Kansas Wing - Sep 2009

8/9/2019 Kansas Wing - Sep 2009

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A U T U M N , 2 0 0 9V O L U M E 1 I S S U E 4

...to the starsAd Astra

REMEMBERING INCREDIBLE PEOPLE

THE ED HILL EMERGENCYSERVICES AWARD

The Lt Col Ed Hill Award was established to honor a pillar

of Kansas Wing Operations who was killed in an

automobile accident in October 2008 en route to a

mission.

Ed joined Civil Air Patrol in November 1995. He was an

aviation professional and became an icon in Kansas Wing

emergency services. His qualifications included nearly

every position from incident commander to mission staff

assistant. He held every pilot

qualification available in Civil Air

Patrol. Lt Col Hill had ratings in

several specialty tracks including

Operations and Safety. He served

as the Safety Officer at National Blue

Beret in 2003 and also earned the

Gill Robb Wilson Award.

At the time of his death, Lt Col Hill

served as the Kansas Wing Director

of Operations and Counterdrug Officer. He will not only be

remembered for the excellence with which he performed hi

numerous duties, but also for his cooking at the Kansas

Emergency Services Academies. He will long be missed by

his friends and comrades.

In honor of our friend and fellow volunteer, this award will

recognize members of the Kansas Wing who exhibit

dedication and excellence in Operations.

Congressman Moran Accepting Applicationsto Service Academies

KNASWINCVLAIRPATR

Congressman Jerry Moran is accepting applications for nominationsto the United States Service Academies. The academies include theU.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York; the U.S. NavalAcademy in Annapolis, Maryland; the U.S. Air Force Academy inColorado Springs, Colorado; and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy inKings Point, New York.

Those selected will enter the academies in June 2010. Selections arebased on SAT or ACT test scores, class rank, grade point average,

school records, extracurricular activities, leadership potential, motivation,

recommendations and interview evaluations. Applicants must be legal residents of thestate of Kansas, at least 17 years of age but not past their 23rd birthday on July 1 of theyear of admission, citizens of the United States, unmarried, not pregnant and withoutlegal obligation to support children or other dependents.

If nominated by Moran, the applicants then must meet the individual admissionrequirements of each academy. The academies will make the final decision on who willreceive an appointment of admission. Due to limited placement, Moran encourages allinterested candidates to also apply to the offices of U.S. Senators Sam Brownback andPat Roberts. Moran's application deadline is November 1, 2009. Interested applicantsshould send a letter requesting application materials to:

Congressman Jerry MoranAttn: Service Academy Selection

P.O. Box 1128

Hutchinson, KS 67504-1128

Those selected will enter theacademies in June, 2010


2/10

P A G E 2

TransformingAverageCadetsintoSuperb

LeadersBy C/Lt Col Mitch Edwards

What is the military definition of

leadership? The military definition ofleadership is as follows: The art of

influencing and directing people in such a

way that it will win their obedience,confidence, respect and loyal cooperation

in achieving a common objective.

This is just one of the many things thatcadets will learn at the 2009 Kansas Wing

Winter Encampment. Encampment is

being held from 26 December 2009through 2 January 2010 at Kansas Wing

Headquarters in Salina, Kansas. Cadets

can expect to learn important life skills

such as how to work in a group, how tomake their bed, how to keep organized and

even how to manage their time. On top of

learning about emergency services andaerospace education, cadets will be

exposed to numerous hands on activates to

stimulate their minds to aid in the learningprocess. Cadets will walk into

encampment as cadets and emerge a week

later as leaders. This is a great opportunity

to grow. We are now accepting BasicApplications (CAPF 31 with signatures

sent to Kansas Wing Headquarters). Come

and experience the event of a lifetime!

Questions can be directed to the Encampment

Commander, Maj Rick Franz [email protected] or to the Cadet

Commander, C/Lt Col Mitch Edwards at

[email protected].

Encampment!Encampment!


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4/10

International AirCadet Exchange

Comes to KCKansas City Composite Squadron (KCCS) proudly hostedthis years International Air Cadet Exchange. This groupof individuals consisted of two Canadian cadets, twoBelgian cadets, and one Belgian escort. With this beingmost of their first times to the United States, KCCS gavethem a variety of experiences that included a taste of

Kansas City, aviation-related activities, and a littleAmerican culture.

