Volume 2, Number 3

Squadron Commander Maj. Jim Gosnell Cadet Commander Capt. Cindy

April 2011

COMMANDERS CORNER . . .
Spring is Coming
We are getting a glimpse of the coming weather. With the advent of some nicer weather, it is a good opportunity to get outside and practice up on skills that have been sitting on the shelf all winter. We have had several months of winter weather and now we are ready to get outside. Now is a good time to go out and practice some landings, do some cross country flying, work on land navigation, or work with a direction finding unit. There are many activities that we can do to prepare us for our task in the coming months. Before we go out we need to remember a few things. Even though it is not hot, we have been inside the last couple of months. We are not acclimated to the environment. Even with lower temperatures we can still have problems with the heat because we are not used to it. With nice daytime temperatures, evenings can still be quite cool. Be sure to plan your events carefully. This is a good time to do an ORM assessment of each activity and identify any operational risks. Watch the weather. Spring weather can change rapidly. With care we can all enjoy the warmer weather and remain safe while our bodies get acclimated to the heat. Jim Gosnell

Inside this issue: Commanders Corner Calendar PAOs Corner Safety Officers Corner W.E.S.S. Personnel and Admin. Cadets Corner 7 5 6 1

2 3 4

Aerospace Corner Standards and Eval. Corner Did You Know? Trivia and Summer Encampment

QUALITY CADET UNIT AWARD FOR 2011

10 11

Photos and Pro- 12 motions

We are pleased to announce that Pell City Composite Squadron has been awarded a Quality Cadet Unit Award for 2011. Only two units in Alabama met the criteria for this award during the year. Everyone should be proud of the hard work that you do in and for this squadron. The criteria for this award can be found on the www.capmembers.com web site. Use the search box and type in Quality Cadet Unit Award to see the criteria and to further explore the links there if you want to see winners of other wings. Thanks, C Bennett, Capt.

Calendar . . .

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April 2011
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

7
Cadet Meeting P.T. Clothing Lakeside Park 1800

9
Happy Birthday Roy Smith

10

11

12
Happy Birthday Ron Turner

13

14
Cadet Meeting Blues 1800

15

16

17

18
Happy Birthday Richard Burke

19

20

21
Cadet Meeting BDUs 1800

22
Happy Birthday Jerrod Finaly

23

24

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NEWSLETTER DEADLINE

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27

28
Cadet Meeting 1800

29

30

WESS

WESS

May 1

WESS
Graduation 1230

PAOs CORNER . . .

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Greetings from your public affairs officer. Its been my privilege to be able to hang out with the cadets from time to time, and I am amazed at the talent we have in our squadron. In my hanging out, Ive also see a few things that are of concern to me. An important thing to remember is that we are walking advertisements for Civil Air Patrol whether we are senior members or cadets. The public basically knows about our organization by what they see demonstrated in our behavior. Lets remember that Civil Air Patrol is a Volunteer organization. None of us are paid to do our jobs, and we should treat each other with respect no matter our rank. If Im mistreated, I will not be excited to return to the place Im abused. We dont want to lose any members because of the actions of a few. Our job is to teach and encourage each other, not to berate and make someone feel less important because their rank may not be as high as ourselves. When wearing BUDs or Dress Blues, we must remain in uniform while at our meetings and after meeting meetings. Blouses must be worn at all times, and hair must remain regulation. Some of our best recruiting is done at our after-meeting meetings. Our behavior and speech also needs to reflect our character and standards of excellence. Often I hear language used that is not becoming of an intelligent person or our CAP program. We can all choose educated vocabulary to express ourselves, especially while in CAP uniform. Think before you speak. Let us all strive for excellence in our endeavor to be positive representatives of Civil Air Patrol. 2Lt. Beth Shurbutt

WHERE TO FIND US ON THE INTERNET:

Civil Air Patrol
www.gocivilairpatrol.com/

CADET PROGRAM EMAIL GROUP:

A Yahoo Email group has been set up to make communication between members easier. Invitations were sent to all the cadet members. If you are not receiving updates and reminders from the Yahoo Group, you most likely are not a member of it yet. Please contact Beth Shurbutt at: LTooney@cableone.net and request that she add you to the group. You can also go to the Yahoo Group site and join:

Cadet Services
http://www.capmembers.com/

Alabama Wing of Civil Air Patrol

http://www.alwg.cap.gov/

Pell City Civil Air Patrol

http://www.pellcitycap.org/

Wing Emergency Services School (WESS)

http://wess.alwg.us/

Photo Files on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bethshurbutt/ collections/72157615727997818/

