CAPblog

CAP Partners with AOPA for "Zero Airspace Incursions Challenge”

AOPA has enlisted the help of the Civil Air Patrol to make sure pilots are aware of the restrictions. The CAP National Headquarters has asked squadrons east of the Mississippi River to station members at airports on Saturday morning and ensure that pilots headed to the Washington, D.C., area are aware of the expanded P-40 area.

“AOPA has committed to donate $5,000 to CAP if we meet our goal of zero airspace incursions,” said Boyer.

AOPA: Pilots beware: Restricted airspace to expand during AOPA Fly-In

:: As my wingman so tactfully observed yesterday, "it's gonna be a cluster..." if pilots don't take take extra care when flying to FDK this weekend for the big AOPA Fly-In.

It's great that AOPA and CAP are working together to reduce the chances of GA getting yet another black eye over silly airspace incursions.

I am disappointed that I only heard about this via an email from AOPA, and not through CAP channels as well. There wasn't even a press release from NHQ.

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.

Max Trescott Blogs

It's time for the FAA to set an aggressive goal, comparable to the ones they set for airliners, for reducing the general aviation fatal accident rate. Without one, senseless accidents will continue, needless lives will be lost, and potential new pilots will be scared away.

In recent years, general aviation averaged over 300 fatal accidents per year, resulting in around 600 deaths per year. This is very high compared to air carrier aviation fatalities, which numbered 40 in 2005. By comparison, the NTSB reports that annually railroads account for over 700 fatalities, boating accidents claim over 800 lives, and car accidents kill over 40,000 people. Nonetheless, while the public shows little reticence to board a boat or drive a car, they tend to view small planes as unsafe.

Max Trescott on General Aviation: General Aviation Needs an Aggressive Safety Goal

:: First off, as big fan of Max's book on the Garmin G1000 Glass Cockpit, I'm geeked that Max has started a blog.

CAP is the single largest operator of Cessna piston singles, CAP is well on the way to being the biggest G1000 operator. (well... at least until some G1K equipped VLJ air taxi operation builds more... but that's another post!)

I agree with Bob Miller from Over the Airwaves, who also says that GA safety can be drastically improved if we get our butts in gear.

Let's get to it.

The Night Before Christmas

Folks, this has been making the rounds across many an Airman's inbox this week, but in case you have not seen it, it's just too good not to share...

The Night Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas, and out on the ramp,
Not an airplane was stirring, not even a Champ.
The aircraft were fastened to tiedowns with care,
In hopes that come morning, they all would be there.

The fuel trucks were nestled, all snug in their spots,
With gusts from two-forty at 39 knots.
I slumped at the fuel desk, now finally caught up,
And settled down comfortably, resting my butt.

When the radio lit up with noise and with chatter,
I turned up the scanner to see what was the matter.
A voice clearly heard over static and snow,
Called for clearance to land at the airport below.

He barked his transmission so lively and quick,
I'd have sworn that the call sign he used was "St. Nick".
I ran to the panel to turn up the lights,
The better to welcome this magical flight.

He called his position, no room for denial,
"St. Nicholas One, turnin' left onto final."
And what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a Rutan-built sleigh, with eight Rotax Reindeer!

With vectors to final, down the glideslope he came,
As he passed all fixes, he called them by name:
"Now Ringo! Now Tolga! Now Trini and Bacun!
On Comet! On Cupid!" What pills was he takin'?

While controllers were sittin', and scratchin' their head,
They phoned to my office, and I heard it with dread,
The message they left was both urgent and dour:
"When Santa pulls in, have him please call the tower."

He landed like silk, with the sled runners sparking,
Then I heard "Left at Charlie," and "Taxi to parking."
He slowed to a taxi, turned off of three-oh
And stopped on the ramp with a "Ho, ho-ho-ho..."

He stepped out of the sleigh, but before he could talk,
I ran out to meet him with my best set of chocks.
His red helmet and goggles were covered with frost
And his beard was all blackened from Reindeer exhaust.

His breath smelled like peppermint, gone slightly stale,
And he puffed on a pipe, but he didn't inhale.
His cheeks were all rosy and jiggled like jelly,
His boots were as black as a cropduster's belly.

He was chubby and plump, in his suit of bright red,
And he asked me to "fill it, with hundred low-lead."
He came dashing in from the snow-covered pump,
I knew he was anxious for drainin' the sump.

I spoke not a word, but went straight to my work,
And I filled up the sleigh, but I spilled like a jerk.
He came out of the restroom, and sighed in relief,
Then he picked up a phone for a Flight Service brief.

