CAP WI Wing HQ
2400 Wright Street
Madison, WI 53704-2572
Telephone: 608-242-3067
Fax: 608-242-3068
Note:
ALL CORRESPONDENCE GOING TO WING HQ MUST BE SENT TO WIWG HQ IN MADISON.
IF APPLICABLE, INCLUDE SPECIFIC OFFICE SYMBOL ON FIRST LINE OF ADDRESS
(EX: "WICP" FOR CADET PROGRAMS).
Volk Field, Wis. The Stevens Point and LaCrosse composite squadrons
joined forces to build up their ground teams during a field training exercise
held August 28 and 29 at the National Guard’s Volk Field.
Participants had an
intensive but fun weekend that included an overnight camp out.
Saturday commenced with a
safety briefing and checks of the 24-hour and 72-hour packs.
Throughout the weekend,
ground team members and trainees received hands-on training in many important
skill areas, including compass use and map reading, search techniques, ELT
direction finding, and litter carries.
Everyone was challenged with the National Guard’s compass course at Volk
Field.
The tasks covered during the
exercise fulfill most of the training needed for ground team level three, and
some of the training for level two.
An additional benefit of the
exercise was that it promoted a better working relationship between the
units.This was the first joint
training between the Stevens Point and LaCrosse squadrons.
The training exercise was
planned by Major Jim Johnson, the emergency services officer of the Stevens
Point composite Squadron, together with the squadron’s commander, Maj. Virginia
Suarino.
Eight senior members and 12
cadets participated in the exercise.From the WI-183 unit were: Maj. Virginia Suarino, Maj. Jim Johnson,
Captain Harry Dolan, First Lieutenant Terese Barta, 1st Lt. Ryan
Vechinski, Second Lieutenant Dave Stone, Cadet Second Lieutenant David Feig,
Cadet Chief Master Sergeant Alex Menningen, Cadet Senior Master Sergeant
Clayton Reid, Cadet Master Sergeant Alex Beckland, Cadet Technical Sergeant
Jacob Joyce, Cadet Airman First Class Jonathan Stone, Cadet Airman Joshua
Joyce, and Cadet Airman Patrick Dolan.Participants from the WI-037 were: Maj. David Snyder, 1st Lt.
Linda Zimmerman, Cadet Senior Airman E.J. McLean, Cadet Airman 1st
Class Patrick Robbins, Cadet Airman 1st Class Ian Boggle, and Cadet
Airman Austin Olson.
Although the group battled mosquitoes, the weather could not have been better. Both Maj. Suarino and Maj.
Johnson were pleased with how the field training exercise went. They plan to
hold similar joint exercises in the future.
Shortly after his 16th
birthday, Cadet Second Lieutenant Mitchell Lichtenwald of Fox Cities Composite
Squadron came one step closer to realizing his dream of becoming a pilot. On
Thursday, August 18, Lichtenwald soloed in a Cessna 172 aircraft under the direction
of Matt Kurtz, instructor at Fond du Lac Skyport in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
He
was able to reach this achievement through dedication, hard work and perseverance.
This same attitude will help him reach the next milestone of becoming a pilot
when he reaches the age of 17 in May of 2011.He will be a junior this fall at Kiel High School and plans to join the
Air Force ROTC program upon graduation.
Cadet
Lichtenwald received much of his inspiration from his father, Captain Kurt
Lichtenwald, also of Fox Cities Composite Squadron who received his private
pilot's license when his son was only two.
Several Civil Air Patrol pilots
have also been instrumental in Cadet Lichtenwald's training. Major Jeffery
Thompson from 248th TAC Air Senior Squadron, Major Pete Kanikula and
Captain Dennis Klister, both of Brown Country Senior Squadron, and Captain
Robert Day, Fox Cities Composite Squadron, have all encouraged Lichtenwald to
obtain his dream.
Other mentors offering
encouragement were Colonel Tom Ham, Retired, 115th FW Wisconsin Air
National Guard; Chief Warrant Officer Thomas Rogers, Army retired, 832nd
Medical Company Wisconsin Army National Guard; and Colonel Ron Wilson, 110th
A. W. Vice-Commander, Michigan Air National Guard.
Stevens Point, Wis.Just
ahead of an impending summer rain shower, Cadet First Lieutenant Mark Flage
made his last landing as a student pilot, Saturday, August 7.
