"Is Your Entire Community Prepared"

September is National Preparedness Month, a nationwide effort to encourage citizens to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and schools. We often focus internally when it comes to preparedness, whether with our families, our units, or other groups we congregate with. It is very natural for people to stick together, especially in emergencies, but as a response organization, we need to reach out to work with not only those we work with day to day, but those we don't.

Civil Air Patrol is ideally placed to work within communities to unite them in their preparedness goals. With over 1,500 units and 55,000 members from all walks of life, we can bridge many gaps if we try. At the same time we need to sensitive to the ever changing communities that we support in order to not ostracize people that need our support or could support our efforts.

With this week's theme of multicultural preparedness, I would like all units to consider how they support not only their communities, but neighboring communities that do not have a CAP presence. Consider the following questions: "When was the last time that a local civic group was briefed on CAP's capabilities?" "What civic groups have been briefed, and what groups have not?" "Who are we targeting?" "Are we targeting the right groups for our efforts?" "What can we do to reach out to groups that we should be targeting?"

Once that is complete, I would like to challenge every unit to host at least one preparedness event for their community. There are many options. Some units have proposed hosting first aid classes. Others will provide training at local community centers on how to make an emergency supply kit and develop a family emergency plan. Some will simply make literature available at a unit open house. These are just a few ideas, and I am sure there will be many more, but please take the time to reach out to your communities at this time.

Visit http://www.ready.gov/ for more information. There are a variety of tools that you can download and use freely like sample PowerPoint briefings and template family emergency plans and checklists that will help you in your efforts to better prepare your community.

posted by Ohio Wing PAO  12:09 PM

(Newark OH)-After almost a year of planning, organizing and training, it was standing room only for the first meeting of the Land of Legends Composite Flight, U.S. Civil Air Patrol, held September 11th. Prospective new adult members, cadets and their parents filled the Licking County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Operations Center on East Main St., to learn more about the program.

“I’m truly excited by the number of new cadets here tonight”, stated 2nd Lt. John Morgan, CAP. “Developing an active cadet program is our first priority”. The meeting started out with the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by introductions of the senior staff. Next, CAP cadets and prospective members introduced themselves and explained what they liked about CAP, why they joined, or why they were interested in the program. Cadet Tyler Birch, a student at Sheridan Middle School explained, “I joined CAP to have fun!”

Since the new unit is to be based out of the EMA facility, Director Jeff Walker spoke to the group about the facility, his background, what Emergency Management is, and spoke about the new relationship with CAP, “We at Licking County Homeland Security and Emergency Management are very grateful to be able to help with the formation of CAP in Licking County. Not only will they help the citizens in times of disaster, but it will open the door for them to learn about what makes the Air Force a great part of the defense effort for our country. We welcome them to our facility”. Lt. Morgan also spoke on this relationship. “CAP has Memorandums of Understanding with many organizations like FEMA and the Coast Guard Auxiliary. As we move ahead, we look forward to assisting the Licking County EMA as the need arises. As we get the cadet program up to speed, we’ll also be working on training in First Aid, CPR, and Search and Rescue. We have already had a few members assisting in the recent disaster drill at Buckeye Lake”.

Capt Daniel Petry, CAP, Squadron Commander of the Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker Composite Squadron in Whitehall, was on hand to answer questions from parents and adults interested in the Emergency Services and Cadet Programs of CAP. The Whitehall unit is the “parent” squadron of the new Licking County group. Petry states, “It is great to see over 30 people here interested in Civil Air Patrol. Our goal is to teach the youth the principles of follower-ship, leadership and citizenship. No other youth program offers what CAP does.”

Cadets are required to learn military customs, courtesies and drill. The new cadets were put right to the task during the meeting. Cadet Sgt. Gabrielle Dotson demonstrated the various drill movements and formations and had the other cadets practice them. While this was taking place, Cadet Sgt. Airielle Dotson, talked to parents about her CAP experience and the CAP activities she has participated in. “This summer, I attended the Ohio Wing Pre-Encampment in Blue Ash, the Ohio Wing Encampment at Wright-Patterson AFB, an encampment at the Wendel Ford Army National Guard Training Center in Kentucky, the Michigan Wing Encampment, which focused on model rocketry, the Engineering Technologies National Cadet Special Activity, at Wright-Patterson AFB, and the Advanced Training Squadron, focusing on Leadership, in Illinois.”. When asked what her out-of-pocket costs were to attend these, she replied, “Zero. The money we earn by various fund raising events helps pay for these activities”. Dotson went on to explain that her goal is to achieve the rank of Cadet Colonel and to travel abroad in the CAP International Air Cadet Exchange program before entering the Air Force Academy in a couple of years. The Dotson sisters were awarded as the top Cadet and Cadet NCO at the Ohio Wing Encampment out of over 150 cadets attending.