A taste of Kansas City for our IACE group began on dayone with a historical tour of the Steam Boat Arabia atThe City Market; day two ended with a Kansas CityRoyals baseball game; day three was The Plaza, UnionStation, and Crown Center in Kansas City, MO., event;day four was spent at Worlds of Fun amusement park;and day nine rounded out the experience with a tour ofthe Merriam Kansas Fire Station where they were able tosee the ladder tower in action. IACE also attended a

KCCS meeting to meet all our cadets and sharedifferences in our programs. Part of the evening wasspent demonstrating and practicing drilling techniquesby KCCS and the Canadian cadets. There was an extrasend off reception on the last day where KCCS met forcake, and then off to a pool party complete withbackyard barbeque pot luck.

Aviation activities began on the second day with

observation flights out of New Century Airport. On the

fifth day, the IACE spent time out at Forbes Field for a

tour of the 190th

Air Refueling Wing, Kansas Air NationalGuard facilities where they were given a close look at

the KC-135. Then it was off to visit the historical Air

Combat Museum at Forbes Field to view 33 different

aircraft, aircraft engines, and military aviation artifacts

all ranging from WWI to modern day. Day six was the

Amelia Earhart Museum in Atchison and a flight

simulator in Leavenworth.

Left to Right Chaperone Kevin Dekroes(Belgium), Cedrick VanGoethem(Belgium), Mel Thyberghien (Canada), TimKeymis (Belgium), Jordan Bailey (Canada),KCCS C/Col Daniel Metcalf, KCCS

Left to Right, Top Cedrick VanGoethem, MelThyberghien, Middle Kevin Dekroes, JordanBailey, Tim Keymis, Bottom KCCS Cadets c/SrAJoseph Crockett, c/Amn Daniel Scarbrough, c/2nd

Lt Grant Collison

By SM Gena Borden


5/10

The ninth day was spent at Smoky HillAir National Guard Range with apublic display of military aircraft thattook flight for an aerial gunnerytraining show. Aerial displaysincluded AH-64 Apache, A-10 TThunderbolt, B-52, B-1, F-16, C-130and an unmanned aerial vehicle.

American culture was fascinating toour IACE team. There were manyfirsts for the group including thebaseball game and the amusementpark. KCCS made sure they wereexposed to cultural experiences that

could only be made in America. IACEwas able to experience severaldifferent fast food establishments andretail stores in Kansas City. KrispyCrme Doughnuts was one fast foodestablishment where our IACE teamwas able to see how the dough wasmixed, cut, cooked, and frosted. Atasty sample at the end of the tourwas a special treat indeed. Cabelaswas one of the retail stores that dis-

played vast differences in Americanculture that ranged from thetaxidermy to the weapons that wereon display. There was never a dullmoment with the IACE group.Including making new friends. Evensitting in traffic gave a burn outs. Inthe end, IACE left Kansas City in stylewith a Hummer Limousine ride to theairport.

The International Air Cadet Exchange

program was a learning experience foreveryone involved. The Kansas City

Composite Squadron would like to

thank everyone who put forth effort

to make this program a success. KCCS

was delighted to be involved with this

years event and is looking forward to

next year.

The Flint Hills Composite Squadron weekly meeting took adifferent turn on September 22nd 2009. Colonel TimHansen was alerted by LtCol Dennis Pearson that theAFRCC was tracking an ELT signal near the Kansas Citymetro area and requested opening an Air Force-authorizedSearch and Rescue mission. Colonel Hansen opened anincident base at Freeman Field Airport in Junction City andthe weekly squadron meeting becoming a real hands-on

exercise in Search and Rescue.An aircrew and aircraft from the Topeka EagleComposite Squadron launched to search for the ELTsignal, and the New Century Composite Squadronprovided an Urban Direction-Finding Team (UDT) for theground search.

The Flint Hills Composite Squadron members comprisedthe Incident Command staff with Colonel Hansen acting asthe Incident Commander and Maj Jeffrey Morris as theOperations Section Chief. Capt Mark Lahan served as theGround Branch Director, Capt Linette Lahan provided

support as Finance and Administrative Section Chief and2nd Lt Pam Morris served as the staff assistant. As cadetsand senior members arrived for the usual weekly meeting,they were assigned various duties and a ground team wasassembled to conduct a search in the local area based onthe information being received from the AFRCC.

Just as the ground team, lead by Capt Sammy Williams,was about to embark on their mission, the IncidentCommander received the information that the ELT hadbeen located in Clay County, MO. The aircrew located theELT in Missouri and notified the airport personnel, whofound the ELT and silenced the ELT. The aircraft and theUDF team were recalled and the incident base shut down.

Flint Hills mission logs were completed to record the eve-nings activities and squadron personnel conducted an af-ter action review of the nights events The exercise was areal-time and real-life event and provided a opportunityfor hands-on experience for all the KSWG personnelinvolved. Definitely not your normal weekly meeting!

by Capt Sammy Williams and 2nd Lt Pamela Morris

Not YourNormalMeeting!


