Summer 2006 Vol
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SUMMER 2006 VOL. 33, NO. 2 ® s America’s Volunteer Lifesaver Volunteer America’s AUXILIARISTS IN ALASKA: UNITED STATES COAST GUARD AUXILIARY GUARD COAST STATES UNITED Work hard, study hard On-Scene Coverage from Miami: CARIBBEAN SEARCH & RESCUE CONFERENCE ‘YOU HAVE BEEN AST G CO U . S E M P E R A S R . D U S P A A R A T U U Y XILIA R 30 INTERCEPTED…’ A Coast Guard Auxiliary Aviator’s Worst ‘Nightmare’ Contents SUMMER 2006 VOL. 33, NO. 2 STORY & PHOTOS BY RAY ARSENAULT FSO-PA 11-3 D5SR “Aircraft operating northeast of 3 Auxiliary Aviator’s Worst Nightmare Atlantic City at 5,500 feet, you have been 5 Auxiliarists Assist UCSG with SAR Operation intercepted. Safely and gradually turn your aircraft to the right and take up a 6 COMO Seibert heading of 0-6-0 degrees…” 8 CAPT Smith Intercepted! A cold lump formed in the pit of our 11 U.S. Going for Gold at ISAR Competition stomachs. 12 New Auxiliarist Gets Unexpected Since the imposition of air defense On-the-Job SAR Training 2006-07 measures in the aftermath of 9/11--and apart from actually crashing an airplane 14 NBSW 2006 EDITION – this is the general aviation pilot’s worst 17 Annual Training in Alaska DEADLINES nightmare. Completes Sixth Year FALL Despite the need to continue safely AUGUST 15 flying the plane, visions of all sorts of Aloft in AuxAir Facility 1CE, flying a course toward their assigned rendezvous with 19 Auxiliary Helo-Helpers Hailed WINTER dire consequences filled our heads: Will Coast Guard helicopters, Calvin Early (left), the aircraft commander, checks charts with 20 Memorial Day Magic NOVEMBER 15 we be arrested? Do we need to hire an Charlie Rose, co-pilot, in the cockpit of Early’s Beechcraft Bonanza. (Below left): Coast SPRING attorney? Will our pilot lose his license Guard helicopter ‘Dolphin 68,’ preparing to display its YOU-HAVE-BEEN-INTERCEPTED 22 Third Carribbean SAR Conference FEBRUARY 15, 2007 to fly? Where did we go astray? How sign, forms up off port wing of 1CE. 25 Florida Operational Excellence Team could this have happened? ‘Takes Over’ Luckily, this intercept was a well-con- AIRSTA Atlantic City welcomed us eters, such as the general scenario of the trolled training evolution staged for the warmly and escorted us into a confer- exercise, the limits of the exercise area, 26 What’s in a Name? 12 SEND SUBMISSIONS TO: pilots and aircrews of U.S. Coast Guard ence room to conduct the pre-mission the weather forecast, the risk assess- 28 COMO Oliver Brand celebrates Air Station Atlantic City. We Auxiliary briefing. All mission participants were ment, and a safety briefing. He also 40 Years in the CGAUX Joel A. Glass, BC-APN aviators were simply providing our present, as was Air Station Atlantic City’s discussed the communications plan in P.O. Box 1628 active-duty counterparts with a realistic outgoing and incoming Auxiliary Liaison detail, emphasizing aircraft call signs, fre- The ‘Quiet Hero’ 29 Portland, ME 04104 “target” for their training scenario. Officers, Lieutenant John Hall and LTJG quencies, specific code words to be used 30 Florida Auxiliarists and Paralyzed Vets No arrests. No lawyers. No loss of Ben Walton, respectively. and their meanings. Reap Benefits of Helping Each Other [email protected] license. The briefing was conducted by With all questions and concerns dis- Still, for the three pilots aboard Lieutenant Sean Roche. He profession- cussed to everyone’s mutual satisfaction, Savannah Flotilla Assists ANT Unit 32 Auxiliary Air Facility 1CE, the experi- ally outlined important mission param- the aircrews separated to conduct their 33 Katrina Update Telephone numbers and ence was a sobering one, to say the least, respective pre-flight inspections and have and it was a lesson that formed a lasting a bite of lunch. Letter from San Juan addresses of members 34 are protected by the impression. At 1205, Early engaged the starter on 36 Florida Marinas Meet the Cleaners Privacy Act of 1974. As a Our mission began at Frederick AuxAir 1CE -- his beautiful Beechcraft matter of policy, rosters Municipal Airport in Maryland. Here, the Bonanza -- and the Auxiliary’s portion of 38 Virginia Auxiliarist Joins Cuttermen of names, addresses and Aircraft Commander -- Calvin Early, M.D. the exercise began. Co-pilot Rose handled telephone numbers shall (Ret.), IPFC 11-3 D5SR -- met up with his the radios and assisted with navigation. not be made available to the general public or co-pilot, Charlie Rose, also from Flotilla We departed Atlantic City’s active run- 20 any outside organization. 