As the plane came to a stop
on the ramp, FAA examiner Lieutenant Colonel Sherwood “Woody” Williams gave the
thumbs up to signal that Flage has passed his private pilot check ride.
Cadet 2nd Lt. Flage, a
member of the Stevens Point Composite Squadron, started flight training with
Captain John Thompson in January, and had his first solo flight February
3.
Flage had more than his
share of obstacles and delays to get to this day—a 100 hour inspection of the
aircraft, its use at National Flight Academy in June, and elevator repair, as
well as the Flage family moving.
Like most pilots, Flage was
excited and relieved to pass.“I’m
just glad it’s over,” he said.
His instructor, Capt.
Thompson, was confident in Cadet 2nd Lt. Flage’s flying skills.
“He really flies the
aircraft well,” Thompson said. “I was really impressed with his crosswind landings yesterday. We were up against the CAP limits on the crosswind, and he was
nailing them, centerline.Maneuvers were right on and they’d been that way for quite a while.”
Flage is the son of Steve
and JerriDee Flage of Wausau.Flage is the second member of his family to get his pilot
certificate.His father also is a
pilot.
Flage will soon be heading
off to the University of Minnesota, where he will pursue studies to prepare him
for a career in medicine.He plans
to become a physician.
Since 2004, Flage has been a
leader in the cadet program of the squadron.He was also the leader of Project Hyperion that captured
photos from near space last November.
Janesville's "National Night
Out" was a resounding success. Five members of the Rock County
Composite Squadron represented Civil Air Patrol at the event sponsored by the
Janesville Police Department.
Lieutenant Colonel Larry Ochowski,
Major David Deiler, 2nd Lieutenant Jacob Edwards, Cadet Senior Master Sergeant
Cody Alexander and Cadet Staff Sergeant Jacob Papke worked at the recruiting
and information booth distributing information about Civil Air Patrol while
walking among the crowd.
The event drew a crowd that police
estimated to be several thousand in spite of the record heat.
Photo #1: Pictured left to right are
Maj. Deiler, C/SSgt Papcke and 2nd Lt Edwards.
Photo #2: A portion of the crowd
in the two city block area event.
Viroqua, Wis. -August 3, 2010-
Tucked into a smallpicturesque valley near Viroqua is a
small private airstrip, home to Wisconsin’s “Candyman.”
Members Civil Air Patrol
were introduced to the “Candyman,” and the plane that bears that name when they
tracked down the source of an ELT signal south of Sparta, Tuesday, August 3.
The encounter began with an
airborne ELT signal that was reported Monday evening. The Air Force Rescue
Coordination Center contacted Lieutenant Colonel Denese Helgeland, who over
the next 12 hours deployed aircrews and ground teams from Stevens Point and
Madisonsquadrons to track down
the signal.
The topography in that part
of the state, known as the driftless region, made it challenging for both the
aircrews and ground teams to pinpoint the source.
However, when ground
personnel arrived at the scene, they discovered the signal came from an unusual
plane, a 2008 AirCam, owned by Loran Nordgren.Nordgren was surprised by the visit but was pleased to
welcome them into his home and a show them a short video about his plane.
The AirCam, a dual seat
light sport aircraft, was designed in 1995 by Phil Lockwood for National
Geographic photographic missions over remote jungle areas.The unique aircraft has two engines and
completely redundant systems.It
is designed for low altitude flight and easy maneuvering, cruising at about 60
miles per hour.It can take off in
100 feet, and climb out at 1200-1500 feet per minute.
One of the things Nordgren
enjoys doing with his plane is flying over area farms to drop bags of candy to
children, thus earning him his nickname.He also enjoys giving flights through the Young Eagle program, for which
he is coordinator of the local EAA chapter. This winter, Nordgren plans to fly
tourists over Mayan ruins in Belize.
Someday Nordgren hopes to
meet the original “Berlin Candyman,” Air Force Colonel Gail Halvorsen, who
dropped food and candy to children from his C-54 Skymaster during the beginning
of the cold war.
"This was the most satisfying
ELT shut downs I’ve been on," said Lt. Col. Peter Fabian of the Madison
Composite Squadron.