6/10

Kansas Wings Presence Felt

at National Blue BeretBy C/Capt Sarah M. Wildman

The worlds largest air show, AirVenture, hostedby the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in

Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was home to two dozen

Kansas Wing members for more than two weeks

this summer. National Blue Beret (NBB) is a

National Cadet Special Activity held by the Civil Air

Patrol to support AirVenture. The activity receives

its name from the blue beret members earn while

there.

Kansas Wing had the most members selected

to attend NBB this year, sending twenty-four. Mostof them served on staff, filling positions ranging

from Activity Director to Flight Leader.

This year, cadets were assigned to one of twelve flights. Two cadet leaders and one senior

member TAC Officer led each flight. Five additional cadets served as the Cadet Commander, Cadet

Deputy Commander, Cadet Administration Officer and two Cadet Public Affairs Officers. Each days

schedule rotated the flights through several different duty shifts and generally some free time.

During the air show week, each flight had at least one opportunity to go watch the air show. Flights

were also paired with two other flights on a Flight Night Out, a break for flight members from the

long days and a chance to spend time building better friendships with members from other flights.

While AirVenture is only a week-long air show, National Blue Beret begins the week before with

long days of Ground Team Member and Flight Line Marshaller training.

A typical day begins with wake-up at 5:30 am and lights out at

10 pm. The hours in between are filled with opening formation, HQ

duty, flight line marshalling along Runway 9/27, ES duty, Warbirds,

Ultralights, closing formation and other similar taskings.

HQ duty can result in cadets helping cook meals for their

fellow members, logging vehicles and personnel entering and exiting

the compound as well as doing general barracks housekeeping.

Flight line marshalling involves directing taxiing aircraft to theirdesignated parking spots after they land as well as directing aircraft to

the runway for takeoff during the mass departures. Flight line

operations with the EAA, CAP and the FAA are so smooth that it is

typical to have 100 aircraft takeoff in only 45 minutes during the mass

departures after each days air show is complete. Cadets and senior

members working the flight line have the thrilling opportunity to

witness and impact this spectacular achievement.


7/10

ES duty encompasses several different

activities. On an ES shift, cadets may handle

radio communications in the Communications

Shack on the compound, ride on one of two

golf carts assigned to ES in search of overdue

aircraft and activated ELTs, or sit at North or

South Tower logging each landing aircrafts tailnumber. Sorties and Finds are earned through

ES duty.

Warbirds and Ultralights are somewhat simi-

lar activities. Cadets on these shifts serve by

ensuring that unauthorized persons do not

enter the active taxiway and runway areas

located next to the Warbirds area and at the

Ultralights separate grass runway.

The unofficial motto of National Blue Beret is

Semper Gumby Always Flexible. The manyschedule and tasking changes that can occur in

a given day at NBB require that members be

flexible and adaptable to the situation while still

serving with the highest degree of

professionalism and integrity.

A main highlight for every member of

the activity is receiving their blue beret

and St. Albans pin. The berets and

pins must be earned through displaying

and exemplifying the attitudes and

actions that define a Blue Beret.

Professionalism, integrity and service

to others are three of these defining

attributes. The berets are earned first, with the

St. Albans pins being earned separately.

Excitement and exhilaration fill the air on the

compound upon awarding of the berets.

The activity ends with a graduation

barbecue after the air show ends on Sunday.Cadets and senior members return the

following day to their home wings and

squadrons with memories of a lifetime, a new

Blue Beret family and, hopefully, many lessons

in leadership, professionalism and service to

others to pass on to those around them.

CONGRA

TSTO

C/Capt

Sarah

Wildman

for

passing

herCFI

Checkri

de!We

areallp

roudof

her!


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P A G E 8 V O L U M E 1 I S S U E 4

Salina and EllsworthTeam up for Airshow

On 01 August 2009, the Salina and EllsworthSquadrons helped with traffic and crowdcontrol as the Det 1, 184 Intelligence Wing ofthe Smoky Hill Air National Guard Rangeheld their Open House. The Smoky Hill ANGRange is the largest air-to-ground range inthe ANG. Over 6000 people showed up forthe one-day event. Those who attended

were given a show of power with bombs,rockets, cannon fire from AH-64 Apache,Powercet, A-C10 (Thunderbolt), B-53H(Stratofortress), F16C (Fighting Falcon), andB-1B (Lancer). Several members of theKansas City Squadron were in attendance aspart of their IACE experience with cadetsfrom Canada and Belgium.

