National Board Meeting is the fact that it was the last National Board meeting that I will have the great privilege of having Ltc Blake Fentress, USAF sitting with our Re- gion. Blake has been a wonderful leader and advisor for all of us.
We will be going to Lafayette Louisiana the 1st of April for the Louisiana Wing Confer- ence. We are looking forward to the Con- ference as Col Ammons and the Louisiana Wing always put a great conference to- gether. Col Jakusz and Joan will be at- tending the Region Cadet Competition the same weekend. The Region staff meeting will be on the 9th of April and we will de- cide on the location of the 2006 Region Con- ference at that time. The following week we will be going to Arizona for their SAR/EVAL and then the next week to Tulsa Oklahoma for the Oklahoma Wing Conference and change of command. The following week we will be going to New Mexico for their CI. We look forward to that with the expectation that New Mexico will do great in the inspection.
May 6-8 we will be going to the Texas Wing Conference at Corpus Christi and will leave May 12 for Cincinatti, Ohio for the NEC meeting. So far, things seem to slow down a little in June after we get back from the Arizona Wing Conference 3-5 June.
Our people from Texas and New Mexico are participating in Roving Sand working out of El Paso. It is a two week exercise work- ing on Homeland Security. Ltc Lou Tho- mas and Col Eric Schollmann are serving as Incident Commanders for the exercise. Winds have been a problem but everything is going well and our people are performing in an exemplary manner. 2005 is turning out to be a great year for Southwest Region. We went to Phoenix for the Arizona CI. The Arizona Wing received an Excellent Rating and the Command section received an Out- standing Rating. This is the result of a complete turn around in the wing since Col. Varljen became the Wing Com- mander. The Wing continues to improve and to become more efficient in carrying out the mission of Civil air Patrol. We will be going to their SAR/EVAL in April and expect to see continued improvement.
We went to Washington DC for the Winter National Board meeting. On the way we were able to attend the wedding of the Arkansas Wing Vice Commander, Joe Jen- sen's wedding in Eureka Springs, Arkan- sas. One of the very important things to come out of the National Board meeting is that we will be getting Wing Administra- tive Officers for all Wings. This will come from appropriated funds from Congress and will be a great help in keeping all of the Wings in compliance with Regulations and especially financial accounting. We had four cadets at the Cadet Leadership Academy. On March 21 C/Col Kaycee Gil- bert, the Southwest Region CAC leader had her 21st birthday. We look forward to Kaycee being a senior member and con- Inside This Issue
Balloon Fest 2
SWRLO Corner 3
Thunderbird Schedule 4
SWR Chaplain Staff College 4
Tiger Cruise 5
SWR Staff College 5
McGinley Contract In Russia 5
CAP Partners with Intergraph 6
Barnstorming: Heroism 7
Glass Cockpit Aircraft 7
Volume III Issue I March 2005 Southwest Region Newsletter
told the owner he better take good care of us or he would be bace and they would have trouble. They did take good care of us and with a new tire and a new rim, we got back on the interstate. By this time the snow storm was much worse and it was so bad that I could not see very far ahead. I got off the inter- state at the next off ramp, went into a truck stop and found out that I-70 was closed ahead so we got a room and watched the snow for a few more hours. I have no doubt that God was taking care of us. The delay that the blow out caused and having to get the tire kept us from being half way down the moun- tain when it was closed. That could have been fatal, especially for someone who seldom drives in snow.
I thank all of you for all that you do. Let's continue to make Southwest Re- gion the best Region in Civil Air Patrol. You all make it happen every day by your dedication. God Bless Tom
Arizona Request Help with Balloon Fest 2005 I would like to make a request for personnel to assist with the 2005 Albuquerque Interna- tional Balloon Fiesta, which will take place from 30 September to 9 October 2005 in Al- buquerque, New Mexico.
Most of you probably already are familiar with the scale of this event. It is the single largest ballooning event in the world, and also the single most photographed event in the world. It has an attendance of over 1 million people in the 10 day run, and several hundred media representatives also attend from around the US and around the world.