On Facebook: Civil Air Patrol, AL Wing

Civil Air Patrol, Pell City Composite Squadron, SER-AL-118, Civil Air Patrol

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ PellCityCAP/

Safety Corner . . .
From Our Safety Officer . . . SAFETY

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On occasion, the Wing Safety Officer suggests that we cover aircraft accidents involving our type of aircraft as a learning experience. Many of these incidents seem to involve a fatality since that consequence usually gets our attention. Well, I recently came across an accident report that has several opportunities for learning andthere was no fatality. In fact, both pilots walked away uninjured physically, although an ego or two may have been bruised. The flight, in a Cessna 172S, began on a spring morning from Tamiami Airport near Miami, FL. The IFR flight plan called for the aircraft to proceed northward along the eastern FL coast to Palm Beach and then, westward to Sarasota. The pilot in the left seat was a student IFR pilot working on the IFR Enroute part of the program. The CFII in the right seat had 680 total hours and over 500 hours in the type aircraft being flown. The flight proceeded up the coastline in VFR conditions until, nearing Palm Beach, the instructor began to be concerned with cloud formations ahead of them and to west. He made an inquiry to Palm Beach Approach control and the controller replied that his radar did not show any cells in the area of their flight but, he added, his radar did not extend to the area in question but he was sure that there was some weather in the path to Sarasota. The instructor then requested a direct to Sarasota and it was granted. As the 172S approached the cloud cover, the instructor requested a higher altitude of 8,000 feet and it was granted. In the meantime, the enroute ATC center had assigned a Bonanza a heading to a hole in the cold front that was very close to the 172s assigned flight path. Palm Beach approach advised the 172 of this route and they decided to accept the routing. Center advised the 172 that there was a line of precipitation extending at least five mile along your route, then you should be clear until you get closer to Sarasota. The 172 entered clouds at 8,000 feet and immediately encountered light to moderate rainfall. Then they hit turbulence. The instructor immediately took the controls and started a 180 turn to exit the turbulence. The turn was forced into a 90 degree bank and a downdraft took the aircraft rapidly down by 2,000 feet. Turbulence then increased to the point that the door hinge pins were fractured and the passenger door was driven aft by 8 inches. This resulted in the doors window and frame being blown out and striking the right horizontal stabilizer and bending it down to a 30 degree position. The instructor called Center and declared an emergency, asking for the quickest way out of the weather. Center gave the Cessna a heading of 090 as the best way to exit and added maintain 8,000 feet if feasible. Then another downdraft forced the 172 down a chilling descent, losing another 4,500 feet. Another downdraft forced the plane to 500 feet where it popped out of the clouds. The instructor was advised by ATC to climb back to 8,000 feet and he refused and requested assistance for a straight-in landing to the Palm Beach airport which was made without further incidence. Lessons learned:

Dont depend on ATC to keep you clear of weather. Their primary purpose is to direct traffic. Approach Control has the least reliable weather radar; you will get better advice from the Enroute Control, as a rule. Dont depend on Nexrad or any in-cockpit weather device other than on-board radar to keep you clear of cells when you are in a frontal system or squall line. The instructor was wise to advise ATC of his situation and to ask for help. Otherwise, he could have keep on flying into even worse conditions. Dont ever give up flying the aircraft, this one seemed uncontrollable, I am sure, but just keeping the wings level as best he could probably saved them. VFR pilots, wipe that smirk off your faces. There are numerous records of pilots flying, in clear air conditions, too close to convective activity and having the same experience or worse.

We are entering into a wonderful spring season that most of us have eagerly anticipated, given the long cold winter. However, the thunderstorms and even worse weather are just around the corner. Dont take anything for granted. Stay Safe! Ron Harlan, Safety Officer

Reminder: Read the newsletter and receive a Safety Briefing Credit. Please email Ron Harlan at reh1685@aol.com

W.E.S.S. (Wing Emergency Services School) Corner .. .Page 5

W.E.S.S. - April 29 thru May 1, 2011 Vigilant Warrior
Aprils WESS is the last meeting of this cycle. It is your only chance to make up any tasks that you may have not passed. Make Up Tasks, Graduation Mission, and Graduation are on the agenda for Aprils meeting. For the WESS students who have not completed the gear task yet, signing it off is very easy. All one must need is have a complete 24 for basic and a full 24 and 72 for advanced. If you do not have the task signed off, you can bring your gear to a squadron meeting to have it checked. (There are only 4 meetings left before WESS.) Remember, for graduation, you will need 100% of all your tasks completed, and the gear task is the easiest of all of them. If you are unsure of what tasks you have signed off, go to http://www.alabamaftx.com/documents/Progress.pdf for all the tasks.