And I thought as he silently scribed in his log,
These reindeer could land in an eighth-mile fog.
He completed his pre-flight, from the front to the rear,
Then he put on his headset, and I heard him yell, "Clear!"

And laying a finger on his push-to-talk,
He called up the tower for clearance and squawk.
"Take taxiway Charlie, the southbound direction,
Turn right three-two-zero at pilot's discretion"

He sped down the runway, the best of the best, "
Your traffic's a Grumman, inbound from the west."
Then I heard him proclaim, as he climbed thru the night,
"Merry Christmas to all! I have traffic in sight."

Merry Xmas to all.

:: It beats the old chestnut about Santa and the FAA examiner.

Don't miss the excellent mash-up that Google cooked up for NORAD this year... Go Track Santa!

...and finally...

No matter what color uniform you wear, no matter where you fly. To all my brothers and sisters in the air and on the ground serving your Community, State, and Nation...

Happy Holidays.

2 Officers Lost in CAP Crash

Nevada Wing Commander Col. Dion DeCamp and Col. Ed Lewis of the California Wing, a former Pacific Region commander, died in a CAP aircraft crash on the evening of  Nov. 8.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the DeCamp and Lewis families and the members of these wings. More information will be posted as soon it becomes available.

Website: CAP NHQ

:: The media is reporting that a Las Vegas LEO helo was on scene moments after the CAP plane went down. They also report that a Bonanza had dropped off radar before hand, but I'm not going to try and speculate if the two incidents are related.

It's a sad day.

My thoughts are with their families, friends, and fellow officers.

100th CAP Skylane Reporting for Duty

Cessna announced Thursday at AOPA Expo 2007 the planemaker's Independence, KS facility recently delivered the 100th C182 Skylane to Wichita-based Yingling Aviation for modification for duty with the Civil Air Patrol.

Yingling will outfit the G1000-equipped Skylane with special avionics equipment for CAP duty. The independent Cessna authorized service station holds the STC for CAP-specific mods.

The aircraft was delivered at the end of September. Yingling will complete the modifications that provide search-and-rescue equipment and dual audio panels with the ability to have multiple, simultaneous communications between the pilot, mission specialist, observer and agencies on the ground. These modifications allow CAP to take an increased role in support of national security and disaster relief operations.

The Skylane is scheduled for delivery to CAP in November, according to Cessna.

ANN: Cessna Delivers 100th Skylane To Yingling Aviation For CAP Duty

:: Right about now, 20% of CAP's fleet is less than 5 years old, which, when compared to the regular Air Force, is just terrific.

I for one pictured the CAP Skylanes rolling off the production line with all the modifications installed in the factory... not matter... the NAV III 182 is the most capable CAP airframe ever to come into service.

Standardization of our fleet has gone a long way to help us shift to more of an expeditionary force model. Crews can train in Michigan, and link up with airframes based in Arizona without much hassle.

You know that I'm a huge fan of the G1K integrated flight deck, despite issues with SDIS, and my own frustrations with pushing through FITS.

I also wish that Garmin would get the G1000 SAR patch done. I'm hoping that when we do see mission specific software updated in our birds, that it will include integration with the direction finder. That gorgeous MFD is just screaming to display information from the Becker!

Keep up the good work folks!

Initial Familiarization Ride

This weekend I took our FNG shiny new 2nd Lieutenant up for what I call the Initial Familiarization Flight. (I-FAM)

The I-FAM is my own invention. As soon as one of my new officers gets through the indoctrination, completes the Level I, gets a uniform together, etc... I try to reward all the time and money invested with something fun. We suit up and go flying. No pressure, just a quick hop somewhere in the CAP aircraft. It often includes pancakes, or maybe a hamburger.

My theory here is getting spun up in CAP takes real effort. Having a chance to to strap on the airframe as soon as possible is important. It's good for retention.

I am not a CFI. There is no flight training involved in the I-FAM. But in the course of the flight, the new guy gets exposed to much of what makes CAP flying different from renting from a typical flight school or FBO.

So we talk about how we book the aircraft online, get a Flight Release from CAP FRO, and cover off on the local procedures, like where to get the aircraft keys.

Then it's a chance to show how the dreaded chastity belt (aircraft lock) works. Not that's it hard, but the first time fussing with it usually involves frustration, some curse words, and maybe a few drops of blood. Having the chance to learn it without an IP tapping his boot nearby takes some of the pressure off.

