Deer Valley Squadron - Jan 2009

8/2/2019 Deer Valley Squadron - Jan 2009

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Full Full Throttle Throttle Monthly e-newsletter of Deer Valley Composite Squadron 302Deer Valley Composite Squadron 302, Arizona Wing, Civil Air Patrol

Deer Valley Airport, Phoenix, Arizona

Lt. Col. Chas Buchanan, Squadron Commander Vol. 3 No. 3 — January 2009

Civil Air Patrol: More Than Meets The Skies Semper Vigilans (Always Vigilant)Civil Air Patrol: More Than Meets The Skies Semper Vigilans (Always Vigilant)

Buchanan outlines key ’09 goalsBuchanan outlines key ’09 goals AAAAAAAA

s 2009 begins, Deer ValleyComposite Squadron 302 mem-

bers are being asked to help fulfillthree key goals set by Lt. Col. ChasBuchanan, squadron commander.

These goals are:

• Reinforce the cadet program. • Enhance Emergency Services(ES) by training more members

in urban-direction finding (UDF)and involving them in groundteams.

• Qualify as many officers as possi-ble as aircrew members.One of the most immediate needs is to appoint a successor to

1st Lt. Casey Young, who has elected to step down after almost

2½ years as the squadron’s deputy commander for cadets. Offi-

cers interested in

this position are encouraged to contact Lt. Col. Bu-chanan at [email protected].

“Lt. Young has done an exemplary job of guiding thecadet program since August 2006, and all of us are in-debted to her for helping to make our cadet program

one of the outstanding programs in the Arizona Wing,”

Lt. Col. Buchanan says.The commander says part of the effort to reinforce

the cadet program will be to make its activities more

(Continued on page 2)

InsideInside Full Throttle Full Throttle

• Tribute to Beckwith’s 50 Years in CAP 3• Squadron officers celebrate holidays 6 • A “light” discussion on aircraft lights 7 • Six cadets gain promotions 8

• January meeting calendar 8

See the Quarterly Training Schedule (QTS) forupcoming events and contact information plus

http://azwg.us for the Civil Air Patrol’s ArizonaWing calendar. Be sure to visit the squadron’s

Web site at www.squadron302.org.

Lt. Col. Chas Buchanan

BEST WISHES FOR A WONDERFUL NEW YEARBEST WISHES FOR A WONDERFUL NEW YEARBEST WISHES FOR A WONDERFUL NEW YEARBEST WISHES FOR A WONDERFUL NEW YEARBEST WISHES FOR A WONDERFUL NEW YEARBEST WISHES FOR A WONDERFUL NEW YEARBEST WISHES FOR A WONDERFUL NEW YEARBEST WISHES FOR A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR

1 st Lt. Casey Young



Full Throttle January 2009

… ES training emphasized in goals(Continued from page 1) interactive, engaging and somewhat less regimented.

“While the cadets come to serve and learn, we also want to make

the meetings and activities asenjoyable and engaging as pos-sible,” Lt. Col. Buchanan ex-plains. “They’re ready to havesome fun after being in schoolall day.”

To ensure an adequate ESforce within the squadron, thecommander emphasizes theneed to develop and maintainground teams and UDF-

qualified personnel, particularlyfor the location of emergency-locator transponders (ELTs).Both officers and cadets are encouraged to take part in this un-dertaking, which is being led by 2nd Lt. Larry Nesbitt, squad-ron ES officer. Training opportunities will be announced.

Also important is the need to qualify as many of the squad-ron’s senior members as possible to serve on aircrews as mis-sion scannersand observ-ers, Lt. Col.Buchanan

says. Fulfill-ment of this

goal is important to reinforce the Arizona Wing’sdecision to locate the new Cessna 182 “glass cock-pit” aircraft at Deer Valley Composite Squadron302.

Monthly operational exercises (OPEXs) representexcellent opportunities for members to gain qualifi-cations to fly aboard the aircraft.

“We have an excellent squadron, which is borneout in the outbriefing from our recent Subordinate

Unit Inspection (SUI) by the Arizona Wing,” Lt.Col. Buchanan says, adding the SUI results will bereleased when the final report is received. “Thesethree key goals are intended to involve more mem-bers, make activities for cadets and seniors alikemore enjoyable, and to ensure our squadron istrained and ready to fulfill the requirements of anymission to which we might be assigned.”

Full Throttle Full Throttle Full Throttle is the monthly e-newsletter for

officers, cadets and friends of Deer Valley Com-

posite Squadron 302, Arizona Wing, Civil AirPatrol. Its mission is to bolster communicationwith and among officers and cadets, enhanceawareness of squadron activities, and sharenews and information about the squadron andits personnel. In addition, the newsletter alsocan be viewed under the “News” link on thesquadron’s Web site at www.squadron302.org.

