ALABAMA WING 
CIVIL AIR PATROL 
 
NEWSLETTER                                             November 2010 
 
Col. Lisa Robinson                                                    Lt. Col. Brad Lynn 
Commander                                                              Vice‐Commander 
 

Governor Riley will proclaim

Contents November 28th through
December 4, 2010 as Civil Air
2nd Lt. Ivan K. Grey, Police Capt. Patrol Week in Alabama.
Dothan Cadets meet West Point 2
Profession Development Awards 2  
Training Exercise Turns Real 3  
New Vans in CAP and Wing 4
Lt. Col. Jay Jerman finishes NSC 4 CAP 2nd Lt. Ivan Keith Gray,
RF Factor 5 promoted to Captain in the Dothan
Inspector General 6 Police Department
Overnight on USS Alabama 7
Guthrie Earns Earhart Award 7 DOTHAN, AL. Dothan’s Police Chief, Chief
Change of Command Redstone 8 Greg Benton, recently promoted Keith Gray,
Gadsden Squadron Grows 8 a senior
Air and Ground Safety 9 member and
Scott Earns Mitchell 12 Second
Enterprise Aviation Expo 12 Lieutenant in
Chilton County Advances in the Dothan
CyberPatriot Competition 13 Composite
Shelby County Aerospace 13 Squadron, to
Veterans' Day 13 the position of
Lt. Col. T. Butler Honored 14 Captain. He
Public Affairs 14 will serve as
Flow Chart for Mission Pilots 16 the division
Organization Chart for Wing 17 commander for administrative services
bureau, which includes the training division,

November 2010 Citizens Serving Communities: Above and Beyond 1

the city animal shelter, and the records and why military academies like organizations
communications divisions. The promotion like Civil Air Patrol as an excellent resource
became effective Sunday, Oct. 24. He will for quality students. We were very lucky
also be in charge of keeping up with his that Mr. Overby, one of the regional West
division’s overtime. Point interviewers, visited our squadron,
and are grateful for his valuable time with
Chief Benton said Gray has served with the us. For further information about attending
Dothan Police Department since 1985 when the United States Military Academy at West
he started as a jail security officer. Benton Point go the website www.USMA.edu .
also said Gray has earned a master’s
degree in education and a bachelor’s
degree in criminal justice, with a minor in
sociology. He also has experience in
internal affairs, criminal investigations and
has most recently served as the third squad
patrol lieutenant.

Lt. Col. Brett Lewis

Commander, Dothan Squadron
 
 
Dothan Cadets Meet with West Point
Representative
Cadets Messer and Lynn listen to Mr. Steven
  Overby, graduate of West Point.
Dothan, Ala. -- On October 5th, during a
squadron cadet meeting, the Dothan Lt. Col. Brett Lewis
Composite Squadron was visited by Mr. Dothan Squadron Commander
Steven Overby, a representative and
graduate of the United States Military
Academy at West Point. He shared  
valuable information with the very attentive  
cadets, as he spoke of the opportunities Professional Development
offered at West Point. He discussed the Announces Awards
process the cadets must take to apply and
that preparation to attend should start years
Congratulations to the members below who
before their junior year in high school. He
have recently completed Level III and Level
also discussed the requirements for
IV awards.
admission, which include a Nomination
Letter from your Senator or Congressman.
CAP Awards June – September 2010
He also spoke about the great opportunities
Garber – Level IV
the other service academies provide, and
Maj. Julian G. Bishop
that you must find the school that best fits
Lt. Col. Austin S. Landry
your desires and personality. The service
Maj. Ladde L. Mayer
academies are looking for more than
Capt. Gary E. Wright
someone with good grades, but those who
excel in sports and take the initiative to lead
Loening - Level III
and volunteer in their community. The
Maj. Christopher C. Iddins
schools are very competitive and accept
Capt. Michael I. Johnston
only the best and most motivated, which is

November 2010 Citizens Serving Communities: Above and Beyond 2

Capt. Gerardo D. Otero
Capt. Horace C. Poole
Maj. John M. Randolph
Maj. Donnie D. Todd
Capt. James Kilgore
Maj. Christopher A. Tate
Rick Kilgore, Capt, CAP
Director of Professional Development
 