The Land of Legends Composite Squadron meets every Tuesday evening from 6:30-9:00 at the EMA facility at 155 E. Main St., Newark. Visitors are welcome, however, since this is a secured facility, please contact CAP at 740-625-6475 to make arrangements.

Since our founding in 1941, the U.S. Civil Air Patrol has had 3 primary missions:
Emergency Services, Aerospace Education, and Cadet Programs.

In times of disaster, CAP is ready to support local, state, and national relief organizations. CAP operates one of the largest fleets of single-engine piston aircraft in the world, more than 550 airplanes, many with state-of-the-art “glass cockpit” technology. CAP ground personnel are trained in search and rescue, disaster services, and operate one of the most extensive communications networks in the nation.

Civil Air Patrol believes that a public educated in the importance of the aerospace field will ensure that our nation stays at the top of technological innovations in these areas. CAP develops, publishes, and distributes aerospace education curricula for kindergarten through college classrooms. It provides classroom material, training and educational aides at no cost to America’s teachers and homeschoolers. Many teachers can even experience the wonders of flight first hand with the innovative “Fly-a-Teacher” program.

Civil Air Patrol may be best known for the Cadet Program. The Cadet Program is designed to provide youth, ages 12 through 20, with a safe, encouraging environment in which to learn, mature and explore opportunities to help them reach their potential as adults.

Cadets participate in a structured program through group and individual activities that include aerospace education, physical training, leadership, and moral and ethical values. The program encompasses 16 achievement levels that include study in these four areas. Upon completion of each achievement, the cadet earns increased cadet rank, decorations, awards, eligibility for national and international special activities, and an opportunity for flight and academic scholarships. The program aims to produce well-rounded, confident young people equipped to meet the challenges of adulthood.

Civil Air Patrol, the official U.S. Air Force Auxiliary, is a civilian, volunteer, nonprofit, service organization. The unpaid professional volunteers perform more than 85 percent of inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. Volunteers also take a leading role in aerospace education and conduct one of America’s finest youth programs through CAP Cadet Programs.

For more information about volunteer opportunities with the Civil Air Patrol, call 1-800-FLY-2338 or John Morgan, 2nd Lt/CAP at 740-625-6475. Information can also be found on the web at www.cap.gov.

posted by Ohio Wing PAO  11:56 AM

MINDEN, Nevada (AP) -- The search for missing aviator Steve Fossett has generated Internet tips and drawn volunteer pilots, though whether the extra aid is helping or hurting the rescue effort is still an open question.
Driven by Fossett's fame and Google search technology that enables couch potatoes to view from their computers high-resolution photographs of the rugged Nevada landscape where he went missing, thousands of amateur volunteers are trying to help the hundreds of official searchers.

"This is kind of a new thing for us," Civil Air Patrol Maj. Cynthia Ryan said Monday, adding that every Google-generated tip is reviewed and the best ones passed on to pilots. So far, there have been several false sightings of Fossett's airplane.
Civil Air Patrol pilots lifted off early Tuesday to begin the search's ninth day, with fresh fliers rotating in from around the region.

"We're going to find him today," said newly arrived pilot Gordon Shroll as he shared breakfast and optimism at the Taildragger Cafe.

A private search effort also is being driven in part by hotel magnate Barron Hilton, who has opened the mile-long airstrip at his Flying M Ranch to search planes and helicopters. Fossett took off from the ranch's runway more than a week ago.

While the private effort has worked side by side with the government during the eight-day hunt, officials said they are becoming worried that the latest call for volunteers could bring in people who are unfamiliar with the vast and often dangerous landscape.

