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For any of you Civil Air Patrol Search and Rescue pilots who have spent endless hours gridding your sectionals, life is about to get a whole lot easier for you! The fine folks over at Sky Sectionals have just launched CAP Charts for CAP Pilots (or anyone flying Search and Rescue for that matter) at http://www.capcharts.com/.

These digital charts are the same as your typical FAA/NACO charts but insanely more manageable. What Sky Sectionals has done for us is provide the conventional grid overlay we use (15'x15') further subdivided into 7.5' grids (A,B,C,D). The grids are easily identified with semi-transparent lines and don't obscure key critical information on the chart. This is simply a Godsend to Search and Rescue Pilots and Aircrew. Now you can carry current and updated GRIDDED charts with you at ALL times. I still see some guys flying around with charts that are 10 years old because they don't want to grid a new one (granted they have current paper charts, but still...), all that is in the past! There's simply no excuse for not having up to date gridded charts anymore.

Other nice things about these charts are that they are perfect for folding up and putting them in your kneeboard. Just get your grid assignment ahead of time and print them out before you head out to fly your missions. I've gone the extra mile and printed out the entire Seattle Sectional, TAC and VFR Flyway and laminated each page. I carry them all in one giant spiral bound stack so that if we get reassigned to an unexpected grid, I've always got them with me. The laminated surface works great with a dry-erase marker as well for adding notes and outlining your grid.

If you're jumping up and down like I was to hear about this new product, you can get a full tour by heading over to: http://www.capcharts.com/tour

Last but not least, if you aren't already convinced you need to go order these charts, a portion of the proceeds of every CAP Chart they sell is donated to the Civil Air Patrol Foundation. You can make your life easier and contribute further to a great cause all in one! It's great to see a company that has taken the time to address the needs of an organization like the Civil Air Patrol and we should definitely make every effort possible to support them. Happy flying!

For the price of a Starbucks latte, you can put a smile on a soldiers face by sending them some Girl Scout Cookies. My "big girl" is finally old enough to be a 'Daisy' (pre-brownies girl scout). I didn't even know there was such a thing! :-) Her troop is now selling cookies and has decided to also support the troops. We will be collecting donations and sending the cookies to our troops deployed around the world in what we are calling "Operation Cookie Drop."

If you would like to show your support, it only takes a check for $4 (made out to GSWW (Girl Scouts of Western Washington)) to do so. Contact me @ [ cookies (at) bisonium.com ] for the address of where to send the check. Thanks for supporting our troops!

From CA Assembly Member Wilmer Amina Carter's Office:

Assemblymember Wilmer Amina Carter's Civil Air Patrol Employment Protection Act - Assembly Bill 485 - was signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger on Oct. 11. The measure assures that members of the all-volunteer Civil Air Patrol in the state of California will have employment protection after returning to their jobs from an authorized emergency mission.

AB 485 establishes a right to employment leave (up to 10 days a year) for members of the California Wing of CAP, which is an official Civilian Auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. The protection applies only when members are called up for an emergency by the U.S. Air Force, the California Emergency Management Agency or any subdivision of the state with the authority to declare an emergency.

Emergency operational missions are those that involve the saving or protection of life and property. "To perform search and rescue flights for several days and find out you've lost your job is devastating to a volunteer whose main purpose is to save lives," Assemblymember Carter said. "Until my bill was signed into law, CAP members only had the job protection rights given to them by their employers," she added. "Fortunately, employers have generally been supportive of the Civil Air Patrol."

"This bill enables us to respond emergencies that will help save lives and properties without this threat of losing our employment if we do so," said Lt. Col. Carl Morrison, co-chair of the California Wing's Legislative Committee, which is the principal sponsor of the measure. Similar legislation has passed in nine states. "We're very very pleased that Assemblywoman Carter has been willing to author this bill."

Assemblymember Carter said, "Their payment, for a CAP volunteer, is in the personal reward of contributing countless hours of non-compensated time. But the California Wing of the Civil Air Patrol can't be a consistent resource, unless they are fully supported for their patriotic service."

A few weeks ago I posted an entry about an upcoming movie, Speed & Angels.  There's a few more videos posted on iFilm's War Zone for those of you that are interested.  Can't wait for this movie to hit the street!

Technorati Tags: Cool Sites, Military, Movies, Video

For you aviation and Navy nuts out there, here's a movie you won't want to miss. For those of you living in San Francisco or visiting on August 17th, 2006 - you can get a sneak peek!

Speed and Angels is the true life story and feature-length action documentary about two navy officers chasing their dreams to become fighter pilots. The film follows them during the most dangerous parts of their training and as they go to war, where the realities of being a fighter pilot test their limits.

The film includes epic aerial footage in stunning HD—including the last ever F-14 Tomcat dogfights—and rare naval archival and wartime footage. Thanks to unprecedented access granted by the navy, Speed and Angels gives an inside look at people's journeys as fighter pilots as it has never before been seen.

Based on the original concept of producer F.A.Chierici, Speed and Angels is directed by Peyton Wilson.

Looks like a great documentary and I am definitely getting the DVD.  What Navy airdale veteran wouldn't want to add this to their collection? Brings back a whole boat-load of memories (no pun intended).  ;-)  More information and goodies are available at the Speed & Angels website.

Technorati Tags: Aviation, NAVY, Military

Boy am I going to miss this plane.  I remember my days aboard the USS John F. Kennedy (I worked on A6 Intruders) and watching Tomcats being shot and trapped off the deck, what an amazing experience.  It will be a sad day in US Naval Aviation.  The newer, sexier F-18's are great, but in my book, just the shear intimidation of the F-14's looks are enough reason to keep it around.  I guess that's why I am not working at the Pentagon making those "executive" decisions huh?

[ via Military.com ]

Aging F-14 Makes Final Bombing Runs :

The U.S. Navy's F-14 Tomcat fighter, built as a Cold War defense against Soviet bombers and emblazoned on popular imagination as Tom Cruise's plane in the 1986 movie Top Gun, is just weeks away from making its final combat sorties over Iraq before being retired for good.

Every now and then, it is easy for us here in the states to forget that there are other things happening in life around us besides what we are going through.  The media rarely reports on the continuing war in Iraq, and that is just wrong.  I think it is vital to keep every American continuously updated on the events of the middle east.  Our troops are fighting their hearts out and giving their lives every day so that we can enjoy the very freedom we have today.  As a former active duty Navy sailor during the 1st Gulf War, and National Guard veteran, it kills me to hear about stories such as what happened to one of our SEAL teams recently.  Every single American needs to read this story and understand that we are conducting these types of operations on a daily basis.  For obvious reasons, we can't always know about them, but that doesn't mean we should forget about it.  Please keep our troops in your minds and in your prayers.  We owe them quite a bit.  Next time you pass a serviceman in uniform, stop them and just say "thank you".