As the pilot of the Arizona Wing CAP bal- loon, we are planning to attend this event if the CAP balloon is accepted this year. I can always use some crew (about 8 to 10 people per day.) If it is NOT accepted, we will still go and crew for others. They are ALWAYS in need of extra help for many of the other balloons that attend, as many come from all around the US and many other countries. Many of the special shapes can never get enough people. I thought it would be really great if CAP could make a really strong showing this year. This could be a real opportunity to demonstrate what CAP is capable of and how GREAT our cadets are!
In addition to the hot air balloons that fly daily, there are always a group of about 20 helium gas balloons who need people to help fill their sand bags and assist with inflations. Since helium balloons were used extensively in both the Civil war and in WW1 for observation plat- forms, and by the Japanese to bomb the US in WW2 (only a few ever made it, and I dont think more than 1 ever went off!) gas ballooning is also an important part of American Aviation History. Ballooning itself has been around since 1783, and is the oldest form of manned flight, predating the Wright Brothers by almost 120 years. There is some really good and interesting information in the beginning of the CAP text Aerospace The Journey of Flight about the early use of balloons and how it has helped modern aviation history.
I am hoping to be able to organize some other events that we can do during the fiesta when we are not crewing, that are relevant to the CAP mission. Those details are still being considered, and I am of course open to all suggestions. I am also working out where we can stay, and am hoping the base will welcome us.
I need to know from all of you, how many people might be able to come and are interested in coming. I realize its a long way away right now, but its better to plan WAY ahead. If you could please pass this through your personnel, and take a preliminary count in the next few weeks that would be of great help. I want to have at least SOME idea before I talk to Fiesta to pose the question offi- cially. (Contd on page 4) Col Hap Parker, one of the two Re- gion Vice Commanders has a very serious illness. It's name is Shy- Drager Syndrome. It is very debili- tating. If anyone has any informa- tion or contact with anyone who has had any experience with this dis- ease please contact Col Parker at hparker@vei.net. He would appreci- ate any information you might have. He has been having problems for quite some time and finally got a proper diagnosis last week. I am asking for your prayers for Hal and Joyce who is by his side and totally supporting him.
On the way to Washington DC we had a wonderful experience. We were on I-70 and got into a snow storm. There was an accident which had traffic backed up about two miles. As we were creeping forward we came upon an off ramp and got off thinking we would go on a parallel highway past the accident and then back on the interstate. We went through a small town and about four miles out of the town we had a blow out on the right rear tire. Fortunately, the snow coming down made it possible to keep the tire in the snow until we got back to the town and kept the tire from catching on fire. With the oxygen equipment in the van that could have been a real disaster. We stopped at a grocery store and they gave us the phone to call a shop they knew of. The people from the shop came over and suggested that we drive the two blocks to their place to fix the tire. They did not have equipment to put on a new rim and tire so they put the small spare on the tire. While in the office wait- ing I noticed a sign for a singing at the local church which happened to be the same church Connie and I attend at home. Turned out that the owner of the shop is the Pastor of the local church so we immedi- ately had allot in common. His neighbor was in the shop having coffee and offered to lead us to the next little town to a tire shop with proper equipment to solve our prob- lem. When we got to the shop he PAGE 2 SOUTHWEST REGION NEWSLETTER VOLUME III ISSUE I
SWRLO CORNER
Maj Victor Del Moral, Lt Col Blake Fentress, and Lt Col Joe Maclin pause a moment from there busy schedule. What a Team! Those of you that have not visited our hum- ble office on NAS JRB Fort Worth in the past few months, may be surprised with the changes we have made to the place. Actu- ally, we have not made any physical changes to the place at all but young and vibrant new faces have replaced some of the old friendly faces we had around the office.
As you all know after 30 years of proud service to the Air Force, Lt Col Joe Mack- lin retired last December. Luckily for the Air Force and Civil Air Patrol the wealth of knowledge and expertise that Lt Col Macklin posses was not wasted at all as he took the job of State Director of the Mon- tana Wing in February. Our loss is a huge gain for the Montana Wing. They are get- ting a first class State Director with a great understanding of what Civil Air Patrol is all about. With his great personality he will have no problem in gaining the respect and admiration of the Montana Wing members. If you would like to drop Lt Col Macklin a line, or chat with him, he can be reached at : joseph.macklin@malstrom.af.mil or at 406-731-3907. To fill the void left by Lt Col Macklin we found an individual that is willing to work as hard as him, and have many of the same aviation skills. In fact, he was a former student of Lt Col Macklin at pilot training. We found our new Director of Operations (DO) at Altus AFB, Oklahoma, where he was a Flight Commander/Examiner Pilot in the C-5 Combat Crew Training School. We are happy to announce the SWLR newest DO is Major Don Hensley, C-5 pilot extraordinaire!
