska Wing

ALASKA -- The Alaska Wing provided the U.S. Air Force with valuable assistance in training domestic and allied pilots during the 2009 Red Flag – Alaska season, contributing aircraft, pilots and crews to the effort.

Red Flag-Alaska is a series of Pacific Air Forces commander-directed field training exercises for U.S. joint and coalition forces. The exercise provides joint offensive counter-air, interdiction, close air support and large force employment training in a simulated combat environment.

U.S. and allied pilots, aircrews and operational support personnel train and improve their air combat skills in preparation for a myriad of worldwide contingencies.

The exercises are held on the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex -- the largest training range in America, totaling more than 65,000 square miles. Air operations are flown out of Eielson and Elmendorf air force bases.

The 2009 exercises
CAP participation in the 2009 exercises -- which spanned three two-week blocks, taking place April 16- May 1, July 23- Aug. 7 and Oct. 1-16 -- provided an added dimension to the exercises.

“In daily training at home station, fighter aircraft generally practice against their own kind, F-15 versus F-15,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Matt Rytting, chief of advanced programs for the 353rd Combat Training Squadron as well as commander of the Alaska Wing’s Eielson 71st Composite Squadron. “The opportunity to fight dissimilar F-15 versus F-16 is highly valued but infrequent for most pilots. Even when they fight dissimilar, however, they're both doing 350-plus knots and operating in the same environment.

“Fighter pilots virtually never get to train in a combat-like setting against aircraft simulating low and slow targets ... until now,” Rytting said.

During Red Flag-Alaska large force employment exercises, CAP aircraft assisted Red Force Aggressors by providing just such targets.

“These low and slow aircraft provide unique three-dimensional problems for high-tech fighters that spend most of their time between 20,000 and 40,000 feet,” Rytting said.

“Our potential adversaries have certain aircraft -- Antonov AN-2 Colts, for example -- that fly just above the trees at about 100 knots,” he said. “These propeller-driven aircraft are used for various missions, including behind-the-lines parachute insertion of special operations forces.”

CAP aircraft from all over Alaska participated in the exercises.

“For this latest exercise, we used four corporate aircraft -- a DHC-2, C-185, C-182 and a C-172 -- to simulate the high-wing AN-2 Colt, and one low-winged multi-engine privately owned CAP member aircraft to ensure a significant difference of aircraft design,” said Maj. Steve Brewer, operations officer for the Eielson 71st.

The twin-engine aircraft was added to the scenario for two of the four training days as a neutral-country, nonhostile aircraft that couldn’t be shot down, furthering the requirement for crews to visually identify each aircraft before firing.

The 71st Composite became uniquely positioned to provide low and slow support to the Air Force when it gained a new commander and operations officer in Rytting and Brewer, whose day jobs in the 353rd Combat Training Squadron directly support planning and execution of Red Flag -- Alaska and other exercises.

"With ELT and other CAP searches declining rapidly in Alaska, mission development became very important,” Rytting said. “I wanted members to feel a strong sense of purpose and saw an obvious opportunity to use CAP assets and crews to support the Air Force.

“Having several active-duty Air Force pilots and Department of Defense civilians in our squadron working at Red Flag gave us needed experience, knowledge and contacts to make these missions happen,” he said.

As a training resource, CAP’s “value to the Air Force is absolutely phenomenal,” Rytting added. “Last Thursday, the entire exercise except CAP and eight F-16s was cancelled for a massive cloud deck. They sent dozens of planes home from the airspace. 

“The F-16s intercepted us at low altitude and received the only training of the day. Had we not been there, it would have been a wash.”

For CAP pilot and crew participating in Red Flag – Alaska, no day is average.

“The day prior to the mission,” Brewer said, “the designated lead pilot for the CAP aircraft will spend four to six hours planning and coordinating the CAP aircraft route of flight with Air Force exercise planners.”

