CAPblog

CAP Assists In Finding Lost Boy Scouts

Civil Air Patrol's Pennsylvania Wing was called on to assist in the search for three Boy Scouts and a Scout leader in Woodward Township after they were reported missing since 4 p.m. Nov. 19.

Some 43 CAP members searched through the night and were ready to launch aircraft at daybreak. They joined state police, a K9 unit and several fire departments in looking for the the area north of Lock Haven along Route 664 in Clinton County in north central Pennsylvania.

The Scouts and their leader were found alive and well by members of the Haneyville Police Department. The  Air Force Rescue Coordination Center credited  CAP with the assist.

CAP News Online: Pa. Wing members assist in successful search for missing Scouts, leader

:: Sending CAP Cadets (I know that PAWG teams are pretty Cadet heavy.) to go find Boy Scouts... I couldn't help but chuckle at that one. (sorry! I'm going to hell! I know that!) Sure, it wouldn't be funny if someone had been hurt... but nobody was injured, so I'm going to have to go ahead and make fun of them.

All kidding aside, good on the Scouts for taking shelter  in a small shack.

One lesson to be learned here is that night ground search is an important skill that should be taught and practiced by CAP Ground Teams.

My team all complete G649: GROUND SEARCH AND RESCUE which is a two day course (16 contact hours) that our State recognizes for certification. Then of course we regularly exercise the skill in the field. (Once or twice a year us usually enough to stay proficient.) A portion of the field training part of the course is taught at night.

If I was the CAP Ground Team Leader, I may have been tempted to hand the Boy Scouts CAP recruiting brochures when they were all back at the mission base sipping hot chocolate.

Teen Camper Dies After Refusing Food & Water

THIS WAS NOT A CAP CADET, but it's a cautionary tale that worth learning from...

A 13-year-old cadet at a private military academy who died while camping at a state park refused food throughout the excursion, the father of two fellow cadets said Sunday.

Victor Jusino of Sunrise said his sons, ages 9 and 10, told him the boy continuously threw away food after the 33 cadets arrived early Wednesday at the Back to Basics Christian Military Academy's Training and Leadership Corps campout.

"They described to me that he wasn't eating. He wasn't feeling well. His stomach was hurting him and the heat was getting to him," Jusino said.

"He wasn't eating any food," 12-year-old Joanna Miller said. "He would ask people if they want his food or he would just throw it on the ground. When he was supposed to drink water, he didn't want to."

Yahoo News: Camper who died refused food, cadets say

:: One thing that sets CAP apart, is our safety culture.

Discipline isn't just about Cadets following our direction when told to hydrate... it's also about leadership recognizing when a situation is no longer safe, and removing the subject from the activity.

Just remember this kid, and make sure it never happens to one of ours.

2006 National Cadet Competion Results

IL Wing News Blog has posted this year's results:

National Drill Team Competion

1st Place: Southwest Region
2nd Place: Southeast Region
3rd Place: Great Lakes Region

National Color Guard Competion

1st Place: Pacific Region
2nd Place: Middle East Region
3rd Place: Southeast Region

:: Congrats all.

"Oversharing" and The Image of CAP

Found on a MySpace blog of a cadet:

"Don't #### with me. It'll be your biggest and last mistake."
[redacted for family friendliness]

MySpace: It's Cadet Air(wo)man Komlo to you.

:: This is slotted under Public Affairs, since this is, ultimately, a huge PR issue.

What is it about today's youth, and even some of our adults, and the magnetic power of the Internet that makes them want to just spill every little detail of their personal lives right out on the sidewalk like some kind of  customs inspection gone wrong?  Here's my life story, and a bunch of photos I can't share with my parents, but I'll share 'em with you! Splat!

Spend 10 minutes surfing MySpace for the keyword "Civil Air Patrol" and you'll see what I mean.  Just 10 minutes, now.  This stuff will seriously rot your brain.  In 10 short minutes, I've read  more stuff  about what cadets are doing (or want to do) to whom than I care to ever know.

I think it was Civil Airman who used the term "overshare."  No kidding!

More good dirt after the jump!

Draft 52-16 Out for Comment

Just a quick reminder in case you have not been paying close attention to the "Regulations for Ratification" site.  The latest draft of CAPR 52-16 is out for public (member) comment. Actually, its been out for several weeks now, but many of us just flat out did not notice.

This release includes a memo outlining the major changes, however, I recommend that you read the actual draft carefully in the event that some of the minor changes may be of interest to you.  Comment period is until 5 July 2006,  and comments should be forwarded to your Wing's DCP or Wing Commander (I recommend both) via your chain of command. 

More on the major changes after the jump..

The Airman Who Knew Too Much...

... at Air Force BMT:

So, Sergeant Davidson puts us in an inverted column formation and asks if anyone knows what type of formation we were in.

Yeah, my dumb ass raises my hand not thinking!

Having been in the Air Force Auxiliary for five years I knew what it was that we were in.  It was way freakin early in the morning and I wasn't thinking right!

MySpace: See what happened next...

:: So the next time some smart-ass misinformed individual tells you that the CAP Cadet Program isn't understood or respected by the USAF... Don't say I didn't warn you!

Keep up the good work Nate.

Midway Six on The Pilotcast

In our hangar flying with Capt. Rod, he tells us how and why the Civil Air Patrol was formed. We learn about their role in today's world, how their Cadet program trains for leadership, and what adult members can achieve as part of CAP.

