A Message From the SQ 150 Commander

...A few items that I would like to impart upon you all…

Item 1)
Thank you to all who participated in (the) Staff meeting to formulate the quarterly calendar for the end of 2007. We have some interesting topics as well as events upcoming. Stay tuned for more on new training opportunities!!!! (item 2)

Item 2)
We are in the preliminary stages of working up a new “training plan” based on “Task oriented” sessions that will address specific items in our CAP Task Guides. It has become clearly evident thru the latest mission that we need to concentrate on these issues in a very focused and finite way. Lt. Tom Barbre (Operations Officer) is working on a draft of this plan as we speak. Preliminary thought is to have at least 2 sessions per month (before meetings) to work on specific tasks called out in the Task Guide… More to come. I think this initiative is worthwhile and should prove effective in keeping our skills sharp.

Item 3)
As you know, last year we were not able to pull off our annual Holiday party. After much work and several changes, we did not have enough committed people to stage the affair. It is my wish, and intention, not to have this happen again this year… To that end, I have commissioned key staff and members to begin a recon of potential venues for a party that could be held in mid January of 2008. The response to this idea was positive at last nights meeting… so … we venture on and gather Intel to ascertain the potential sites / dates. What we will need from our membership, is a commitment to this project. If we are to have a gathering, we need to have attendees!!!!! **chuckle** . Squadron 150 has always had good gatherings, and I would like to keep this a tradition.

So as the info comes in, and we figure out venues, prices, etc... We will keep you informed and look forward to a great celebration of our organization and its people.

Item 4)
To those of you who were involved in the recent Steve Fossett Search efforts…. As is said in the Navy “BRAVO ZULU”!!! Squadron 150 was represented in superb form. You represented our squadron admirably and I for one would like to commend you on your dedication and attention to duty. I am proud of your work!

Item 5)
To those who took time out of their busy schedules to participate in our “Squadron Self Assessment Inspection”. Your attention to detail and “can do” attitude made it possible for us to meet the deadline. In addition and most importantly… we learned a lot about what it takes to make things run smoothly, where we need attention, and what we do extremely well. I can’t thank you enough for all of your work.

I look forward to finishing out the year stronger than ever… and it is your dedication and participation that makes this squadron work so very well…

See you at the next meeting…

James H. Roadarmel, Capt.
Squadron Commander
CAWG Sq. 150
United States Air Force Auxiliary
Civil Air Patrol

CAP awaits new leads in search for Fossett

CAP aircraft and personnel readily available at Nev. base of operations if new leads develop

September 19, 2007

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- The U.S. Civil Air Patrol has shifted its operational focus in the search for famed aviator and entrepreneur Steve Fossett, who has been missing since Sept. 3. CAP aircraft and personnel are readily available at the Minden, Nev., base of operations if new leads develop. CAP will continue to provide support to local, state and federal agencies when CAP assets are requested.

CAP volunteers from eight states – Nevada, California, Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, Texas, Oregon and Colorado -- have devoted more t han of 13,000 man-hours and flown 474 flights totaling 1,337 flying hours.

“CAP and other agencies have searched thousands of square miles in the hope of finding Mr. Fossett,” said the organization's acting national commander, Brig. Gen. Amy Courter. “The mission has been conducted using proven techniques designed to achieve the highest probability of success and, in many cases, has involved multiple searches of the same areas. We are now waiting for new leads and as they develop we will check them out. CAP aircraft are on the scene in Nevada ready to launch when that occurs.”

“We still maintain hope that Mr. Fossett is alive and that we will find him,” said Courter. “We have seen cases in which people have survived much longer than this, and in consideration of the extraordinary accomplishments Mr. Fossett has made in his lifetime, we are hopeful that this will be another achievement to add to his memoirs.

