air cavalry squadron - jul 2003

8/2/2019 Air Cavalry Squadron - Jul 2003

1/7

7-6 A ir Cav re-CAPGroup 13, Texas Wing, South Western Region, Civi l Air Patro l

Ju ly 2003 Vo lume 1 , Number 7

May New s

ELT Miss ion-Urban DF

O-Flights Business

members

recognized

Ju l y New s

ELT M iss ion -Urban DFWe were tasked with a particularly difficult ELT mission mid July. 1Lt Tessitorewas contacted July 15th by the Incident Commander, Lt Col Jan Hays, and

appointed as the Ground Team Leader, and Capt Domengeaux was co-opted as

a ground team member. The AFRCC satellite had received several ELT signalhits in the vicinity of Brenham, Texas. The AFRCC authorized a ground teammission. Airborne sorties were not required as no aircraft were reported

missing, and thunderstorms were also active in the area.

The team traced the ELT signals to a residential area on the south side ofBrenham, but the DF activity was hampered by the high number of overhead

power lines in this particular neighborhood. Several homes were searched

with the owners permission; however the ELT could not be located, so themission was cancelled that evening.

Unfortunately 97% of all 121.5 MHz ELT signals are false alarms, and only 1 ina 1000 of these represent an actual emergency situation. The problem is that

the AFRCC satellites can only track 10 separate ELTs simultaneously, so it is

easy to overload the system, and it blocks the emergency frequency 121.5from being used by other legitimate users (i.e. aircraft and boats in distress).Additionally, President G. W. Bush was expected in the area the following

weekend.

A second mission was authorized, Wednesday 16th where 1Lt Tessitore wasaccompanied by personnel from the Sugarland Squadron. Later in the day they

were joined by 1Lt Ayre who brought along cadets Joncyk and Illerhaus. Thismission/sortie also finally centered on the same area searched the previousday, but without definite results due to the overhead power lines and metalliccommercial building reflecting the signals.

The next day, Friday, a second sortie was authorized, and 1Lt Tessitoreparticipated with the help of cadets Kurtz and Joncyk. They were joined later

in the day with an FCC official from Dallas. The group again settled on thesame house as originally searched on Tuesday, but was unable to locate an

ELT. The mission was terminated at that time. The FCC official did return thenext day to the house with sophisticated equipment and found an old ELT in

the garage whose batteries had expired, but had somehow turned itself on!

Unfortunately, as the AFRCC had closed the CAP mission prior to the ELT beinglocated and turned off, and we were not present at that time, so those whoparticipated cannot be credited with a find award L

Powered O-Fl ights : had to be cancelled this month as N235TX was down.

Any comments, news or information to communicate? Please contact 1Lt D.

Ayre, the editor, and Public Affairs Officer via email at [email protected]

or 281 352 1961


2/7

Prof i le: M/Sgt G.

Schank

Commander s

Corner

Glider O-Fl ights: We completed our sixth scheduled trip to the Gliderport on

Sunday July 13th. Seven cadets had eight flights. This put the Texas Wing at

100 glider flights for the year to date, and our squadron has generated 58 of

these flights, making us the most active glider squadron in Texas.

AirCav recognizes Business Members: Capt. Dicker presented three

Business Member plaques of appreciation this month, to Aeroval, Inc.,

Cyberevidence, Inc., and the Hughes Christian Company, which donated funds

to the squadron for various activities.

Prof i le by 1Lt David AyreM/ Sergeant George Schank Ret i res f rom the U SAF Reserves

Earlier this month M/Sgt Schank, with 35 years in CAP, retired from the USAF

Reserves after 33 years of service. A small ceremony, attended by many

squadron senior members was held at the Group Commanders call, where

George was presented with a plaque.

George joined the USAF Reserves in 1970 with the 924th Tactical Airlift Group

at Ellington AFB in Houston, working in Civil Engineering and Aircraft

Maintenance. During this time he was also a squadron and group commanderin CAPs TX Wing. George went on to be a flight engineer and obtained his

FAA Pilots License, amassing 2,800 hrs in the air. When his unit moved from

Ellington, George transferred to the CAP/USAF Reserve Assistance Program

where he worked on many Wing, Region and National activities. His primary

work has been in the area of Senior Training; but has worked on numerous

Cadet Special Activities. He served as a USAF staff advisor on National Staff

College (NSC) for 19 years, and also served as a USAF staff member on the

National Congress on Aviation and Space Education (NCASE) for five years. He

was also an instructor on the CAP Southwest Region Scanner / Observer

Course for 16 years.

George lives in Conroe and is a broadcast engineer for KSBJ. While we

congratulate George on his retirement, and hope to see him more often at the

squadron, as he rejoins CAP, it is rumored that Texas Wing wishes to

continue to use him and his extensive experience in Unit Inspections, as part

of the Stan/Eval group.

