Fossett Search Members Contribute Expertise State of the Wing Parris, Keilholtz, Prusak
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Winter 2008 The Official Magazine of California Wing Civil Air Patrol Fossett Search Members contribute expertise State of the Wing Parris, Keilholtz, Prusak Reprinted from CAP News Online Calif. Wing Members Handle Phase of Steve Fossett Search Eagle Call is an authorized publication serving the interests of the California Wing of the United States Searchers operate from Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol. A private firm that is not connected with the Department of the Air Force Bishop, Calif., base or with the Civil Air Patrol Corporation publishes it. September 11, 2007 The appearance of advertisements in this publication, including supplements and inserts, does not constitute Photos by Lt. Col. John C. Jay an endorsement by the U.S. Air Force or CAP of the products and services advertised herein. (Clockwise, from top): A California Wing member inspects a map of the search Eagle Call encourages contributions from all CAP area. members, military personnel, and related agencies. Capt. Frank Duarte of San Jose Senior Squadron 80 Material must be original, free of copyright constraint, operates the California Wing fly-away radio kit. unpublished, and submitted only to Eagle Call, which Lt. Col. Joseph Chizmadia of Los Angeles County Group 1 reserves the right to approve, reject, edit, abridge or conducts a base briefing at 6 a.m. Sept. 11. expand any submission. Features must be discussed in Lt. Col. Bill Gordon of San Jose Senior Squadron advance with the Editor, Capt. Greg Solman, at 909- 87 conducts a flight crew briefing of Maj. Charles Russell, 338-5789. mission pilot, and Sr. Mbr. Curtis Green, mission observer, both of Torrance Senior Squadron 129. Submission guidelines: As a thrice-yearly publication, the magazine is not suitable for dated material on rou- tine Squadron or Wing activities. PAOs and other cor- respondents should generally avoid first-person voice and subjects typical of newsletters. Use the Associated Press Stylebook or read the latest magazine for style points. Never imbed photographs within documents unless jpgs are also submitted separately. Always include contact information at the top of copy. Articles should include .jpg-extension photos of a minimum 500K. Email editorial to [email protected]. Other material should be sent California Wing Civil Air Patrol, P.O. Box 7688, Van Nuys, CA 91409. For information on advertising rates and space availability, please call 800-635-6036. Lt. Col. Jesus Muniz Acting Wing Commander Capt. Frank Geraty Director of Public Affairs, Publisher Capt. Gregory Solman, Editor Capt. Chris Storey Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Associate Editor Maj. Sam Seneviratne ON THE COVER: The California Technical & Scientific Editor Wing’s Bishop, Calif., flightline at dawn before the resumption of the search for Steve Fossett. Reprinted from CAP News Online Calif. Cadet Recalls Role in Search for Steve Fossett Vandenberg Composite Squadron 101’s Gerrity talks with newspaper September 27, 2007 CALIFORNIA—Cadet Master Sgt. John Gerrity of Vandenberg Composite Squadron 101 talks about his involvement in the ground search for missing aviator Steve Fossett in an interview with the Santa Maria Times that also includes praise for the cadet by the unit’s commander, Lt. Col. Lisa Tuggle, and by st Lt. Chris Wickers. Reprinted with permission from Santa Maria Times CAP Teen Joins in Fossett Search September 24, 2007 By Malia Spencer/ Senior staff writer ehind the headlines of the search for missing avia- Btor Steve Fossett, the res- cue team included a Santa Maria Civil Air Patrol cadet who only earned his emergency-response certificate six months ago. John Gerrity, 15, may have John Gerrity is part of the Civil Air Patrol and took part in the ground search and joined a mission that drew inter- rescue for Steve Fossett. He is one of the few senior noncommissioned officers in national attention, but that had the CAP to have earned his emergency-response certificate. //Bryan Walton/Staff no bearing on the cadet. “When we were on the when Fossett - an adventurer hours as he gathered his gear search, there wasn’t any press,” and aviation record-holder - and coordinated transportation. Gerrity said. “We were just didn’t return, and more than “At the time I was think- doing our jobs.” two weeks later rescuers have ing it’s going to be a pretty big Fossett has been missing scoured an area twice the size of operation and we will be out since Sept. 3, when he took off New Jersey. Crews are combing there a while,” he said. in a single-engine plane from a rugged terrain along the Nevada Gerrity, a cadet master ser- private airstrip about 80 miles and California border. geant - plus Cadet Lt. Robert southeast of Reno, Nev. Following the call to service, Frederiksen of Santa Maria; A search was launched Gerrity said it was a hectic few Continued on page 7 . 