CAPblog

Can CAP Become as Relevant Now as 1941?

With the price of a gallon of 100LL holding around $5, and expecting further clearance to $6, $7 or even $8 a gallon (No kidding! As of 5 May, it was $7.57/gal at Signature Flight Service at KORD.. CRAZY!), GA flying will be taking it on the chin, economically speaking,  over the coming months or maybe even years.  Already the airports in my area are reporting reduced GA operations and one CAP member reported to me that his airport FBO manager told him the majority of the 100LL they dispense lately seems be going into CAP planes. (the rest of their traffic being kerosene burners)

So what does that have to do with CAP, you ask?

::More after the jump!

Pineda Goes Freelance

The United States Ranger Corps. is a volunteer organization who specialize in working with governmental entities, law enforcement and others, who perform search and rescue missions, community service and much more. Be sure to check back here to visit the site when its complete.

(under construction) U.S. Ranger Corps
via the designer via these wags

:: I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.

This joker just doesn't know when to give up.

If I was these guys, I would be furious.

"Midway Six" No More

CAPblog started as an experiment, just over 4 years, 1,868 posts, and 4,207 comments ago. Looking back, I'm both amazed and grateful for the experience.

I first started blogging because in the Spring of 2004, blogging was the new hot thing. The needs of my day job is what got me started. I was working in a media role that lead me to be fielding lots of questions about what blogs were about. I figured if I was going to understand blogs, I needed to become a blogger.

Thinking about what I wanted to blog about, I quickly realized that CAP was the part of my life that was even the least bit interesting. I thought maybe "A Captain's Blog," focused on my upcoming term as a Squadron Commander might be interesting. But reading other great MilBlogs, showed me how frustrating writing about one's own command could be.

My my online persona started out as "CAPblogger," or just "Cb," figuring that I should start out completely anonymous. My thesis was that I would write, "about CAP, and things that would interest CAP members." It was that focus that I think lead to the popularity and success of the project. So I pressed on.

After some time, some folks who know me, started figuring out that I was indeed CAPblogger. I guess I cited the blog too many times, or maybe it was the times when I said something at a Squadron Meeting, that ended up being fodder for the blog... I had decided right up front never to lie about my online persona. In fact, at least early on, my personal ROE was to never tell anyone that I was behind the blog... but if asked directly, I would admit to being the man behind the curtain.

Eventually, as the occasional guest blogger made an appearance on CAPblog, and more CAP focused blogs started to appear other places... I decided to change up my online persona again, and adopt the moniker of "Midway Six." This of course was a tip of the headset to Matt at the amazing BLACKFIVE blog. It was in reference to the fact that I was then serving as the Commander of my Squadron. thefuturehomeoftheusairforce The Army tends to standardize tactical callsigns, assigning "something" 6 to the unit commander, 5 to the XO, and so on. The theory was the folks in the know could figure out who I was... while keeping the noobs at bay.

I even managed to achieve a modicum of respect. The folks at Maxwell gave me the nod to continue doing what I was doing. I can't express enough how awesome it was to get such rock star treatment when I occasionally had the the chance to travel around the country and visit with other CAP units. It has been one hell of a ride.

I recently stood down as Commander of my unit.

I had become a short timer, as my 4 year term was getting close to done. Luckily we had identified a spectacularly well qualified replacement from within the unit. So I made the recommendation to my new boss at Group that he relieve me when the time was right. A new job, my family (which now includes "Little Six") and a new startup on the horizon made continuing to serve as a commander... daunting.

It was both the hardest and the easiest thing that I have done. Hard because I respect the people that I have had the honor to serve with over the past almost 4 years.

So that explains the yet another change of moniker you see below my posts... If there is one rule in the long and distinguished history of aviator callsigns, it's that you don't get to pick your own callsign. So in a naming ambush ceremony held by the unit, I was renamed "DATA." (Note that "FANBOY" is sorely missed.)

"DATA" comes from my predilection for gadgets and technology. After all, I am the first person in history to SMS the NESA Commandant about returning to base after an alternator failure, in-flight, via iPhone. (I'm just lucky they choose DATA, and not just, "geek.") Oh well.

As I said in my remarks after the Squadron Change of Command Ceremony... I am so lucky to look back at my time as a Squadron Commander and have a truly amazing highlight reel playing back in my head.

Thank you EVERYONE.

What's next you ask?

I plan to continue to serve, continue to fly, and continue to blog. Furthermore, I have something big in the works that I hope you'll all enjoy.

Semper Vi!

Captain Rod "DATA" Rakic

Chicago Midway Composite Squadron
Chicago, IL (MDW)

New Combat Role for CAP?