Com m ander s Corner by Capt. Stephen DickerAs 2004 approaches, so does the deadline to renew our 101 certifications. All

renewals must be completed by December 31st, 2003. This means that our

Emergency Services Officers, Captain Paul Brown and 1Lt. Ted Tessitore, will

be conducting weekend training in emergency services areas. We must all

make every effort to attend in order to maintain and increase our emergencyservices trained compliment of personnel. This training will include First Aid,

Blood Borne Pathogens and Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).

Additionally, Ground Team Members will have to master approximately

103 tasks in Ground Team Member hand book while Ground Team Leaders will

have to master some 108 tasks in their hand book. My point is that all this

takes and enormous amount of time to conduct the training and evaluation.

Cadets and Seniors alike must dedicate ourselves to attending all available

training to meet the deadline and promote and prepare for our emergency

services role!


3/7

Famous Quotes

August Events

O-Flights ES Traini ng CL C Glider Ground

School

ES Traini ng Lone Star

Sqdn/EAA fly

in

Texas A& MJCAP

Hot A i rBal lunar Fest

Recru i t ingCompet i t ion

Congress ionalAwar d

Quote o f the Month : "The difference between a boss and a leader: a boss

says, 'Go!' - a leader says, 'Let's go!'

- E. M. Kelly,

Upc omm ing Even ts & Ac t i vi t i esGlider O-Fl ight s :Our next scheduled Glider O-flights are on SundaySeptember 7th. Our Gliding activity is run by CAP members of the SoaringClub of Houston at their Gliderport between Magnolia and Hempstead. Cadets

should sign up for this activity on the Squadrons notice board or contact 1Lt

David Ayre by phone at 281 367 0519 or via e-mail at [email protected] .

Information about the club and its facilities can be found at www.scoh.org .Cadets are encouraged, and SMs are required to take the Soaring Society ofAmericas (SSA) Wing Runner course which is available on the national websitewww.capnhq.gov . Typically we assemble at the US Army Reserve CenterAviation Support Facility (USARC ASF) at 0730 for a 0800 hrs departure,

returning around 1800 hrs.

Glider Ground School :A series of 4 Glider ground schools will be held for

senior members and selected cadets interested in attaining their FAA GliderPilots License Saturday mornings from 0800-1200 at Delta Squadron, Hooks

Airport, Spring starting Saturday Sept 9th.

Powered O-Flights: The next flights are scheduled for Saturday August 9 th,

please contact C/Maj Max Fruchtnicht or C/1Lt Mabry to schedule flights.

Corporate Leadership Course (CLC): The Group 13 CLC will be held at our

squadron on August 16th and 17th. This training is for senior members.

Lone St ar Sqdn / EAA Rides: Lone Star Sqdn and the EAA is having a fly in at

Robert Wells Airport (66R), near Columbus TX on Saturday August 16th, for

more information contact a Senior Member.

Oshkosh Air Show : CAP is unveiling its first GA8 Airvan at Oshkosh next week

Texas A&M JCAP for CAP Cadets: The Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M is

taking applications for their JCAProgram from HS Junior and Seniors, to be

held October 30th to Nov 2nd. Application deadline for CAP cadets is October

15th, but will be filled on a first come basis. See www.jcap-tamu.org/fall03

Cadet Basic and Staf f Tra in ing: Training is being held Saturday 2nd August

Rec ru i t ing Com pet i t ion !Capt. Dicker launched a six month recruiting competition, where cadets will

earn points for recruiting various types of members. After six months, the

three cadets with the highest number of points will receive the following

prizes:

1st Place - A 5 CD/Dual Cassette/AM-FM Tuner Stereo System with Remote

2nd Place - Portable MP3 CD Player with Earphones3rd Place - $ 25.00 Gift Card for Tinseltown Theaters

Recruiting activities start next week with a display at the City of ShenandoahNational Night, Tuesday, Aug. 5th from 1800-2200 hrs.


4/7

Congress ional Award Program: Several cadets have started working on the

Congressional Award Program, which has 4 areas, voluntary Public Service,

Personal Development, Physical Fitness, and Expedition/Exploration. These

areas dovetail very well with CAP activities such as Aerospace Education,

Physical Training. The award is about challenging yourself and setting goals to

meet those challenges. Participation in the award program demonstrates

positive character traits looked for buy college, industry and service recruiters.Anyone interested in participating in the program can contact 1Lt Ayre for

more information, or go to www.congressionalaward.org

7/6 A ir Cav ES Train ing f rom Capt . Paul Brow n7-6 Air Cav Composite Squadron has been approved as a Basic Training Center

by the American Safety and Health Institute. During the months of June andJuly paperwork was submitted and documentation was provided authorizing

the 7-6 to begin in-house training in three main areas: Basic First Aid, CPR andBloodborne Pathogens. Funding was provided by CyberEvidence, Inc. to

purchase the initial instructor materials as well as a set of manikins which will

be used for CPR training. Preparations are in the works to establish a number

of Saturdays and Tuesday meetings to get all of the squadron trained in theselife saving skills. As the designated ASHI Training Coordinator & Instructor Iwill be also working with other seniors to have additional instructors in the

short term. See you in the field! Training will be conducted Saturday Aug 30thand Sept 6th

Individual 101 and 101T data is now being maintained online on the NHQwebsite. You are encouraged to input your data on the MIMS (FMS) Qual/Cert

system.