Story submissions can be forwarded by the15th of the month preceding publication to Capt.Jerry Porter, squadron public-affairs officer, [email protected].

To guarantee receipt of the newsletter, read-

ers should ensure their e-mail addresses and othercontact information remaincurrent with the squadronand on national e-servicesat www.capnhq.gov.

Vol. 3, No. 3 January 2009

2 nd Lt. Larry Nesbitt

UDF training for squadron members

will be emphasized in 2009. Honing

in on a practice ELT signal are 1 st Lts.

Daryl Duncan (left) and Ruben Kafenbaum.




A half-century in CAP

Beckwith ‘reflects excellence’ P PP P

eering into dust-covered historical

archives, archeologists have uncov-ered several notable events, amazing ac-complishments and interesting facts fromway back in 1957:

•The Space Age began when the formerSoviet Union launched Sputnik as thefirst earth-orbiting satellite.

•“West Side Story” by Leonard Bern-stein debuted on Broadway.

•First-class postage was three cents. •Dwight Eisenhower was serving hissecond term as president; RichardNixon was his vice president.

•Academy-Award recipients that year in-cluded “Around the World in 80 Days” forBest Motion Picture, Yul Brynner for BestActor for “The King and I” and Ingrid Berg-man for Best Actress in “Anastasia.” Otherpopular films included “Giant,” “Pal Joey”and “The Ten Commandments.”

•Three B-52 bombers, led by U.S. Air ForceMaj. Gen. Archie J. Old, Jr., completedthe first around-the-world, nonstop jet plane

flight in 45 hours, 19 minutes. ( Note: DeerValley Composite Squadron 302’s Lt. Col.Frank Knaack was not among those B-52pilots.)

•Elvis Presley had three of the year’s Top 10hits with “Too Much,” “All Shook Up” and“Teddy Bear” while Debbie Reynolds wooed audiences with “Tammy.”

• “Gunsmoke” was the most popular television show. •Young Tim Beckwith joined the Civil Air Patrol’s (CAP’s) Manchester Cadet Squadron in

Manchester, Conn. … Wait! Tim Beckwith?! Yes, that Tim Beckwith!

More than a half century later, Maj. Tim Beckwith, current safety officer and mission pilot and aformer 10-year commander of Deer Valley Composite Squadron 302, has been recognized as a “50-Year Member” of CAP, a special membership category granted under CAPR 39-2.

Individuals with 50 years of continuous CAP service are eligible for free CAP membership uponverification by the wing commander and a letter sent to CAP National Headquarters. At that time, theindividual’s membership record is annotated to show an indefinite renewal date and a new member-ship card is issued. Fifty-Year Members continue to receive all the benefits of regular active senior


As an 18-year-old Civil Air Patrol (CAP) cadet from

Connecticut, Tim Beckwith prepares for a flight in a U.S. Air Force T33 during the 1961 Jet Orienta-

tion Course at Perrin Air Force Base in Texas. To-

day, Maj. Beckwith (inset) is a Fifty-Year Member of

CAP, including 38 years with Deer Valley Composite

Squadron 302.




… Beckwith called ‘treasured asset’

and Casualty.He joined Deer Valley Composite Squadron

302 that year and has been a continuous squadronmember except for a stint from 1989 to 1993 as

the Arizona Wing’s director of governmental ser-vices (forerunner of today’s counter-narcotics di-rector). Serving as squadron commander from1978 to 1988, he has been safety officer since No-

vember 1996. Hissafety columns appearin Full Throttle.

The major gainedhis mission scannerand observer ratings in1965, his CAP pilotrating in December1972 and his senior

pilot designation in January 1999. He has been acadet-orientation and counter-narcotics (CN) pilotcontinuously since the early 1970s.

Among the activities Maj. Beckwith considersmost noteworthy in his CAP career are:


(Continued from page 3)membership and are entitled to all rightsand privileges.

“There’s no question Tim Beckwithreflects excellence and has been an out-standing role model for hundreds of CAPmembers through his five decades of ser-vice,” notes Lt. Col. Chas Buchanan,squadron commander. “He truly is a re-markable individual and a treasured assetwithin our squadron and the ArizonaWing.”

After joining CAP in 1957, Maj.Beckwith remained an active cadet in

Connecticut from 1957 to 1961; his cadetmembership expired in 1962. He servedas his squadron’s cadet commander in1961 and received CAP’s Certificate of Proficiency, which is akin to today’s ca-det Spaatz Award. He attended threesummer encampments, the last of whichwas at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware,where he was cadet commander. His selectionas the Connecticut Wing cadet entitled him toattend the 1961 Jet Orientation Course at

Perrin Air Force Base in Texas, where he com-pleted five hours of flight time during three T-33 flights.