A native of Arkansas, Maj Hensley, started his career as a machine gunner/ truck driver in the Army. After coming to his senses he decided to join the Air Force to start a flying career. His Air Force career started at Yokota AFB, Ja- pan, where he flew C-9s all over the Pa- cific theater. After that hardship tour, Maj Hensley decided to be a bus/truck driver again, so he switched airframes and became a C-5 pilot. In the C-5 he has done almost everything there is to do in the aircraft as a pilot. He is an expert in C-5s special operations tactics, an in- structor pilot and flight examiner. His expertise has been recognized twice as Pilot of The Year at Dover AFB and In- structor Pilot of The Year at Altus AFB. With those credentials there is no doubt that Maj Hensley can do the job. Maj Hensley is married and has two sons. He lists as his hobbies; bodybuilding, eating fine food, drinking pina coladas and walking in the rain. Welcome aboard Maj. Hensley! Of course that is not the only change tak- ing place in our office. The moving vans are coming back once again to take the personal belongings of Lt Col Blake Fen- tress to his new retirement job. That is right, after 27 years of proud service to the Air Force Lt Col Fentress will retire and tackle his most challenging job ever; high school teacher. In June, Lt Col Fentress, will retire and take over as the Director of Aero- space Studies, Air Force Junior ROTC (AFJROTC), John H. Guyer High School in Denton, Texas. He will personally be responsible for setting up the AFJROTC program in Dentons newest high school. Talk about hard work and pressure! With Lt Col Fentress enthusiasm and mag- netic personality, Guyer High School will soon have one of the nations best AFJROTC programs in the country. Best of luck on your new endeavor Lt Col Fentress! The person selected to be the next commander of the SWLR is a person that we know very little about right now, but according to Lt Col Fentress, he is the right man for the job. Lt Col Jim Lasche comes to us from the Tanker Airlift Control Center at Scott AFB in Illinois. He is a C-130 pilot by trade and according to Mary, our Administrative Assistant, he is a very good-looking young man. Lt Col Fentress predicts a smooth transition once Lt Col Lasche takes over as commander. We are looking forward in getting to know and working with Lt Col Lasche once he gets on-station in June. For the rest of the not ready for prime time players in the office we do not expect to see any moves for at least a year. Once the moving vans are out the way please stop by the office, building 1525 NAS JRB Fort Worth, and meet the new members of the team. They will be glad to enter- tain visitors and share some of their war stories with you. Finally, from all of us at the SWLR we want wish all of you a very happy and wonderful Easter. PAGE 3 VOLUME I I I I SSUE I
OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND AT THUNDERBIRD AIRSHOWS Many of our PAO and public relations oppor- tunities are published on such short notice that we cannot respond in the most effective manner. The AFTERBURNER , the newslet- ter for retired personnel, listed the 2005 Thunderbird schedule. We know that with an airshow, the caliber of the Thunderbirds, the host airport usually has other open house or airport recognition ac- tivities and displays of public interest. Your opportunity to get in on the ground floor is often determined by your advance knowledge of the event. Assistance with crowd control, traffic con- trol and parking are often welcomed and rewarded by the local community. The op- portunity for recruiting booths or information centers may also exist. Extracting those dates from the AFTER- BURNER