HQ, Group III, Texas Wing, Civil Air Patrol

U.S. Civil Air Patrol

U.S. Air Force Auxiliary

Welcome to the first issue of the Group III, Texas Wing Newsletter.

I'd like to thank all who contributed to this issue, without whom it simply wouldn't have happened. It is my personal hope that all who read this will find something useful, interesting, or even amusing here.

Arthur E. Woodgate, 1st Lt, CAP - Editor

Group Commander	Commander’s Thoughts A little rain has given us some relief from Fire Watch duty, during which you did a great job. I personally thank you, individually, for the dedication, volunteerism, and professionalism you have shown throughout this extended-mission duty. Thanks to you, I am proud to be a member of this fine new unit. When Group III, Texas Wing, was born last January, many of you stepped up and made this the finest Group in the Wing. A lose collection of squadrons at first, we’ve come together and now lead the way and set the standard in Texas Wing. Since inception, we’ve added two new squadrons, reorganized the Group Staff, created new ways to communicate and meet, and simultaneously supported the Fire Watch effort that totaled over 1,700 hours flown, an equal or greater time invested by ground-support personnel, and hundreds of staff hours in the SOC. Our membership is growing, and we continue to provide excellent training opportunities -- Squadron Leadership School, New Member Orientation, Ground Team Member Bivouacs, and Aircrew Ground School. Though our accomplishments are impressive, we must stay focused. The Group’s Command and Staff are here to help you grow your squadrons and develop a successful program. In broad terms, we intend to tighten Group links, recognize our members’ good work, and provide opportunities for everyone to meet. On September 9th, we’ll take part in the Dallas Freedom Run, encouraging as many cadets as possible to run the 1-mile event in formation — thereby showing the public how great our cadet program is, through the cadets' own personal example. This is a great opportunity to advertise CAP and recruit new members. Other units outside the Dallas area can identify similar events. Most cities have a Veteran’s Day parade, and CAP should be a part of that celebration. Contact your local officials and ask how your unit can get involved. Later on in the year, we’ll gather and socialize before Christmas; it’s not too soon to start planning on it. Since Group III is such an extended unit, no single location will be convenient for everyone. There will be a Group III party in the Dallas area, where everyone will be welcome. Area Deputies might consider area events as well. My command staff and I will do our very best to attend them all. In the meantime, if you have award presentations or other ceremonial occasions, and you’d like us to be there, please extend the invitation — we’ll do what we can to attend. We are working on hosting an Annual 5K Run to raise funds to benefit all units in Group III, Texas Wing. This takes a lot of planning, so it won’t happen until 2007; but we’re at it, and will keep you posted as plans gel. Finally, every Group Staff member has been asked to set a goal this year, with a twist — when accomplished, it must have benefited the squadrons. If you have specific squadron needs, please send your ideas to the appropriate Group III staff officer, through your squadron’s staff officer. Because that’s what we’re here for ... to help you. We have accomplished much, yet much is still to be done. We have some critical staff vacancies: Aerospace Education Officer and a number of Assistant Ops Officers in various operational areas. We must get motivated individuals to fill these positions, so they can help you succeed in the respective areas. If you are interested, please contact the appropriate Group Command Staff Officer for information. Thanks again for all your hard work. With your continued help and personal contribution, we’ll remain the leading Group in Texas Wing, in every way. Maj. Patrick L. Benoit, CAP