TRAINING EXERCISE TURNS REAL FOR
CAP AIRCREWS
Aircraft Respond in less than 10 Minutes;
Pilot Found Safe
MAXWELL AFB, Ala. — Civil Air Patrol
aircraft conducting a state-wide search and
rescue training exercise Sunday were in a
fortunate position to responded to an actual
emergency in the Dothan area.
Air traffic controllers at the Dothan Regional
Airport reported a potential downed aircraft
to the Alabama Wing at 2:45 p.m. An
aircraft suffering a mechanical failure
radioed a distress call prior to making an
emergency landing in the Slocomb, Ala.,
area southwest of Dothan.
Several aircraft from the Alabama Wing
were already airborne as part of a
scheduled search and rescue training
exercise at the time. Within moments,
mission coordinators were in radio contact
with two nearby aircraft and directing them
to the area of the emergency. An Alabama
Wing aircraft was circling over the site of the
emergency landing only ten minutes after
the initial report, arriving even before local
first responders and sheriffs’ office deputies.
A second responding aircraft was en route
in case it was needed.
The pilot of the aircraft in distress safely
executed an emergency landing on a county
road and was uninjured.
The Civil Air Patrol conducts inland search
and rescue and other emergency services
November 2010 Citizens Serving Communities: Above and Beyond
missions at the direction of the Air Force
Rescue Coordination Center and its
volunteer responders regularly train for such
emergencies. CAP has been credited with
saving more than 100 lives already this
year.
Capt. Jonathan Lartigue
Mission Information Officer
Auburn Squadron/PAO
 
CAP to ‘refresh’ vehicle fleet with Air
Force funding
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. – Civil
Air Patrol’s vehicle fleet is getting a much
needed facelift thanks to additional end-of-
the-year funds provided by its partner, the
U.S. Air Force.
The Air Force sent $1.5 million to CAP
Wednesday that, when coupled with money
already procured for vehicles, allowed CAP
to purchase 100 vehicles in 2010.
“I’m pleased, that in addition to CAP’s
annual appropriation, the Air Force was able
to allocate an additional $1.5 million to help
refresh the vehicle fleet,” said Air Force Col.
William R. Ward, commander of CAP-
USAF. “This will make a big difference in
the average vehicle age and ensure CAP
has a safe fleet with which to perform its
missions.”
“It’s a great opportunity for us,” said Maj.
Gen. Amy S. Courter, CAP’s national
commander. “This will reduce the average
age of our fleet of vehicles, which are used
to transport CAP's most valuable assets —
our unpaid professional adults and cadets.
Additionally, these vehicles will assist CAP
members in making a difference in the lives
of the citizens of their communities when
performing missions on the ground.”
National Headquarters has already done the
competitive bidding necessary to purchase
the 2011-model vehicles, so they will be
3
delivered to CAP units in the next few
months.
“The bulk of the buy will be 12-passenger
vans,” said Schneider, adding that others
include smaller, seven-passenger vans, as
well as a few pickups and SUVs.
National Public Affairs
Vans for Alabama Wing
An analysis of past van usage as well as
age of each unit’s current vehicle
determined where the new vans for
Alabama Wing will be placed. Chilton
County Composite Squadron and Bessemer
Composite Squadron will receive the new
ones.
The annual professional development
opportunity employed a challenging
curriculum to enhance the leadership
abilities of members who are, or will be,
assuming positions of regional or national
importance within CAP.
Through seminar discussions, case studies
and exercises, the students – who
represented 31 individual CAP wings --
focused on executive leadership,
management, organizational behavior and
policy development while examining in great
detail the organization's national-level
operations.

The old vans that the wing will have to give

up are first, a 1988 12-passenger van
recently assigned to Mobile, ID# 01019, and
second, a 1990 12-passenger van recently
assigned to Chilton County, ID# 01018.
Mobile will get Bessemer’s 2001 12-
passenger van. Photo by SM Rhonda Pyatt

Jerman a member since 2004 is currently

With this swap, the oldest van in our fleet
will be a 1992 7-passenger van. The
commander states that "I wish I could give a
brand new van to every unit." However,
that is not possible at this time.
 