that impact our SW region sched- ule gives us the following: MAR 19-20 LUKE AFB, AZ APR 2-3 DAVIS MONTHAM AFB, AZ APR 16 LAUGHLIN AFB, X APR 17 HOLLOMAN AFB, NM JUL 2 TINKER AFB ,OK SEP 24-25 FORT WORTH, TX OCT 8-9 LITTLE ROCK AFB, ARK NOV 5-6 RANDOLPH AFB, TX Contact your base PAO or information of- fice for details and contact names if you want to get your units involved. This is the premier college for chaplains and MLOs. Each college has different emphasis so are designed to be attended each year. Excellence In All We Do is this years theme. Training will be comprised of three compo- nents: Emergency Services; Aerospace Edu- cation; and Cadet Programs. In the ES com- ponent, we will complete the CAP approved Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Training Curriculum with Lt Col Sherry Jones, RN as our presenter. Chaplain (Lt Col) Don Brown will then lead us through a tabletop SAREX to apply our CISM skills. During our Aerospace Educa- tion component we will build model rockets and hopefully have a launch competition. Chaplain (Maj) Nancy Smalley will provide valuable insights regarding the role of the chaplain at encampments for our Cadet Pro- grams component. Chaplain Sharp will lead our devotions. For additional information contact the direc- tor: Chaplain (Maj) Bill Bryan at 2218 W. Van Trease Dr., Deer Park, TX 77536, wjbryan@southmain.org
NOTE: Lt Col Sherry Jones will also be teach- ing another Basic CISM course the weekend before the CSSC (16 &17 April) at NASJRB. It is basically set up for non-college participants. The course is only $25. Contact Chaplain (Lt Col) Don Brown at PO Box 553, Iola, TX 77861-0553, lone- cap@ev1.net. 936-394-3310 Balloon Fest (Contd) Please respond fairly quickly and at least let me know you received my message, and are willing to participate at some level, even if its only a few cadets and a SM or two. I am HOP- ING to put together a crew of 100 or so. More if possible!
All personnel will of course be re- sponsible for some daily expenses, like food. Some food is always pro- vided to volunteers and balloon crew. If I can get everyone registered by March as crew, that would help.
This is a VERY fun event! It could be a great opportunity for team building as well as some great training with the oldest form of manned flight. For more information you can go to http://www.aibf.org.
Thanks! Respectfully, Lt. Martin Maxwell Pilot, AZ Wing CAP Hot Air Balloon Team Sqn. 302 Submitted by Lt Col Pat Brower AZ Wing PAO
SWR CHAPLAIN SERVICE STAFF COLLEGE (SWRCSSC) April 18-21, 2005 Carswell NASJRB, Ft. Worth, Texas
USS JOHN C. STENNIS, CVN74, TIGER CRUISE Lt Colonel Judy Samuel recently took advan- tage of a little-known program in the Navy, called Tiger Cruise. This program enables a crew member to invite a family member or friend to spend a week aboard ship. Judy joined her grandson, ET3 Micheal DeHay, on the USS John C. Stennis, CVN74, (a Nimitz class aircraft carrier) in Honolulu, on October 26, and returned to San Diego with him. There were lots of activities planned to keep the Tigers busy during the week. Among them were an air show, a firepower show from the battle group, a steel beach picnic, movies in the hanger bay, tours of every department in the ship, opportunities to see the aircraft launched and recovered, and a Trick-or-Treat excursion on Halloween, complete with three haunted houses. One night there was an ice- cream social, and another night a special treat of steak and lobster for dinner. There were two talent shows (no Judy did not participate), and a concert by Wallflowers. Judy says the accommodations were adequate, but certainly not five star. Would she do it again?in a heart beat.