W.E.S.S. Graduation
May 1, 2011
12:30 p.m. arrival, 1:00 p.m. graduation

Vigilant Warrior
Directions:
http://wess.alwg.us/documents/vw%20directions.pdf EVERYONE IS INVITED!!!

NESANational Emergency Service Academy

http://nesa.cap.gov/

Personnel and Admin. Corner . . .

From your Personnel/Admin Officer:

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Again, this months article is for Senior Members. For those of our Senior Members who have completed Level II, I am listing the requirements to complete Level III. Level III is the Management level. Senior members desiring to serve in CAP management positions train at this level. CAP designed professional development at this level for senior members serving as squadron, group, or wing commanders and for staff officers. Criteria for completion of this level include: a. Complete Level II training. b. One year of experience in a command or staff position. c. Attain the senior rating in any specialty track. d. Attend two wing, region, or national conferences. e. Complete the Corporate Learning Course (CLC). Corporate Learning Course (CLC). After completing the Squadron Leadership School and learning about squadron operations, senior members should attend the Corporate Learning Course (CLC). The CLC is designed to explain how a wing operates in each of CAPs major mission elements and how mission support functions support these mission elements. Armed with this knowledge, senior members can learn how they and their respective organizations can best support the wing and fulfill the corporate role of CAP. Grover Loening Aerospace Award. Successful completion of Level III of the Professional Development Program makes the CAP member eligible for the Grover Loening Aerospace Award. ***Registration for the Professional Development Weekend is now available. You can now register for SLS, CLC, UCC, and TLC. Please go to http://www.alwg.cap.gov/ to register. The training will start on Saturday morning May 7 at 0800 sharp with registration opening at 0700. We will start again on Sunday morning May 8 at 0800 sharp.*** Hope to see you there!! 1LT Jeannie Scott

To serve America by developing our Nations youth; accomplishing local, state and national emergency and humanitarian missions; and educating our citizens on the impact of aviation and space. - CAP Mission Statement
CADET OATH "I pledge to serve faithfully in the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program and that I will attend meetings regularly, participate actively in unit activities, obey my officers, wear my uniform properly and advance my education and training rapidly to prepare myself to be of service to my community, state and nation."

Cadet Corner . . . Cadets Corner

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March has brought us an abundance of weather patterns. Cold, hot, wet and now cold again. There is plenty of pollen in the air as those who participated in last weekends WESS cycle can testify. Through all this the temperatures are warming, the grass is greening and early spring flowers are springing. As the temperatures warm, plans are made to be outside more participating in different activities. CAP isnt any different. This month we participated in the Alabama Wing Conference held at the gorgeous Guntersville State park. What a view! What a day it was also. There were conferences for cadets on subjects such as Encampment, National Cadet Special Activities, Leadership, Speaking 101 and Careers. We also sent two of our cadets to the CAC (Cadet Advisory Council) meeting where subjects that affects the cadets were discussed. The cadets that attended this wing conference were C/Lt Brian Scott, and C/CMSgt Jerrod Finlay. The awards banquet was held later that night and C/CMSgt Jerrod Finlay was named the Alabama Cadet NCO of the year. The Pell City Composite Squadron was also designated a Civil Air Patrol 2011 Quality Cadet Squadron for commendable cadet programs performance throughout the year 2010. This is a new award and was given to only two squadrons in Alabama. It is based on meeting certain criteria and squadrons that met at least 5 out of 8 criteria received the award. Only one hundred eighteen units nationwide met the criteria. So congratulations to all those units. There was also mention of the AEX program for 2010. Again only two units in Alabama participated in the AEX program and received recognition with the plaque and certificates for its members. Congratulations Pell City and keep up the good work! The WESS cycle for 2010-2011 is almost at a close. The weekend of March 25-27 brought the last of new tasks for those participating and the makeup weekend for any tasks that need to be made up is April 29-May 1. This will also be the capstone exercise and graduation event for our newly qualified members. If your family has a cadet that is going through this training, you are invited to the graduation ceremony on May 1, 2011. It will be held at the Vigilant Warrior training facility in Titus, Al. If you need directions or have any questions please contact me. There are some upcoming events that may be of interest to some of our folks so here is a partial list: April 29-May 1, WESS capstone and graduation May 6-8 Professional Development weekend at Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, Al Cadet promotions for the month of March include Cadet Michael Norwood to C/CMSgt, Cadet Allaina Howard to C/SMSgt, and Cadet David Thompson to C/Amn. Congratulations everyone Captain Cindy Bennett

??? Captain Bennetts Trivia Question ???