"It has not been condoned, nor is it necessarily helpful to the law enforcement community," Lyon County Undersheriff Joe Sanford said Sunday. "We don't want searchers to have to go out to look for searchers."

On Monday, Sanford explained he was most concerned with the possibility that untrained searchers would begin conducting independent ground searches in the rugged, sparsely populated areas where Fossett is believed to be lost.
Sanford said a lack of oversight sometimes leads to the official search effort covering ground already searched by the private effort. He said the private effort was still welcome, but noted that it is "impossible to track."

On Fossett's Internet site, a link is offered to the satellite image analysis project, and search coordinator Mark Marshall has asked for help from pilots trained in search and rescue.

"You will need to make your own way to the ranch. Accommodation is now tight, so you will need a tent and sleeping bag -- and a commitment to stay for some time if necessary," the site says.

Officials also expressed concern that participants in the National Championship Air Races and Air Show in nearby Reno starting Wednesday could hamper the search effort. They pleaded with race participants and other pilots attending the event to stay away from the search area.

The 63-year-old Fossett, a former commodities trader who was the first to circle the globe in a balloon, was last heard from September 3. Authorities believe he was carrying only one bottle of water, but he is considered an expert pilot and survivalist.

"I am confident in his ability to survive this," Ryan said.
The search will continue indefinitely, she said, adding that the effort will stop when searchers have "exhausted every square inch, and we aren't even close to that."
Fossett's wife, Peggy, praised the joint effort, calling it "an incredible collaboration." In a statement, she said, "Our hopes are high and I am confident of a successful resolution to this search.

"I am indebted to the numerous friends who have come from around the world to serve as pilots, spotters and ground crew and who are giving genuine moral support during this difficult time."

Hilton has declined to comment to The Associated Press, and pilots and ground crew at the ranch also declined to talk to a reporter who visited.

Since Saturday, two government helicopters have been based at Hilton's ranch, authorities said. The airstrip is about 80 miles southeast of Reno.

Once used to entertain high-rolling gamblers from Hilton casinos in Las Vegas, the Flying M Ranch has become a coveted getaway for aviators and astronauts. To get there by road, one must take a 26-mile journey over a dirt road that offers a view of mile after mile of sagebrush, rocks and sand.

posted by Ohio Wing PAO  8:40 AM

Cleveland Lakefront Thunderbirds Squadron welcomes first female USAF Thunderbird

Major Robert P. Hartigan and
Cadet Lauren R. Odom
Group V Headquarters
Ohio Wing

Cleveland, Ohio – Major Nicole Malachowski, USAF was busy preparing for the 2007 Cleveland National Air Show and still made time in her schedule to meet with local CAP members. Civil Air Patrol officers Major Robert P. Hartigan, 1Lt Dan W. Sheperd and 2Lt Danette T. Pitts along with Cadet Lauren R. Odom welcomed Major Malachowski to Cleveland during a meeting at the historic Renaissance Cleveland Hotel on Thursday, August 30th.

Major Malachowski, the first female Thunderbird pilot, was a Civil Air Patrol cadet with Clark County Composite Squadron, located in Las Vegas, and recalled her days as a cadet and the thrill of flight during her orientation rides. This helped fuel Major Malachowski's desire to pursue a career in the Air Force and led to an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Cadet Odom has a desire to attend the prestigious Air Force Academy and become a pilot. Cadet Odom was the center of attention as she asked questions about life in the Air Force. Major Malachowski offered her insight into the long and sometimes arduous process of becoming a USAF pilot. Together they explored the different routes and educational requirements to become an Air Force officer and pilot. Cadet Odom gained a rare “insider’s” perspective of life as an Air Force pilot and Thunderbird.

Cadet Odom remarked later, “She was definitely not what I thought she would be; she acted like a normal person around me even though billions of people know of what great things she has done. Sitting down with a thunderbird pilot, the first female one at that, was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had."