Major Jay Jerman attends
National Staff College
Chelsea, Ala. –Maj. Jay Jerman, from
Chelsea, Alabama, was among 70 students
from across America primed for executive-
level success thanks to Civil Air Patrol’s
2010 National Staff College held Oct. 16-23
at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
the deputy commander for the Central
Alabama Squadron. He is a CAP Mission
Pilot, Mission Observer/Scanner. A CAP
flight instructor and check pilot, he also is
part of an Urban Direction Finding (UDF)
team. He is the CEO of Jerman Cookie
company operating 22 retail locations in
Dallas, Texas. Jerman served in the USAF
as a squadron commander.
"I found the eight day in residence course to
be extremely valuable. I have a graduate
degree from the University of South
Carolina and attended Stanford University
Advanced Management College. This
course was on the same level. It
dramatically raised my perception of CAP
as an organization and its contribution to
our nation. It also elevated my thinking in

November 2010 Citizens Serving Communities: Above and Beyond 4

order to make strategic level decisions at a
much higher level in the organization."
The seven-day National Staff College
benefits class participants beyond their CAP
roles. The leadership, communication and
executive management skills – made
available through the course at a fraction of
the commercial cost – are in high demand
by employers in all industries.
 
 
 
THE RF FACTOR
A big "thank you" to everyone who has
participated in the various communications
training that has been held recently in the
Wing, and I appreciated the opportunity to
share some information with those who
recently participated in the Incident
Command class.
As I look back over my notes, I think I failed
to mention earlier that Captain Ernie Blair
obtained the COM-L rating this year. This is
not the same as the CAP CUL rating (he
has that also). This is a program developed
through the Department of Homeland
Security, Office of Emergency
Communications. He is now recognized
within the Incident Management Team
structure as someone who can effectively
integrate into any Incident Command
system to perform the function of a
Communications Unit Leader. He is one of
very few individuals in Alabama who hold
this rating, and the only ALWG member.
Congratulations to Captain Blair on this
achievement.
Communications training continues to be
the source of questions and confusion,
November 2010 Citizens Serving Communities: Above and Beyond
especially since the BCUT and ACUT
Power Point slides were removed from the
National Web sites. Just a reminder, BCUT
and ACUT will eventually be replaced by a
communications training program called
ICUT. Everyone who operates a radio will
be required to complete this training as it is
rolled out. Don't worry; it won't be as bad as
some think. In the interim, Unit
Communications Officers can continue to
conduct BCUT classes using training aids
available on the Alabama Wing Web site in
the communications download area.
Rosters must still be sent to the Wing
Director of Communications before
individuals will be authorized. An updated
ACUT training aid should be available soon.
The requirements for BCUT and ACUT, and
the requirements to be met to complete
them, are found in CAP Regulation 100-1.
I have been informed that it will probably be
after the first of the year before we are able
to get a planned repeater for the Dothan
area. It does however continue to look like
we will get it. On another issue, we are
recalling all the Version 1, EF Johnson hand
held radios to replace them with a newer
version. As a result, some hand held radios
will be shifted around. This was a project
that came on suddenly with very little time to
complete. Many thanks go out to all who
have assisted in this project.
As the old saying goes, "Use it or Lose it." A
new initiative from the National leadership
will require all issued radios (VHF and HF)
to demonstrate a confidence check as least
once a week. Units that are unable to show
that the radios have been tested at least
once a week (preferably by communicating
with another radio or even better with
another unit) will likely have their
communications equipment reassigned.
Stay tuned for more information about this.
The Wing is currently in the process up
upgrading the firmware in the EF Johnson
radios. As a result, all radios will have to
come back to Wing at some point in time
5
and will be reissued after the update. Units
will be contacted to plan the updates.
It was good recently to see teams show up
at an actual mission, with their VHF hand
held and ISR radios, and see them actually
used on the mission. With that in mind,
always remember to maintain accountability
for your radios. (Yes I accidently started to
pick up a radio from Auburn and leave an
HQ radio behind.) In January, the annual
physical inventory will begin. It is important
that we maintain security on our assets. It
gets very expensive when we don't. Units,
and individuals who are issued radios, are
being held financially responsible for radios
lost due to negligence. Considering our EF
Johnson radios start at around $1,700.00
each, it adds up fast.
On behalf of the communications team,
thanks again for all that you do to be
professional, and proficient in
communications.
Maj. David Hester
ALWG/DC
 
