Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
In This Issue
AZWG Glider Program Revived Commander’s Desk 2
Article by Lt Col James Webb
AZWG Glider Program Coordinator Chaplain’s Corner 3
Safety Tip 4
Santa Cruz 5
Composite Sq. 101
Sky Harbor Cadet 6
Sq. 301
Cochise Composite 7
Sq. 107
Santa Cruz 8/9
Composite Sq. 101
Cadet News
Promotions and 10/
Awards 11
After a hiatus of several years, cadet orientation flights in gliders will be available
again beginning in October. Flights will be available at least once a month at Turf Upcoming Events 12
Soaring located north of Phoenix. A rolling three month schedule will be
maintained. A new month will open at the beginning each month. Scheduling of
glider flights is accomplished by contacting Lt. Col. James Webb by email
(jrwebb@qwest.net) or phone (623-934-5526). Six cadets should be scheduled
for the day. This may be increased in the future depending on pilot/aircraft
availability. Each cadet will receive two flights weather permitting.
The gliders are available for proficiency flying to any CAP pilot with a CAP glider
pilot rating for $10 per flight. A 3000 ft. tow currently costs $55. Flight instruction
will also be available to cadets and seniors.
The Glider Program is looking for more glider pilots to support the program. If
interested, contact Lt. Col. Webb.
WingTips is published monthly by the Arizona Wing · Civil Air Patrol, a private, charitable, benevolent corporation and
Auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of CAP or the U.S. Air Force.
WingTips welcomes manuscripts and photographs; however, the Arizona Wing · Civil Air Patrol reserves the right to edit or
condense materials submitted and to publish articles as content warrants and space permits. Please send all
correspondence to WingTips Editor-in-Chief, Capt J. Brandon Masangcay, 150 W. Sheffield Ave, Gilbert, AZ 85233,
call 480.620.1942 or e-mail: wingtips@azwg.us
Page 2 Volume 5, Issue 9
On a beautiful October morning in 1987, my family, including out-of-town visitors, was sitting
around the breakfast table in our home in Southern California. Around 7 a.m. we heard a rumbling sound
and as it grew in intensity until it sounded as if a 747 was landing on our roof, what had started as a mild
shaking of the house turned into the twisting of walls and breaking of rafters. For nineteen seconds, which
I guarantee felt more like twenty minutes, our house came down around our heads.
Kitchen cupboards flew open and their contents were spewed clear across the room crashing
against the walls. Catsup, milk, syrup, eggs and my treasured Scotch oozed together to form a slimy
mess on the floor and walls. In the bedrooms, drawers were cannonaded from their dressers, stuff explod-
ing everywhere onto the rooms. Great chucks of plaster (the real kind made out of concrete) fell from the
twenty foot cathedral ceiling in the living room smashing everything they landed on into smithereens of
broken wood and glass. It was later determined by a group of experts that our walls had swayed eighteen
inches in two directions during this earthquake.
While all this was happening, my family having been smart enough to take cover, I had run out on
the deck to watch the pool heave three to four foot waves of water out onto the pool deck. I could go on
but I think you get the idea of the massive destruction that occurred.
Being the fast thinker that I am, my immediate response, after making sure my family was un-
harmed, was to realize we had no supplies of any kind on hand. I told my wife to quickly go to the market
before everyone else got there and get food, water and some cash. I said this to her back as she was
hopping aboard some truck filled with yard workers who had been in the neighborhood and were heading
down off the hill where we lived. She had figured out that we couldn’t get our cars out of the garage; and
she was going to get to her mother’s house, one way or the other, to make sure her mom was okay. Later
that morning, as she made her way back home, she looked at me incredulously when I asked her if she
had gotten supplies. I won’t tell you how she addressed me before she asked me just what I thought the
stores looked like considering they had been through the same earthquake our house had endured. Yes,
that is correct. The stores had broken and smashed inventory, broken windows, broken water pipes, leak-
ing gas mains and no nice cashiers on hand to check you out and give you cash back. All communications
had been shut down and we were isolated from the rest of the world.
I really wish I did not have to publicly confess to even more stupidity. I guess I’m a slow learner.
We rebuilt the house. It took fourteen months. The one smart thing I had done, as an insurance sales-
man, was to put a really great earthquake policy on the house. And, yes, I did lay in supplies and a stash
of cash.
The next big quake hit across the valley from us about four years later. Fortunately, we did not
suffer a lot of damage. I was proud to know I had prepared my family for the next big disaster. Then, I
heard hysterical laughter from down in the basement of the house.