Chaplain	Pressing Toward Excellence One of the core values of the Civil Air Patrol is excellence. This value reflects CAP’s continuous effort to be the very best and consistently improve its services. Excellence must be a goal of all CAP members. While reflecting upon this challenge of excellence, I was reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13,14 These verses present three important keys to experiencing excellence in every part of our life; spiritually, socially, mentally and physically. They also present a framework for pursuing excellence in our service to America. First, we need a clear vision of the goals that we are attempting to accomplish. Prov. 29:18 states, *“Where there is no vision, the people perish …”* Hab 2:2 also states, *“… Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.”* I encourage each of you to set and pursue goals for each part of your life. In our CAP experience, it is of vital importance that we set and purse goals in the various specialty tracks and levels of advancement. As we progress through the various levels, it helps to insure that we have the training and experience necessary to serve with excellence. Second, we must not allow the past to control our future. The Apostle Paul said that he was putting the past behind him. If we focus on our past failures and disappointments, it discourages us from reaching to the future. If we focus on our successes, we often become self-complacent and self-satisfied. Furthermore, in our rapidly changing environment, the “old ways” of doing things do not produce the required level of excellence. We must embrace new technology and improved ways of fulfilling the CAP mission. Third, we must take personal responsibly for our own pursuit of excellence. Valuable time may be wasted if we wait for someone to come to us. Take the initiative and get with your professional development officer and make a specific plan for your training and advancement. To be the best, we must be pro-active in obtaining the necessary training and experience. It is an honor to serve you as Group III Chaplain. It is my prayer that you experience God’s excellence in every part of your life. With God’s help and our efforts, Group III can be the best and serve America with excellence. Chaplain (Capt.) Ron Whitt, CAP
Honor Guard	Group III Honor Guard Training Weekend, 21-23 July 2006 We seek highly motivated, very dedicated, team-oriented cadets. If you feel you fit this description, or have any questions, please contact C/Maj Patrik Tippett. We also need dedicated, cadet-oriented senior members who would like to work with the Honor Guard. For more information, please contact 1Lt. Opal McKinney. Cadets will learn about the four major elements of an Honor Guard — Ceremonial Demonstration Element (rifle drill), Colors Element, Funeral Element, and DDR Element. We'll hold weekend training bivouacs quarterly at various places throughout Group III. Each will include an overview of all four elements, and focus on one element in depth. During the July event, cadets will train on all aspects of the Color Element. The bivouac (place to be determined) will run from 18:00 Friday until 15:00 Sunday. Parents are encouraged to attend a presentation by the cadets at 14:00 on Sunday. Anyone planning to attend, please contact one of us for more information and a list of items to bring. 1st Lt. Opal McKinney, CAP
Inspector General	All squadron CC's: please note that Subordinate Unit/Compliance Inspections start on 24 June. Six squadrons are scheduled thus far, with more to follow in the coming months. The Group IG still needs a copy of your latest Staff Assistance Visit (SAV) or Unit Self Assessment (USA) report. Please submit those via e-mail to manleytx030ig@yahoo.com, or mail them to Steve Manley, P.O. Box 2042, DeSoto, TX 75123-2042. Lt. Manley needs these reports by 31 May, but sooner is always better. To help your squadron prepare for the upcoming SUI/CI, a Unit Self Assessment would be a plus. Please look at Texas Wing Inspector General webpage for additional information. *1st Lt. Steve Manley, CAP*
Safety	Presenting both a flight safety briefing and a ground safety briefing is a mandatory monthly requirement. This need not be a lengthy presentation — a 10 to 20 minute talk (and optional group discussion) is enough. Maj. Jeff Yevcak, the Randolph AFB safety officer who is also the Randolph AFB liaison officer to CAP, has kindly offered the following for the month of June, should you want to use them at your own squadron. June Flight Safety Briefing (MS Word document) June Ground Safety Briefing (MS Word document)