Inspector General
Major Gary Bishop
Alabama Wing Inspector General
8040 Laurel Oaks Lane
Tuscaloosa AL 35405-9712
ig@alwg.us
205-307-8999
Inspector General
Mission Statement
The purpose of the Civil Air Patrol
Inspector General System is, in part, to create
an independent and objective system that:
1. Resolves problems affecting the Civil
Air Patrol mission promptly and objectively.
2. Creates an atmosphere of trust in which
issues can be objectively and fully resolved
without retaliation or the fear of reprisal.
November 2010 Citizens Serving Communities: Above and Beyond
3. Ensures the existence of responsive
complaint and inspection programs
characterized by objectivity, integrity, and
impartiality.
4. Ensures the concerns of Civil Air
Patrol members and the best interests of
the Civil Air Patrol are addressed through
objective fact-finding.
5. Educates Civil Air Patrol members and
commanders regarding the privileges of and
protection for those contacting an inspector
general.
6. Ensures inspectors general, inspector general
staff members, and investigating officers are
trained to conduct thorough, unbiased
investigations and inspections based on fair and
objective fact-finding.
THE FRAUD WASTE AND ABUSE
HOTLINES ALLOW YOU TO LEAVE
CONFIDENTIAL, PASSWORD
PROTECTED INFORMATION AT THE
NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS.
When using the Fraud, Waste and Abuse
Hotline, please leave your name, phone number
and/or e-mail address, and a short description of
the potential FWA situation which you are
concerned about. You will be contacted within 3
working days.
FWA HOTLINE E-MAIL :
fwa@capnhq.gov
FWA HOTLINE TELEPHONE:
(877) 227-9142 and select option #4
 