Downstairs, I found my wife in the “catacombs”, a long narrow storage room that ran underneath
the house. All the cans of food, which I had carefully wrapped up in thick, brown wrapping paper, and
then stored in the vicinity of the pool acid and forgotten about, were corroded and some had leaked. The
water, which was by then four years old, was no longer potable. Perhaps most ridiculous was the realiza-
tion that hit me that if that part of the house had collapsed, all our supplies would have been inaccessible.
Finally, I am here to tell you that no government officials, no CAP members will arrive on your
doorstep to save you. No white knights on great steeds will come galloping your way to rescue you from
the disaster that has wreaked havoc on your life. It is simply up to you to be prepared and stay prepared
to take care of yourself, your family, and, very likely, some dumb neighbors who have not taken the meas-
ures to take care of themselves.
All the information you need to prepare yourself is out there. A good place to start is
www.ready.gov.
Volume 6, Issue 9 Page 3
Patriot Day
Last April on the third Monday we celebrated Patriot’s Day in memory of the Battles of
Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the Revolutionary War, which were the start of our
existence as a free and independent nation. This month on September 11th we celebrate
Patriot Day which is the commemoration of the suicide attacks of al-Qaeda upon the United
States.
It is interesting to note that this 9/11 day is 52 days prior to the US Presidential Election
which will determine the future of our nation and our lives. Luke 20:21-25 (NIV) clearly states;
“Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s”. There is no more important
day to remember that Biblical instruction than on November 4th when we go to the polls to elect
a new President to lead us for the next year or more.
The preamble of our Constitution states: We the People of the United States, in Order
to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the
common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to
ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of
America.
By the blood of the thousands of American soldiers buried in our cemeteries, and
cemeteries throughout the world, our ancestors have not only kept us free and independent but
have kept the world as safe as possible, defeating dictatorial power seekers whenever possible.
Amendment 1 to the Bill of Rights says: Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the
Government for a redress of grievances.
Now, shortly after Patriot Day on September 19th there is POW/MIA day. I still have a
buddy whose remains, along with his RO and F-111, are somewhere in the jungles of Vietnam.
This memory, the words of the Preamble to our constitution, and the words of the First
Amendment to our Bill of Rights will weigh heavily on my mind in those weeks preceding the
Presidential election that will be so filled with rhetoric and promises; some true, some false. I
will be praying that God will influence me properly.
What will be on your mind when you enter the voting booth?
Page 4 Volume 5, Issue 9
Safety Tip
by
Lt Col Mark D. Hardison
AZWG Safety Officer
Preparation
September of each year is National Preparedness Month. Are you prepared?
One of the questions is to ask yourself just exactly how you are prepared.
Yes, every family and every person living alone should have a disaster kit.
These kits go by many names: “72 hour kits”, “Ready Bags”, “survival kits”. The
basic premise is much the same; a kit with vital documents (insurance papers, birth
certificates, passports, address books and similar documents), needed medications
(prescription and over-the-counter), and the other necessities of life for about 72
hours. The contents of your kit are best determined by you (and the other members
of you family sharing the kit!). Some simple hand tools, water, food, and basic
toiletries are reasonable items to start with. The Department of Homeland Security
website www.Ready.com is a great place to start your planning. But once this kit is
“ready”, what’s next? Is your kit stored at home? What about those times that you
are NOT at home? Will you still be prepared?
We spend a lot of time at work, or at school, and just traveling between those
points. Do you have a back-up plan for when you are away from your home base?
A smaller kit in your vehicle is advisable. It does not need to be elaborate or
expensive. Many of the items may already be present in your vehicle, such as tools
or a first aid kit. Does your car have a fire extinguisher? You’ll want one of those in
the car before the fire!
At work or at school, you can make preparations to shelter-in-place. Keep
some of your extra medications in a secure location, in case you must remain
overnight. Some first aid supplies and a toothbrush and toothpaste can help, too.
Make the effort to know what resources are available to you at work or at school.
Small preparations can pay off huge dividends in an emergency. After the
bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993, many of the survivors decided to
prepare against future disaster. These plans saved many lives when the terrorist
attacks of 2001 occurred. One of the things I noticed was the large number of
evacuees from downtown New York who walked across the Brooklyn bridge wearing
face masks and sensible shoes. Even if you do not work in a high rise, having good
walking shoes available can be a life saving aid if you have to self evacuate from the
area of a disaster. Every time I go to the airport, I marvel at the travelers who are
wearing flip-flops, or high heels. It boggles the mind to think of evacuating an aircraft
in those kinds of shoes.
