Professional Documents
Culture Documents
August 2010
Commanders Corner
and I attended the Unit Commanders Course. There were Squadron Commanders and Deputy Commanders from across the Wing. Discussions were focused on ideas and concepts to make the Squadrons more efficient and effective. We saw at least 15 people from AL-118. We saw Cadets and Officers, Air Crew and Ground Team members, new members and highly tenured members. What we all had in common was we were there to try to learn more about what works, what isnt working, and how to make our Squadron more efficient and effective in achieving our mission. I would like to thank and commend everyone who attended these courses. In the coming weeks, we will have meetings to evaluate our current operations and discuss some of the ideas that we picked up at these classes. We are doing a great job. Our activities are successful. However, I am sure that there are several areas in which we could improve our operations. Dont be surprised if you see some new ideas. The Only Constant is Change. Jim Gosnell, Commander Remember: Our SUI will be in January 2011
Commanders Corner Calendar of Events Safety Corner CAP Trivia Iron Man Volunteer Wing Corner
Emergency Services Cadet Corner What You Are Doing Standards and Evaluations Did You Know Professional Development Promotions and Pictures
1 2 3 3 5 4 5
5 6 7
Professional Development is a topic we dont usually like to discuss. It conjures up images of management books, boring slide shows and endless lectures on management theory. Most people, even the brave ones, cringe and hide when you began to discuss Professional Development. Professional Development is required in every career. No matter which profession you enter there is required Professional Development. These classes are designed to make you better at what you do by understanding the history of your chosen field. They teach current and expected trends of the organization. They look at where you are and where you want to be. Imagine, on your job, if you never had to attend any classes from the time you began work until you retired. Would you be effective? Would you be safe? Could you carry out your mission? I believe that the answer to all these questions is no. These classes, while required for promotion in the Civil Air Patrol, also provide a quality learning experience. They teach the past and present of the CAP. They focus on concepts and trends in our organization. They allow the opportunity to network with other people trying to do the same job. They provide an opportunity for our Leaders to present their vision. They are an excellent source of information. We just completed the Professional Development weekend hosted on the 117 ANG Base in Birmingham. Many people spent a lot of time to provide a quality learning experience. The classes offered were: SLS Squadron Leadership School CLC Corporate Learning Course UCC Unit Commanders Course Captain Jon Garlick D/C/S
8 9 10
11
Page 2
Flight Log
Mon
3
Tue
4
Wed
5
Thu
6
Cadet Meeting 1800 - 2030 PTLakeside Park and Pell City Community Center
Fri
7
Sat
10
CHEAHA Homeschool Open House Camp Lee 1800 2000 Cadet recruiting
11
13
15
16
17
18
20
21
22
23
24
25
27
28
Newsletter Deadline
30
31
Notes:
SAFETY CORNER . . .
