Civil Air Patrol

[Jeff G]

Yes, it really is.

To each his own. It may have been mildly amusing the first time, but by the fifth iteration it was plenty stale.

 

[inline]

Zeek's probably mortified that some of us commercial pilots actually wear leather "bomber" jackets too.

 

[VFR on Top]

Re: CAP

I recall that the cadets in our CAP squadron were heads and shoulders above their peers in high school ROTC. Something I found very curious because ROTC was course in which they enrolled and were graded.

My CAP background put me head and shoulders above my peers (and many of my upperclassmen) in college AFROTC--without so much as breaking a sweat I was ranked #1 in a class of 60 my freshman year. While everyone else was worrying about when/how to salute or how to wear the uniform properly or learning which major command(s) the fighters belonged to--all of which was second-nature to me after 7 years of CAP--I was able to wow the full-time cadre by focusing on the stuff that actually mattered. All that other stuff is expected as a matter of course, but shouldn't ever dominate your focus--and so it is with CAP, at least for me. I'd just as soon go to a squadron meeting in civvies, but wear a uniform anyway--and correctly--simply because that's the proper example a leader should set. I owe those who willingly follow my lead at least that much.

 

[JediNein]

The original poster asked what was done on a mission.

California Wing Civil Air Patrol had one mission last weekend with 15 ELT signals to locate (DF'd). This particular mission does not include the two ELTs from a gear up in Santa Monica or a fatal crash in Corona, nor the 5 ELTs in Northern California. The following is a transcript of the mission results. Keep in mind that each ELT signal transmitting can block other ELT signals, one of which might be attached to a crash with survivors waiting to be rescued.

Search mission AFRCC 02M2644 was opened 08 November and closed 10 November 2002 for numerous ELT signals in the Gorman, Oxnard and Lake Elsinore areas.
Signal #1 at Gorman timed out prior to launching of resources.
Signal #2 was located and secured by airport personnel at Oxnard Airport. Thanks to Jon Wordsworth for assisting as Northern Branch director.
Signal #3 was located at Lake Elsinore airstrip in a Twin Otter,
Signal #4 was located at a joint use facility for the San Diego County Sheriff's Aviation unit and the California Department of Forestry. The unit was found on a shelf inside the facility.
Signal #5 was for an ELT signal in the Victorville area. Signal was never detected and timed out.
Signal #6 was for an ELT signal in the Lake Elsinore area again. Signal DF'ed by ground teams to the San Bernadino County Sheriff's Aviation facility at Rialto Field. ELT located in a Eurocopter, and secured.
Signal #7 was for a signal in the Fontana area. Signal was DF'ed by ground teams to the Sheriff's aviation unit at Rialto Field and secured in the same Eurocopter.
Signal #8 was for an ELT signal in the March AFB area.Signal located and secured by CAP ground team at San Bernadino International Airport in a P-3 Orion.
Signal #9 was for an ELT in the Colton area. Signal located and secured by CAP ground teams in a San Bernadino County Sheriff's Eurocopter at Rialto Field (different one).
Signal #10 was for an ELT signal in the Redlands area. Signal ceased as it was being DF'ed by ground teams to a residential neighborhood.
Signal #11 was for an ELT signal in the Desert Center (East Riverside County) area. Signal DF'ed by CAP aircraft to Palm Springs Airport. Signal located and secured by CAP ground team in an United Express turbo prop.
Signals #12 & 13 ceased for an ELT in the East Riverside County area when signal #11 was turned off.
Signal #14 was for an ELT signal off the coast of Long Beach. Signal was DF'ed by ground teams to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Aviation unit at Long Beach Airport.
Special thanks to the Long Beach Fire Department for their assistance in locating this signal.
Signal #15 was for an ELT signal in the Long Beach area. Signal ceased prior to being located.
Thanks to the total of 17 personnel who signed on the mission, the dozens of others who remained on stand-by and the support of the Group alerting officers and personnel at the LACC for their
assistance. Additionally to all of those who put up with all those pages!
Just another "routine" mission.

Fly SAFE!
Jedi Nein

 

[Chunk]

ELT in a P-3 Orion, eh? You sure about that?

BTW, You should go check out the Oh Sh*t thread.

 

[TXCAP4228]

ELT in a P-3 Orion, eh? You sure about that?

Hey Chunk, it may never have occurred to you that all kinds of airplanes have ELT's go off accidentally. The coolest find I ever had was in a C-130 - it was on an Air Force Base.

 

[Dot_AK]

you guys spend so much time concerned about uniforms and saluting. *shakes head*

Your choice. In the meantime, I'm working my way through the paperwork and the courses to go up as a mission scanner - figure I can give something back to my community. And it's been a great way to find experienced pilots and ask questions, look for opinions beyond my CFI's. Always to be taken with a grain of salt, but learned a thing or two. Sometimes it's all in having something explained in a slightly different way that makes it go from frustrating to very understandable. Though every bit of advice usually is geared toward being safer, or includes safety anyway.

haven't really seen any signs of any exclusive flying club - they're encouraging folk to fly. As for tennis shoes - the guys that wear flight suits wear boots. Most of us are in meeting in carhartts or other sensible gear - and noting that you always dress for the environment, not the cabin temperature, I can't fathom people wearing sneakers on missions most of the year anyway.

 

[typhoonpilot]

JediNein:

"Signal #2 was located and secured by airport personnel at Oxnard Airport. Thanks to Jon Wordsworth for assisting as Northern Branch director."

How is Jon ?, He has been tracking ELTs since I knew him in the 1970s.

Great post VFR on Top, these guys that are fixated on the mildly annoying parts of the CAP are just missing the point.


Typhoonpilot

 

[Maxwell Smart]

THIS IS FUNNY