CAP, the auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with nearly 57,000 members nationwide. It was established on Dec. 1, 1941. Today it performs 95 percent of the continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions. It was credited by the Air Force with saving 73 lives in 2005. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counter--drug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the more than 22,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet program. The cadet program provides opportunities for the learning, maturing, accepting, and nurturing of leadership to young Americans from 12-20 years of age. With advice and assistance from CAP members at national, regional, state and local levels and the US Air Force, cadets are exposed to a structured program of aerospace education, leadership, physical fitness, and moral and ethical values. There are more than 1200 members in Ohio

For more information about Civil Air Patrol, call 1-800-FLY-2338.

posted by Ohio Wing PAO  2:19 PM

Civil Air Patrol's Firelands Composite Squadron OH-209 assisted the Norwalk-Huron County Airport as they hosted their Sixth Annual Wings and Wheels event. Pilots and automobile enthusiasts arrived in high fashion, bringing with them tangible evidence of our heritage in flight and automotive history.

Civil Air Patrol Cadets prompted and managed the safety of participants and civilians as they began their exploration of the high flying machines and antique classic motor vehicles. Among the fascinating planes was the ever so unique bi-plane, a not so standard plane of our modern day air transportation. There were also many standard general aviation aircraft, sport planes, experimental aircraft and a plane decked out with special effect capabilities able to leave a smoke trail. In the automotive line were the antique, classics and historical classifications. The Sting Ray T-top Corvette topped the charts as the favorite sport classic and the ever so allusive Model-T commands respect of spectators dominating as the historical favorite.

Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with nearly 57,000 members nationwide. It was established on December 1, 1941. Today it performs 95 percent of the continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions. CAP was credited by the Air Force with saving 73 lives in 2005. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counter-drug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. CAP members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the more than 22,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet program. The cadet program provides opportunities for the learning, maturing, accepting, and nurturing of leadership to young Americans from 12-20 years of age. With advice and assistance from CAP members at national, regional, state and local levels and the US Air Force, cadets are exposed to a structured program of aerospace education, leadership, physical fitness, and moral and ethical values. There are more than 1200 CAP members in Ohio. American citizens who are ages 12-99 are eligible to join CAP.The Civil Air Patrol's Firelands Composite Squadron OH-209, led by Captain Lori Douglas, CAP, continues to take applications for new cadet and adult membership. Any inquiries may be explored by contacting the squadron by e-mail at ohwgdae@yahoo.com or visiting the web site at http://ohwg.cap.gov/firelands/

posted by Ohio Wing PAO  8:52 PM

"Preparedness Starts Here"

As National Vice Commander of Civil Air Patrol, I am privileged to associate with members of our community every day. We are not only pilots and aviation professionals, but accountants, lawyers, retirees, police officers, mechanics, clerks, teachers, students, husbands, wives, moms, dads, and children.

One of our underlying missions at Civil Air Patrol has always been to contribute to the communities where we live and work. This month we have an extraordinary opportunity to make a difference by joining forces with companies and communities throughout the nation to help prepare our families, friends, colleagues, neighbors and communities for emergencies, whether naturally occurring or man-made.

September is National Preparedness Month, a nationwide effort to encourage citizens to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and schools. During National Preparedness Month, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will work with a wide variety of organizations to highlight the importance of emergency preparedness and promote community involvement through events and activities across the nation, such as first aid training, town hall meetings and emergency drills.

This month-long effort began September 1st, 2007, and cities and states across the country are taking part. I would encourage you to not only take advantage of the CAP events, but also events hosted by other organizations in your community. Take a look at the National Preparedness Month calendar of events at: http://ready.adcouncil.org/EventCalendar.asp.

Last week we suggested that every member and their families prepare or update their family emergency plan. This week, in conjunction with the business preparedness theme, I would like key staff members at all levels in the organization to review and update their emergency plans, and do your best to include your subordinates in the process. Some questions you probably need to consider as part of this process are: "When was the last time I reviewed our unit emergency plans?" "Is it really up to date, and if not, why not and how can I fix it?" "What resources am I responsible for and is the status up to date in the resource reporting systems: People? Vehicles? Aircraft? Facilities?" "Do I know how to reach all of my members in a crisis, especially those who are critical to emergency operations?" "How can we reach them if normal communications via telephone are not available?"

Addressing questions such as these will help you and your unit be better prepared for an emergency. Once you have taken steps to prepare your family and your unit, I encourage you to get involved in preparing your community. I urge everyone in CAP to also be active in their community, and to take action during National Preparedness Month and get prepared. Visit http://ready.gov/ for more information.

posted by Ohio Wing PAO  7:51 PM