[Defense Secretary] Gates wants the services to think “beyond Predator and Reaper” and consider quick and dirty ideas like putting “sensors on a Cessna.”
- Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell

This is in response to the growing brouhaha  over the SECDEF's recent comments about the Air Forces role in war. Here's the rest of today's post from the AFA...

What’s Not In?: A task force looking for ways to get more ISR [Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance] assets into the fight in Iraq and Afghanistan will be looking at “the inventory of what we have and can we get it over there,” Defense Secretary Robert Gates said at a Pentagon press conference April 23. Gates said he wants all the services to see if there are different ways of doing ISR training, so “maybe we can squeeze a little bit more” of them into the battle zone. He wants the task force—to be headed by Brad Berkson, the Pentagon’s Program Analysis and Evaluation chief—to look at manned aircraft as well as unmanned and to “see what we have in the other commands here in the United States.” After taking inventory, the task force will go to the theater and see if the users “are making maximum possible use of the assets they have.” Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell later told the Daily Report Gates wants more unconventional ideas and a willingness to shrug off habits that could be slowing the addition of ISR assets to the war zones. Specifically, Morrell said Gates is unconvinced that UAVs must be operated by pilots, which USAF says is necessary to operate safely in busy airspace. Other services don’t agree, he said. It takes a year to train a pilot, and USAF has a limited supply of them. Gates said that “in too many instances, there is a tendency to look out a year or two years or three years in terms of programs and … processes as usual and not enough willingness to think out of the box and how do we get more help to the theater now.” Morrell said Gates wants the services to think “beyond Predator and Reaper” and consider quick and dirty ideas like putting “sensors on a Cessna.” Gates wants the new task force to make an initial report in just a week and to develop a plan within 90 days. Gates said. “I’ve found that perhaps the most effective way to get things done around here is to put pretty short deadlines on things.”

Air Force Magazine: Daily Report

:: NOTE TO THE FOLKS DOWN @ MAXWELL - Please get on the stick here and get CAP back in the fight... this is your chance. No kidding.

Would I go?

If I was asked. Yes I would.

Would it be for everyone?

No, it would not.

extremis malis extrema remedia
[extreme times call for extreme measures]

No Air Force unit could help spin up an idea like this faster than CAP.

Of course, the idea makes too much sense for the JAGs not to screw it up.

...but a Presidential order, or action by Congress, could get the boots on the ground more resources...

...and maybe, just maybe...

...the Auxies over here could be what the mission needs over there.

Flight Regs Updated

Adds spins to prohibited uses of CAP aircraft.  Clarifies that the National Board has stipulated that senior member student pilot instruction can only be approved in geographic areas where commercial facilities/training are not available. AFJROTC cadets added as authorized passengers. Flying privileges suspension paragraph updated.  Assessment for damage to CAP corporate aircraft paragraph updated. Operational Requirements updated for flight with cadets subsequent to major maintenance.  Need for commercial certificate and class II medical for AFROTC/AFJROTC orientation flights deleted. FAA instrument check good for within 180 days of Fm 5.  Add-on rating authorized. FRO items updated.  Attachment 1, Statement of Understanding, updated. Attachment 2 updated for AFROTC/AFJROTC. Attachment 9 sorties authorized “A” mission status with appropriate approvals.  Attachment 10 updated.

NHQ: CAPR 60-1 Civil Air Patrol Flight Operations

(UPDATED 20 FEBRUARY 2008)

:: My comments...

• The Coast Guard Auxies now have a ticket to ride.
• Spins expressly prohibited, with exceptions.
• More use of the world, "aircrew," vs. just pilot. I'm cool with that.
• Sticking it to the pilot's insurance company, no surprise there.
• Thou Shalt Not fly AFROTC Cadets within 10 hours of major maintenance to the motor. CAP Cadets are still authorized to fly as test dummies during that time.
• Clarifies that Taxi-Only operations do not require a release. Thank you.

Nothing ground shattering here. Make sure everyone gets the new copy, especially if they have a Form 5 ride coming up. Carry on.

CAP Launches New Recruiting Site... Sort Of...

This week NHQ kinda-sorta launched a new micro site dedicated to recruiting...

www.gocivilairpatrol.com

Now I wish I would have screen grabbed it. (The site was taken down this weekend.) So as I write this, I can't share the site with you... but employing theater of the mind...

It was bad.

My first impression was that the design was channeling the MySpace page of a caffeine-addled teenager.

I counted 18 link paths... The flash took forever to load... It was trying to look "raw," and "modern," all at the same time... I could go on...

I've written this before, and I keep hoping that I'll be proven wrong... but CAP is cursed when it comes to technology. This new recruiting site is just another symptom of an ongoing problem.

Here's (finally) something where I-know-that-of-which-I-speak. In my day job, I'm paid to be the voice of the audience on teams that build web sites for big brands. I develop strategies for building web experiences that deliver results. I spend my time away from the airport living and breathing this stuff. (yes, that means I spend a lot of time at white boards and with PowerPoint, but hey, it's a living.)