CAP, the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC), Nevada National Guard, Nevada’s Department of Emergency Management, California’s Office of Emergency Services and many other agencies are all working under a unified command structure in order to share resources and coordinate efforts. Also, the Hilton Flying M Ranch’s assets have worked closely with CAP and these agencies to ensure their efforts are not duplicated and safety is maintained at all times.

The search is the most massive ever conducted in Nevada. At its height, the search area expanded to over 20,000 square miles, with a considerable amount of effort concentrated in a 50-mile radius from the Flying M Ranch near Yerington, Nev., where Fossett departed on Labor Day for what was expected to be a two- to three-hour flight. This radius is believed to be the area of highest probability in finding Fossett.

“Since Mr. Fossett did not file a flight plan, CAP defined an area of possibility for the search for his airplane based on the amount of fuel on board, and wind and weather conditions at the time of the flight,” said Col. Dion DeCamp, Nevada CAP wing commander.

“That created a huge area,” he said, “so we focused on those areas that made the most sense – like radar tracks, which were analyzed for aircraft matching the Fossett aircraft’s profile. There were several and those areas were searched repeatedly. Additional attention was focused on radar drop- off points, which could mean a crash or, in mountainous terrain, simply that the radar could not ‘see’ the aircraft because it was operating at low altitude and blocked by the mountains.”

Hikers who thought they saw the airplane gave CAP additional leads, as did information gleaned from interviews with friends and people who had been with Fossett at the Flying M Ranch. “Those leads have been thoroughly searched as well,” said DeCamp.

The search areas were plotted on a map and thoroughly documented, including weather conditions and time of flight. Searches of the same grids were conducted by different crews at different times of day with different sun angles to make sure we didn’t miss anything,” DeCamp said.

The search efforts have been hampered by mixed terrain, including low-altitude desert valleys and lakes and the rugged Sierra Nevada mountains. Hot air balloons, glider operations and sky diving activities in the immediate area of the mission base in Minden have further complicated the search, but CAP volunteers are trained and able to overcome such challenges.

Steve Fossett search keeps Nev., Calif. members busy

(Clockwise, from top)

A Cessna 182 taxis for takeoff from Minden-Tahoe Airport as the Nevada Wing resumes its search for missing aviator Steve Fossett. (Photo by Capt. Thomas Cooper)

Maj. Dennis Parham of the California Wing's Beale Composite Squadron 19 runs mission radio communications at Bishop Airport during the Steve Fossett search. (Photo by Lt. Col. John Jay)

Maj. Craig Gallagher of California Wing Headquarters goes through his preflight paces before a mission. (Photo by Lt. Col. John Jay)

Members prepare a Nevada Wing Cessna 182 for flight. (Photo by Capt. Thomas Cooper)

Lt. Col. Denise Edwards (left) of San Fernando Senior Squadron 35 briefs an aircrew -- (left, from bottom) Sr. Mbr. Rene Caldera and Capt. Jon Stokes of Riverside Senior Squadron 5 and Maj. Craig Gallagher of California Wing Headquarters -- before a mission out of Bishop Airport. (Photo by Lt. Col. John Jay)

Maj. Craig Gallagher of California Wing Headquarters ensures clear visibility from the cockpit during preflight at Bishop Airport. (Photo by Lt. Col. John Jay)

Nev., Calif. Wing members pursue Steve Fossett search

(Clockwise, from top)

The rising sun illuminates a Cessna 206 awaiting deployment for the Steve Fossett search at the Nevada Wing mission base at Minden-Tahoe Airport. (Photo by Capt. Thomas Cooper)

Sr. Mbr. Curtis Green of the California Wing's Fullerton Senior Squadron 40 fills out preflight information at the California Wing search base at Bishop Airport. (Photo by Lt. Col. John Jay)

Maj. Joseph Burkhead and 1st Lt. Rebecca Burkhead of the California Wing's Beale Composite Squadron 19 review ARCHER image results at Bishop Airport. (Photo by Lt. Col. John Jay)