Maj. Beckwith left active cadet participation

in September 1961 to attend the University of Connecticut and rejoined the Manchestersquadron as a senior member in February1963. He served in several positions, includingsquadron commander, until his transfer in1966 to Phoenix with his employer, Aetna Life

Maj. Tim Beckwith (center) and his wife, Patricia, greet a

fellow Civil Air Patrol member in May 2007 at the 50th anni-

versary celebration of Deer Valley Composite Squadron 302.

“There’s no question Tim Beckwith reflects“There’s no question Tim Beckwith reflects

excellence and has been an outstanding roleexcellence and has been an outstanding role

model for hundreds of CAP members …” model for hundreds of CAP members …” —— Lt. Col. Chas Buchanan, commander,Lt. Col. Chas Buchanan, commander,

Deer Valley Composite Squadron 302Deer Valley Composite Squadron 302




… 50-Year Member has fond memories

250 cadets and logged 350 actual search hoursincluding the CN missions. Another 300 hourshave been accumulated during practice search-and-rescue exercises and CN flights.

“I have many fond memories of growing upin this fine organization,” Maj. Beckwith, 65,

says nostalgically. “I’ve spent 38 of my CAPyears in Squadron 302 and have come awaywith some interesting items.

“Certainly, foremost is aviation with its func-tion in CAP activities, be it searching, counter-drug missions, cadet-orientation flights, variousflight training or proficiency flying, etc. Butmore so, it is being associated with the like-minded people in Squadron 302 with whomI’ve been proud to serve plus those at the group,wing, region and national levels.”

The tall, virtually white-

haired pilot, who is well

known for his safety ser-mons at squadron meet-ings, pauses and adds, “I

love CAP flying and CAP

aviation. Squadron 302 hasmade much of it possible.”

(continued from page 4)• 1961 — Jet-orientation course with

five hours in a U.S. Air Force T33

jet. • 1973 — Flying his son, Rich, in

the squadron’s L-19 doing flourbombing (when it was permitted)and making spot landings at Buck-eye Airport with other bird dogs.

• 1990 — Being a target for the firstF-16 intercept to test the U.S. Cus-toms agreement with the U.S. AirForce. (He notes he has “goodvideo of it, too.”)

• 2003 — Being in flight with DaveHay of Squadron 302 on the very day and minute the Wright Brothersmade the first powered flight ex-actly 100 years earlier.

• 2004 — Flying a parallel traffic pattern withthe world’s largest airplane — an Antonov225 — at Williams Gateway Airport.

• December 2006 — Taking grandson Mat-thew, a cadet in Florida who was visiting forthe holidays, for his first CAP flight. (“How

proud I was!” Maj. Beckwith exclaims.) He also notes his enjoyment during the 1970swhen his wife, Patricia, also a CAP member anda former Sky Harbor Cadet Squadron 301 cadet,was receiving her flight training. The major spentseveral CAP flights following her on her soloflights.

Approximately 1,100 hours of Maj. Beckwith’s1,200 flight hours have been logged exclusivelyfor CAP and include check flights, cadet flights,search-and-practice searches, CN and U.S. AirForce flights (being a target for FAA intercepttraining and radar calibration), and proficiencyflying in CAP aircraft that include the L-3, L-4,L-5, L-19, L-20, T-34, Cessna models 150, 172,177, 182, 182 glass, 206 and Piper models 18 and180.

While not counting the logged names, Maj.Beckwith estimates he has flown approximately

Maj. Tim Beckwith (right) provides a preflight briefing to

C/AB Antony Wijatyk, one of the estimated 250 cadets he

has flown on cadet-orientation flights.




Happy Happy

Holidays! Holidays! Officers and guests of Deer ValleyComposite Squadron 302 celebratedthe holidays with good fellowship, foodand prizes during a party Dec. 10 atDeer Valley Airport Restaurant.

11

2 2

3 3

(1) - Lt. Col. Frank Knaack is more than ready to party. (2) - Capt. Bill Rogers shows off one of sev-

eral door prizes awarded to attendees. (3) - 1 st Lt. Len Weiss (left) draws the name of a door-prize winner

from a basket held by Lt. Col. Chas Buchanan. (4) - New squadron senior member Ryan Leja, shown

with date Allison Bingham, won the opportunity to pilot a US Airways’ full-motion 737 simulator. (5) -

Lt. Col. Chas Buchanan opens a “Secret Santa” gift, which was a needed battery charger for the squad-

ron’s new aircraft. (6) - Lt. Col. Brian Ready proved to be the “Secret Santa.”