5 5 Teen joins in Fossett search Continued from page 3 . Capt. Richard Bingham of Shell two days, the chances of locat- crew of a C-130 of another pos- Beach; and Lt. Col. Tony Upton, ing something (or someone) go sible crash site, Gerrity said. of Santa Barbara - loaded a pair of down dramatically.” But again - other than meeting Jeeps Sept. 14 and made a seven- The group spent an hour and a group of cowboys - the search hour trek to Bishop to help in the a half “combing the area” for a turned up empty. Civil Air Patrol rescue mission. blue object that was seen from He was “not too disappointed,” The group are all members above. Since Fossett was in a in not finding Fossett, although, it of the Vandenberg Composite blue aircraft, Gerrity said, offi- “would have been nice,” he said. Squadron 101, of the California cials wanted them to check it out. By the end of the day, the Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. The area they were searching is group was called back to base, The CAP is a national, non- full of hills, canyons and desert though they were prepared to profit organization that acts as brush, Gerrity said, which made spend up to three days in the wil- an auxiliary to the Air Force. the job difficult. derness. It was also determined Created in 1941, the group has “It’s not that great of coun- that since so many people were three main missions: aerospace try,” he said, seated in his dining looking for the missing plane, education, cadet programs and room in Santa Maria using his CAP would be better served to emergency services. laptop computer to zoom in on have Gerrity and the rest of his The group meets weekly at the terrain with Google Earth. group return to the Central Coast - the Santa Maria Public Airport In many searches, Gerrity in case CAP is needed else where. and at Vandenberg Air Force said, a distress beacon is heard The search for Fossett was Base. Cadets range in age from on radio frequencies that rescu- Gerrity’s first big mission, he 12 to 21, and through their train- ers can hone in on. But in this said, and “one of the more far ing learn to “become better mem- case, there is no beacon, so the flung” destinations. bers of society and understand search is blind, he said. Two previous searches the meaning of national service” Despite the difficulties asso- resulted in Gerrity finding the in addition to being available for ciated with search and rescue targets. The first was a malfunc- emergency response services, and the amount of training it tioning radio station that began said CAP st Lt. Chris Wickers. takes, it is clear Gerrity loves broadcasting on the emergency Civil Air Patrol personnel what he does. Recalling this frequency, Gerrity said, and the conduct 95 percent of the inland mission, Gerrity eagerly pointed other was a distress beacon acti- search-and-rescue operations in the out the areas they searched and vated during the recent Thunder U.S. When an aircraft goes down, showed pictures of what they Over the Valley Air Show. or a distress beacon is activated, encountered. At the air show, a helicopter the CAP are thrown into action. “It’s fun,” he said, noting that that was giving rides landed too Once in Bishop, Gerrity and his his greatest interest right now in hard and the beacon was switched colleagues were given their assign- CAP is emergency response, though on, Gerrity said. As part of the ment at a 5 a.m. briefing Sept. 15. flying aircraft is up there too. detail working the air show, he was The target - locate a possible “We take pride in our job,” dispatched to find the beacon. crash site two hours away that he added. Since the aircraft wasn’t was spotted from the air. Then Unfortunately, the object actually in trouble, and contin- if that turns out to be a dead they were looking for was not an ued to fly, locating the target end, search a more than 200 aircraft but a boat on someone’s was tricky as it kept moving, he mile area for any sign of Fossett. property near Convict Lake. said laughing. “I wasn’t really expecting to The next target took the Gerrity is a senior noncom- find anything,” Gerrity said after group on a slight detour when missioned officer within the his return. “After about the first they received word from an air Continued . 7 7 Reprinted from CAP News Online Teen joins in Fossett Calif. Squadron Contributes search Expertise to Steve Fossett Continued . group, Wickers said, and is one Search of the few to get credentialed for emergency response.