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FLIGHT LOG

Pell City Squadron Alabama Wing Civil Air Patrol

February 2010
CALENDAR
Feb 4th 5th-6th 11th 18th 25th 26th-27th Cadet meeting 1800-2030 Wing Conference (Hover Galleria) Cadet meeting 1800-2030 Officers Meeting 1830-2030 Cadet meeting 1800-2030 Cadets and Officers Change of Command @ Community Center 1800-2030 SARX @ MDG

Commanders Corner:
This will be my last Commanders Corner for the 118th. On Feb 25th we will have a change of command with both the cadets and the officers. Captain James Gosnell will assume command of the 118th. This will conclude 3 years of my commanding the 118th. It has been a constant learning curve. I would like to thank the squadron staff for all their help. Running Alabamas most alert squadron is not a job for one person. Without the support of the staff we could not field one ground team or get one aircrew air borne. The wing ES staff knows that a call to the 118th will get an immediate response. I would also like to thank the cadets and the officers for volunteering their time and efforts to make this the premier squadron in the Alabama wing. During the last three years we have seen the squadron grow with both cadets and officers. We have seen one of our cadets achieve the highest award that CAP has to offer, the Spaatz award. The cadets have progressed through the FTX (now WESS) training to become instructors not only with the Wing but also nationally at NESA. The officer ranks have also grown. Our squadron -1-

received Alabamas first 182T G1000 aircraft in 2006 and we operated that aircraft until February of 2009 when we received our current G1000 182T. During this time there has not been a month when the squadron was not able to fly the required hours on the aircraft. We have also improved our operations room at the airport so that is has become a true asset to the Alabama wings E-services. In December the wing operated the first SAR from the center. I am proud to have served as the squadron commander during this time of growth at the 118th. I know Captain Gosnell will continue this growth along with making sure the squadron remains the wings premier composite squadron. I plan to continue to support the squadron as the squadron Stan/Eval officer to help the squadron pilots maintain their readiness to deploy when tasked by the wing. I hope you will continue to provide your support for the 118th and for Captain Gosnell as he makes the transition from Deputy Commander to CO.

Capt. Chris Iddins Squadron Commander, 118

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have to pay for the aircraft costs but our CFIs (and we are blessed with several) will fly with you and charge youNOTHING! Try to find a deal like that anywhere else in general aviation! OK, it seems like winter is not leaving us as soon as expected so a reminder of cold weather operations may be a good thing. On our recent educational sortie to Maxwell, where several of our squadron members participated in a weekend seminar on instrument flying, one of the instructors, our own Chris Iddins, mentioned that putting a trouble light under the cowling and an army blanket on top added over 30 degrees to the initial oil temperature of our aircraft. In cold weather, that can be a lifesaving 30 degrees. Please continue this practice as long as the nighttime temperatures continue to fall into the freezing levels! An elevated alert on IFR icing hazards is in order also. One of our flight crews (yours truly, included) experienced this first hand so be alert for all the weather signs and plan accordingly. It may seem weird to mention icing, cold weather, and thunderstorms all in the same article but this is Alabama, as you know. Before our March edition hits the streets, we will probably experience some weather involving thunderstorms. When the weather shifts, it can do so rapidly and with great consequences, so be fully aware of all the ramifications.

First Lieutenant Ron Harlan

Safety Corner:
Are you as good as you think you are? Thats the question Rod Macado of AOPA magazine asks of us in his most recent article. Rod relates how the mission commander of Apollo 11 tells the lunar landing crew members that they should not proceed with landing if they have any doubts and, if they abort, they will still be accorded the highest priority to try it again. The commander did not want the crew to feel unwarranted pressure to try to accomplish a mission that would have a low expectation of success just because they had come that far in the flight plan. Rod gives the example of a pilot who was trying to land in a strong crosswind and, on his third try, made it onto the ground only to perform a ground loop and substantially damage his aircraft. Do pilots, in general, overrate their actual abilities? Rods answer is..YES, they do and the more competent the pilot, the more likely they are to feel that they are good to go for situations that they shouldnt be entering into. Do you have any shortcomings as a pilot? I know I do. For example, I have a tendency to land too long when performing a no-flaps landing. It doesnt hurt me at PLR where we have a 5,000 runway but, at Wetumpka, with only 3,000 and trees close to the end of runway 27, my skills may be lacking. How about your skills on steep turns and slow flight? Can you meet the rigorous expectations of the PTS on all of the flight maneuvers? There is one good way to find out and to improve on your skills if needed. That is to enlist one of our very well qualified CFIs on your next flight. Yes, you may -2-

Stay Safe! Ronald Harlan, Safety Officer/Squadron 118

Cadets Page

differing capabilities. After building the equipment, the animation is set to see how it will work or what modifications need to be made. This class was limited to nine trainees so we were fortunate to acquire a seat. The cadet side of Pell City is looking forward to a busy and productive year. There are plans to participate in the AEX program again as well as start the rocketry program. We issue a standing invite to any of our Senior Officers to visit with us. We meet every Thursday at 6:00 pm at the Community Center in Pell City. We look forward to seeing you there.

