Civil Air Patrol

The Official USAF Auxiliary

Capt. Rangi Keen, CAP

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Overview

What is the Civil Air Patrol (CAP)? Our missions How we are activated Examples from real missions

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A Brief History

Formed on December 1st, 1941 Wartime missions

Coastal and border patrol Transport Aerial Target Towing Searchlight & Radar Training Disaster Relief Airfield and Resource Security

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CAP Today

The United States Air Force Auxiliary A congressionally chartered non-

combatant organization 65,000 Civilian Volunteers

35,000 Seniors (adults) 30,000 Cadets 52 Wings 550 Corporate and 4,500 Member Aircraft

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CAP Missions

Aerospace Education Cadet Program Emergency Services

Search and Rescue Disaster Relief Emergency Communications

Homeland Security

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Search and Rescue (SAR)

Tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) Located at Langley AFB in Alabama

CAP conducts 95% of all inland SAR activities for downed aircraft

Credited with saving 140 lives last year

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Mission Activation

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

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How can you speed it up?

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.

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Survival Rates

29% will survive a crash 60% will be injured

81% will die if not located within 24 hours 94% will die if not located within 48 hours

40% will be uninjured 50% will die if not located within 72 hours Survival chances diminish rapidly after 72

hours

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Response Times

Average time until activation 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

Average time to find 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

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The Elusive ELT

Automatic radio beacon (100 milliwatts) Roughly equal to that of a regular flashlight

Can be heard on a line-of-sight basis.

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Types of ELTs

Three frequencies 121.5 MHz (VHF) 243 MHz (UHF – military) 406.025 MHz (advanced with GPS)

General types General aviation aircraft Marine (EPIRB) Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)

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The ELT Antenna

Most light aircraft have ELTs installed

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But…

They don’t always survive

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ELT Activation

ELTs - activated by G-force Requires 5-9 horizontal “Gs” Some have a remote switch in the cockpit

EPIRBs - activated by a mercury switch Float out of their holder and invert

PLBs - generally manually activated

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Inadvertent Activation

Hard landing Inadvertent change of switch position Removal of the unit without deactivation

Inadvertent activation of the manual switch Dropping the unit can activate the G-switch

Malfunction Switch short Battery leakage or corrosion

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Who’s Listening

COSPAS-SARSAT FAA Facilities

FSS, Centers, Towers Airliners Military Aircraft General Aviation Aircraft Signal report is relayed to AFRCC

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How SARSAT Works

Determines position using Doppler shift Classic Doppler Example: the lowering of the pitch

of a train’s horn as it passes by you If you’re right near the track, this change is fast If you’re farther away, the change is more gradual

A change in the frequency received by the satellite occurs at the Point of Closest Approach

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 Hence 406 MHz beacons tend to be more accurate

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Determining the position

First pass gives a latitude It could be either side of the

satellite Second pass determines the

longitude Average 30-45 minutes

between passes Positional error is typically

elliptical 6 NM North-South 12 NM East-West

Latitude

Possible Location

Distance

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System Accuracy

121.5 MHz 12 NM radius, 452 Sq Mi Average 6 Hour notification 75 mW transmitter

406 MHz 2 NM radius, 12.5 Sq Mi Average 1 hour notification 25 mW 121.5 transmitter

406 MHz with GPS 0.05 NM radius, 0.008 Sq Mi Average 5 minute notification 5 W data burst every 50 secs 25 mW 121.5 homing beacon

121.5 - 12 NM

406 - 2 NM

406 w/GPS - 0.05 NM

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False Alerts

97% of all missions are false alerts 121.5 MHz

1 in 500 are actual distress (0.2%) Only 1 in 5 come from beacons (20%)

406 MHz 1 in 12 are actual distress (8.3%) Registration is required

Most alerts can be resolved with a phone call

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Search Methods

Electronic - Tracking the ELT 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 Visual

Slow Difficult VFR only

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Search Teams

Airborne Three-person air crews perform electronic and

visual searches Ground

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

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This is what we look for

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Crash with CAP on Scene

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Search Visibilities

Object Distance

Person in life jacket 1/2 mile

Person in small life raft 3/4 mile

Person in open meadow within wooded area

1/2 mile or less

Crash in wooded area 1/2 mile

Crash on desert or plain 2 miles

Person on desert or plain 1 mile or less

Vehicle in open area 2 miles or less

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Crash From 800’ AGL

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Crash From 800’ AGL

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Crash From 1500’ AGL

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Crash From 800’ AGL

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Kearsarge Crash (July 2004)

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Kearsarge Crash (Overhead)

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Kearsarge Crash (Close-up)

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We Used ICS at Kearsarge

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

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Posse Comitatus

We are not law enforcement CAP members may not

Carry firearms Participate in detention or arrest of persons

or seizure of property Conduct surveillance of personnel or

equipment

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Posse Comitatus (Cont.)

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

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Working Together

Call AFRCC at (800) 851-3051 Search and rescue exercises (SAREXs) Other ideas?

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For More Information

Web Sites http://www.cap.gov/ http://lebanon.nhwgcap.org/ http://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/

E-mail CAP@buenokeen.com