Civil Air Patrol The Official USAF Auxiliary Capt

Civil Air Patrol The Official USAF Auxiliary Capt. Rangi Keen, CAP 6 October 2004 Civil Air Patrol

Overview n n 6 October 2004 What is the Civil Air Patrol (CAP)? Our missions How we are activated Examples from real missions Civil Air Patrol 2

A Brief History n n Formed on December 1 st, 1941 Wartime missions n n n 6 October 2004 Coastal and border patrol Transport Aerial Target Towing Searchlight & Radar Training Disaster Relief Airfield and Resource Security Civil Air Patrol 3

CAP Today n n n The United States Air Force Auxiliary A congressionally chartered noncombatant organization 65, 000 Civilian Volunteers n n 6 October 2004 35, 000 Seniors (adults) 30, 000 Cadets 52 Wings 550 Corporate and 4, 500 Member Aircraft Civil Air Patrol 4

CAP Missions n n n Aerospace Education Cadet Program Emergency Services n n 6 October 2004 Search and Rescue Disaster Relief Emergency Communications Homeland Security Civil Air Patrol 5

Search and Rescue (SAR) n Tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) n n n 6 October 2004 Located at Langley AFB in Alabama CAP conducts 95% of all inland SAR activities for downed aircraft Credited with saving 140 lives last year Civil Air Patrol 6

Mission Activation n 6 October 2004 AFRCC is notified by the FAA, COSPAS -SARSAT, or other agencies Once verified as an actual distress situation, AFRCC activates the appropriate search agencies, which may include CAP, Coast Guard, or other federal, state, or local agencies All missions must go through AFRCC Civil Air Patrol 7

How can you speed it up? n n n 6 October 2004 In the event of an overdue aircraft, your dispatch center should contact the AFRCC directly as part of its Post Incident Action Plan. AFRCC (800) 851 -3051 Give them the last known position and time, aircraft type and color, and souls and fuel on board. Civil Air Patrol 8

Survival Rates n 29% will survive a crash n 60% will be injured n n n 40% will be uninjured n n 6 October 2004 81% will die if not located within 24 hours 94% will die if not located within 48 hours 50% will die if not located within 72 hours Survival chances diminish rapidly after 72 hours Civil Air Patrol 9

Response Times n Average time until activation n n Average time to find n n n 6 October 2004 15. 6 hours if no flight plan was filed 3. 9 hours if a VFR flight plan was filed 1. 1 hours if an IFR flight plan was filed 62. 6 hours if no flight plan was filed 18. 2 hours if a VFR flight plan was filed 11. 5 hours if an IFR flight plan was filed Civil Air Patrol 10

The Elusive ELT n Automatic radio beacon (100 milliwatts) n n 6 October 2004 Roughly equal to that of a regular flashlight Can be heard on a line-of-sight basis. Civil Air Patrol 11

Types of ELTs n Three frequencies n n General types n n n 6 October 2004 121. 5 MHz (VHF) 243 MHz (UHF – military) 406. 025 MHz (advanced with GPS) General aviation aircraft Marine (EPIRB) Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) Civil Air Patrol 12

The ELT Antenna n 6 October 2004 Most light aircraft have ELTs installed Civil Air Patrol 13

But… They don’t always survive 6 October 2004 Civil Air Patrol 14

ELT Activation n ELTs - activated by G-force n n n EPIRBs - activated by a mercury switch n n 6 October 2004 Requires 5 -9 horizontal “Gs” Some have a remote switch in the cockpit Float out of their holder and invert PLBs - generally manually activated Civil Air Patrol 15

Inadvertent Activation n Hard landing Inadvertent change of switch position Removal of the unit without deactivation n Malfunction n n 6 October 2004 Inadvertent activation of the manual switch Dropping the unit can activate the G-switch Switch short Battery leakage or corrosion Civil Air Patrol 16

Who’s Listening n n COSPAS-SARSAT FAA Facilities n n n 6 October 2004 FSS, Centers, Towers Airliners Military Aircraft General Aviation Aircraft Signal report is relayed to AFRCC Civil Air Patrol 17

