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

The Sky Sectionals team has even provided a full video tour of the sectionals:

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!

Write a quick comment

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!

Write a quick comment

Assembly Bill 132 requires that employers with more than 11 permanent employees grant a leave of absence without pay for not more than five consecutive days or 15 days total to employees serving in an emergency service operation of the Civil Air Patrol. The bill also prevents employment discrimination based on participation in the Civil Air Patrol. Governor Doyle thanked Representatives Huebsch and Murtha, and Senators Kapanke and Vinehout for their work on the bill. I am thrilled to see so many states now jumping on the bandwagon to protect CAP members with the same rights afforded to our military reservists and National Guardsmen. CAP plays a vital role in our nations disaster preparedness and as a supporting role to the United States Air Force. I only hope every state in the nation adopts a similar policy.

Write a quick comment

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.”

Write a quick comment

A Predator sensor ball is mounted underneath the left wing of this Civil Air Patrol Cessna 182, turning the aircraft into a ‘Surrogate Predator’ suitable for pre-deployment training for Army and Marine forces. Photo courtesy L-3 Communications

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. – With the conversion of a Civil Air Patrol plane into a “Surrogate Predator,” the U.S. Air Force is relying on its auxiliary in a most imaginative way.

“We’re using a manned aircraft to simulate an unmanned aircraft,” said CAP-U.S. Air Force Commander Col. Bill Ward, explaining that a sophisticated “Predator ball” placed under the left wing of a Cessna 182 belonging to CAP will give the plane the capability of mimicking the Air Force’s MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper, unmanned aircraft that provide real-time data to U.S. warfighters.

The Air Force will use the Surrogate Predator to fill a critical training gap in support of Army and Marine forces as they prepare for deployment. “Due to the Air Force maximum surge effort to provide more MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper support to ground units in CENTCOM, there are no Predator or Reaper forces available to support pre-deployment exercises such as Green Flag, which focuses on air-to-ground operations,” said Maj. Matt Martin, chief of the Predator/Reaper Ops Branch of Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base, Va. “The Surrogate Predator is the solution.”

Air Combat Command (ACC), with the support of Joint Forces Command, secured $2.5 million for the Surrogate Predator Program, once it was determined that CAP could provide the needed training with its dedicated patriotic citizen volunteers at a fraction of the cost of the private contractor currently providing the training.

“We’ve seen nothing but enthusiasm and a willingness to help from the Civil Air Patrol, which is why we chose them to do this mission,” said Martin.

With the Predator ball in place, the CAP plane-turned-Surrogate Predator has the capability of locking onto a target and tracking it, said Ward, adding that the ultimate goal is to broadcast streaming video. “This will give our soldiers and Marines a real-time view of what is going on,” he said.

Beginning this month, ACC will provide mission training to selected CAP crews at Fort Polk, La. “ACC experts will train the CAP crews on how to do the mission using the same tactics, techniques and procedures that Predator crews use on combat missions,” said Martin.

“Basically, we will imitate being a Predator,” said Capt. David Lewis, the Louisiana CAP project officer and one of six CAP pilots initially chosen for the program, who described the joint exercises like Green Flag as “the next big thing for CAP in homeland security and the defense of our country.”

Lewis and the other CAP pilots have prior military experience, which is a requirement for the program. The pilots and their aircrews – a cadre of 18 CAP volunteers in all – will be needed, in the program’s initial stages. Many more CAP volunteers will be involved as the program expands in the coming months. The ACC mission training will qualify them to provide air interdiction, close air support and intelligence/surveillance/reconnaissance support to ground forces. After a formal certification, these crews will be able to fly realistic Surrogate Predator missions. ACC will closely monitor the program and will use Air Force operators with real-world Predator or Reaper experience to assist.

“This initial cadre will then train the dozens of crews that will be needed to sustain our regular Green Flag support,” said Martin. A second airplane is already being modified to expand the Surrogate Predator Program. Once complete, CAP will be able to provide coverage for both Green Flag East exercises from Fort Polk, La., and Green Flag West exercises from the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., close to where the second Surrogate Predator will be stationed in Las Vegas, Nev.

Green Flag exercises typically involve 11 days of flying, eight hours per day, at least 10 times per year, and “hunter-killer scenarios,” in which the Surrogate Predator starts by surveying targets and providing full-motion video to the brigade combat team. “Once a target is identified by the ground commander as hostile,” Martin said, “the Surrogate Predator will dynamically re-task into the strike role and coordinate with a forward air control to simulate the delivery of precision ordnance onto a target.”

Lewis foresees the potential of the Surrogate Predator for other CAP missions, like search and rescue and emergency services following hurricanes. “In the event of a natural disaster, the aircraft will certainly be made available to NORTHCOM for civil response purposes,” said Martin. “However, due to the expense of the aircraft and the need to keep them available to support joint exercises, we don’t anticipate using them to train for standard CAP missions.”

“Everyone involved is excited,” said Col. John Varljen, vice commander of CAP’s Southwest Region, which includes Louisiana Wing. CAP takes possession of the first Surrogate Predator this weekend. “This is an important mission, a real-world mission,” said Varljen. “It is our contribution to the war effort.”

Homeland security missions are nothing new to CAP, which has played a role in protecting America since its beginning days patrolling the Atlantic Coast for enemy aircraft and chasing German submarines during World War II. With its fleet of 550 aircraft, as well as numerous ground assets, and a force 58,000-strong, CAP is considered a force multiplier at a very attractive cost.

“The Civil Air Patrol is grateful for this new opportunity to aid in the defense of America,” said CAP National Commander Maj. Gen. Amy Courter. “Our members are true patriots, who volunteer to serve and professionally execute their duties with excellence every day. They truly go above and beyond the call of duty in service to this great nation.”

Ward predicts the Surrogate Predator Program will be “a real success story” for Civil Air Patrol. “I think it’s going to highlight CAP more than it already is to the Department of Defense,” he said.

Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 58,000 members nationwide. CAP 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 91 lives in fiscal year 2008. 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 the more than 23,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for more than 67 years. For more information on CAP, please visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com.

By CAP National Headquarters
Sept. 11 Press Release

Write a quick comment

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

Write a quick comment

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

Write a quick comment