Hot A i r Bal looning-Bal lunar Fest !Group 13 has the unique opportunity to participate in the Ballunar Festival at

NASA/Johnson Space Center - on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday August 22, 23& 24. The Festival is a one-of-a-kind tribute to human flight - from the beauty

of mass hot air balloon ascensions to the high-tech world of modern spaceflight. There will be exciting hot air balloon competitions and evening balloonglows, along with skydiving exhibitions, various aviation equipment displays

and entertainment.

The cadets will be involved with Balloon crewing. Because balloons cannot fly

back into the wind, every balloon that flies needs a Chase Crew. The Chase

Crew prepares the balloon for launch and then follows the balloon on it'sjourney over the beautiful landscape below. The crew's mission on the groundis to follow the balloon it is crewing for by road and to try to be at the landing

site before the balloon gets there in case assistance is needed in landing.

If this sounds like fun and you and your cadets are willing/able to get up early

in the morning they can be a crew person, if they are in reasonable shape.Cadets should be in middle school at a minimum. Cadets may be offered free

rides in a balloon. The rides are not CAP sponsored! The rides are offered byindividual pilots and cadets can not pester the pilots for them. There should be

1 senior member for every 4 /5 cadets. Cadets must be mature and able to

follow directions.

If you and your cadets have an interest in crewing please let Capt Dicker or

1Lt Ayre know, to get you a permission slip, and pass your names onto Bob


5/7

Chaplains

Lec te rn

Fl ight Ops

N235TX to ge t a

make over?

AE

Safety

Wolin.

To participate, each person must sign the required permission slip. NOFLIGHTS CAN BE PROVIDED IF THE PERMISSION SLIP IS NOT SIGNED ANDTHE BOTTOM BOX PROPERLY MARKED GIVING A CADET PERMISSION TO FLY.

WE CAN NOT ACCEPT VERBAL OKS, ETC.

Chapla in s Lec t ern by Capt . Paul Brow nAs the Moral Leadership Officer for the 7-6 Air Cav I am always impressed withthe professionalism displayed by the members of our squadron. It is important

that each of us remember that we not only represent ourselves, but we

represent the squadron, group, wing, region, nation, and more importantly werepresent the Lord. Working with Chaplains of many faiths I am continuallyencouraged with diversity and depth of experience brought to CAP by these

most valuable members of our organization. If you haven't had an opportunityto sit and talk with Chaplain Riddle or Chaplain Klett I would suggest that youavail yourself of this opportunity. Remember the Chaplains and Moral

Leadership Officers are here to support you and assist you. Blessings, Capt

Brown

Senior Mem ber Spin

Fl ight Operat ions Our aircraft N235TX, has been out the whole month, having its interior andheadliner replaced. L It is expected back by the end of the month (31 st July)

with the new 28lb ($280) survival pack, and tow bar. It is also rumored tohave some avionics equipment fixed (including an updated GPS Card??) and a

new EGT J

Aerospace Educ at ionC/1Lt Will Walls will be giving the next AE lecture as part of his personal AEdevelopment, please give him your support.

SAFETY BRIEFING Capt . Clyde Domengeaux As the new Safety Officer with the 7/6 AIRCAV I am attempting to get up to

speed through the correspondence courses with the USAF. I must admit, there

is a lot to learn and an awful lot of responsibility. I see it as a great andrewarding challenge and will do my utmost to see that we at the 7/6 continue

to excel in SAFETY.

I haven't heard of any incidents within our group, so, I can presume that

those of you that read the Safety Report for May did some soul searchingbefore you participated in an activity that could cause some area of accident.

Good job to you all. As you know, or maybe not, any accident should be

addressed with the Safety Officer at any of our CAP functions, no matter howminor they may seem.

"MOTH EFFECT".....what is it??? Well,....what it is, is...."highway

hypnosis"....Yep, and it causes thousands of crashes annually. It is thetendency of drivers to focus on an object outside of their intended path oftravel and steer involuntarily into it. Researchers have concluded that our eyes

are especially attracted to lights that move, blink or change color--just as

those on police cars or flashers on stopped cars. (Motorists strike markedpolice cars with flashing lights twice as much as unmarked cars). By focusing


6/7

Admin

Membership at

123 (75 Cadets)

Profess ional

Development

on any object outside of your intended path of travel, you tend tounconsciously steer toward it.

