THE DELTA COMPOSITE SQUADRON QUARTERLY

THIRD QUARTER 2010

The Flight Line

Its Hurricane Season -- Are You Ready?
The 2010 Hurricane Season is underway, and we all need to take steps to protect our families and property from potential storms. The 2010 Hurricane Season began June 1 and ends Nov. 30. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an "active to extremely active" hurricane season, with an estimated 14-23 named storms, 8-14 hurricanes and 3-7 major hurricanes. By comparison, an average hurricane season will produce 11 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes. In Texas, the strategy for dealing with disasters is to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. No state is more prepared than Texas to handle the full spectrum of threats, including manmade and natural disasters. Our local ofcials and emergency responders are second to none, and are committed to working together to protect Texas communities. In advance of storms this hurricane season, you should take simple steps to protect your families and homes should a storm threaten the Texas coast, including: Creating a plan for your family Having an emergency kit Prepare your home and vehicle before evacuation Knowing your evacuation routes If a storm impacts the Houston area, CAP units from outside of the affected area will respond to any mission taskings. Delta members will be called upon for missions should storms hit adjacent areas. The important thing is to be ready for ALL possible situations BEFORE the storm hits. PAGE 1

THE DELTA COMPOSITE SQUADRON QUARTERLY

THIRD QUARTER 2010

FUNDRAISING UPDATE
During the month of June we grilled up some hamburgers and hot dogs to host an Air Force representative and the cadets prior to our regular senior meeting. This raised some funds even after covering the cost of the food and was enjoyed by all. We have decided to make this type of gathering a regular event. We have tentatively scheduled the next event for the month of August, details will be announced at an upcoming meeting and on the Facebook page. We are still promoting our Astros fundraising effort. The first game was in June, the next game is July 10th. To date, we have sold 13 tickets, which is a far cry from our goal of 1,000. Details for the remaining games are below along with the website address to purchase tickets. If there are any questions about the Astros fundraiser or if you have suggestions for other fundraisers please contact Nik Keramidas (nakeramidas@gmail.com). Click on the link to purchase tickets: www.astros.com/civilairpatrol Sat, July 10 CARDINALS 6:05 pm Sat, Aug 14 PIRATES 6:05 pm Fri, Sep 10 DODGERS 7:05 pm

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THE DELTA COMPOSITE SQUADRON QUARTERLY

THIRD QUARTER 2010

Cadets Earn Promotions and Awards, Fly High

Delta Cadets have accomplished the following since May 17: (photos on following page)

Lechmann Shortt Camden Cabrera Olguin Furter Stonehouse Stubbs Woods Watkins Patterson Furter Dees Lewis Barker Lechmann Kline McIntosh Fisher Cabrera Camden Dees Lechmann Lewis Olguin Post Stubbs Weller Post Stonehouse Douglas

Promotion to A1C Promotion to SrAmn Promotion to Amn Promotion to Amn Promotion to Amn Promotion to SrAmn Promotion to A1C Promotion to SrAmn Promotion to A1C Encampment Staff Flight Sgt Completed First Encampment Completed First Encampment Completed First Encampment Completed First Encampment Completed First Encampment Completed First Encampment Joined 6/21 Joined 6/28 Joined 6/28 Powered O-ride #1 Powered O-ride #1 Powered O-ride #1 Powered O-ride #2 Powered O-ride #3 Powered O-ride #1 Powered O-ride #2 Powered O-ride #1 Powered O-ride #1 FIRST SOLO! FIRST SOLO! Currently at National Cadet Officer School

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THE DELTA COMPOSITE SQUADRON QUARTERLY

THIRD QUARTER 2010

Cadet Promotion Photos

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THE DELTA COMPOSITE SQUADRON QUARTERLY

THIRD QUARTER 2010

Delta Cadets Participate in FTX

A group of Delta cadets, along with a few senior members, participated in a Field Training Exercise (FTX) June 25-27 on the 400-acre Diamond-O Ranch, located between Hempstead and Bellville. For many of the cadets, this was their first FTX experience and an opportunity for them to actually use Emergency Services (ES) skills they have learned in a classroom setting. Many of the cadets got signed off on several tasks, as they work toward their Ground Team qualifications. They gained experience in UDF, radio operations, search lines, compass work, litter carry and vehicle inspections. Three mission sorties were successfully completed over the weekend, including locating an ELT and locating and retrieving a missing person. Cadets were given a review class in ORM, and then were required to discuss, analyze and complete the ORM worksheets before each mission sortie. Safety was emphasized throughout the activity and the cadets gained a first-hand understanding of how safety plays out in real life missions. Topics such as hydration, hot weather injuries and fatigue became very real to them because of the hot temperatures and high heat indices each day. Hearty and healthy meals were provided and cadets were always hungry at meal times. All cadets worked hard, and gave their best to learn and improve their ES skills during the activity. And, after a weekend of training and evaluation, the cadet staff selected C/ Amn Levi Camden as Honor Cadet for the activity. As a bonus, the cadets participated in a Flag Retirement Ceremony, where two American Flags were retired and burned. The flags were provided by a local company, who asked the cadets to retire the colors in an appropriate manner. Despite the heat and long hours of training, the cadets had a great time and are anxious for the next FTX, which will be held in the Fall.