Then, “the day of the exercise mission the crews attend a mass briefing with all the exercise participants four hours prior to takeoff,” he continued. “Then they attend a smaller briefing with the Red Air mission commander, and finally a brief with just the CAP crews to ensure all safety measures are in place, and all crewmembers’ questions are answered.”

The CAP crews benefit from their participation just as the Air Force pilots do.

“Red Flag provides a special opportunity for squadron pilots, scanners and observers to watch the military at work in a simulated combat environment, sometimes up-close and personal,” Rytting said. “Crews attend mission briefs and debriefs and see how their involvement adds to the scenario.

“Sister services and coalition forces are often also involved. While CAP flies at a relatively low 1,000 feet above ground level, some fighter aircraft such as the French Mirages that recently participated flew much lower,” he said.

For many CAP crews the demands and limitations of military flying provide a new experience.

“Flying Red Flag missions has expanded the knowledge base of CAP pilots into the realm of military exercises and military fighter training requirements,” Brewer said.  “Our CAP crews have improved their visual scanning skills, and pilots are more effective and accurate at executing low-level flights and meeting timing requirements of plus- or minus-30-second windows for arriving at required waypoints.”

The hard work and attention to detail has paid off for the CAP crews.

“On Tuesday, two of our three aircraft made it to the target,” Rytting said. “We're 4-for-6, by the way. This proves the difficulty of targeting these unique threats in a large force employment exercise.”

The Air Force pays for CAP to furnish training aids. “The cost is just over $1,000 per day to have four aircraft participate in the visual identification exercise,” Brewer said.

In addition, the CAP pilots and crews walk away from the exercise with a strong sense of accomplishment.

"I’ve really enjoyed being a CAP Aggressor pilot," said Capt. Brad Sipperley, deputy commander of the Ninth Composite Operations Squadron.

A certified flight instructor, Sipperley is a retired Air Force chief of weather station operations now employed with the National Weather Service.

"I’m sitting in the briefings as a pilot and watching the weather briefers do what I did for so long and training with and against such a diverse number of pilots and crew from different nations and services," he said.






 

The Cadet Life Video has been a huge hit, but we want to take it a step further.  Cadet Programs has created a cadet recruiting video competition to see what our members can create.  To learn more about the competition and the prizes being offered, please go to http://www.capmembers.com/video.

St. Cloud Composite Squadron members tour the Minnesota National Guard's new $37.2 million aviation support facility ,where they are now conducting their weekly meetings.

Photo by Maj. Richard Sprouse


Maj. Richard J. Sprouse
Public Affairs Officer
Group 2
Minnesota Wing


MINNESOTA -- Members of the St. Cloud Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol have set up operations at the Minnesota National Guard's new $37.2 million aviation support facility.

The 114,000-square-foot building, which opened in March, stands on 52 acres near St. Cloud Regional Airport. It will support six Blackhawk helicopters and six Chinook helicopters.

The base is separate from the commercial aviation section of the airport and has its own entrance and security.

The facility is a boon for the St. Cloud squadron, said Capt. Pat Cruze, a squadron member who worked to secure space for the unit at the new facility. The squadron had been meeting at the St. Cloud Armory for years.

"It means we will have access to a state-of-the-art facility, in an operational military environment, with proper classroom and storage space," Cruze said. "It just can't be anything but a positive environment to develop our cadets, further engage staff and train for missions."

Cruze said the Minnesota National Guard was very helpful in securing a spot for the squadron at the new facility, which will be a regional center for National Guard aviation teams and will employ 60 people, including soldiers, building maintenance and security staff.

"When I approached the Guard this past summer about moving to the facility their attitude was, 'We would love to have you here; actually, we've been waiting for you!' I just couldn't believe how helpful everyone was and how quickly this all came together. It's still hard to believe we're actually here," Cruze said.

One-third of the soldiers working at the facility are deployed in Iraq and will be back in May, National Guard Staff Sgt. Rob Schuety said.