Addison Eagles CS	Cadet Promotion — Cadet/Colonel Michael Thomas Maloy Jr received his Spaatz Award at the 2006 Texas Wing Conference from Col Frank Eldridge, Texas Wing Commander. He earned this milestone achievement on April 13, 2006, the 1,596^th cadet to receive it since it was first presented on November 19, 1964. The full story is at: http://www.texascadet.org/ (Jonna Ocampo, PAO)
Apollo CS	Honor Guard — On short notice, Apollo's honor guard posted the colors at the creation of the Texas Air and Transportation Museum at Georgetown Airport. Started with a $1M donation from legendary aviation pioneer Emma Carter Browning, and hoping for a grant from Texas government sources, the new museum will occupy the "Emma Carter Browning Terminal," as dubbed by the Mayor of Georgetown, by City Council resolution, in honor of this Texas Aviation Hall of Fame inductee. Phantom Sqn. also supported this event. Medical Emergency — S/M Donald Palmer required 6 units of blood to stabilize his gastric bleeding, an emergency that required hospitalization. The Sqn has started a blood drive, and everyone hopes for a quick and complete recovery. New Flight — A number of squadron cadets lost their ride and, since they couldn't drive themselves to Georgetown, 1st Lt Cheri Fischler, Sqn CC, is starting a new flight to accommodate them where they live. A number of new senior members may join as well. This initiative seeks unit growth, and will have just started by the time this newsletter is posted. Details will appear on the next Group III newsletter. (1st Lt. Cheri Fischler, CC)
Black Sheep CS	Cleaning House — Thanks to unit S/M volunteers, and materials donated by Ryland Homes, a local business, the squadron is remodeling its existing quarters inside a hangar at Mesquite Regional Airport, and creating new facilities for its cadets, in the same hangar. The cadets will convert their old quarters as a Group III uniform storage facility. (2nd Lt. Kelly Castillo, PAO)
Crusader CS	Fly-in and Recruiting — On 13 May, the squadron helped sponsor a fly-in pancake breakfast/FAA safety seminar at GPM airport. The local radio remote-control aircraft club staged some miniature demonstration flights, then a unique group of aircraft that had been on display all day did several fly-overs. A few people even got rides in some jet aircraft! A real fun day for all participants, the next one is planned for 30 Sep, 2006. NOTE: The squadron has recruited several new members out of the last two fly-ins. (Lt. Col. Roy Hill, CC)
Gladewater Corsair CS	Traditionally, the Gladewater Corsairs Color Guard leads the Gladewater "Gusher Days" Festival parade, but this year, because of scheduling problems, the Color Guard was not available. Undeterred, C/MSgts Andrew Alexander and Jarrod Alexander carried the flags to open the parade, preserving the squadron's traditional role. During the May 19-21 Ground Team training weekend, (1) C/Maj Mouton sets out the target, (2) Cadets top off canteens before moving out, (3) Where is that thing? (4) Success! (5) It's gotta be someplace around here... (6) Oh, well, we'll find it next time. (7) Primitive shelter class. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 In the field, the cadets functioned as self-sufficient, self-contained team members, training on a variety of required field tasks, including air-ground communications in search of a hidden ELT practice transmitter (images above). (1st Lt. Harold Parks, CC.)
Pegasus CS	Saturday, May 20 was a big day at Pegasus CS. — Army SGT John Stubbs, just returned from two years in Iraq where he was attached to Special Forces as a commo NCO, told the cadets about life in the war zone. Afterwards, it was CAP awards time. — Col Kevin Stubbs, USAF, presented the Mitchell award to Cadet Herakles Boardman. — Cadets Richard Pope, Jr, and Bradley Cilino earned their Earhart certificates. — Cadet Peter French , who will enroll in the USAF Academy this year, won the Air Force Association's award, presented by Lt. Col. Norm King, president of the AFA's local chapter. — Richard Pope was promoted to Major. — Lt. Col. Gloria King received the Commander's Commendation Medal. 1st Lt. Daren Jaeger, the very happy unit commander, beamed through it all (plus other promotions and awards not mentioned here).
Phantom SS	Safe Landing — Maj Dan Williams, squadron CC, at the controls of his Bellanca Viking, lost engine power on take-off from Georgetown Airport but managed to land on "the usual spread." There aren't that many choices for a safe emergency landing at KGTU, but a quick eye, a cool head, and old-fashioned skill yielded an injury-free descent. The plane, however, is a total loss. (SM Richard Hacker, PAO) eNewsletter — Short, newsy and sweet, with a great future, the Col. Joe C. Kittinger Phantom Squadron published the first issue of its eNewsletter on May 21st, 2006 — beating the Group III newsletter to the punch. We wish it every success. Kudos to Richard Hacker, Sqn PAO and eNewsletter editor.
Redbird CS	New Airport Dedication — The City of Dallas has redeveloped the former Redbird Airport, replacing the old terminal and tower (built in 1960), with three new buildings, now reborn as the Dallas Executive Airport. Its new Conference Building will be the Redbird Composite Squadron’s new home. The grand opening, on April 27, was kicked off by the North Texas Honor Guard with a flag posting ceremony, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, led by Capt. Felipe Gomez, Redbird CS commander. Members of Black Sheep CS, as well as Dunbar AFJROTC cadets, assisted with flight-line duties during a flight demonstration. City officials, representatives from the State of Texas, and members of the media were delighted by the cadets’ professionalism and excellent performance. (Capt Joe Davila, PAO) 1 2 3 (1) North Texas Honor Guard with Capt Felipe Gomez. (2) Dallas Mayor Laura Miller with NTHG. (3) Dallas Aviation Director Kenneth Gwynn, Black Sheep CS, and Dunbar AFJROTC.