Communication. Webster defines it as a process by which information is exchanged
between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior... I could not have said it better myself. Why does it seem so hard at times? An example could be that my wife, while reading the Lifestyle portion of the newspaper says Delores Hydock is having a show at this place on such and such. I may be reading the Sports page and respond that sounds good. Her expectation is that we are going to the show on that date and when I am making burgers to cook outside and she is dressed to go out, she doesnt understand how I missed out on our agreement to attend the show. I wish that I could say that this example was hypothetical and bore no resemblance to real life but, it really does, and not just to husband and wife miscommunications. Just this month, we had an AOPA video and quiz on controller to pilot communications and how the new procedures have altered the expectations of the common system of symbols, signs, or behavior. The FAA has analyzed a lot of ground incursion type incidents and has determined that the way that they have been giving instructions to pilots may have contributed to the increase in runway incursions that have plagued general aviation and commercial aviation as well. As Cool Hand Luke may have described it, we have a failure to communicate. As all of you know, it is really, really rare for the FAA to admit that it contributed to anything negative. It is almost always pilot error, in their view, when bad things happen. So we really need to pay attention to them when they are willing to change their procedures to help us understand the instructions better and, hopefully, avoid all those embarrassing plane to plane incursions. The basic change is that controllers will no longer give you a taxi to runway xx clearance whereby you were cleared to cross all runways enroute to your destination except the one you were cleared to. The wording has been changed to something like this; CAP 161, runway 6, taxi via Charley, Alpha, and Foxtrot, hold short of runway 36. Maybe it doesnt seem like a big change but when you are expecting to hear something different, in a different format, it can lead to confusion. If you missed the meeting where the Runway Safety quiz was discussed, you can go to the www.asf.org web site and take it on your own. It has the latest updates on the new terminology that the FAA will be using. Another example of communication could be found in a relatively benign flight plan that requires you to pass through the BHM class C airspace. Say that you call BHM approach and request flight following as you traverse the regulated airspace. In your initial call to BHM approach, you receive this response; aircraft calling BHM, standby. Obviously, the controller is busy and wants you to wait a moment. Since the controller did not state your aircraft identification, you do not have two-way communication. You can not enter the class C airspace since doing so specifically requires that you establish two way communications. By the time you read this, Donnie Todd will have already conducted the first of three training sessions on ATC/Aircrew communications. God willing, I will have attended the session at BHM. If you happened to have missed this one, there will be two other sessions at Montgomery and at Huntsville on later dates. The ALWG must think that this topic is of much importance to schedule sessions all over the state, I agree, please try to attend one of these! By the way, if you are wondering what happened to those burgers that I was preparing, they went back in the Fridge, and my wife and I both really enjoyed Dolores show! Stay Safe! Ron Harlan, Safety Officer
Page 3
REMINDER:
Read the newsletter and receive a Safety Briefing Credit. Please email Ron Harlan at reh1685@aol.com
CAP TRIVIA
What symbol illustrated CAPs original connection with Civil Defense? Be the first to email the correct answer and receive recognition! Send your answer to: BShurbutt@ yahoo.com
Page 4
Upcoming Opportunity to Volunteer: Each year our squadron is asked to volunteer at the Wings of Ashville Air Show. This is an exciting event which you will not want to miss. More information will be sent out as soon as it is available.
Page 5
I am happy to announce the dates for the 2010 CAP Iron Man Competition will be Friday night, November 19th, and Saturday, November 20th. This is the same times as we have done in the past...the weekend before Thanksgiving. Please mark these dates on your calendars. We will be sending out official application packet information a little later, as well as update the website, www.areyouanironman.com Remember, teams are comprised of 6 members, male and female, and can have up to one senior member. We also welcome any teams from outside Alabama to participate if they think they can handle it. Chilton currently has the trophy...its been a little too cozy of there for the past two years. I suggest someone try to give it a new home. I've also heard a rumor that there might be an all senior member team from the Wing level come out; and they said they would have no problem taunting the other teams as they pass them on the run. Christopher A. Tate, Capt, CAP Commander SER-AL-113 (c) 205.240.4169 www.ser-al-113.org www.areyouanironman.com
WESS Dates
October 1 3 November 5-7 January 1416 February 18-20 March 25-27 April 29 - May 1
Wess
WESS is back on the calendar!! The dates are posted on the Squadron Web site along with the known details for each weekend. I expect Staff applications to be requested soon. FTX / WESS veterans will note a change in location for much of the training this cycle. While not personally familiar with Vigilant Warrior (yet!), I am told that we will have all facilities and support in one location. This will eliminate the requirement for bus transportation arrangements every month. Now we will have more quality training time!!
Page 6
Cadet Corner . . .