Who is the current commander of CAP-USAF?
Remember to Email your answer to cbennett50@bellsouth.net

Aerospace Corner . . . Aerospace Hi

Okay, this month Im going to continue to push our senior members to achieve their Yeager award. So here is what you have to do: You can read the book Aerospace: The Journey of Flight 2nd edition, and then go to www.capmembers.com. On the left side choose Aerospace Education, then from the green box choose CAP University. Under CAP University on the left side choose online courses and exams. ** Under exams and specialty track tests, choose from the drop down menu Aerospace Education Program for Senior Members Test # 1 and enter your CAP ID and last name. The test will appear, it is OPEN BOOK and untimed. Take it and if you pass, go ahead and print your certificate for your records. If for some reason you dont pass test # 1, you can try again with Test # 2. I have five hardback books if you need one.

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The second option is to log in to eservices. On the left side there is a link for AE downloads and resources. Choose this link and the page will open to the book shown by chapter headings. When you are ready to take the test click the online courses and exams link and follow the directions from the ** above. The following questions are taken from the chapter questions in the book and should give you some idea of what you will encounter during your study. 1. Who had the first success in controlled, powered, and sustained flight? 2. True or False: Calbraith Perry Rogers was the first person to fly nonstop across the United States. 3. Select the correct answer: More efficient wing shapes were developed by (NACA // School of Aeronautics at New York University) scientists. 4. True or False: The Boeing 727 was the most successful jet ever built. 5. Fill in the blanks: The sudden displacement of air and the resulting wedge shaped wave is called a ___________ ________. 6. Multiple choice: The prime meridian is the starting point for A. latitude B. longitude C. graticules D. projection

As you can see, there are a variety of questions on different subjects. This is the same book our cadet officers use once they reach their C/2Lt rank. Are you as smart as a cadet? I challenge each of our seniors that have not received their Yeager to give it a try. Answers to these questions will be in next months newsletter.

Standards and Eval. . . .

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Occasionally I will look back at some of the old newsletters just to see what we were doing during this time of the year. A common theme seems to come from the spring newsletters and that is with the improving weather it is time to get out and fly. We have talked about hanger flying and arm chair flying so when I read the article below from the FAASTeam thought it would be good for everyone to read the same message from a different perspective. This is a repeat form May of 2009. But I believe the message is worth reviewing for those who missed it the first time. Fly Safe Major Chris Iddins

FAASTeam Safety Tip

by Max Trescott, author and 2008 National CFI of the Year Build Your Experience in Aircraft Type and in the Armchair

Its a common myth that the performance level that pilots (and athletes) attain is determined by some innate inner talent. One study dispels this myth by showing that its not talent or strength that determines performance, but rather having the proper mindset and focus. Another study shows that the number of hours of practice is the primary factor that differentiates performance levels. A separate study of F-15 fighter pilots showed that fully 92.5 percent of the variability in their situational awareness scores was attributed to the total number of hours they flew in F-15s. As a pilot gains experience and accumulates hundreds or thousands of flying hours, its easy to assume that this brings with it a cloak of immunity from accidents. Statistics reveal, however, that accidents are correlated more with the number of hours of experience a pilot has in a particular aircraft model and not with his or her total number of flight hours. Accidents tend to decrease after a pilot accumulates at least 100 hours of experience in the aircraft he or she is flying. Thus when learning to fly or transitioning into a new model, your goal should be to concentrate your flying hours in that model, while perhaps getting additional dual instruction, until you reach 100 hours of experience. If you fly relatively few hours per year, maximize your safety by concentrating those hours in just one aircraft model. Another major category of experience that counts but may get overlooked is armchair flying. I often tell my clients to practice armchair flying when they have a few quiet moments at home. Why? I recall reading years ago about a study in which three groups of basketball players were tested on their ability to throw baskets at the beginning and the end of an experiment. Group 1 was told to do no practice between the tests, Group 2 was told to actively practice shooting baskets, and Group 3 was told to spend time imagining they were shooting baskets. The results? Group 2 improved their performance the most, but Group 3 improved almost as much. A similar study showed that successful Olympic athletes did more mental practice in the final stages of their preparation than less successful competitors did. I tell my clients that, when theyre practicing at home in an armchair, they should do more than envision themselves flying a perfect approach to a perfect landing. They should also visualize deviations and the corrections they would make in response. For example, imagine that you notice youve blown to the left of the runway and then visualize using a sideslip by lowering the right wing and pushing on the left rudder until you return to the centerline. From the armchair, you can just as easily fly an entire instrument flight by visualizing getting the ATIS, briefing the approach, flying the procedure turn, adding power to level off after each descent, and so on. Whether in the air or from the armchair, when you fly, concentrate your hours by building experience in a particular aircraft type and by mentally practicing flying from an armchair to accumulate even more experience. Both kinds of experience will make you a more proficient pilot.
_______________________________________________________________________ The FAASTeam has asked Max Trescott, the 2008 National CFI of the Year, to write a series of safety tips. Max, a San Francisco area-based Master CFI, specializes in teaching in and publishing training materials for glass cockpit aircraft. You can read more of his work at http://www.maxtrescott.com/ and http://www.g1000book.com/ or e-mail him at info@sjflight.com.