 
Overnight on the USS Alabama
 
MOBILE, AL -
Recently, a group of Civil Air Patrol
members from the Alabama Wing,
organized and led by First Lieutenant
Melissa Lewis of the Dothan Composite
Squadron, visited Alabama’s Battleship
Memorial Park, the home of the retired U.S.
Navy Battleship, USS Alabama. Seniors
6
and cadets represented units from Dothan,
Gadsden, Boaz, Maxwell AFB, Mobile and
South Baldwin County Squadrons.
The trip included an exciting tour of the USS
Drum, a U.S. submarine that saw battle
during World War II and the aviation
museum, which included an SR-71 and
multiple displays of aircraft spanning from
the early 1900’s to present day fighter jets.
The trip culminated in an overnight stay in
the USS Alabama. After 8:00 pm, the
cadets, equipped with flashlights, were
locked-in and allowed to freely explore the
ship and learn about the extensive history of
World War II and the sacrifices and heroism
of the Navy sailors that served aboard the
vessel. According to the USS Alabama
officials, this was the first ever overnight
visit by a Civil Air Patrol group.
Lt Col Brett Lewis
Dothan Composite Squadron
Redstone Composite Squadron
Cadet Receives Earhart Award
Huntsville, Ala. – On 25 October 2010,
Redstone Composite Squadron’s Cadet
Captain Michael Guthrie received the
Amelia Earhart Award. The award is
presented in honor of Amelia Earhart, an
aviation pioneer and record-setter, and is
one of the highest awards a Cadet can
achieve. Statistically only 5% of the Cadets
receive the Earhart and those that do are
promoted to Cadet Captain.
November 2010 Citizens Serving Communities: Above and Beyond
The award enables Cadets to enter the
military service at an advanced rank and
makes them eligible for the International
Cadet Exchange Program.
Cadet Guthrie, a native of Huntsville,
Alabama has been in the Civil Air Patrol
since 2006 and currently serves as the
Cadet Commander. Guthrie is a graduate of
the Advanced Ground Search and Rescue
School at the Wing Emergency Service
School and serves on an aircrew as a
Mission Scanner/Observer.
Guthrie has participated at local air shows
as crowd control and various other tasks as
needed and interacts with the public as
much as possible to educate them about
CAP. Guthrie stated, “CAP has taught me
military drill, ceremonies, and above all,
self-discipline and teamwork in a military
organization.”
Left to Right. Lt. Col. Guthrie, C/Capt Michael
Guthrie, Lt. Col. John Hall
Last summer, Guthrie is helped staff the
AL/MS Wing Encampment and attended the
National Flight Academy in Rome, GA.
Guthrie will attend college to work on
becoming an engineer and afterwards plans
to serve as an officer in the Alabama Air
National Guard.
Capt. Kim Miller
Redstone Composite Squadron/PAO
7
Redstone Squadron Change of
Command Ceremony
Huntsville, AL – Monday 13 September
2010 Captain Mark Adams, Commander of
the Redstone Composite Squadron since
2007, officially relinquished command to Lt.
Col. John Hall. Lt. Col. Hall has been a CAP
member since 2006 and has served as the
Redstone Deputy Commander for Cadets,
the Alabama Wing Director of Cadet
Programs and is the Safety Officer for the
Wing Emergency Services School. Major
Anthony Beresford, the Wing Chief of Staff,
participated in the ceremony on behalf of
the Wing Commander Lisa Robinson.
Capt Adams congratulates Lt. Col Hall.
Hall is a native of Alabama. He retired from
the US Army Reserve as a Lieutenant
Colonel after serving over 25 years in active
and reserve assignments as an Air Defense
Artillery Officer and Operations Research
Analyst. He is a graduate of the US Military
Academy at West Point. He holds a MS in
Industrial Engineering from California
Polytechnic State University and a PhD in
Industrial Engineering from Mississippi
State University.
He currently works as a defense contractor
in Huntsville. Hall is married to Karen and
they have three sons, Andrew, Philip and
Daniel who also participate in the CAP
Cadet Program
November 2010 Citizens Serving Communities: Above and Beyond
Even though Adams has relinquished
command of the Squadron, he will still serve
as the Standardization / Evaluation Officer,
the Maintenance Officer for the squadron.
Capt Adams addresses the squadron
During the ceremony Major Beresford
commented that through the leadership of
Captain Mark Adams, the accomplishments
of the Squadron have been outstanding and
commended him on a job well done.
Capt. Kim Miller
Redstone Composite Squadron/PAO
CIVIL AIR PATROL’S GADSDEN
SQUADRON CONTINUES GROWTH
Less than two years ago the Gadsden
Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol
(CAP), an auxiliary of the US Air Force, was
struggling to maintain an adequate
membership. The cadet program, an
important part of any CAP squadron, was in
a “new beginning”, having gone several
years with no active cadets. The senior, or
officer, program – the other “half” of a
composite squadron, was just beginning to
attract new members also.
8
 support to the cadets. Butler especially
credits the leadership of Squadron
Commander Captain Bill Otts and Deputy
Commander for Cadets, Second Lieutenant
Catherine Stanley.

Now the squadron has an active cadet

squadron of twenty-two members and a
senior membership of seventeen. That is
the largest the squadron has been in
several years according to former Squadron
Commander Capt. Talmadge Butler who
sees even more growth in the near future.

C/SrAmn Stanley wearing $10,000 night vision

goggles

The cadets have participated in marching

drills, color guard details, encampments,
and field trips to aviation related events and
locations. Each cadet works through a
series of increasingly complex and
challenging milestones to attain greater
experience and rank. As the cadets gain
more experience they help by mentoring the
younger or less experienced cadets.

Lt. Col. Talmadge Butler

Gadsden Composite PAO
 
 
In the back of a Chinook  
Butler attributes the growth of the squadron
and its various programs to the interest and
participation of the local home schooling
community. Many cadets are home
schooled and they find the CAP programs,
especially the Aerospace Education  
Safety
program, very compatible with the home
school curriculum. The cadets are guided
There is an old saying in aviation that goes
through these programs by the senior
like this: “Take offs are optional, but
members who provide guidance and