Cadet News
By Capt. Cindy Bennett
We would like to welcome Mrs. Beth Shurbutt to the cadet side of the house as our newest member in the Public Affairs Specialty Track (sorry Capt. Gosnell she belongs to us). You can however, borrow her at times. Most of us know SM Shurbutt, shes the one who has been taking such wonderful pictures of our events for the past several years. After much persuading she has consented to come aboard officially as our newest CAP member. We welcome her with open arms. It seems that being busy is the norm for the cadets. We kicked off the month of July with the Sunny King Golf Tournament on July 9-11. My thanks to all those that worked that weekend to help make this fundraiser a success. This month, the Alabama wing held professional development weekend at the 117th ANG base in Birmingham. I know that the Pell City Composite Squadron was well represented. From the cadet side of the house, 1Lt Eddie Shurbutt, and 2Lt. Ellen Randolph attended Squadron Leadership School and Major John Randolph, Capt. Cindy Bennett and 1Lt Jeannie Scott attended Corporate Leadership Course. I can speak for those that attended CLC when I say that our class was informative and entertaining at times. There was a lot of interaction between the presenters and the attendees that made for lively discussions. Ask me about Jamal. The cadets also hosted the community and CAP squadrons at the Lakeside Sports Complex on July 27th for the first Community Rocketry Day. We had public service announcements on the radio, and an article about the event in the Daily Home. This event was intended to promote aviation and aerospace education in a fun and informative way to the participants. We wanted to use rocketry as a tool to reach this goal. Attendance was between 50 and 60 participants who were introduced to the world of rocketry through the use of rocket history, then hands on projects of fizzy flyers, pop-bottle rockets, air launched rockets and finally the Estes Firestreak rockets. It was a very hot day, but we managed to keep everyone hydrated and safe and if you see the pictures you will see a lot of smiles on faces. Thanks to the Air Force Association for the grant to help make this day possible. Also a big round of applause to the following squadrons and individuals who worked hard to make the day a success. Squadrons that participated were Boaz, Tuscaloosa, and Pell City. Cadets In Charge: C/Capt Peter Randolph and C/Lt Trent Johnson. Presenters: Pell City members Capt Cindy Bennett, 1Lt Jeannie Scott, and 2Lt Ellen Randolph. Boaz member Major Lynn Toney, and Tuscaloosa member 2Lt Rodney Stephens. Our safety officer 1Lt Eddie Shurbutt and assistant 2Lt Ray Bennett. Medical Officer Capt. Sonja Erskine. The Lunch Bunch led by 2Lt Ellen Randolph were 1Lt Jeannie Scott and parents Jennifer Chandler and Sonja Bedford. There were also others involved during the day doing whatever they were asked to at the time and we thank them for helping make the day a success. We also welcome our newest cadet, James Mastroni to Al-118. We look forward to working with him as he advances in the cadet program. Welcome Aboard! Cadet promotions this month will include Cadet Michael Norwood earning his Wright Brothers award and attaining the rank of C/SSgt. Also, Cadet Nathan Bedford earned his Rickenbacker award and promoted to the rank of C/TSgt. This months Happy Birthday goes to Cadet Tiffany Chandler on July 29.
NEW CADETS
James Mastroni Emily Collier WELCOME!!!
Attending RCLS at Camp Atterbury are Cadets Jerrod Finlay Brian Scott Wesley Morris
Page 7
Cadet Peter Randolph was selected to join fellow Boy Scouts from Troop 514 on a trip and backpacking excursion to Philmont Boy Scout Camp in New Mexico. One of the boys had to give up his spot and Peter was available to go in his stead. He will be gone two weeks and he will be challenged, physically and emotionally, but fortunately, because of his participation in CAP and the physical requirements he has had to meet on the Physical Fitness Tests, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he should be able to accomplish the feat of hiking and climbing 85 miles up and down steep terrain. He will appreciate your prayers!