I even get to help out big-brother-blue, and the rocket jocks with this sort of thing every-once in a while, which I do get a tremendous kick out of.

Sure, I could bullet point some best practices for lead generation sites. But first, I'll simply point to the best in-breed example of a modern lead gen site...

Whatever your politics are, the single best example  is...

http://www.barackobama.com/

I call this out because Barrack's site has similar goals, which are recruiting volunteers and raising money. The experience is laser focused on those goals, and that is what makes it great.

It has a fantastic landing page. The first time you visit the site, the landing page simply want you to input your email address and zip code. You can skip past this if you like, but it's clear that your email and zip code are what is important, and they clear away any and all clutter to capture your contact information so that they can start to engage with you, in the hope that this will lead to to the next steps of donations and volunteering.

Note that at this point, winning your vote is really a secondary goal, right now, the campaign is about money and people, not votes.

If you return to the site, a browser cooking skips past this and you go right to the home page.

Their designers have differentiated between a landing page, and a home page. There are important differences.

Don't ask me if I would vote for the guy. (I'm apolitical) But his campaign has set the gold standard in many ways for effective use of the web.

I hope whatever committee or staffer responsible for these things down at Maxwell follows the example.

A Geriatric Air Force?

Air Force officials are warning that unless their budget is increased dramatically, and soon, the military's high-flying branch won't dominate the skies as it has for decades.

After more than seven years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Air Force's aging jet fighters, bombers, cargo aircraft and gunships are at the breaking point, they say, and expensive, ultramodern replacements are needed fast.

"What we've done is put the requirement on the table that says, 'If we're going to do the missions you're going to ask us to do, it will require this kind of investment,"' Maj. Gen. Paul Selva, the Air Force's director of strategic planning, said in an interview with The Associated Press. "The Air Force is going to be confronting a major procurement crisis because it can't buy all the things that it absolutely needs," said Dov Zakheim, a former Pentagon comptroller. "It's going to force us to rethink, yet again, what is the strategy we want? What can we give up?"

"One of the reasons their equipment has aged so much is because they continue to move ahead with the development and presumed acquisition of new weapon systems that cost two to three times as much as the systems they are replacing," Kosiak said. "It's like replacing a Toyota with a Mercedes."

CNN: Generals warn of 'geriatric Air Force'

:: heh... insert your own joke about  geriatric, and CAP here.

We don't call it the Silver Hair Patrol for nuttin'.

Recently, 4 guys got selected to fly the Raptor. 4 guys!

...and the air force put out a press release.

At this rate it will be easier to get flight time in the Astronaut Corps!

I guess the one good thing about being a CAP officer is...

I have zero chance of being locked up in a box flying a UAS.

Gosh, the day may come when the Air Force operators pilots point to us and say,

"Those CAP guys have all the fun."

ARCHER Circling the Drain?

I've had my concerns...

Word on the street is that 1st Air Force has finally come out and said it...

... they have determined that CAP's ARCHER is not an effective tool in supporting any Air Force missions.

Hey, I'd be much happier if this was incorrect, and that the USAF thought the system was more iPhone, and less Vista.

I would love to post a retraction.

Ultimately, the $10 Million bucks blown on ARCHER is a rounding error in Air Force procurement. Live and learn. It was still cheaper than plowing as single RQ-1 into the dessert.

I would rather have strapped FLIR units to our existing fleet of mighty C-182 Skylanes.

But that's just me.

A USAF Pararescue Blog

It is my duty as a Pararescueman to save life and to aid the injured. I will be prepared at all times to perform my assigned duties quickly and efficiently, placing these duties before personal desires and comforts. These things I do, "That Others May Live."

BLOG: pjcountry - U.S. Air Force Pararescue

:: I have a huge amount of respect for the P.J.'s

They truly are, "The Best of the Best."

Calling CAP SAR Ground Teams "P.J.'s - Lite" is probably bordering on delusions of grandeur... but ultimately, our hearts are in the same place.

I look forward to reading the blog.

Master Blasters Back On TV

Master Blasters is reality TV show that pits several teams of 'rocketry experts', mostly talented amateurs, who like to launch very unusual items into the sky. Two teams are brought together and then 'surprised' with the assignment. Usually they will have to engineer a solution and 'blast' the weird and unusual item into the heavens. The team that launches their 'assigned item' the farthest wins the challenge.

via IMDB

:: I enjoyed Master Blasters when it first ran on the Sci-Fi channel. (and I first blogged about it here.)

Well, after being kicked to the curb by the suits at NBC, the show has returned to TV, being re-run on The Science Channel.

It looks like it's just repeats, but if you missed it the first time, I say set your TiVo now.