11-3. Will we be arrested? way at 1217, bound for our designated Privacy of all rosters After fueling the Beechcraft Bonanza, holding area along the coastline, north ON THE COVER shall be safeguarded and checking the weather, and conducting a Do we need to hire an attorney? of Atlantic City. The plan called for us to Photo: McKibben Jackinsky, FSO-PA 21 D17 the page clearly labeled. thorough crew mission briefing, Early depart our holding area at exactly 1230 The publication of these departed Frederick and navigated to Will our pilot lose his to enter the exercise area southbound. Despite rapidly deteriorating weather, the Coast Guard Auxiliary once again rode to the rescue rosters, addresses and Atlantic City. Early guided us expertly to our holding — this time off Homer, Alaska -- when a recreational vessel in the Chamber of Commerce Winter telephone numbers on The pilots and aircrew members at license to fly? Where did we go area, and we began our “in-bound turn” any computer on-line King Salmon Tournament became disabled. Pictured is Craig Forrest, DSO-PV 17, at the stern of a precisely on time. 27-foot USCG SAFE Boat operated by local Auxiliarists, keeping a close eye on the tow-line as the service including the Internet is prohibited by astray? How could this The “rabbit” was entering the hunting disabled vessel is pulled through Kachemak Bay, enroute to safe-haven at Homer Harbor. Additional the Privacy Act of 1974. coverage from Alaska can be found on Page 17. have happened? > CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 2 Navigator Summer 2006 Summer 2006 Navigator 3 < CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 Kauai Auxiliarists grounds. Meanwhile, our “hunters” -- LT Kevin d’Eustacio (aircraft commander), LT Assist USCG with Sean Roche (co-pilot), and AET Darren Freeman, of USCG helicopter “Dolphin SAR Operation 68” – were relaxing in the ready room BY MAXINE CAVANAUGH back at the air station. DSO-PA 14 When the alarm suddenly sounded, indicating a mission, LT d’Eustacio and In the early morning of March 15, while people were sleeping his crew dashed out to bring their air- in their homes near the town of Kilauea on Kauai’s north shore, craft to life. Within minutes, Dolphin 68 the Ka Loko Reservoir levee breached, sending a 100-yard-wide was airborne and speeding toward us on river of water, debris and mud rushing toward the Pacific Ocean. a bee-line intercept course, guided by The huge landslide swept dwellings — and seven people radar controllers. — toward the ocean…and to their death. Photo: BM3 Eric Flanelly, USCG Station Kauai The hunt was on! The Coast Guard responded to the call for assistance, launch- Aboard AuxAir 1CE, we flew a steady ing search and rescue operations. A C-130 aircraft and an HH-65 Jim Jung (left), RCO-OS 14, and John Rosario, IPFC 3-15 course, following our briefed flight plan helicopter began an aerial search, and USCG Station Kauai sent D14, relax following their response to a Coast Guard call for as though we might be an aircraft that Calvin Early, IPFC 11-3 D5SR, stands atop wing discussing his AuxAir Operational its 25- and 30-foot SAFE Boats to assist. assistance when a levee was breached at the Ka Loko Reservoir, had unwittingly strayed into controlled Facility with an aircraft mechanic, prior to taking off for a joint mission with Coast Auxiliarists from Flotilla 3-15 D14 (Kauai) were asked to assist. near Kilauea, Kauai. Jung served as crew and Rosario was airspace, or more ominously, a hostile Guard helicopters. Coxswain John Rosario, IPFC, and crewman Jim Jung, RCO-OS coxswain of his OPFAC – the 21-foot Kai Lio (‘Sea Horse’). aircraft flying with malicious intent. 14, arrived at STA Kauai ready to go to work. They were tasked Nowadays, a “temporary flight restric- ting; right turn,” replied co-pilot Rose. ate in direct support of our active-duty to bring body bags, food and water from Nawiliwili to the on- boats were instructed to return to base. tion” can pop up at any time, virtually (These were set phrases discussed at counterparts. It is a recurring mission scene Coast Guard vessels, and to do anything they could to The Washington, C-130 and HH-65 continued operations for anywhere – even after a pilot has departed the briefing to prevent confusion and a for the pilots of Flotilla 11-3 and the assist the Coasties. They also picked up water and pizza to take two more days, until the SAR was called off. Although seven peo- on a flight. Professional pilots who have possible accident during what could be a Auxiliary air crews that rotate respon- to the other crews. ple were missing, only three bodies were eventually recovered. done all their pre-flight planning “by the dicey aerial maneuver.) sibility for these flights. Owing to the The Auxiliarists headed out on their mission aboard Rosario’s The unforgettable day ended as Auxiliarists Rosario and Jung book” can conceivably be caught unaware, AuxAir 1CE participated in two more increased safety concerns and pilot work- OPFAC, the 21-foot Kai Lio.