Capt. Rod talks about the current fleet of aircraft and what a typical mission in support of Homeland Security, would involve. He describes his most memorable mission, which didn't even involve his piloting a plane. And finally, he talks about how a pilot can best outfit himself to prepare for an emergency.

The Pilotcast: Episode #34

:: The guys from The Pilotcast are a great bunch of pilots who publish their hanger talk to share with everyone. I'm  a big fan of podcasts like The Pilotcast, I look forward to every episode.

So I was thrilled when the guys asked if I would join them on their show to talk to them about CAP.

One thing I thought was very cool about this, was that the episode prior to mine had the Commander of U.S. Navy Blue Angels on as a guest. So it was a hell of an act to follow.

This was my first podcast interview. The show went on for almost an hour, and was fun to do. I enjoyed hanging out with them, and look forward to meeting them inperson sometime.

Enjoy the show. I hope you'll subscibe.

Spring NEC Meeting Notes

Much has been made of last weekend's National Executive Committee meeting in Atlanta.

So far the focus has been on the new uniform combo and the proposed extension to the CC's term. While the minutes haven't been published yet, here are some of the other things that got done at the meeting that you should have a look at:

OPERATIONS and SAFETY

• New policies approved to increase funds and Air Force assigned mission status for basic proficiency flying. Previous policies only allowed funding for advanced, mission-type training.

LOGISTICS

• New policies for aircraft maintenance cost reimbursement will be phased in over next few years. Will support move to more centralized and accountable maintenance system. Should improve things.
• New policies on distribution of vehicles based on unit requirements and size. Big improvement--gets away from "new vehicles go to the Wing Commander's buddies."
• The next batch of glass-cockpit Cessna 182s will be purchased without factory training. There are enough factory-trained CAP Instructor Pilots in the field, so CAP doesn't need to pay this expense.

FINANCE

• New policy that compels Wings to keep their accounting software open to national level inspection all the times.
• Also, NHQ will start a process to transition management of squadron level funds to new system that will give wings visibility into accounts. This is a big job that will take several years, as there are ~1500 squadrons and this requires cooperation with commercial banks. Both represent HUGE improvement and a cultural shift ensuring accountably to higher authority for the taxpayer's money. Both policies will greatly help auditing process.

LEGAL

• Much discussion of federal protection of CAP member's personal property used in Air Force missions. Not a big issue, as most (more than 95%) CAP flying is done in CAP airplanes. But some members use their personal aircraft, especially twin-engine aircraft for over water missions. Currently, Federal Government does not allow a CAP member to make a claim if his aircraft is damaged while being used for Air Force mission. There was misperception in the field that it did. Aircraft insurance companies will cover damage, but some require specific policy endorsements.

There is a two-part way ahead:

• Educate members to ensure they contact their insurers
• Investigate options to allow member to make a claim against Government for damage to his own property.

CADET PROGRAM

• Cadets now get a free uniform when they join. New policy will require cadets to earn their first stripe before getting the free uniform, normally this takes 4-6 weeks.
• Good change, this should save about $300K annually of appropriated funds, as the attrition in the first phase is high.

Cadets Airborne Puking

R.I. About a dozen young Civil Air Patrol cadets were taken to a Rhode Island hospital Wednesday after a bumpy orientation flight on a military cargo plane.

An official blames air sickness. Several dozen boys and girls ages 12-18 were on the C-130 when it encountered turbulence.All of the children were later released.

One child apparently broke a finger when it was caught in webbing between the seats while the airplane was landing.

The weeklong program run by the Civil Air Patrol offers leadership training to children who are interested in the military. The cadets were from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and California.

KXAN.com: Young air cadets sickened on military cargo flight, treated at hospital

:: Wow. Must have been a slow news day. This story got picked up by news outlets all over the place. I'm not sure what all the fuss was about... It doesn't sound much worse than a school trip to an amusement park.

They don't have much in the way of windows back there in coach, and sitting across from each other sure can promote, "Sympathy Nausea."

I did an o-ride in a Herc back when I was a Cadet, (I even got to log some time in the left seat, shhh... don't tell anyone!) It was one of the highlights of my Cadet experience.

I recommend some Ginger Ale.

Eyes On Target

Ruby Tamariz's brother is a soldier in Iraq, so she knows the dangers of war. But that hasn't dimmed her dream of attending the Air Force Academy and serving in the armed forces.

"I'd feel very happy to serve," said Tamariz, 17, a senior at Will C. Wood High School in Vacaville who is waiting to hear if she's been accepted to the academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. "It's a duty, a responsibility," she said.

Three years after the start of the Iraq War, as the U.S. death toll tops 2,200 and Americans increasingly turn against the war, the U.S. military is struggling to meet its recruitment goals.

As students around California and across the country await acceptance letters from UC Berkeley and other universities, many of their classmates hope to land one of the highly competitive seats at a military academy.

SF GATE: Service academies still can pick best students

:: For the second time this month, Air Force Public Affairs has highlighted CAP... This time it was by linking to this article via Air Force Newslink. (The weekly email newsletter that SAF/PA sends to community leaders.)

Dynamic Americans, and Aerospace Leaders.

That is what our Cadet Program Mission is about.

Don't you forget it.