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Gulf oil spill response dominates 2010

for Alabama Wing volunteers

Citizens Serving Communities, Civil Air Patrols slogan, aptly

describes the Alabama Wings service during 2010 as its members

responded to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Wing volunteers donated hundreds of hours of service, working as incident

commanders, mission staff, pilots, aerial photographers and air operations directors fthe Incident Command Post in Mobile.

More than 40 Alabama Wing volunteers spent a week or more during the 3-mon

period CAP supported the national mission. Beginning in May, Majs. John Neil and

David Hester organized CAPs desk at the command post in Mobile. Capt. Ande Boy

flew several initial missions and spent six weeks of his summer vacation working on

staff planning and coordinating the rotation of wing aircrews and aircraft.

Maj. Carl Hultin, a retired fire chief and wing member, served as a communicatio

safety net for all pilots. His duty assignment covered 113 days, as he worked from 6:3

a.m. until the last aircraft landed each evening. If a CAP aircraft was in the air, Hultin

was listening on the radio.

Another wing member, Capt. Glenn Wilson, an electrical engineer with AlabamaPower Co., worked with Geographic Information Systems and other CAP personnel t

develop solutions that would allow a single document imaging operator/aerial

photographer to deliver the product in time for daily use by the Deepwater Horizon

operation planning group.

During the Deepwater Horizon mission, the Alabama Wing also continued to

perform its regular missions: cadet programs, search and rescue, training and flights f

homeland security.

2010 Statistics

Volunteer Members:656 adult members371 cadets667 voting-age members179 aircrew personnel587 emergency responders

Squadrons:24 locations statewide

Aircraft:14 single engine

Vehicles:21 vehicles

Interoperable Communications:9 VHF-FM repeaters

14 VHF-FM fixed stations129 VHF-FM mobile stations

16 HF fixed stations2 HF mobile stations

Missions:20 search and rescue missions

3 finds7 counterdrug missions

24 other state support missions

Cadet Flying(CAP, AFROTC & AFJROTC):652 cadets flown456 hours flown

Total Hours Flown:4,165

Finances:$99,000* in state funding

$2.2M value of wings volunteerhours

Maj. John Neil, right, the Alabama Wings director of operations, and Capt. Glenn Wilson,imaging expert from the wings Bessemer Composite Squadron, examine a coastal map at tDeepwater Horizon Incident Command Post in Mobile.

Wing address: 810 Willow St., Bldg. 1208, Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-5903; Phone: 334-953-6465; Website: ww.alwg.cap.gov

Civi l A ir Pat ro l s

ALABAMA Wing

Wing commander Col. Lisa C. Robinson (cc@alwg.us) Government relations advisor Lt. Col. Joseph Saloom (thetafly72@cs.com)

National commander Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter (courtera@earthlink.net) Region commander Col. James M. Rushing (jrushing@cap.gov)

*Financial data provided by wing

CitizensCitizensServingServingCommunitiesCommunities

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The Surrogate Predator ball attached beneath a Civil Air Patrol planes wing allows taircraft to function as a tool to train U.S. military personnel before they deploy overseto combat zones. CAP planes outfitted this way participate in air warrior exercisknown as Green Flag, based in Louisiana and Nevada. Using this cutting-edge 21st-centtechnology is just one way CAP plays an active role in homeland security. CAP aircrealso act as mock targets on air defense missions, provide air escorts for Navy ships alo

waterways and assist border patrol efforts.

Congressionally chartered mission No. 1: Emergency Services

Like clockwork, spring 2010 brought flooding to much of the Midwest, OValley and Northeast. CAP was on the scene, working from the air to taphotographs used to make critical decisions about threats to lives ainfrastructure; on the ground, members helped with sandbagging adelivery of essential goods and services. 2010 was also marked by CAresponse to another emergency: The Hawaii Wings airborne warnings aboa possible tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Chile drew rave revie

and widespread publicity.

When Civil Air Patrol ground teams arrived on the sceneof this Navy helicopter crash in West Virginia, thechance there would be survivors looked bleak.Miraculously, all 17 on board were alive, though mostwere injured. CAP volunteers worked for 20 straighthours in blizzard conditions, often in darkness, on aremote mountainside to extract the victims andtransport them to medical facilities. In Arizona, enduringsimilar weather, CAP members helped save 54 peoplestranded by a sudden snowstorm. While CAP totaledfewer search and rescue flying hours in 2010, more liveswere saved. That is due, in part, to advances made byCAP members in radar and cell phone forensics, whichhelped reduce search areas and allowed CAP to locate

survivors more quickly.

Civil Air Patrols expertise in aerial photography got a workout in 2010with the organizations response to the Gulf oil spill. CAPs low-and-slow aircraft provide the perfect vantage point for photos officials useto assess damages and deploy assets. During the oil spill crisis,thousands of photos were taken by multiple CAP aircrews along theGulfs shoreline every day for months. CAP devised special softwareto speed the processing time for this enormous quantity of photos tojust a handful of hours, while a private company under contract to thefederal government threaded the photos together to provide a big-picture view. Above, a representative of the U.S. Coast Guard

discusses oil spill data with CAP members.

The role of Civil Air Patrol in the Gulf oil spill

response CAPs single largest mission since World

War II led the organizations 2010 emergency

services missions in numbers, length and intensity. Involving more

than 278 volunteers from 10 wings over a 118-day period, the oil

spill response reaffirmed CAP volunteers ability to support a

major, extended operation that included a crushing demand for

thousands of aerial photos each day.