Once it's fully operational, two to three flights a day will be coming and going from the base. Schuety said it's hard to say what the pattern of the flights will be, but the site will be a regional launch point for the helicopters.

The choppers will be able to help in state emergencies such as search-and-rescue missions -- something Civil Air Patrol is well-known for.

"Your search and rescue training and abilities are nationally recognized and we're excited about working with you," Schuety told CAP officials.

St. Cloud is near Camp Ripley, making it easier to get the helicopters to Minnesota's 53,000-acre National Guard training site.

"I see a future including helicopter rides and possible joint training operations. The squadron is excited about the possibilities," Cruze said.




 

The wildly popular "Investing in America's Youth" is now "Today's Cadets, Tomorrow's Aerospace Leaders!"

We have updated the quotes and statistics and reformatted for a smaller presentation that will allow our printing budget to produce more of these high-impact publications.

This is a DRAFT version that will also be available in our Proving Grounds and we welcome your comments. 

St. Cloud Composite Squadron members tour the Minnesota National Guard's new $37.2 million aviation support facility ,where they are now conducting their weekly meetings.

Photo by Maj. Richard Sprouse


Maj. Richard J. Sprouse
Public Affairs Officer
Group 2
Minnesota Wing


MINNESOTA -- Members of the St. Cloud Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol have set up operations at the Minnesota National Guard's new $37.2 million aviation support facility.

The 114,000-square-foot building, which opened in March, stands on 52 acres near St. Cloud Regional Airport. It will support six Blackhawk helicopters and six Chinook helicopters.

The base is separate from the commercial aviation section of the airport and has its own entrance and security.

The facility is a boon for the St. Cloud squadron, said Capt. Pat Cruze, a squadron member who worked to secure space for the unit at the new facility. The squadron had been meeting at the St. Cloud Armory for years.

"It means we will have access to a state-of-the-art facility, in an operational military environment, with proper classroom and storage space," Cruze said. "It just can't be anything but a positive environment to develop our cadets, further engage staff and train for missions."

Cruze said the Minnesota National Guard was very helpful in securing a spot for the squadron at the new facility, which will be a regional center for National Guard aviation teams and will employ 60 people, including soldiers, building maintenance and security staff.

"When I approached the Guard this past summer about moving to the facility their attitude was, 'We would love to have you here; actually, we've been waiting for you!' I just couldn't believe how helpful everyone was and how quickly this all came together. It's still hard to believe we're actually here," Cruze said.

One-third of the soldiers working at the facility are deployed in Iraq and will be back in May, National Guard Staff Sgt. Rob Schuety said.

Once it's fully operational, two to three flights a day will be coming and going from the base. Schuety said it's hard to say what the pattern of the flights will be, but the site will be a regional launch point for the helicopters.

The choppers will be able to help in state emergencies such as search-and-rescue missions -- something Civil Air Patrol is well-known for.

"Your search and rescue training and abilities are nationally recognized and we're excited about working with you," Schuety told CAP officials.

St. Cloud is near Camp Ripley, making it easier to get the helicopters to Minnesota's 53,000-acre National Guard training site.

"I see a future including helicopter rides and possible joint training operations. The squadron is excited about the possibilities," Cruze said.




 

SOUTH CAROLINA -- A Boy Scout/Civil Air Patrol cadet who wants to one day fly with the Marines is now hard at work on the ground, working to restore an old Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star at the Darlington County Airport. Frankie Slemmer says he hopes to give the jet, a 1954-vintage, two-seat trainer, a complete makeover, restoring it to the condition it was in when it flew out of Shaw Air Force Base, in nearby Sumter, S.C. The restoration effort is part of Slemmer's Eagle Scout project.

NEW JERSEY -- A former Civil Air Patrol cadet who became an Air Force fighter pilot will be honored in a "celebration of life" Sunday at the Lacey Township High School auditorium. A township native, Capt. Nicholas Gigilio, 32, died Oct. 15 when his F-16 jet collided with another fighter during a training exercise in South Carolina.