Did You Know?? . . .

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Did you know that for want of a nail, the kingdom was lost? It is true. But, just in case you havent heard of this rhyme, let me tell it to you now.

For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the battle was lost. For want of a battle the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
The references in "For want of a nail" indicate the English origins of the rhyme. In 1363, to ensure the continued safety of the realm, King Edward III commanded the obligatory practice of archery on Sundays and holidays! The earliest known written version of the rhyme is in John Gower's " Confesio Amantis dated approximately 1390. This rhyme is often taught to children to impress upon them that they need to think through their actions to the end, so that the outcome will be positive. This is the point that I wish to make here. If you were doing a pre-flight and noticed that a tire on the landing gear had a large nick in it but you couldnt tell how deep it was, would you take off? Sure, it is holding air right now but, will it hold air after you have been flying for a couple of hours? Probably. However, since you forgot about the nicked tire, you decide to do a few touch and gos. The first one is okay but on that second one, you suddenly hear a boom! The next thing you see when opening your eyes is the ceiling of the emergency room if you are lucky. Now the doctor says your flying days are over. Not to mention that your passenger wasnt as lucky as you. He wont be flying or doing anything else. All because you ignored a badly nicked tire. Ground teams, dont think that just because you arent in the air, that you are getting away with anything. Each of you has a gear list and is expected to have this gear when you are called to go on a mission or for training. Im not going to go into detail about how important it is to have a compass, signal mirror or food in your pack. You know all of that. How about the task guide that you received during training? Can you remember all of the ground to air signals? When the radio doesnt work and you cant get a cell phone signal, how are you going to communicate with the aircraft? If you had your task guide, you could check it and see what the plane is trying to tell you. Do you see the comparison? The rider who failed to make sure his horse had a nail in his shoe isnt just a character in a childrens rhyme. He is each of us who must consider our actions as we prepare for our mission. We may not be fighting a battle today to protect our kingdom or country, but that is not to say that we will not be called on tomorrow to patrol our beaches and borders to ward off acts of terrorism tomorrow. Our motto is Semper Vigilans meaning Always Vigilant or Always Ready. We cant be always ready if our horse needs a nail in his shoe, our plane needs a new tire or we need a task guide. Being ready is having my gear, using my ORM training, and paying attention to details that have an effect on the safety of my team, crew or victims. So now you know. Eddie Shurbutt, 1Lt. Pell City Composite Squadron, NER-AL-118

Civil Air Patrol Trivia . . .

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Trivia Question for April

How many squadrons does the Alabama Wing of Civil Air Patrol have? To win, be the first cadet and senior member to email the answer to Beth Shurbutt at: BShurbutt@yahoo.com Last Months Winners:
Tony Bedford and Michael Norwood

AlabamaMississippi Summer Encampment June 24July 2, 2011 Ft. McClellan, Alabama

The AL/MS Wing Summer Encampment will be held at Ft McClellan, AL during 24 Jun 2 Jul 2011. A Letter of Instruction with application forms for senior member and cadet staff is attached. We experienced delays in securing Ft McClellan this year which delayed our staff application process. Request that members quickly complete and submit staff application packets by 15 Apr 2011. The encampment operations order with Basic Cadet application forms will be published soon. Thank you. JOHN HALL, Lt Col, CAP ALWG/DCP john.hall.cap@gmail.com (256) 656-5925 Staff Application: http://alwg.us/cp/2011%20Encampment%20Staff%20Application.pdf

Promotions and Photos . . .

Promotion photos for April will be included with next months newsletter.

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The cadet squadron took a trip March 31, to the John W. Inzer Museum, home of the Sons of Confederate Veterans St. Clair Camp 308 and United Daughters of the Confederacy in Ashville, Alabama. It was a very informative and interesting tour and we give a big THANK YOU to those who made this trip possible. You can read more about the museum by going to: http://stclaircamp308.org/

The John W. Inzer House Build in 1852