January	U.S. Army plans a World-Wide Satellite System (WWSS), valued at $5 billion and intended to serve both military and civilian federal agencies that need commercial satellite communications terminals. Depending on user requirements, it will use any required military or commercial satellite in the C, Ku, X and Ka band. (Military & Aerospace Electronics)
February	U.S. Army Special Forces demand smaller, lighter, tougher electronic devices — and get them. The needs of the battlefield are quickly spurring advances in civilian communications equipment, especially in the programmable frequency arena. (Military & Aerospace Electronics)
March 13	A newly developed tactical communications kit can enable videoconferencing, is 100% portable, and can operate anywhere, on a hierarchical basis (the higher the user's rank, the greater the bandwidth allocated). Its possible use during civilian emergencies and disasters would greatly aid in speeding relief to a stricken area. (Washington Technology)
March	U.S. Army has taken delivery of prototype shortwave IR cameras. They use the Sensors Unlimited Inc. (Princeton, NJ) 320x240-pixel focal plane array commercially available in the latter's SU320MX cameras. Infrared imagery has special applications in the aftermath of flooding. (Military & Aerospace Electronics)
April 3	U.S. Marines in Iraq rely on video from unmanned aerial vehicles for tactical operations. Might these be in the cards to augment surveillance capabilities for U.S. border patrolling? (eWeek)
April 24	Homeland Security is not expected to adopt its first standard for interoperable, digital, wireless communications for first responders until the end of 2007 — more than six years after the Sep 11 attack, according to a new report from DHS inspector general Richard Skinner. (Washington Technology)
May 1	The creation of a single-molecule diode was reported in the March 10 issue of Physical Review Letters. Diodes are essential components of computer, audio and other electronic devices. The use of single-molecule diodes would reduce the size of silicon chips to about 1/1,000 of its present size, making them smaller, cheaper, less power-hungry, and cooler-running. (Federal Computer Week)
May 15	Storm over FEMA "solution" gives rise to competing bills (both reported in Federal Computer Week) National Emergency Management Reform and Enhancement Act (H.R. 5351) (1) Leaves FEMA within DHS. (2) Creates a process to allow the FEMA director to bypass normal DHS structure in emergencies. (3) Makes the asst. secretary responsible for cybersecurity and telecommunications. Restoring Emergency Services to Protect Our Nation from Disasters (RESPOND) Act (H.R. 5316) (1) Makes FEMA an independent Cabinet-level agency. (2) Establishes at least 3 national response teams and a sufficient number of regional and other response teams with dedicated commo equipment and training. (3) Requires FEMA to maintain and operate a national EOC and regional EOCs to support response activities.
May 15	Uncle Sam as a hot employer? A survey of 37,000 undergraduate students asked to sort the "ideal employer rankings," conducted by Universum Communications, gave the following results: 1. Walt Disney — 2. Google — 3. State Department — 4. FBI — 5. CIA — 6. Microsoft — 7. Apple Computer — 8. Johnson & Johnson — 9. BMW — 10. Sony (Federal Computer Week)
May 15	DHS and the Defense Department's Northern Command are ready to set up 18 self-powered cell phone towers and distribute between 200 and 500 cell phones to first responders and incident commanders following a major disaster, according to testimony from Northcom commander Adm. Timothy Keating at a May 3 congressional hearing. In addition, Northcom has 50 to 100 satellite phones to be made available post-disaster, he said. (Washington Technology)
May 22	Broadband Internet access in the Dallas-Fort Worth area will soon have a new player — the local electric power company! With a 10-Mbps symmetrical capacity, available at every electrical outlet in the house, and at a rate lower than DSL or cable, it just might be a winner. (Information Week)
May 24	A U.S. Army AH-64 Apache Longbow helicopter, for the first time in history, took control of a Hunter unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The Apache helicopter crew used video from the Hunter from farther away than 40 miles. The demonstration was part of the Hunter Standoff Killer Team Advanced Concept Technology Development. (Military and Aerospace Electronics)