2010 also saw CAP credited with saving 113 lives across the

nation the 10th-highest number of saves in CAPs 69-year

history. Meanwhile, CAP provided disaster relief during

unprecedented flooding in the Midwest and the eastern half of the

country, assisted law enforcement agencies in seizing $1.36 billion

in illegal drugs and drug money and performed critical homeland

security missions by posing as intercept and enemy targets for Air

Force fighters.

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Congressionally chartered mission No. 2: Cadet Programs

Civil Air Patrol develops youth through self-paced study of theart of leadership. Cadets learn how to lead through formalclassroom instruction and a laboratory of hands-on experienceswhere they apply leadership principles to real-world challenges.Through a graduated curriculum, they first learn to follow, thento lead small groups, ultimately experiencing command andexecutive-level leadership, advancing in rank and earning honorsalong the way. Topics include how to think critically, communicateeffectively, make decisions, motivate and manage conflict. Self-

discipline and teamwork are also emphasized.

Eager to show off their aerospace knowledge, physical fitness and precision on drill field, cadet drill teams and color guards vie against one another in competitioat the state, regional and national levels. Rising to the occasion with gosportsmanship, cadets amaze spectators with their skill and esprit de corps. Tcompetitions are varied, but this activity is all about character. Each year, 144 cad

earn the right to compete for national honors, and about 800 more compete loca

Cadets in Civil Air Patrol enjoy opportunities not readily available for many youth. For instance,these cadets are visiting the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., while taking part in CAPs CivicLeadership Academy. Participants study the federal government and explore public service careersduring an unforgettable week in the nations capital. With a curriculum emphasizing persuasiveleadership, cadets develop skills they will need to become consensus-builders in their communities.As a capstone activity, cadets visit Capitol Hill and help articulate CAPs value to America.

Civil Air Patrol cadets experience flight firsthathrough the efforts of CAP adult volunteers, aviatenthusiasts eager to share their love of flying. Oftit is through CAP that a young person receives tfirst flight of his or her life. Aviation educationdelivered in both the classroom and the cockCadets gain an understanding of the complex forcthat cause an aircraft to achieve lift and otfundamental topics, such as navigation, engines aaerospace history.

Civil Air Patrol inspires youth to be responsible citizens.

Cadets serve their communities by helping with CAPs

real-world humanitarian efforts. In addition, they gain

an appreciation for Americas role in the global community by

serving as goodwill ambassadors abroad or hosting aviation-minded

youth from around the world. During visits to Washington, D.C.,

cadets display their respect for America and commitment to public

service. Responsible citizenship is the cornerstone of cadet life.

As a testament to its relevance and appeal, the cadet program

grew 9.5 percent over the past year, from 23,888 cadets in 2009 t

26,157 in 2010. Whether as members of school- or community-

based squadrons, cadets, ages 12-20, benefit from a complete

curriculum that teaches respect, leadership, community service a

aerospace education. The opportunity to fly is a major attraction

for cadets, and 28,608 took advantage of orientation flights in

2010, a 10 percent increase over 2009.

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CAPs Aerospace Connections in Education program provides grade-level specific, inquibased aerospace instruction for K-6 students. Almost 150 ACE lessons are aligned with natiostandards of learning and use the aerospace theme to promote science, technoloengineering and math (STEM) subjects, as well as character development and physical fitneThe ACE program supplements the schools core curricula, adding educational rigor arelevance. The program is being implemented in more than 400 classrooms in 27 statannually exposing some 11,000 youth to STEM-related careers.

Aerospace Education Excellence is an engaging, hands-onprogram designed for CAP units and K-12 classroomsacross the country. Five volumes of AEX activities helpmake the study of science, technology, engineering andmath exciting and meaningful. The program, which affectsabout 35,000 youth annually, inspires the aerospace work

force of tomorrow.

The Air Force Association, Civil Air Patrolsleading educational partner, provides annualassistance for promoting aerospace education inCAP units and Americas classrooms. Each yearthis affects more than 50,000 young people.AFAs support also includes the opportunity forCAP cadets to participate in the organizationsCyberPatriot competition, shown above, anational cyber defense challenge that providesyouth with hands-on learning in a funenvironment. This year, CAP tripled itsparticipation in CyberPatriot, accounting fornearly one-third of the 476 teams in the All-Services Division. CAP placed second and thirdnationally in last years competition.

Teacher members of CAP supported in the classrowith more than 20 natiolearning standards-aligneducational products, well as opportunities awards, grants, professiodevelopment and a uniqCAP teacher orientation fligprogram. These flights provfirsthand knowledge of t

applicability of STinstruction as it relates to fligand motion, motivatparticipants to share thnewfound knowledge wtheir students. Since inception in 2005, the progrhas impacted more than 1,5teachers and 60,000 studenIn 2010, more than 3teachers were flown, ultimattouching the lives of more th14,000 students.

Congressionally chartered mission No. 3: Aerospace Education

Civil Air Patrols aerospace education program includes

history, aerospace principles and the relevance of

flight in todays world. Even nonmember youth

benefit from the program, which is offered in schools nationwide

through textbooks, lesson plans, learning aids and hands-on

activities. Also, teachers are provided orientation flights and

educator memberships to enhance their students learning

experiences while inspiring interest in careers in science,

technology, math and engineering.