How SARSAT Works n Determines position using Doppler shift n Classic Doppler Example: the lowering of the pitch of a train’s horn as it passes by you n n n A change in the frequency received by the satellite occurs at the Point of Closest Approach n n n For an overhead pass, this change is very abrupt For an oblique pass, this change is more gradual A higher frequency beacon gives a better shift n 6 October 2004 If you’re right near the track, this change is fast If you’re farther away, the change is more gradual Hence 406 MHz beacons tend to be more accurate Civil Air Patrol 19

Determining the position n First pass gives a latitude n n Latitude Second pass determines the longitude n n It could be either side of the satellite Possible Location Average 30 -45 minutes between passes Positional error is typically elliptical n n 6 NM North-South 12 NM East-West 6 October 2004 Distance Civil Air Patrol 20

System Accuracy n 121. 5 MHz n n 12 NM radius, 452 Sq Mi Average 6 Hour notification 75 m. W transmitter 406 MHz n n 121. 5 - 12 NM 406 - 2 NM radius, 12. 5 Sq Mi Average 1 hour notification 25 m. W 121. 5 transmitter 406 MHz with GPS n n 406 w/GPS - 0. 05 NM radius, 0. 008 Sq Mi Average 5 minute notification 5 W data burst every 50 secs 25 m. W 121. 5 homing beacon 6 October 2004 Civil Air Patrol 21

False Alerts n n 97% of all missions are false alerts 121. 5 MHz n n n 1 in 500 are actual distress (0. 2%) Only 1 in 5 come from beacons (20%) 406 MHz n n 1 in 12 are actual distress (8. 3%) Registration is required n 6 October 2004 Most alerts can be resolved with a phone call Civil Air Patrol 22

Search Methods n Electronic - Tracking the ELT n n n Visual n n n 6 October 2004 Fast: once we are receiving your signal, we can usually locate you to within 100 meters in less than 20 minutes Can be performed in poor visibility and at night Slow Difficult VFR only Civil Air Patrol 23

Search Teams n Airborne n n Ground n n 6 October 2004 Three-person air crews perform electronic and visual searches Four-person teams perform electronic and visual searches Work in all weather Manpower intensive, need to localize search area to be successful Work as a team with the air crews Civil Air Patrol 24

This is what we look for 6 October 2004 Civil Air Patrol 25

Crash with CAP on Scene 6 October 2004 Civil Air Patrol 26

Search Visibilities Object Distance Person in life jacket Person in small life raft Person in open meadow within wooded area 1/2 mile 3/4 mile 1/2 mile or less Crash in wooded area 1/2 mile Crash on desert or plain Person on desert or plain 2 miles 1 mile or less Vehicle in open area 2 miles or less 6 October 2004 Civil Air Patrol 27

Crash From 800’ AGL 6 October 2004 Civil Air Patrol 28

Crash From 800’ AGL 6 October 2004 Civil Air Patrol 29

Crash From 1500’ AGL 6 October 2004 Civil Air Patrol 30

Crash From 800’ AGL 6 October 2004 Civil Air Patrol 31

Kearsarge Crash (July 2004) 6 October 2004 Civil Air Patrol 32

Kearsarge Crash (Overhead) 6 October 2004 Civil Air Patrol 33

Kearsarge Crash (Close-up) 6 October 2004 Civil Air Patrol 34

We Used ICS at Kearsarge n n n 6 October 2004 CAP uses the Incident Command System during all its missions Provides for effective span of control and unity of command Facilitates communication and cooperation with other agencies Civil Air Patrol 35

Posse Comitatus n n We are not law enforcement CAP members may not n n n 6 October 2004 Carry firearms Participate in detention or arrest of persons or seizure of property Conduct surveillance of personnel or equipment Civil Air Patrol 36

Posse Comitatus (Cont. ) n n n 6 October 2004 CAP members may not be deputized No authority to restrict persons by force May provide passive assistance to law enforcement Can do passive site surveillance No trespassing allowed No special dispensations Civil Air Patrol 37

Working Together n n n 6 October 2004 Call AFRCC at (800) 851 -3051 Search and rescue exercises (SAREXs) Other ideas? Civil Air Patrol 38

For More Information n Web Sites n n E-mail n 6 October 2004 http: //www. cap. gov/ http: //lebanon. nhwgcap. org/ http: //www. sarsat. noaa. gov/ CAP@buenokeen. com Civil Air Patrol 39