November 2010 Citizens Serving Communities: Above and Beyond 9

landings are mandatory”. In other words, we
have a choice about whether we want to
take off, but once airborne, eventually we
have to land, we don’t have a choice in the
matter. Which is why proficiency in landings
is so important to us pilots. You can have a
fantastic flight, but if you botch up the
landing, that is all they will remember you
by. Today we will talk about some concepts
or ideas to keep in mind when making
landings, in both dry and wet conditions.
Some concepts may even apply to any
landing.
To keep things simple, we will talk about
things that help make a better landing. For
starters, flying a “stabilized approach” helps
to have a good landing. Note that I did not
say simply “maintain a constant speed”, but
rather, fly a stabilized approach. In case you
missed one of my briefings from the past, by
stabilized approach I mean fly a constant
airspeed for the final approach on the last ¾
of a mile or so (say 65 KIAS with flaps
down), with a corresponding descent rate
setting and glide path angle to the runway.
Of course, if it is bumpy and gusty, we have
to adjust our final approach speed, normally
adding half of the wind and all of the gust
factor. For example, if the wind is 10 gusting
to 20Kts, we would add a total of 15 kts (half
of 10 plus the 10 gust difference) to our
approach speed on final, and then we would
dissipate the extra speed on short-short
final, and prior to touchdown. (Another rule
of thumb that may be easier to remember is
to take the total wind to include the gust and
divide it by 2).
The key is to not just fly your normal speed
if it is gusty and windy, because you can get
into a gust induced stall and end up landing
short of the runway (AOA and lift vectors,
November 2010 Citizens Serving Communities: Above and Beyond
but we’ll save that for another day, or a
Form 5, or just conversation at the airport).
Of course, it’s no good to fly a stabilized
approach if we are not maintaining a good
ground track to the runway, with correction
for crosswinds and such. I don’t care
whether you prefer to use the crab method,
or the wing low into the wind method, as
long as you use one and not allow the plane
to drift on final and over the runway. One
reason I personally prefer the wing low
method is that you can predict far from the
runway if you are going to run out of control
travel, so that it is time to go around and try
another runway (or airport). Having taught
flying in the Midwest, once you have all of
the aileron and opposite rudder in and you
still are drifting, you can make up your mind
early to go around, because if you are out of
control travel at half mile from the runway, it
won’t get any better or prettier over the
runway! Just keep the plane from drifting
across the runway, because it’s very hard
on the landing gear.
If you are landing on a wet or contaminated
runway, then you have to keep in mind the
possibility of hydroplaning, where the tire
rides a small film of water (or contamination)
and looses traction, which does happen to
airplanes about as often as it does cars in
wet, rainy weather. If you are landing in rain,
or see standing water on the runway, you
have to figure what your “hydroplaning
speed” is, so as to know it and try to avoid
staying there. The hydroplaning speed of
tires (again, we’ll keep it simple) is found by
multiplying 9 x the Square Root of the Tire
PSI. For example, if your main tires are
inflated to 38 PSI, then the hydro speed is 9
x 6.2 = 55.8 Kts. Which is just about the
speed you will be about 10 seconds after
touchdown! If you think conditions are ripe
for hydroplaning, plan accordingly, and try
to avoid using the brakes until well below
this hydroplaning speed. Once you are
below this speed, the tire goes back to
making good contact with the runway and
has traction, which also means it has
resistance or friction (which helps to slow
the aircraft down), and under most runways
10
that we operate from, it means you should
not need to use much brakes, if any at all!
While we are talking safety, let’s do a quick
reminder of things we are expected to know,
and rules to follow, when flying Air Force
bought airplanes. If we don’t like to play by
these rules, every FBO has overpriced and
under-maintained aircraft available for your
renting pleasure. FRO’s have an awesome
responsibility, much like an airline
Dispatcher, so do make their life easier by
knowing what the rules are, and by following
the rules. If you are not qualified in an
aircraft, or if your check ride information
does not show up on e-services, don’t
badger the FRO to release you “around the
system”. The system is designed to protect
you, and to provide legal verification, so that
in case of an accident (God forbid a fatal
one), your widow and children will have
coverage under the Air Force and FECA. If