After taking a big break during the month of December, the cadets are off and running in January 2010. We have implemented a review board for promotions and have accepted applications for cadet staff for the coming year. From Friday Jan 22nd to Sunday Jan. 24th, the WESS (Wing Emergency Services School) was held. We sent 10 people to WESS. There was one Ground Team Leader Trainee, two Advanced School students, one Basic School student and six staff members. Pell City is well represented at WESS. We also sent one member to STK (Satellite Tool Kit) training in Huntsville on Wednesday Jan 27th. This training started at 9:00 am and ended at 5:00pm. We used AGI simulation software to mimic different scenarios such as rogue aircraft from Havana, Cuba headed to Cape Canaveral to find out if there was an intercept time before the aircraft reached its target. This software can also be used to build the ISS and different kinds of spacecraft and give them
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Capt Cindy Bennett AL-118 DCC

Professional Development
In reviewing the current status of the Squadron I have found the following: Equal Opportunity There are a large number of members shown as having not completed this training. I realize that this was done late last year and we signed the training roster. However, it did not make it into E-services. Please log on and check your training record. If it is not indicated as complete please take the time to get it done. It takes about 10 minutes. Foundations Course for Level I A total of six Seniors that need to complete this training. It is available on line. To find it log on to E-services and find the link for on- line courses and exams. This training can all be completed on-line. The final requirement is a review of the material and your quiz answers with your mentor or myself. Cadet Protection There are six personnel required to complete this mandatory training that have not yet done so. Log on to E-services and using the online courses and exams link and then the CPPT link to complete this. Aircraft Handling Video We are at 100% with this one!! In fact we have a number of our Cadets that have completed this training in anticipation of earning ES mission qualifications. All in all we are in a very good position to get our professional development program on the move, which is my main goal. I hope to meet with each Senior and review where each of you are at, get Specialty Tracks assigned as needed and answer any questions you may have. If you have questions you need answered before we meet I can be reached via e-mail at tskfor1@centurytel.net or phone at 205-229-0376. Please feel free to contact me anytime. John Randolph, Major, CAP Professional Development

Major Randolph

Communications Tip: Safeguarding Your E-mail Address and Account & Beware of E-mail Scams
Protect your personal information. Exercise caution when sharing personal information such as your name, home address, phone number, and email address online. Since not divulging any personal information is rarely possible, the following list contains some advice for how to share personal information safely online: Keep an eye out for phony email messages. Things that indicate a message may be fraudulent are misspellings, poor grammar, odd phrasings, Web site addresses with strange extensions, Web site addresses that are entirely numbers where there are normally words, and anything else out of the ordinary. Additionally, phishing messages will often tell you that you have to act quickly to keep your account open, update your security, or urge you to provide information immediately or else something bad will happen. Don't take the bait. Don't respond to email messages that ask for personal information. Legitimate companies will not use email messages to ask for your personal information. When in doubt, contact the company by phone or by typing in the company Web address -4-

into your Web browser. Don't click on the links in these messages as they make take you to a fraudulent, malicious Web sites. Steer clear of fraudulent Web sites used to steal personal information. When visiting a Web site, type the address (URL) directly into the Web browser rather than following a link within an email or instant message. Fraudsters often forge these links to make them look convincing. A shopping, banking or any other Web site where sensitive information should have an "S" after the letters "http" (i.e. https://www.yourbank.com not http://www.yourbank.com)/. The "s" stands for secure and should appear when you are in an area requesting you to login or provide other sensitive data. Another sign that you have a secure connection is the small lock icon in the bottom of your web browser (usually the right-hand corner). Pay attention to privacy policies on Web sites and in software. It is important to understand how an organization might collect and use your personal information before you share it with them. Guard your email address. Spammers and phishers sometimes send millions of messages to email addresses that may or may not exist in hopes of finding a potential victim. Responding to these messages or even downloading images ensures you will be added to their lists for more of the same messages in the future. Also be careful when posting your email address online in newsgroups, blogs or online communities. J.M. Randolph, Major Communication Officer AL118

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