Cadet Rachel Shurbutt spent a week in July on a Work and Witness trip to Beattyville, Kentucky. Her group, teens and adults from the Alabama North District Church of the Nazarene, spent the week trying to make a difference in a community that has great needs. Rachels group built a deck on a house that made access to house easier and also painted the building that hadnt seen a drop of paint in years. Ron Turners tour of duty in earthquake-devastated Haiti showed him human resilience and that life goes on in spite of massive devastation and difficulties. Turner, a Safety Engineer and Paramedic here at the Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (ANCDF) at Anniston Army Depot, said the devastation caused by the Jan. 12 earthquake was massive, but the Haitian people survived and will work hard to rebuild their ravaged country. The people of Haiti were great to deal with, he said. They are very resilient but also need all the help they can get. Our workers, Haitian translators and transporters, worked all day for all the water they could drink and a Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) at the end of the day. Turner was sent to Haiti as part of the U.S. response to the earthquake. He served with the nations Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT), leaving for the Caribbean nation that shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic on the Jan. 22 weekend. The team was deployed for 10 days on the ground plus travel time for a total of about 14 days. The 62 doctors, nurses, paramedics, emergency medical technicians and other personnel combined to form one of the Health and Human Services (HHS) DMAT that are part of the National Disaster Medical Service. Turner was one of six team members that went to Haiti from the AL-1 DMAT based in Birmingham. Turners DMAT team set up a field hospital that treated illness and injuries from dysentery to broken bones to more serious, traumatic injuries. The field hospital was located just above Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti.You could look out one way and see the mountains and the ocean and then look another and remember the poverty and devastation, Turner said. The devastation was massive with some areas totally destroyed. TV does not do it justice when youre there you realize it is much more real. Many of the people are living in tent villages.The U.S. Army and other organizations were handing out food as fast as they could, and it was not getting there fast enough. It is a logistical nightmare.The traumatic injuries were very bad -- lots of broken bones and amputations. I would have to say it was the worst Ive seen because of the number of patients along with the children 60 percent of our cases were kids. We had a 13-year-old bring in a baby to the hospital and you dont know, at first, if the baby is her child or someone elses. And then you find out its a baby with no family. About his return to Alabama, Turner said, It was 95 degrees when I left and 23 when I got back. But mostly Im just glad to be home. He was expecting to perform more paramedic duties but instead served as the safety officer for his group. The DMAT team slept in cots on tennis courts, while the 82nd Airborne, the division they worked with, slept nearby. It was noisy even at night, he explained, The Soldiers went out and delivered food to various locations and performed reconnaissance at night to look for victims in need of treatment so it never got quiet. Ron said this was the first time the U.S. has deployed the DMAT teams internationally, and so, this was a learning experience for everyone involved.
Page 8
Every year a CAP pilot must take a form 5 check ride. It seems like a lot of pilots let this check ride sneak up on them. We at Stan/Eval have requests almost every month for a check ride during the last week of the month. It is the pilots responsibility to prepare and schedule his or her form 5 check ride. If you wait until the last week of the month to try and schedule your check ride I can assure you that you will not be able to get your check ride which means you will fall off the FRO list and not be able to participate in any funded flying. I suggest that a pilot try to schedule their check ride in the beginning of the month it is scheduled to expire. Preparing for the ride means that you must take the on-line CAP regulations 60-1 test and fill out the questions for the aircraft for which you are qualified. In the past you have been able to fill out the questions on your computer and print them to bring to your check ride. There are currently discussions going on at Region and NHQ about requiring that the questions be filled out by hand. There is also an on-line course to help you prepare for your check ride. It is located in the on-line courses on the NHQ website. The first thing the course mentions is to be prepared to take the check ride. Have all your paper work with you and ready to be reviewed by the check pilot. Make sure you have your FAA certificates with you and a current medical certificate and your CAP ID. I can usually tell how a check ride is going to go based on if the pilot has all his paper work completed. Of course, preparing for the check ride is much more than simply the paper work. The AL Wing DOV wants everyone to ride with an IP before taking their yearly check ride. This helps the pilot know if there are some areas that will need polishing up. One of the things that aggravates me more than anything is to waste someone's time. We are all volunteers and some of us only have a limited amount of time to give to the CAP. The last thing I want to do is to waste a volunteers time by not being prepared. Also, dont wait to prepare for the check ride the month before or the week before you plan to take it. The regulations have different profiles that you can go out and practice to keep yourself current and proficient. Try to go out and fly one of these profiles whenever you can. We at the 118 th have put money away to help supplement proficiency flying. We understand it is expensive to fly and have worked to reduce your costs. The only thing we cannot do for you is fly the airplane! This time of year it is best to fly in the morning when it is cooler(?) and the thunderstorms have not yet developed. Fall season is just a few months away and we will have more opportunities to fly and stay proficient. Remember there is a big difference between current and proficient, to be current only means you have made three take offs and landings in the last ninety days (to a full stop for night current). Staying proficient means flying much more than every ninety days. So remember all CAP pilots are required to have a check ride every year. Once you establish your month for renewal then work toward that time to be prepared for your check ride. Dont let it come as a surprise that you have fallen off the FRO list. After all you take a check ride Every Year!