you are assigned a mission or sortie, don’t
feel entitled to change the sortie and land at
an unauthorized airport just because you
think the USAF will appreciate you buying
cheaper fuel. What you have done is modify
the sortie without pre-approval from the
FRO, and you are placing both the FRO and
yourself in danger!
And if you take-off from this airport to go on
to another airport, you in fact have no FRO
release to do so, and have no Sortie
approval in WMRS, so that if you crash,
nobody will know where you are, and your
widow and children will go hungry! Of
course, if you have a valid reason to land
short of your destination, such as adverse
weather, by all means, be safe, land there
and then, call the FRO to get a new sortie
into WMRS and a new Release, so you can
be on a Legally Approved Flight! Cadet
pilots, whether rated or student, have to
meet ALL applicable WMRS and FRO
release rules, no exceptions!
Risk mitigation means we get to go home to
our spouses and children at the end of the
mission.
November 2010 Citizens Serving Communities: Above and Beyond
GROUND SAFETY
SUBJECT: AVOIDING
HYDROPLANING
The other day driving on 459 I saw two
vehicles that had hydroplaned out of control
after driving in the rain and both ended up in
the grass ditch in the middle of the highway.
That could happen to our Vans driving with
Officers and Cadets to/from activities, and
we want to avoid it.
You have to keep in mind the possibility of
hydroplaning, where the tire rides a small
film of water (or contamination) and looses
traction, which can, and does, happen to
cars and vans in wet, rainy weather. If you
are driving in rain, or see standing water on
the road, you have to figure what your
“hydroplaning speed” is, so as to know it
and try to avoid it by driving below that
speed.
The hydroplaning speed of tires (again, we’ll
keep it simple) is found by multiplying 9 x
the Square Root of the Tire PSI. For
example, if your main tires are inflated to 50
PSI, then the hydro speed is 9 x 7.1 = 63.9
MPH which is below the 70 mph limit posted
on many highways! If you think conditions
are ripe for hydroplaning, plan accordingly,
slow down below that speed, and try to
avoid using the brakes, but instead let off
the gas and coast down if possible. Once
you are below this speed the tire goes back
to making good contact with the road and
has traction, which also means it has
resistance or friction which helps to slow the
vehicle down.
Think Safety anytime you are driving, but
certainly when you have young Cadets
aboard!
11
Remember, we can get hurt just as easily
on the ground as in the air! Be safe!
Lt. Col. Harold Coghlan
ALWG/DS
Cadet Brian Scott Earns Mitchell
Photo by LT Beth Shurbutt
C/CMSgt Brian Scott receives the
Earhart Award from Col Robinson and is
promoted to C/2nd Lieutenant.
Dothan Squadron Supports
Enterprise Aviation Expo
ENTERPRISE, AL – The Enterprise
Aviation Expo was held on Saturday,
September 25th at the Enterprise Airport in
Enterprise, Alabama and the Dothan
Composite Squadron attended to ensure its
presence in the Wiregrass Area was known.
Lt Col Brett Lewis, the Dothan Composite
Squadron Commander, Major Wylie Mathis,
the Deputy Commander for Seniors, and
Cadet First Sergeant Micah Messer, flew
the squadron aircraft to the event where
Cadet 2nd Lt Cheyeanne Paulson, the Cadet
Deputy Commander, joined them.
November 2010 Citizens Serving Communities: Above and Beyond
Cadet 2d Lt Paulson works hard to provide
information to CAP Recruiting prospects.
They erected a recruiting booth and
prepared for the day’s events. At 9:00am,
the gates opened and the four members
spent the day enjoying vintage warbird fly-
bys as well as a demonstration by a
helicopter called “Otto the Clown”, flown by
Roger Bius. They spoke with visitors,
explaining the missions of Civil Air Patrol,
the squadron’s involvement in the
community and the benefits of being a
member.
Cadets 2d Lt Paulson and MSgt Messer enjoy
speaking with CAP prospects at the air show
At the end of the day, the team was able to
accumulate over twenty requests for more
information about Civil Air Patrol, five
transfers to the squadron from other units
and most importantly, let the community
know that the Civil Air Patrol is alive and
well in the Wiregrass and is proudly serving
their community.
Lt Col Brett Lewis
Dothan Composite Squadron Commander
12
 The flight was to Panama City, Florida area
where four F-15s were refueled. Each of
Chilton County Composite Squadron the CAP members was allowed next to the
Advances in National CyberPatriot boom operator to watch the refueling up
Competition close. Members were also allowed to go up
  to the flight deck before returning the
Congratulations goes to Chilton County airport.
Composite Squadron! Their CyberPatriot
team has advanced to Round 3 of the
nation-wide competition. We are very proud
of you and wish you luck as you continue to
compete.