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THE DELTA COMPOSITE SQUADRON QUARTERLY Photos From Klein Volunteer Fire Department Visit...

THIRD QUARTER 2010

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THE DELTA COMPOSITE SQUADRON QUARTERLY

THIRD QUARTER 2010

Three Safety Tips Worth Repeating

Checklists: Its possible to get complacent and to become too comfortable with an aircraft. Flying the same airplane repeatedly can sometimes make for a routine that has both positives and negatives associated with it. To mitigate this risk, we use checklists. As CAP pilots we use checklists every time we fly. Further, we should be using the command-challenge method of running the checklist. The pilot calls for the checklist component and the crew member reads each task as the pilot responds with a statement indicating that the task has been satisfied (or not). This discipline ensures that nothing is missed and that the entire crew is informed about the aircraft. Be sure to follow the checklist all the way to shutdown and securing the aircraft after shutdown. Watch Your Head!: While we talk about safety and caution our crews about safety, one must remember that to be truly safe requires an active attention span, an active engagement with the process. At the recent LESA a SAR/DR P i l o t Tr a i n e e r e p e a t e d l y cautioned me while we were around the airplane. Watch your head, be careful of the wheel struts so you dont trip, all things that we know to do, but an active engagement with the process is critical. While I observed this pilot dutifully cautioning the crew, the very next day I watched the same pilot run straight into the trailing edge of the flaps, cutting his head open, creating a reportable incident. Active engagement: when you approach an aircraft, hold your arm at your head level and in front of you. This is the easiest way to avoid hitting the aircraft. If you are standing near the aircraft, reach out and touch it. By doing this youre ensuring that youre not going to damage any air frame structures. In my example, the pilot only suffered a minor cut but endured a fair amount of playful ridicule by other school members. Watch that Prop!: Any time you engage the master switch be certain to check for and call out clear prop. An unknown short circuit could cause the prop to be live and the starter could engage. For this reason, always stand well away from the prop and be cautious of where you place your hands when performing the check list tasks. While we are all taught to clear the prop when we are about to engage the starter, it is equally important that we do this critical safety announcement when the master switch is engaged, too.

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THE DELTA COMPOSITE SQUADRON QUARTERLY

THIRD QUARTER 2010

Just My Opinion
CAP we all know what that might stand for -- Change All Plans. Okay, it doesnt -- but its indicative of the challenges facing our squadron in todays world. As a volunteer organization, we often lack the consistency of organizations that have little turnover, that have little change in operations, and can depend on a steady state of funds. I dont know who those folks might be, but its not us. Instead were faced with organizational challenges from year-to-year, month-to-month and week-to-week. We dont know wholl be at the meeting on any given Tuesday. Our operations stay in flux. Weve moved twice in the last year, down-sizing our trappings as weve moved into smaller facilities. Our funding, while much improved in the last two years, is still not as consistent and dependable as it needs to be. Yet throughout all of this weve remained dedicated to our principles, committed to our mission, and resolute in our determination. Weve bounced back and chipped in and shown up to make Delta a success. It is no accident that both Group and Wing come to Delta looking for good people to steal. In the last three months, weve worked hard on organizational and financial issues. Weve filled some vacancies with good, motivated folks and given some long-standing folks a breather by bringing in new personnel. We now have both a primary and a backup in most of our squadron duty positions, ensuring some continuity. We have everyone on a Specialty Track. Shorty well be announcing a change in the way dues are collected to make our finances a little easier to predict. Weve instituted a weekly email to let everyone know what to expect at the coming Tuesday meeting. Weve introduced some new talent and new approaches for programs. Soon well be unveiling a new simulator set-up. Were even going to try to introduce something involving food each quarter. Weve had programs on Urban Direction Finding, ground-aircrew coordination, WMIRS, Surrogate Predator and Aerial Photography all while meeting our obligations to Wing, the ever-changing FAA environment, Safety and Duty.