Page 9
Did you know that our service men and women take great pride in being privileged to wear this countrys uniforms? Along with our veterans, they have earned that privilege by training and serving our country. And just as privileges are earned, they can be taken away, when you fail to maintain the standards set that allow you to wear that uniform. Did you know that CAPM 39-1 gives specific guidance as to how to wear a Civil Air Patrol uniform? As members of CAP, we too have been given the privilege of wearing a military style uniform. And just as with the active duty personnel, we too can lose that privilege. When we consider the wearing of the CAP uniform as just another form of clothing, we cheapen the honor that it represents. As a veteran, I take personal offense at the sloppy, non-caring way that some people wear the uniform. Your uniform reflects who you are. If you think that just anything goes, the next time you wear your uniform, ask an active duty military person what they think of you. CAPM 39-1 gives the requirements for the proper wearing of the various uniforms. It also includes the grooming standards required for wearing them. Did you know that the length of your hair or how you wear it can keep you from wearing certain uniforms? Or that only boots are to be worn with one uniform while only shoes are worn with another? These are things that each CAP member should learn and adhere to. Not just to be in line with a regulation but, so that you can take pride in your uniform and present yourself proudly as a member of the Civil Air Patrol. And just so you know, CAPM39-1 say: All commanders will ensure that all members, individually and collectively present a professional, well-groomed appearance, which will reflect credit upon CAP as the auxiliary of the United States Air Force. They will ensure that all members are uniformed in accordance with the provisions of this manual, uniform violations are promptly corrected, and that members are continually informed as to the proper wear of the uniform. Our commander cannot do this alone. Let us each take personal responsibility for ourselves and wear our uniforms proudly. We all agreed to this when we took the oath of membership. Our integrity is the ssue. When we wear our uniform correctly, it tells those who are junior to us that it is important to us, and that just getting by, just isnt not good enough. So now you know. Eddie Shurbutt, 1Lt. SER-AL-118
Page 10
If these questions have raised a larger question mark thenunlike the government..I am here to help. Professional Development in CAP is multi -faceted and appears complicated on the surface. However it is not all that difficult. The attendance from the Squadron at the recent Professional Development weekend was impressive. It also served to make many of us more aware of what goes into making our Squadron tick. The greatest area we have for improvement is communication. Between the members and the Professional Development Officer. I encourage you to contact me with your questions by e-mail or phone. You may also visit with me any Thursday during the weekly Cadet meetings at the Pell City Community Center 1800 2030. I would prefer this as it will allow me to get to know you and thus better assist you. Each of us is responsible for our own training but some light needs to be shed on the options available to you and how to get on course to achieving the goals set. Come by and review your training status. This is your Squadron. It is one of the best in Alabama. Get on the cutting edge of training and help make it the best Squadron in Alabama. Major Randolph, CAP Prof. Development Off.
Promotions Corner . . .
Cadet Promotions for May 2010:
Michael L Norwood Jr C/SrA *May 26 Thomas Grimes Completed LV1
Page 11
Photo Corner . . .
Rocketry Day 2010
(Watch for article on the Rocketry Day in Septembers Newsletter)