6 6 5 5 4 4




Lights on! But which? And when? by Maj. Attila Szokol Squadron deputy commander for adults, administrative officer, and

standardization and evaluation officer

D DD D D DD D uring a recent training flight, I noticed my student configuringthe aircraft’s exterior lighting in a way that caused me to dis-

locate my right eyebrow. (With rest, ice, compression and elevation,

my eyebrow is doing just fine now, thank you very much.)While there was nothing wrong with which lights he turned on, it

was different than what I expected. During our debrief, I learned he

had been picking up on different lighting practices of other pilots hehad observed and employed a hybrid technique of them all.

Interestingly, the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) regu-

latory requirement for exterior illumination of an aircraft is quiteminimal. As stated in 14 CFR 91.209, there are only two require-

ments: 1) position lights must be illuminated between sunset andsunrise, and 2) if the aircraft has an anti-collision light system, thoselights must be on unless the

pilot in command determines it

would be safer to keep them off. With so many additional

lights installed on our aircraft, it ultimately is up to the pilot todecide when to turn on the others.

Luckily, pilots don’t have to rely on a magic 8-ball, align-

ment of the stars or tribal lore to develop lighting practices thatenhance safety. In 2003, the FAA released Advisory Circular

(AC) 91-73A, “Part 91 and Part 135 Single-Pilot Procedures

During Taxi Operations.” While we continually have reviewedmost of the high points of this AC during meetings through the

years, there is one section that deserves revisiting – use of exterior lights.

This section breaks down getting from the chocks to the runway in five phases: 1) starting engine,

2) taxiing, 3) crossing a runway, 4) taxiing into position and hold, and 5) receiving takeoff clearance.Each of these phases has distinct lighting configurations that are appropriate for the particular phase.

To paraphrase from the AC:

1 When stopped or giving way to another aircraft, the taxi light should be turned off.2 Strobe lights should not be illuminated at night in close proximity to other aircraft.


If you are … turn these lights on …

Starting the engine Rotating beacon

Taxiing All lights, except landing light 1, 2

Crossing a runway All available lights

Taxiing into position to hold All lights, except landing light

Cleared for takeoff All lights, including landing light (or pulse lights)

Maj. Attila Szokol




6 cadets gain grade promotionsC CC C C CC C ongratulations to the following six cadets from Deer Valley Composite Squadron 302

who have earned recent advancements in grade:

To Cadet Senior Master Sergeant:

Samantha Hansen

To Cadet Master Sergeant:

Alethia Patocs

To Cadet Technical Sergeant:

Steven Cothran

To Cadet Airman First Class:

Skyler Wilson

To Cadet Airman: AnthonyCostabile and Peter Garcia

“Only you can be yourself.“Only you can be yourself.

No one else is qualified No one else is qualified

for the job.” for the job.” ---- AnonymousAnonymous

Note these meetings

P PP P P PP P lease mark your calendars for these meetingsof Deer Valley Composite Squadron 302 mem-

bers in January:• Cadet Meetings (7 p.m.) — Mondays: Jan. 5 (Cadet

orientation/BDUs), Jan. 12 (BDUs), Jan. 19 (PT) andJan. 26 (Blues)

• Officer Meetings (7:30 p.m.) — Wednesdays: Jan.14 and 28

Adult Staff Meeting (7:30p.m.) — Wednesday: Jan. 21

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• BDUs - Battle dress uniform • PT - Physical training • Blues - Air Force dress uni-

form

… Lights signal intent to other aircraft(Continued from page 7)

The AC gives much attention to using landing lights (as well as taxi lights) as an additional, non-

verbal means to communicate intent – the intent to move. This movement can be taxiing, crossing arunway or commencing the takeoff roll. For example, while taxiing, the taxi light would be on.

When instructed to give way to crossing traffic, in addition to reading back the instruction and com-

plying, you would turn the taxi light off. This provides extra confirmation to the other aircraft thatyou are giving way. Once the aircraft passes, you turn the taxi light back on and resume the taxi.

In another example, you are cleared into position and hold. You turn every light on, except the

taxi and landing lights. Remember intent? We’re not cleared yet for takeoff, so you don’t want to

send mixed signals! Once cleared for takeoff, turn on the pulse lights.While the information in the Advisory Circular is not mandatory, following its guidance will pro-

vide you with a standard method for configuring the aircraft’s exterior lights. The AC can be

downloaded from the FAA’s website at http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/ rgAdvisoryCircular.nsf/0/8b3f0b35a9f952af86256dc000565db4/$FILE/AC91-73A.pdf .

Fly safe, see, and BE SEEN!

StudyStudy TestTest P P romote romote

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