Ultimately, you may not have any kind of a kit on hand. Can you still be
prepared? Yes! Learn what to do, and how to make do in an emergency. Like any
other situation, your most valuable tool is your brain. Use it!
Volume 5, Issue 9 Page 5
One of Squadron 101’s goals for the year is to fully engage the cadets’ families.
To help achieve that goal, the squadron held a “family night.” The unit’s new
cadet commander, C/2 Lt Frida Cazares, came up with the idea, and it was a
huge success. Activities included teamwork exercises, a water balloon relay
race, a drill competition (cadets taught and then evaluated their parents,
brothers, and sisters), and chow (pizza and MREs). Cadets, parents, and
siblings all got in the spirit of the evening and all had a great time.
Page 6 Volume 5, Issue 9
The Public Affairs Officer for SHCS 301, Sgt John Horne, has added an
additional role in his CAP life. He received training to be an Mission
Scanner in August, 2008. The five person class was held at Falcon Field
Composite Squadron 305 and was taught by Major Mel Bridges. Aircrew
Scanner training included Fundamentals of Flight, Aircraft Instrumentation,
Aircraft Safety, Aircraft Search Techniques and Aircrew Scanner Duties.
The final component of certification require completion of a minimum of two
missions as a Scanner.
Civil Air Patrol Search Aircrews typically consist of a Pilot, Observer and
Scanner. The Observer is responsible for radio communications, keeping
track of the search pattern and assisting the pilot. The Scanner has a
primary focus of observing the terrain for signs of a downed aircraft or other
signs of survivors and documenting these observations.
SHCS 301 is based at the Arizona Air National Guard Base located at Sky
Harbor Airport. The squadron has members from Phoenix and the East
Valley who meet weekly on Monday evenings at 6:30 pm.
Volume 5, Issue 9 Page 7
The missing aircraft was found and identified as the missing aircraft in
the search area. The search area was narrowed through the use of
sophisticated cell phone tracking technology used by Capt Justin Ogden of
the Pennsylvania Wing of the Civil Air Patrol who has just moved to Arizona
and is in the process of transferring to the Arizona Wing. Through the use of
this technology, Capt Ogden was able to narrow the potential search area.
Using the data provided by Capt Ogden, at 7:00 P.M. the combined aircrew
of Lt. Col. Tony McFarland of the Tucson Squadron and 1LT Doug
Henderson of the Cochise Composite Squadron found the missing aircraft.
The Arizona Wing, CAP contacted the Department of Emergency Manage-
ment who dispatched a DPS helicopter to the site identified by the CAP. Us-
ing a searchlight on the helicopter, DPS confirmed that there was an aircraft
down at the site. This illustrates the spirit of cooperation that the Civil Air Pa-
trol instills in all of its missions.
The Sierra Vista Search and Rescue crew which flew the easterly
search route from Benson to the New Mexico border consisted of DCS Rob
Harnage, Cpt. Bob Swann and Lt Col Art Weisberger.
Page 8 Volume 5, Issue 9
C/A1C Alexa Solorio recently completed the AFJROTC Honors Camp at the
University of New Mexico. The Honors Camp is designed to expose the “best
and brightest” to high tech careers in math, science and engineering. Selection
to attend the camp is highly competitive, and it placed Cadet Solorio in the top
½ of 1% of all AFJROTC cadets worldwide. In addition to Honors Camp, this
summer she attended the University of Arizona’s Astronomy Camp at the obser-
vatory on Mt. Lemmon. For her accomplishments, Cadet Solorio was awarded
an Arizona Wing coin by Lt Col Rehman.
Page 10 Volume 5,
6, Issue 9
Arizona Wing
Promotions and Awards
Kyle Corales, Sq. 302
Matthew Karnes, Sq. 302
Russell Noon, Sq. 101
Arizona Wing
Promotions and Awards
Certificate of Appreciation
Upcoming Events
September 2008
1 2 3 4 5 6
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Sq 305
[12:00-19:00]
Jerry Lewis MDA
Telethon
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
AZWG HQ
SLS / CLC
AZWG HQ
Unit Command-
ers Course
Sq 305
[09:00-13:00]
Model Rocketry
28 29 30
Sunday Monday Tuesday
AZWG HQ Sq 305
Group 2 Cadet [06:30-09:00]
orientation Flights Sq. 305 Meeting