on the base adjacent to the Academy building at a cost of $25.00 per day. Staff and participants will be eligible to use the dining facilities on base at a cost of approximately $10.00 per day. Those wishing to attend should sub- mit a CAP Form 17 through channels with a courtesy copy to the director along with a deposit check of $30.00 made payable to SWRSC 2005. Deadline for application is June 30, 2005. Courtesy copies should be sent to: LTC Arthur M. Mike Swanson, CAP, Director 7625 Brook Haven Way Shreveport, LA 71105-5706 Lt Col Judy Samuel joined her grandson, ET3 Micheal DeHay, on the USS John C. Stennis, CVN74, (a Nimitz class aircraft carrier) in Honolulu, on October 26. ENROLL NOW! Southwest Region Staff College Planning is underway for Southwest Region Staff College 2005. As in years past, it will be held at Kirtland Air Force Base, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The dates are July 16 to 23, 2005. Region Staff College is the formal in-residence course required for completion of Level IV training. It prepares selected CAP officers to better execute the duties and responsi- bilities associated with CAP command and staff positions at squadron level and above. CAP officers who have completed Level III training and who hold command or staff positions are eligible to attend Region Staff Col- lege. Those who do not fit the criteria above but still wish to attend may request a waiver through normal chan- nels to the Region Commander. The college will be held at the NCO Academy at Kirtland with instruction being done by Air Force personnel who are staff members at the Acad- emy. Costs for this years college is $120.00. Billeting will be available Colonel David McGinley Contracts to Improve Russian Weather Computer Systems
Colonel David McGinley, who de- veloped the CAP National Weather Program, in coordination with the USAF Weather Agency at Offutt Air Force Base and the National Weather Agency in Nebraska, has recently contracted to Roshydromet, on a Russian government project in Mos- cow, to act in an advisory capacity to upgrade their computer systems to improve the reliability of their weather tracking and forecasting capabilities. With the approval of General Whe- less, Col McGinley is seeking spon- sorship for our IACE program in Russia. Russia with its amazing history, diverse cultures, museums, arts, theatre, and science accomplish- ments has a lot to offer our cadets. Its is a very different and interest- ing culture and a great experience, says Dave.
The Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood, in St. Petersburg. St. Basils Cathedral in the Kremlin, in Moscow.
WASHINGTON, D.C. Civil Air Patrol announced today that Inter- graph Corporation has become its newest corporate partner.
Intergraph is a leading global provider of Spatial Information Management (SIM). Civil Air Pa- trol, the nonprofit civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, made the an- nouncement at its Winter National Board Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Intergraph committed a $50,000 cash donation to help fund CAP ca- det programs in 2005. In a separate initiative, Intergraph also has of- fered to develop an aircraft and ground team tracking prototype that would be field tested by CAP. Plans for this initiative are still be- ing developed.
Intergraphs cash donation will help fund CAPs prestigious Na- tional Cadet Competition to be held July 6-12 in Washington, D.C., as well as CAPs cadet orientation flight program. CAP orientation flights are, for many young people, their first experience flying.
As a CAP Corporate Partner, In- tergraph receives the right to use the CAP name and corporate part- ner mark in the company's advertis- ing, marketing and promotional pro- grams.
"Intergraphs support for CAP represents a true partnership," said Maj. Gen. Dwight Wheless, CAP national commander. "Countless young people will benefit from In- tergraphs financial support for our cadet program. Countless others can benefit from Intergraphs willing- ness to provide their technical ex- pertise in developing an aircraft and ground team tracking system to help us perform our missions more effectively.
CAP performs search and rescue, dis- aster relief and homeland security mis- sions throughout the nation.
According to Wheless, the aircraft and ground team tracking prototype under discussion is based on Intergraph's Intel- liWhere(R) technology, which was most recently used to track security resources during the 2005 Presidential Inaugura- tion and 2004 Republican National Con- vention in New York City.
This prototype would give CAP com- manders the ability to track the location and activity of their mobile resources, said Al Allenback, CAP National Head- quarters executive director. It would also allow them to assign work based on the nearest available resources, and quickly deliver mission-critical informa- tion to CAP emergency services person- nel.
CAP and Intergraph are now deter- mining what features in such a system will be most useful for the CAP mission environment and how best to field test the system.
"Intergraph is proud to support Civil Air Patrol and their mission to keep America's skies safe," said Tom Young, vice president at Intergraph Corporation.
Civil Air Patrol is a non-profit organi- zation with some 60,000 members na- tionwide. CAP performs 95% of continen- tal U.S. inland search and rescue mis- sions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited with saving an average of 100 lives each year. CAP volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Members take a leading role in aerospace edu- cation and serve as mentors to the almost 25,000 young people cur- rently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for more than 60 years.
Intergraph Corporation is the leading global provider of Spatial Information Management (SIM). Governments and businesses in more than 100 countries around the world use Intergraph technology in their operational systems. Inter- graph stock trades on the NASDAQ under the symbol INGR.