The unofficial mantra of the Marine Corps is Adapt, Improvise and Overcome. This might well be a description of the attitude of Delta members as we continue to meet our commitments to the mission and to our goals. Im proud to be a member of Delta. Gary Darby, Deputy Commander for Seniors

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THE DELTA COMPOSITE SQUADRON QUARTERLY

When I first thought of going to encampment, I was excited, then terrified and then confident. I had never been away from home for longer than two days before and that made me anxious. Overall, I was pretty excited about it. I knew I had things I needed to work on, but I thought because of my rank that I would have an edge that other people didnt. I walked in with confidence that I could take this on and it would be no big deal and I would come back relatively unscathed. I also didnt realize how much of a yes person I was. I always had a problem with PT even though I was good at it. I just didnt like doing it. I knew we were going to be doing a lot of PT and I was given a schedule in order to prepare, but I thought that I could skate on by and not have to worry. I didnt study all that much and I only did the bare minimum that I had to. I didnt realize before but I realize now what my biggest problems were.

THIRD QUARTER 2010

A Cadets First Encampment -- C/SMSGT Rachel Barker

Among them; the inability to anticipate what is needed, pride, ignorance, people skills, not taking constructive criticism well, procrastination, messiness and being inefficient These are just some of the things that I walked in with. During the first few days, our schedule mainly consisted of drill, classes, working out, figuring out our roles and just try to make it. I found out later what they were doing. They were breaking us down until all that was left was the bare basics of who we are. It made us learn that we cant do everything by ourselves and that each and every person has their own unique talents. After the first few days, we were so completely exhausted and raw, there was no way we could get anything done without each other. Our next days were spent learning how to work as a team, studying our SOIs, learning control and discipline. We also learned that you can have a ton of fun even if what were doing is hard work. Our flight always strived to have outstanding barracks and uniforms even if it meant that you had to take a shorter shower or you couldnt get that two extra minutes of relaxation time. We all strained on each others nerves and we found out the things that annoyed us while at the same time trying not to annoy everyone else around you. By the fourth day, I had begun sleeping in my road guard uniform and had began getting ready the night before. We all began to find our own rhythm and started to understand what they were trying to teach us. There was still a long way to go, but we all agreed that the only way we would make it is if we took it one day at a time. On the third or fourth day, one of our girls sprained her ankle badly and so we had to help her everywhere she went. We all helped her and we worked as a team to take care of her. Even with her sprained ankle, she still worked as hard as she could. She yelled just as loud as any one of us and helped push us through something that was tough. It made me feel as though we were so close. There were two other girls who were having trouble and they still pushed themselves to the limit. We learned to be proud of our flight and we learned what it truly meant to be a team. After they had completely broken us down, they gave us the material to help us build each other up in a new and better way. None of us will ever be the same.

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THE DELTA COMPOSITE SQUADRON QUARTERLY

THIRD QUARTER 2010

FROM THE COMMANDER...

As mentioned on the front page, hurricane season is upon us and its time to get our preparations in order. As residents of the Gulf Coast storm zone we should be prepared to spend several days, if not weeks, without electricity and expect limited food and water availability for the first few days. Aside from having enough and the right kind of food, there is more to consider. Having survived the Hurricane Ike ordeal, several things are important to me. My house (two refrigerators, two window a/c units, fans and a few small lamps) ran on generated power for 15 days so I will make sure that the genset is fully functional. I run it for a half hour every four to six months making sure to run it dry of fuel to prevent carburetor gum. My next priority is to have at least one full bottle of propane to cook on the grill with. One bottle will last a week to ten days or more if you use it conservatively. These are but two things to consider.

Those of us at CAP need to consider the potential to be activated to assist in damage assessment and search and rescue missions. This includes not only our local area but also areas such as the Coastal Bend, the Rio Grande Valley to the southwest and Beaumont/ Port Arthur to the east. We should, therefore, be prepared and anticipate the request to assist by staying current in our respective mission qualifications as well as continue to train for new qualifications. We should also be sure that our gear is up to date and complete. Normally the notice to deploy is 12-24 hours so be ready to saddle up and go quickly. These are just a few things to consider as you prepare for this hurricane season. Semper Vigilans, Maj. Risher Lewis

Contributing Writers Maj. Tim Ragulsky Capt. Gary Darby 2nd Lt. Nik Keramidas SM David Gaines Capt. Jim Douglas C/SMSgt Rachel Barker Photography Maj. Tim Ragulsky Capt. Jim Douglas C/SMSgt Rachel Barker 1st Lt. David McCollum Editor 1st Lt. David McCollum

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