This competition started with over 500

teams and each round eliminates more and
more teams. To be part of the 47 teams
remaining is quite an accomplishment. Way
to go!

Col. Lisa Robinson

ALWG/Commander Lt. Col. Johnny Ward
Shelby County Squadron

Shelby County Squadron Flies with Veteran's Day 2010

Air National Guard

Ten members of the Shelby County

Squadron (AL027) and four from
Birmingham had an opportunity to fly with
the Alabama Air National Guard 117th Air
Refueling Wing. The flight was in a KC-135
based at the Birmingham Airport. Before
boarding, the squadron was briefed and
took their seats aboard the aircraft.

In 1998 at a Veteran's Day Ceremony in

Morgan County, Mr. Maurice Dembo said,
"And now is solemnity, we remember our
brothers and sisters who, in endless
numbers have given their lives in battle, and
now give their lives to age and sickness.
We, who survive, have lived through the
tyranny of our nation's enemies…Our men
and women who die in far off fields and

November 2010 Citizens Serving Communities: Above and Beyond 13

lonely forests shall not be forgotten. We
take them into our hearts and give them a
place beside the cherished memories of our
own loved ones. They are now, this
Veteran's Day, ours."
He then quoted lines from a poem by Jack
Reimer and Sylvan Kamen
"In the rising of the sun and in its going
down we remember them.
In the blowing of the wind and the chill of
winter, we remember them.
In the rustling of leaves and in the beauty of
autumn, we remember them.
When we are weary and need strength, we
remember them….
Ken Thomas, Superintendent at Lake
Guntersville State Park. Ken, as a Ranger
and Naturalist, was involved in the building
and development of the trail.
Butler worked for the Alabama State Park
System for 37 years, 17 of those at DeSoto
State Park. Among the many things he did
during his tenure with the state parks was
the Little River Canyon Cleanups.
He is the former commander of Gadsden
Composite Squadron, an instructor at NESA
and an IC.

For so long as we live, they too shall live in

our memory, for they are part of us
as we remember them."

Lt. Col. Talmadge Butler Honored at

DeSoto State Park

The Azalea Cascade Boardwalk Trail at

DeSoto State Park was renamed the Photo by Capt William Otts
Talmadge Butler Boardwalk Trail to honor
Talmadge Butler. Butler had served as the Ken Thomas and Talmadge Butler
DeSoto Superintendent and helped raise
funds for the trail so that it would be
accessible to those with disabilities.

Public Affairs

Governor Riley will proclaim November 28th through December 4, 2010 as Civil Air Patrol Week
in Alabama. There will be no signing ceremony, but we will have the proclamation at the Wing

November 2010 Citizens Serving Communities: Above and Beyond 14

Headquarters in December. The wording of the proclamation will be sent out by email to the
squadron PAOs.

The deadline for the next newsletter will be January 5, 2011. Be sure to send in articles about
your holiday celebrations and award ceremonies.

Articles should be sent in .doc format. DO NOT EMBED PICTURES. Pictures should be sent
as .jpg attachments, with captions and the name of the photographer in the email. They should
be 2 - 6 mb. Do not put dates, names, emblems, and other items on the picture. Only some
telephone pictures will be suitable. If you have questions, do not hesitate to ask.

Changes in the Public Affairs Specialty Track are in progress. As soon as information is sent, it
will be forwarded to the squadrons.

On the next two pages you will find two charts.

Chart 1: A flow chart by Capt. Ian Johnston, Huntsville Squadron, on becoming a mission pilot.

Chart 2: An organization chart for the Alabama Wing.

Contact information for Public Affairs

Maj Patricia Mitcham,

ALWG/PAO
1919 McDowling Drive
Huntsville AL 35803

pmitcham@knology.net

Cell: 256-337-7523
Home: 256-880-0623

Call the home phone first.

Capt. Patricia Coghlan

ALWG/Assistant PAO

Tkcoghlan@gmail.com

November 2010 Citizens Serving Communities: Above and Beyond 15

Chart by Capt. Ian Johnston, Huntsville Squadron

November 2010 Citizens Serving Communities: Above and Beyond 16

November 2010 Citizens Serving Communities: Above and Beyond 17