Sometimes it pays off being
a ground-pounder.
Shown
are, from left
to right, AirCam owner Loran Nordgren, Lt. Col. Tim Slater, Lt. Col.
Peter Fabian, Cadet Senior Airman Edward Skaife, and Captain John
Thompson.
Written by 1st Lt Terese Barta, 1st Lt Jeri Gonwa, SM Connie Lichtenwald
Friday, 06 August 2010
With the world's largest fly-in in
its backyard, members of Civil Air Patrol's Wisconsin Wing volunteered their
help in supporting the eight-day event. EAA's AirVenture held annually in
Oshkosh, ran July 25 - August 1. According to EAA 10,000 airplanes and 535,000
visitors converged on the grounds of EAA as well as surrounding communities.
Civil Air Patrol members participated
in four main areas of the event:EAA
Precautionary Search and Rescue; Blue Beret, a national special cadet activity;
the Civil Air Patrol National recruiting booth staffed by Wisconsin personnel;
and members volunteering their time in support of KidVenture.
Under the direction of the Air Force
Rescue Coordination Center, Wisconsin Wing conducted a highly successful
precautionary search and rescue mission from Thursday, July 22 - Monday, August
2 in support of the EAA's AirVenture Fly-in.
With over 50 personnel representing
half of the squadrons and groups in Wisconsin, as well as some from region,
they were assigned tasks daily along with 60 personnel from National Blue Beret.
The mission task assignments included
40 searches for overdue aircraft in and among the thousands of aircraft flown
into the Oshkosh area at four local airports and deactivating eleven emergency
locator transmissions (ELTs). Several Civil Air Patrol aircraft flew 32
precautionary air patrols, logging an excess of 70 hours of flight as they
monitored for ELT signals. A reported seven ELT's were heard during the air
patrols.
Lt Col. Dean Klassy, project officer for
the mission, coordinated the twelve day event which encompassed four mission
bases. Ground teams and supporting air crew were placed strategically around
the surrounding communities in order to facilitate a quick response should an
emergency have arisen.
The incident base was up and fully
functional with 15 staff & support personnel along with three aircraft, and
five ground teams. Having their base at Wittman airport, the Blue Berets were
most visible at EAA and helped daily in crowd control and searched for the
occasional ELT that could be heard.
Since half of the ground teams are
located outside of Wittman airport and are not visible to the general public,
many do not know or understand the important role that CAP plays in supporting
the air show.
If a pilot is late or forgets to
close out his flight plan, the FAA notifies CAP to try to locate said plane.
Most often this occurs with pilots from outside of the United States as rules
are often different depending on the country they are from. Upon locating the
"missing plane", the FAA will close out the flight plan. Should a plane not be
found, a subsequent mission will begin looking for the plane outside of its
known final destination.
The Mobile Command Center monitored
all communications within the mission as well as watched the weather for any
approaching storms. Ground teams based with the command center recorded tail
numbers as well as searched for and silenced ELTs that had been triggered. Seaplane
base was kept busy helping the Coast Guard by logging in the planes that landed
on Lake Winnebago.
Members from Wisconsin Wing also staffed
the recruiting booth that national headquarters sponsors every year. Fox Cities
Composite Squadron's Captain Robert Koehler, the project officer, kept things
running smoothly and staffed the booth with 37 cadets and seniors rotating
throughout the week.
Camaraderie described the experience
for those working this year's national recruiting booth.During this unique experience, members spread
the story of Civil Air Patrol to prospective members. Both young and old were
given information and took part in some demonstrations.Fatal vision goggles showed the negative
effects of alcohol; an L-PER helped them locate the ELT; and sitting in 10th
Senior Support Squadron's Cessna 182 with its Garmin 1000 glass cockpit, were
opportunities everyone enjoyed.
Cadets working the booth shared their
experiences performing search and rescue, disaster relief and field training
exercises. Young people were eager to explore the CAP world with aerospace education
activities and inquired about membership.
As adults walked by the booth two
typical questions were asked: "Can I join CAP if I am a private pilot?" and "Is
there something for me if I'm not a pilot?"The resounding response given each time was "Yes, CAP offers something
for everyone."Prospective members were introduced
to CAP's world and contact information was given of a unit close to their home.