A Nevada Wing member ensures clear viewing for the next flight from Minden-Tahoe Airport. (Photo by Capt. Thomas Cooper)

The Fossett mission's California Wing coordinators, Lt. Cols. Joseph Chizmadia of Los Angeles County Group 1 and Mitch Richman of San Francisco Bay Group 2, work on planning the next step in the search. (Photo by Lt. Col. John Jay)

Capt. Jon Stokes of Riverside Senior Squadron 5 checks off during preflight. (Photo by Lt. Col. John Jay)

CAP searchers still hoping for results on Fossett search efforts

Day 6: Search area now up to 17,000 square miles

September 08, 2007

NEVADA – Frustrated, but not undaunted, search crews from the Nevada and California wings of the U.S. Civil Air Patrol, the Nevada Army and Air National Guard, in addition to ground crews from Nevada and California county sheriffs' departments, have converged for a sixth day of intensive search effort for aviator Steve Fossett.

It is believed Fossett could have gone anywhere in the nearly 17,000-square-mile search area during his flight Sept. 3 from the Flying M Ranch near Yerington, Nev. Ground reports during his takeoff said he flew south from the ranch.

Morale at the Minden, Nev., airport incident command post, where the search efforts are being coordinated, remains high, based in no small part on successful outcomes of past searches that may have seemed hopeless as days stretched on.
Maximum resources from multiple agencies and jurisdictions under a unified command structure are still being committed to the intensive effort. On Sept. 7 they included:
Seven single-engine Cessna 182 and two Cessna 206 aircraft from the Nevada Wing.
13 of the same type aircraft from the California Wing.
A Gippsland G8 AirVan equipped with ARCHER imaging technology from the Utah Wing.
Two UH-58 and two Blackhawk helicopters from the Nevada Army National Guard.
One Hughes 500 helicopter.
A sonar-equipped boat searching the waters of Walker Lake from Washoe County Search and Rescue.

More than 200 ground search personnel have been combing the rugged hills and four-wheel-drive tracks and trails in the search area, thanks to law enforcement from Douglas, Inyo and Mono counties in California in addition to teams from Lyon and Mineral counties in Nevada. Also donating time and resources has been Silver State Helicopters of Las Vegas.

Additional figures from efforts Sept. 7 in Minden included: about 24 flights, 23 1/2 hours spent in grid search areas and 34 personnel, each averaging a 10-hour duty period, for 340 man-hours. An aerial search of more than half of the 10,000 square mile search area has been completed. More than 50 flight hours were flown in Sept. 7.

As the search progresses, emphasis has been taken off the playas and dry lakebeds that Fossett was earlier reported to have been scouting in preparation for a land speed record attempt. The focus in now on going back to for a better look at search grids that high winds and turbulence had prevented searchers from examining closely.

Search planners also want to go back over some of the most likely areas at differing times of day in order to get differently lit views of terrain that could be hiding the target.

The effort Sept. 8 will include 10 aircraft -- eight Cessna 182s and two Cessna 206s -- from the Nevada Wing in Minden, with support from the Nevada Army National Guard and two private Hughes 500 helicopters. In addition, the Hilton Flying M Ranch is sending 11 private helicopters and nine airplanes to assist searchers. The helicopters are particularly useful in that they can fly closer to terrain -- 500 feet above the ground -- and can quickly be sent in to verify possible targets and areas of high interest.

Hilton Flying M Ranch employees are working seamlessly with CAP and the other participating agencies so that efforts are not duplicated and safety is maintained at all times.

Steve Fossett search enters 5th day

Aerial search exceeds 150 flight-hours, covers more than half of 10,000-sq.-mi. area

September 07, 2007

NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS – Day five of the search effort for famed aviator Steve Fossett began early Sept. 7, with air and ground crews from more than a dozen agencies continuing to cover the 17,000-square-mile search area in western Nevada and eastern California.
Authorities believe Fossett could have gone anywhere in that area during his flight, which began Sept. 3 from the Flying M Ranch near Yerington, Nev.

