A Wing of Excellence
With the world’s largest fly-in in their backyard, Wisconsin Wing Civil Air Patrol members flocked to the Oshkosh area to provide support by participating in searches, recruiting and helping out with children's aerospace education activities.
Even before the EAA's massive annual AirVenture started and after it ended, CAP wing members under the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center's direction conducted a highly successful precautionary search and rescue mission from July 22-Aug. 2.
More than 50 members representing half the squadrons and groups in Wisconsin were assigned tasks daily. National Blue Beret, a National Cadet Special Activity, had more than 60 members provide assistance for the air show. In total, those assignments included conducting 40 searches for overdue aircraft at four local airports, as well as deactivating 11 emergency locator transmitters.
Two of the dozens of cadets who logged hundreds of tail numbers from the airplanes landing at alternate airports. If the FAA called with a flight that wasn’t closed out, the members were responsible for verifying whether the plane had landed or if it was indeed late.
Several CAP aircraft flew 32 precautionary air patrols, logging more than 70 hours aloft as they monitored for ELT signals. Seven signals were detected during the air patrols.
Lt. Col. Dean Klassy, commander of the Southeast Wisconsin Group and project officer for the mission, coordinated the 12 days of activity, which involved four mission bases. Ground teams and supporting aircrews were placed strategically around the surrounding communities so that a quick response could be mounted in case of an emergency.
The incident base was fully functional with 15 staff and support personnel, along with three aircraft and five ground teams. Over half the ground teams were based outside Wittman Regional, and though unseen by the public, they played an important role in supporting the air show.
The Blue Berets were visible at EAA with their base at Wittman Regional, and helped in crowd control and searched for the occasional ELT.
The Mobile Command Center monitored all communications within the mission and also watched the weather for any approaching storms. Ground teams silenced triggered ELTs and recorded tail numbers in case that information should be needed later to locate a plane. Seaplane Base was kept busy helping the Coast Guard by logging in the planes that landed on Lake Winnebago.
If a pilot is late or forgets to close out his flight plan, the Federal Aviation Administration notifies CAP to try to locate the plane. When the plane is located, the FAA will close out the flight plan. Should a plane not be found, a subsequent mission will begin looking for the plane outside of its intended final destination.
Wisconsin Wing members also staffed the recruiting booth that National Headquarters sponsored. The project officer, Capt. Robert Koehler of the Fox Cities Composite Squadron, staffed the booth by rotating 37 cadets and senior members throughout the week.
They enthusiastically shared the story of CAP with prospective members. Demonstrations such as Fatal Vision goggles showed the negative effects of alcohol; a direction-finding L-Tronics L-Per helped some members of the public locate a mock ELT; while others got a look at the latest in aviation technology by sitting in 10th Senior Support Squadron’s Cessna 182 with Garmin 1000 glass cockpit.
Cadets shared their experiences of performing search and rescue, disaster relief and field training exercises. Numerous young people eager to explore CAP world and its aerospace education activities inquired about membership.
Capt. Robert Koehler, Fox Cities Composite Squadron commander, demonstrates an L-Tronics L-Per direction finder to prospective members at the recruiting booth.Photo by 1st Lt. Jeri Gonwa
As adults walked by the booth two typical questions were heard: “Can I join CAP if I am a private pilot?” “Is there something for me if I’m not a pilot?” The resounding response each time was “Yes, CAP offers something for everyone.” Each was given contact information for a unit close to their home.
CAP members answered questions at the Cessna display where they featured a CAP Cessna 182. A Gippsland 8 was also on display at the Gippsland Aeronautics booth.
Outside CAP’s auspices, members also played an expanded role in KidVenture aerospace education programs at EAA AirVenture’s Pioneer Airport, where the Young Eagles Flight Education stations offered more than 600 aspiring young pilots guided hands-on educational activities in such fields as aircraft design, weather, navigation and airport regulations. Volunteer instructors signed off each lesson, and after all lessons were completed, participants conducted a preflight inspection and received a free lesson on a flight simulator from a certified flight instructor.
Capt. John Thompson, alerting officer for the Stevens Point Composite Squadron, helps a young KidVenture visitor try out the flight simulator.Photo by 1st Lt. Terese Barta
Members from the Brown County, Rock County Stevens Point and Walco composite squadrons and the 248th TAC Air Senior Squadron participated in that activity. Though not officially representing CAP, they were able to share what they had learned in CAP with others. Occasionally, too, they had the opportunity to share the CAP story with those visiting the booth, and they were allowed to hand out information regarding the organization.
Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 58,000 members nationwide. CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and was credited by the AFRCC with saving 72 lives in fiscal year 2009. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counter-drug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 23,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for 68 years.
Seaplane Base’s picturesque setting made it a favored place to work, away from the thousands of planes and people. Photo by 1st Lt. Jeri Gonwa
Co-authors:
1st Lt. Terese Barta, Public Affairs Officer, Stevens Point Composite Squadron
1st Lt. Jeri Gonwa, Assistant Public Affairs Officer, Wisconsin Wing
Senior Member Connie Lichtenwald, Public Affairs Officer, Fox Cities Composite Squadron