Once in the aircraft, I'll brief our egress, sterile cockpit, and positive transfer of aircraft control proceedures. Nice to do that without a mission clock ticking down.

In the air I have the chance to demo the intercom panel, and the CAP radio. If we're lucky, we've had the chance to cover these systems in the classroom first. Switchology on the ICS and the radio trips ups more aircrews than anything else.

It's a great way to get some currency flying in if there's a lull in the ops tempo.

Plus, I'll fly anywhere for pancakes.

CAP Back in the Subchaser Business?

The 311-foot, diesel powered Grunion and its 70-member crew had not been heard from for 65 years since they went missing while on patrol off the island of Kiska in the Aleutian Islands.

In early July of 1942, the Grunion had sunk two Japanese sub chasers and damaged a third near Kiska, one of two islands in the Aleutians that had been captured by the Japanese during the early months of World War II.

But the Grunion, named for a small fish and commissioned just three months earlier, had not been located since its last message of July 30, 1942, when it reported by radio the receipt of a Navy message ordering it back to the U.S. Navy base at Dutch Harbor, Alaska.

One month ago, the remains of the USS Grunion were found in 1,000 feet of water off Kiska Island following a lengthy and intensive search led by the son of the Grunion's skipper and with the cooperation of the Alaskan Civil Air Patrol and World War II Japanese navy veterans who had served in the Aleutians in 1942.

The director a co-founder of the medical equipment company Boston Scientific Corp., John Abele also enlisted the aid of Civil Air Patrol Lt. Col. Robert J. Miller, who flew his Cessna 182 over the wreck site, employing the Archer hyperspectral system that initially identified the sunken submarine as "a smooth, oblong object with features that could be a conning tower and periscope mast."

Lahontan Valley News and Fallon Eagle Standard: Another World War II submarine discovered

:: This one left me scratching my head...

In every brief about the ARCHER system that I've seen, it's been made clear that the system cannot see through water. ARCHER senses only reflected light. So while ARCHER may be good at spotting something invisible to the Mark I Eyeball floating ontop of of the water, it's highly unlikely that it would have found a sunken Submarine.

Also note that ARCHER is deployed aboard the GA-8 Airvan, not, as the article states, the C-182 Skylane.

I'm all for CAP getting credit where credit is due, but it seems like this is a case where the press played a little fast and loose with a couple of facts.

If anyone has background on what really happened, please feel free to comment.

The Lost Father, in The Best Life magazine does a good job of telling the story. You can learn even more about the USS Grunion on searcher's web site.

AirNav's AirBoss

With $5 avgas more or less a common sight these days, saving 50¢ here or a buck there on every gallon matters. Our friends at AirNav have come up with a fuel discount program called AirBoss that enhances the web site's already valuable Fuel Finder option.

AVweb Podcast: Finding Less Expensive (If Not Cheap) Gas (.mp3 audio)

:: Guys flying corporate birds are used to fuel discount programs. (I guess that's what happens when you starting thinking about fuel in pounds instead of just gallons.)

I'm already a huge fan of AirNav, and can't think of many x-country trips I fly without consulting the site. I've even done business with them as part of my day job, they are very nice people.

Even when flying for CAP, as pilots we often have plenty of latitude about what FBO to use. Often we do our own flight planning, and make our own decisions about where to buy gas, even when we're using a corporate credit card.

As a CAP pilot, I'm used to getting "The Good Guy Discount," of not paying tax, flow fees, etc. at most places where I operate. I appreciate that as one of the perks that comes with zipping up and flying for Uncle Sam. But go-juice is expensive, and Wing training budgets are finite, so every little bit helps.

So if I figure my unit's C-182 burns something like 4200 gallons over the course of the year. If a partnership w/ Airboss saved us an average of $0.20 per gallon, on half the fuel we bought, (the discount does not apply to fuel bought at the aircraft's homebase.) it would save our pilots around $400 in a year.

Airboss membership is being launched at $39  per year for a personal membership. (I've figure I would personally save around  $90 a year by joining. The membership would follow me whether I was flying CAP aircraft, or a civilian rental bird.  You can pre-register for AirBoss here.

One of the challenges AirNav has, is getting FBOs to sign up to offer the discount...

AirBoss issuing a discount card for each CAP aircraft (or maybe even to all our pilots) could be a win-win. CAP could be an easy way for Airboss to quickly offer FBOs access to a large pool of pilots, while supporting the volunteer force.

I'm always up for a good deal.