The incident command post at Minden-Tahoe Airport in Minden, Nev., is coordinating the efforts of search teams from Douglas, Lyon, Mineral and Washoe counties in Nevada, and from Inyo, Mono and Nevada counties in California. U.S. Civil Air Patrol members from Nevada, California and Utah; Nevada and California National Guard aircraft; California Highway Patrol personnel; and Silver State Helicopters of Las Vegas are all taking part in the search effort.

About 26 aircraft, 230 ground searchers and one sonar-equipped boat are participating in the search. An aerial search of roughly half of the 10,000-square-mile search area has been completed. More than 150 flight-hours have been flown.

The Civil Air Patrol pilots and observers are volunteers, and Silver State Helicopters is donating its time to the search effort.

Photos from U.S. CAP air search for Steve Fossett featured in LA Times

September 07, 2007

CALIFORNIA -- U.S. Civil Air Patrol members' role in the search by air for famed aviator Steve Fossett are highlighted in a photo gallery accompanying a Los Angeles Times report on the search.

The link may prove temporary, depending on the newspaper's online news policy.

Search intensifies for famed aviator Steve Fossett

September 06, 2007

NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS — Despite improved weather conditions and high-tech equipment, aviation icon and adventurer Steve Fossett still has not been located. Fossett departed a private airstrip 30 miles south of Yerington, Nev., the morning of Sept. 3 for a short flight around the surrounding area, intending to return by noon. He was reported missing by family and friends at the Flying M Ranch, owned by hotel magnate William Barron Hilton, later that afternoon.

The search became fully operational early Sept. 4, using maximum resources from the Civil Air Patrol’s Nevada, California and Utah wings, the Nevada Air and Army National Guard, California Highway Patrol and ground teams from four counties in the targeted search area.

In use again Sept. 6 is a specialized Civil Air Patrol Gippsland GA8 Airvan from the Utah Wing equipped with ARCHER, a hyperspectral imaging system similar in nature to the hyperspectral analysis used by geoscientists. A set of parameters describing a downed airplane's color and size is programmed into the system, and through a sophisticated algorithm, the Archer system is able to differentiate a potential target from background clutter via a greatly enhanced visual spectrum and reflectivity factors. It can identify a target as small as 1 square meter in size while flying at 120 knots from a 2,500-foot altitude.

Additionally, the Washoe County Search and Rescue team has deployed a submersible vehicle in Nevada’s Walker Lake. They hope to identify any wreckage or debris that might lead searchers to focus in that area.

The search area has expanded to more than 10,000 square miles in size, extending from the Yerington, Nev., area to Bishop, Calif., along the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Searchers accumulated more than 35 air hours of flying time Sept. 4, using 10 aircraft -- both fixed-wing and rotor -- from the Civil Air Patrol, the Nevada Air and Army National Guard and the California Highway Patrol. In addition, four ground search teams were activated from Lyon and Mineral Counties in Nevada, as well as Nevada and Mono counties in California. They have been searching remote jeep trails and tracks.

Fossett's, aircraft, the Citabria Super Decathlon, built in 1980 and owned by the Flying M Hunting Club Inc., 75 miles south of Reno, Nev., is a well-known aircraft with a long history. It is a two-seat aircraft capable of aerobatic maneuvers, featuring a tail wheel instead of the usual "tricycle" gear featured on most light aircraft. Fossett reportedly did not have a parachute, which is sometimes used in this aircraft, since he wasn’t fond of aerobatic maneuvers. It is also reported he was wearing a sophisticated wristwatch that could be used as a personal locator beacon. Due to the rugged terrain and the potential for damage to any instruments during a difficult landing, such objects may be rendered inoperable.