Joint NCR SAREXGreat Success

North Central Region of Civil Air Patrol combined 15August 2009 for joint SAREX activities. The exercisehad multiple tornadoes touching down betweenPhillipsburg andBelleville, KS.Aircraft reportedmultiple ELTs goingoff in the area anddamage reported tothe local infrastruc-ture. Ground teamswere tasked to takeDamage Assessment(DA) digital photos of nearby dams, airfields,hospital, bridges, and power plants.

After a safety and SITREP briefing, a Ground Teamfrom the Flint Hills Composite Squadron, led byMajor Jeffrey Morris, dispatched to check on thetowns and countryside in the area for damageassessment. Theteam used datalogging GPSdevices to track

GPS locations tobe matched upwith digitalpictures takenalong the route.

Capt Mark Lahandrove the routewhile Capt Linette Lahan kept the log of the sightingsand reported conditions. Cadet Hillary Kebbeloperated the DF and searched for any sounds of anELT along the route. 2nd Lt Pam Morris took photosat each location to later be matched up with the data

logger GPS data. The Ground Team arrived atBellvilles airfield and Cadet Kebbel picked up thesound of the ELT. While the ELT search was beingconducted on the ground, a CAP plane arrived over-head and circled the area to land. The aircrew fromWichita had picked up the ELT and DFd to the samelocation. The line search was successful in locatingthe ELT. Photos of the location and the ELT findwere taken, and the Ground Team resumed theirtasking of checking for damage assessment alongthe route.

By Capt Cathy Mages

by 2nd Lt Pamela Morris


9/10

P A G E 9V O L U M E 1 I S S U E 4

MEET THE COMMANDERS

Captain Catherine Metcalf

educating people about CAP andpromotes it every time she gets achance.One event that Captain Metcalfworks hard on every year and is

very close to her heart is theWreaths Across Americaprogram. She was honored toattend the ceremony inWashington, DC, two years andwitness first hand lying on of thewreaths and the ceremony.On a personal note, she is

married to Dan, who is a Major in

CAP. She has lived in the KC

area most of her life. Captain

Metcalf likes football Go Chiefs

and wrestling (high school and

college). She home schooled

Cadet Metcalf, is the mother of

three children and grandma of

three her two oldest children

are married with the oldest son

and daughter-in-law having a 4

year old son, and daughter and

son-in-law having 7 year old boy/

girl twins. The twins are already

looking forward to joining CAPwhen they turn 12. If you have

ridden with Captain Metcalf, you

know her favorite vehicle is a

Hummer and favorite plane is the

B-2. If you dont know this, you

would soon find out.

Observer and Scanner, and Mis-sion Radio Operator, just to namea few.She was so busy with thesquadron the first year her twin

grandchildren would call for anappointment to come visit.During her 6 years in CAP she hasattended 7 encampments, earneda Master in Cadet Programs andAdministration, Senior inPersonnel and Technician inProfessional Development andserved in multiple duty positions.She has multiple qualifications inEmergency Services. Her awardsinclude Yeager, Loening, COP,

and has received the Command-ers Commendation twice. Shealso has attended TrainingLeaders for Cadets and UnitCommanders Course. And ofcourse many squadron and wingevents and activities.Captain Metcalf enjoyed and wasproud to promote cadets as theirDeputy Commander for Cadets.Her greatest joy was being able topromote her own cadet son on

several achievements. Then shewas able to promote him to CadetColonel, with NO crying allowed.Last December, she was honoredwith the Change of Command ofKCCS that put her in the positionof Squadron Commander.Captain Metcalf totally believes inthe CAP program and enjoys

Catherine E Metcalf, being aMary Kay consultant and anew grandmother of twins,putting on combat boots wasNOT something she thought of

herself doing. However,because of her love for hercountry, knowing she couldgive back through CAP, andher love for children andwanting to help cadets, she

joined CAP in August 2003AND put those combat bootson.She started as testing officer,adding Administration Officersoon after. Two years later

she, her CAP officer husbandand cadet son were asked tohelp start a squadron. ThisNOT being on her TO-DO list,she allowed everyone to talkher into it. Little did she knowwhat Kansas City CompositeSquadron would grow to be,the friends she would make orthe difference that would bemade in cadets lives throughKCCS.

Like her cadet son, she didnthesitate to further her career;taking all the training sheneeded for different officerpositions to help a new andgrowing squadron. She alsostarted in Emergency Services,becoming qualified as aGround Team Leader, Mission


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3024 Arnold Ave.

Salina, Kansas

67401-8105

785-825-0009

FAX 785-825-1116

[email protected]

[email protected]

Kansas Wing

Civil Air Patrol

The Eyes of America's Skies

I am a Blue Beret! Follow me!

Kansas Wing - Sep 2009

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