Sooo, what to do?, Some recommendations might be to stay well rested;take frequent breaks; don't rely on coffee to keep you alert; avoid focusing onlights or objects stopped on the shoulder; keep focused down the road and

take only brief glances at stopped vehicles; recognize fatigue and

complacency.The previous was taken from our Chief, Safety at CAP National

Headquarters. I thought it was an interesting article and passed it on to ourGroup.

Continue to have a SAFE summer vacation to all our Cadets and Seniors.See you at the meetings.

Admi n / Personnel Mat t ers by 1Lt Sy lv ia BrumlowSquadron strength stood at 123 in July, with 75 cadet members and 48

Seniors.

We welcome the following 3 new cadets whose membership cards have beenissued in July:

Cadet Richard Barella, Cadets Benjamin and Dana Magby.

New Sr. Members / Promotions: Welcome Cadet Sponsor Inocencia Williams,

Senior Member Astrid Phillips and transferee 2Lt Ed Toohey Jr. (who several of

you will recognize as one of the Glider Pilots at SCOH). Congratulations on Maj(US Army) Douglas Walkers, promotion to Major in CAP (it was effective June27, sorry we missed it last month!) and SM Illerhaus who was promoted to

2Lt this month.

We had a recent Short Notice Inspection, SNI, which basically checks squadron

safety, aircraft and pilot records, in which we did well. The more rigorous

Subordinate Unit Inspection, SUI, will occur on August 12, which delves intothe squadrons activities in much more detail. All SMs are requested toupdate their records and files. Pilots should also input their data on the MIMS

(FMS) Qual/Cert system on the National website.

Profess ional Developm ent by Lt Col Bi l l Wi l l iamsI have good news. The Yeager Certificates have arrived from Wing!!! For those

members who wish to take the exam, please see me to add your name to thelist for the next adventure.

Most members have at least one Specialty Track they are working on. I have amaster list of this information correct through JULY 29, 2003 from the Natl

Headquarters. Please check with me if you have forgotten whats required nowor if you want to add another Specialty.

Changes have been made in the Air Force Institute Advanced Distance

Learning (AFIADL) course numbers. Anyone interested in signing up for one ofthe courses should contact me. The AFIADL 00013 course is required of all

members to complete Level II or higher levels. The Squadron Officers School

course (SOS) is available for CAP Grade Captain and above. The Air Commandand Staff College (ACSC) is available for CAP Grade Major and above. Both are

interesting courses and are usable in case you dont want to go to Region StaffCollege or National Staff College.

All senior members are reminded that Texas Wing Conference is fast


7/7

Quest ions &

Comments

Stay in formed Cadet Sponsor

Members

Calendar

approaching. Attendance at this conference and/or National Conferences arerequired to complete advancement. An alternate is to attend the NCASE

conference (National Congress on Aviation & Space Education). The nextNCASE is in the Atlanta, GA Marriot March 24-27,2004.

For more information on Senior Professional Development, contact Lt. Col. BillWilliams Tuesday evenings or e-mail at [email protected]

Seniors & Parent Pow erComm ents & Ques t ions

As a parent how will I receive information about CAP activities? Thisnewsletter, the re-CAP, is a primary means of communicating with

parents, however to make this effective we need parents e-mailaddresses. These can be forwarded to our new e-mail [email protected] or contact 1Lt Ayre directly [email protected] We are taking steps to improve our website and

make its content more relevant and current. Parents with any thoughts asto how the website could be improved, or with time to help maintain the

website should contact Capt. Dicker

I wish to participate in CAP activities with my child but cannot train or takeon any positions of responsibility. Can I still participate with her? Yes, byall means! There is a special position for such parents, called a CADET

SPONSOR member. The annual fees are lower, and the only trainingrequired is the Level 1 Cadet Protection Program Training (CPPT). Suchsenior Cadet Sponsor members may (provided they wear the minimal

uniform-Grey slacks and blue golf shirt) have a CAP driving license and

drive the van, travel in CAP or USAF aircraft, and participate in activities.Many of our activities occur on the weekend and we need seniors to beavailable to allow cadet participation in these events. The next CPPT

training is on the 23

rd

August at Hooks, would be an excellent opportunityto get started!

Any parent having questions, concerns or suggestions should feel free to email

the Squadron Commander, Capt. Stephen R. Dicker [email protected] . Capt. Dicker can also be reached on hiscell phone at 713-504-7154 for immediate needs.

Calendar We have placed the Calendar on the squadron website,with the expectation of keeping it more current and saving space in the

newsletter. Go to http://www.7-6aircav.com

air cavalry squadron - jul 2003

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