Since low-altitude airborne search and rescue is inherently risky, the emphasis is always on safety. Search participants have been briefed on a variety of potential problems, such as flying in mountainous terrain, radio procedures, turbulence, adverse weather and density altitude issues. The weather Sept. 6 promises to be clear with wind being less of a factor until late-afternoon “zephyr” winds start down the east slopes of the Sierras.

Civil Air Patrol expands search for Steve Fossett

Calif. Wing members, ARCHER-equipped Utah Wing aircraft join mission

September 05, 2007

NEVADA -- The U.S. Civil Air Patrol has expanded its search for famed aviator Steve Fossett, bringing in cutting-edge technology -- the organization's ARCHER system, which stands for Airborne Real-Time Cueing Hyperspectral Enhanced Reconnaissance -- and members of the Utah and California wings to join Nevada Wing members involved in the mission.
An ARCHER-equipped Gippsland GA8 Airvan was dispatched from the Utah Wing in the continuing search for Fossett, last seen about 9 a.m. Monday when he took off from the Flying M Ranch's private airstrip near Yerington, Nev., in a Citabria Super Decathlon single-engine aircraft with the tail number N240R.

During search and rescue missions, CAP can apply ARCHER using an on-board computer to take a spectral picture of a particular object, relying on light reflected from the object. That information is then relayed, by e-mail and satellite phone using CAP's satellite-transmitted digital-imaging system, to units on the ground as they conduct their search.
A set of parameters describing the target's color and size is programmed into the system, and through a sophisticated algorithm, the ARCHER system is able to differentiate a potential target from background clutter. The nation's first fully operational, large-scale hyperspectral imaging system, ARCHER detects targets by measuring the spectrum of light reflected from the ground.Also this morning, more than 60 members of CAP's California Wing -- equipped with 17 of their aircraft -- began searching about a 1,000-square-mile-area over the California state line from Bridgeport, Calif., about 80 miles south of Lake Tahoe, Nev., to Bishop, Calif., about 20 miles south of Bridgeport.

Searchers were first notified late Sept. 3 that Fossett had left the private airstrip about 9 a.m. and was planning to return by noon in order to leave the area. A formal search began at 6 p.m. that evening, as six CAP aircraft were launched with highly trained, well-equipped crews of three each in order to do sophisticated "grid" searches of hundreds of square miles of terrain in areas where the pilot may have been. On Sept. 4, searchers accumulated over 35 air hours of flying time in up to 14 aircraft, both planes and helicopters, from CAP, the Nevada Air Guard and the California Highway Patrol. Four CAP ground search teams were activated from Lyon and Mineral counties in Nevada, as well as Nevada and Mono counties in California. The search area included an area roughly 600 square miles long, extending from the Yerington area to Bishop, Calif., and about 200 miles wide with a western boundary following the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

U.S. CAP continues search for Steve Fossett

Aviator last seen morning of Sept. 3

September 04, 2007

NEVADA -- A lone pilot, identified as famed aviator Steve Fossett, last seen Sept. 3, remains missing despite early search efforts by the the U.S. Civil Air Patrol, in addition to private resources from the Flying M Ranch near Yerington, Nev.; Naval Air Station Fallon; the Nevada National Guard; and the California Highway Patrol.
According to reports from the Flying M's private airstrip, where the pilot took off Labor Day morning, he was flying a Citabria Super Decathlon single-engine aircraft with the tail number N240R.
Searchers were first notified late Sept. 3 that Fossett had left the private airstrip about 9 a.m. and was planning to return by noon in order to leave the area. A formal search began at 6 p.m. that evening, as six CAP aircraft were launched with highly trained, well-equipped crews of three each in order to do sophisticated "grid" searches of hundreds of square miles of terrain in areas where the pilot may have been. Fossett's Citabria Super Decathlon is described as blue and white with orange stripes and blue sunburst designs on top of the wings. The Decathlon, a well-known aircraft with a long history, is a two-seat tandem "tail dragger" capable of acrobatic maneuvers.