On the Web: Civil Air Patrol at www.cap.gov <http://www.cap.gov/> ; Intergraph at www.intergraph.com <http://www.intergraph.com/>
Melanie LeMay, Public Relations Specialist National Headquarters, Civil Air Patrol 105 S. Hansell St., Bldg. 714 Maxwell AFB, AL 36112 mlemay@cap.gov; 334-953-5320
Civil Air Patrol ...performing missions for America
Visit us on the Web at www.cap.gov.
Civil Air Patrol Announces Partnership With Intergraph PAGE 6 SOUTHWEST REGION NEWSLETTER VOLUME I I I I SSUE I
Barnstorming: Heroism Comes In Many Forms I'm going to keep this missive short and sweet...Most folks equate the word "hero" with some feat of death-defying act and/or risky behavior. I don't. While it comes in many forms, Heroism (as I see it), comes to pass when some- one puts the welfare of others before their own... even when risk is not part of the equation. It staggers me how many times such heroism appears among us -- especially among we flyers.
A recent case in point... for nearly two weeks, people who knew a fallen pilot well, and those who never met him, worked in concert to rescue/find him. As ANN has reported, they poured their hearts and souls into this search. Tragically; the joy of a rescue was de- nied them, and the Air Force has now reluctantly called off the search for re- tired Muskogee, OK, physician Jack Nolen. Dr. Nolen disappeared, January 14th, somewhere in the Midwest, while flying his Kitfox Lite2. As ANN re- ported on Friday, the Oklahoma Wing of the Civil Air Patrol has scoured thousands of square miles between Paris, TX, where the aircraft was last seen, and Shawnee, OK, hoping to find some sign of the 72-year old physician. Gone...but never forgotten.
Somewhere, someday, some poor soul will stumble across this aviator's hid- den location and finally start a course of action that will take him home to his loved ones and his final resting place. A mystery will be over, and the ma- nypeople who hoped to save his life will shake their heads, think (or pray) about it a bit, and make ready for the next time they are called upon to search for a lost flyer.
Much has been written about the Civil Air Patrol and all those who help in trying to rescue fallen pilots, but this most recent search brought home the emotional investment these folks take on when they leave the comforts of their homes in the attempt to rescue people they've never met. Such selfless- ness is rare... but not among CAP and the many law enforcement and civilian assets that are put into action when a plane goes down.
If ever my wings let me down, I hope that those who come to look for me have half the passion and integrity we've seen, in bits and pieces, among those who went looking for Doctor Nolen. Their work was blessed. Their spirit was indefatigable... heroes all. Let me say what Doctor Nolen could not... thank you. You did your best.
And from the very bottom of my heart... I thank you, as well. Jim Campbell, Aero-News Network, Editor-In-Chief FMI: www.cap.gov Submitted by Colonel Virginia Keller, Oklahoma Wing Commander
It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself. Ralph Waldo Emerson GLASS COCKPIT CESSNA AIRCRAFT Oklahoma and Arkansas wings have been awarded to receive the first two new glass cockpit Cessna 182 aircraft. One pilot from each of the Oklahoma and Arkansas wings will be attend- ing a week long training session in Independence, Kansas in March before receiving the air- craft. More are aircraft are scheduled at later dates and will be awarded accordingly.. JIM WARNEKE STV, SWR The G1000 System "The G1000 system offers an ad- ditional level of safety, reliability and affordability . qualities that Cessna pilots have come to expect from their aircraft making it a natural fit on Cessnas single-engine piston aircraft," said Gary Kelley, Gar- mins director of marketing. Gar- min has replaced the analog gauges and mechanical instru- ments with the G1000s all- digital, large format LCDs and integrated avionics. The G1000 integrates all pri- mary flight, navigation, commu- nication, engine, and sensor data on the dual 10-inch, XGA- resolution (1,024x768-pixel) dis- plays. The physical architecture of the G1000 system lends itself to easy installation and service. The integrated design of the avi- onics is also expandable, making it possible to add new technolo- gies and capabilities, as they be- come available. Further, the sys- tem offers outstanding situ- ational awareness for flight man- agement, aircraft control, traffic, terrain and weather. GLASS COCKPIT CESSNA AIR- CRAFTOLATHE, Kan./Oct. 6, 2003/PR Newswire. Cessna 182 Skylane