CAP’s WINTER FLIGHT TRAINING

Twenty-six volunteer pilots of the Arkansas Wing of the Civil Air Patrol gathered in Little Rock recently to learn how to deal with the dangers of flying during the winter months.  This training event featured National Weather Service Senior Forecaster Newton Skiles and other local aviation experts.   Civil Air Patrol pilots need to be able to recognize hazardous weather conditions such as icing that can affect their ability to handle the small airplanes used to perform search and rescue and disaster relief missions for the Air Force and other government agencies.  Lt. Col. Robert Penton, North Little Rock, noted that in his 19 years in the organization he has always learned something new at these training sessions. 

Civil Air Patrol pilots pass annual written and flight exams in order to stay certified to fly CAP airplanes and according to Major Bud Welch, Arkansas Wing Standards & Evaluation Officer, “ensuring that our pilots meet standards is critical in ensuring the safety of our people and assets.”          

The Arkansas Wing currently has over 500 members and operates 11 aircraft, but is actively seeking additional pilots and non-pilots interested in serving on aircrews to help it respond to missions in Arkansas and in other states.  Following Hurricane Katrina aircrews and others from the Arkansas Wing were active in Louisiana almost continuously for a month.  Non-pilot aircrew members assist in navigation, communications, coordination with ground search teams, and operate direction finding equipment used to locate distress beacons as well as a new system that allows transmission of digital photographs of damage from the airplane while it is still in flight to email accounts on the ground. 

The Civil Air Patrol is the official volunteer civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and has actively participated in search and rescue and other emergency response activities in Arkansas since 1941.  Nationwide, CAP conducts about 85% of the inland search and rescue missions assigned by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center.  Besides its well-known search and rescue and disaster relief operations, the Civil Air Patrol also has a youth leadership development program for boys and girls from 12 to 18 years old.  For more information call 888-876-1729 or visit the Civil Air Patrol website at www.cap.gov.