Fellow CAP members from across the
United States also stopped to say "hi" and share information about fund
raising, member recruitment, flight topics and much more.
According to EAA, over 2,000
international visitors from 66 nations registered at EAA. Visitors from
Germany, Australia, Canada, South Africa and China among others visited the
booth to discuss the similarities, differences and challenges of their similar
programs.
Cessna displayed a CAP Cessna 182 with
a sign explaining our organization. CAP Members also staffed the display and answered
questions. The Gippsland 8 was also on static display at the Gippsland booth.
One common thread throughout the
entire event was enthusiasm and eagerness to share information.Smiles and laughter were as common as was a
farewell handshake and "We'll see you next year."
An area that
CAP members helped outside of the organization was an expanding role in
aerospace education. Though these members were not officially representing
CAP, it did allow them to share their knowledge of what they have learned in
CAP with others. Occasionally they had the opportunity to share the CAP story
with those visiting the booth and they were allowed to hand out information
regarding the organization.
Located at
Pioneer Airport, the Young Eagles Flight Education program offered guided
hands-on educational activities in subjects such as aircraft design, weather,
navigation, and airport regulations. Volunteer instructors signed off
each lesson, and after all lessons were completed, participants conducted a
pre-flight and received a free lesson on a flight simulator by a certified
flight instructor.
Members from
several units participated, including Brown County Composite Squadron, Rock
County Composite squadron, 248th TAC Air Senior Squadron, Stevens
Point Composite Squadron, and Walco Composite Squadron.
The Young
Eagles Flight Education Program was conceived and developed in 2007 by program
director John A. Teipen. The project expands the Young Eagle
program that was launched in 1992 by renowned Air Force pilot Chuck Yeager in
order to introduce young people into aviation through flights offered free of
charge to young people ages 8 to 17.
Over 600
aspiring young pilots came through the Young Eagle Flight Education stations at
KidVenture.
Stevens Point
Composite Squadron member 1st Lt. Terese Barta was also recognized
with an AirVenture Oshkosh 2010 Service to EAA award. The award, presented by
Teipen, was for her contributions to the Young Eagle Education stations for the
past four years.
All three
missions of CAP were in practice during the week of AirVenture.
1)Aerospace education was shared at both the recruiting
booth as well as members volunteering at KidVenture.
2)Cadet programs were the cadets' use their
leadership skills learned to recruit as well as work on the emergency service
side of things.
3)Emergency Services was the biggest mission practiced
during the week with members ready to spring into action should the need arise.
Crowd control and looking for ELTs among thousands of people and airplanes was
no easy task.
Together, members from around the
nation came together to get the job done and to help make EAA AirVenture a safe
and fun time for its guests. Mission accomplished.
Civil Air Patrol Cadet Brya Russell of Milwaukee, reached a milestone Monday evening when she was promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant by receiving her Billy Mitchell Award during Timmerman Composite Squadron's weekly meeting. Her mother, Connorie, witnessed this special moment in her daughter's life. Timmerman's commander, Captain Thomas Kondziella and Second Lieutenant Lydia Gonwa slipped the new officer's epaulets on her shoulders while Cadet Second Lieutenant Britney Donald, cadet commander, presented Russell with a special challenge coin.
The award honors the late General Billy Mitchell, an aviation pioneer and staunch advocate of an independent U.S. Air Force. Mitchell showed that aircraft could be significant in war fighting by sinking several captured and overage battleships from the air in 1921 and 1923.
Only 15% of Civil Air Patrol cadets earn the Mitchell Award, according to the National Cadet Program's office. Recipients are eligible for various Civil Air Patrol scholarships and special activities designed for those in leadership roles.
Those who obtain their Mitchell Award are also eligible for advance placement to the grade of Airman First Class (E-3) should they join the U.S. Air Force and for advance credit in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC).
Being a Civil Air Patrol member for three years, Cadet Russell has grown in her leadership abilities and served as a flight sergeant at the 2010 Wisconsin Wing Encampment. Due to her leadership abilities, she has been appointed as the executive officer of cadets at Timmerman Composite Squadron and is currently leading the drill team.
Cadet Russell is the fourth cadet in her squadron this year to have achieved the rank of officer this year.