Jun 23, 1905	The Wright Flyer III flies for the first time at Huffman Prairie, outside Dayton, Ohio. The Wright Brothers' first fully controllable aircraft is able to turn and bank and remain aloft for up to 30 minutes.
Jun 1909	Igor Sikorsky builds his first helicopter, the H-1, in Russia. The machine didn't fly, but he flew a better helicopter for the first time in 1910.
Jun 15-16, 1919	Capt. John Alcock and Lt. Arthur Whitten Brown, British World War I fliers, fly 1,900 miles from St. John's, Newfoundland, to Clifden, Ireland, in 16 hours, 12 minutes — the first nonstop transatlantic flight.
Jun 16, 1922	Henry Berliner makes the first controlled horizontal flight in a helicopter, in a demonstration to the military at College Park, Maryland.
Jun 24, 1924	Lt. Russell L. Maughan flies a Curtiss PW-8 in the first dawn-to-dusk flight, starting at Mitchell Field, NYC at 3:59 a.m., and ending at Crissy Field, San Francisco at 9:47 p.m. Pacific time — a 21-hour, 48-minute trip.
Jun 15, 1928	Lts. Karl S. Axtater and Edward H. White, flying in an Air Corps blimp over an Illinois Central train, dip down and hand a mailbag to the postal clerk on the train — the first (and only?) air-to-train transfer.
Jun 17-18, 1928	Amelia Earhart is the first woman to cross the Atlantic by air, in a Fokker C.2, the "Friendship."
Jun 18, 1934	Boeing begins company-funded design work on the Model 299, which is to become the B-17 "Flying Fortress."
Jun 20, 1941	U.S. Army Air Forces established.
Jun 6, 1944	Allied pilots fly approximately 15,000 sorties on D-Day — an effort unprecedented in concentration and size.
Jun 19-20, 1944	"The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot." — In two days of fighting, the Japanese lose 476 aircraft, against 130 American losses.
Jun 1946	After the 1931 failure of Mooney Aircraft Corporation, which Al and Art Mooney had founded in 1929 in Wichita, Kansas, the Mooney brothers partner with C.G. Yankee and W.L. McMahon to re-launch the Mooney Aircraft Corporation, of Wichita — this time to commercial success.
Jun 26, 1946	The Army Air Forces and the Navy adopt "knot" and "nautical mile" as standard aeronautical units of speed and distance.
Jun 26, 1948	The Berlin Airlift — "Operation Vittles" — begins. Douglas C-47 crews bring 80 tons of supplies that first day. By the time it ends (Sept. 30, 1949), the Anglo-American airlift had delivered a total of 2,324,257 tons of food, fuel and supplies.
Jun 25, 1950	Korean War begins when North Korean troops invade South Korea.
Jun 27, 1950	USAF F-82G piloted by Lt. William Hudson with radar operator Lt. Carl Fraser shoots down the first North Korean aircraft — a Yak LA-7.
Jun 20, 1951	First Bell X-5 makes its maiden flight at Edwards AFB, California.
Jun 29, 1955	Boeing B-52 "Stratofortress" enters service.
Jun 7, 1962	USAF B-52 lands at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina, after completing 11,337 mile round-trip flight to Anchorage, Alaska, setting world closed-circuit distance record.
Jun 3-7, 1965	Air Force Maj. Edward H. White makes the first U.S. spacewalk. The Gemini 4 mission is the first U.S. spaceflight to be controlled from the Manned Spaceflight Center in Houston, Texas. The crew, which also includes Air Force Maj. James A. McDivitt, stays aloft for a record 62 orbits.
Jun 1, 1967	First nonstop transatlantic helicopter flight. Two HH-3Es fly from New York to Paris, supported by HC-130P tankers.
Jun 15-24, 1975	Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft link up 140 miles above Earth. First joint U.S./Soviet space mission.
Jun 26, 1981	First production EF-111A makes first flight.
Jun 22, 1984	Burt Rutan's Voyager makes its first test flight. It eventually completes the first nonstop, non-refueled flight around the world.
Jun 10, 1989	Capt. Jacquelyn S. Parker becomes the first female pilot to graduate from the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, Calif.
Jun 2, 1995	Capt. Scott F. O'Grady, an F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot based on Aviano AB in northern Italy, is shot down over Bosnia by a Bosnian Serb platform-launched SA-6 surface-to-air missile. It is not known whether he survived.
Jun 8, 1995	O'Grady, at 1:20 a.m., responds to a radio signal from Capt. Thomas Hanford, another pilot in his squadron, and is rescued at 6:44 a.m. by 40 members of the 24th U.S. Marine Expeditionary Unit from the USS Kearsarge, on station in the Adriatic Sea. Later he is hailed as an American hero.
Jun 28, 1995	First refurbished SR-71 returned from Lockheed Martin "Skunk Works" at Palmdale, California.
Jun 19-July 3, 2002	Steve Fossett flies in a balloon from Northam, West Australia, around the world to Queensland, Australia, landing after 14 days, 19 hours. In the first nonstop round-the-world balloon flight, Fossett breaks three balloon records: fastest time around the world, measured by crossing 117-degree East longitude (13 days, 3 minutes), longest distance flown solo (20,483.25 miles), and longest time flown solo (355 hours, 50 minutes).

America's first space station was named Skylab. The Skylab Project

Can you hear in space? In theory, if there is nothing to receive the sound, there is no sound. Because there are no "air waves" in space to conduct the sound, it would not carry. So, the object would make a noise, but it would not carry to any receiver, and no one would hear it. The Physics Classroom - Sound Waves

The Space Shuttle is the world's first reusable spacecraft and the first spacecraft in history that can carry large satellites both to and from orbit. The Shuttle launches like a rocket, maneuvers in Earth orbit like a spacecraft, and lands like an airplane. NASA - Space Shuttle

The Space Shuttle's accomplishments over the past 20 years include: launching 3 million pounds of cargo; transporting more than 600 passengers and pilots; cumulatively spending more than three years in flight; and traveling more than 366 million miles.

The Space Shuttle goes from zero to 17,000 mph in 8.5 minutes. The speed of the gases exiting the solid rocket booster motor is 6,000 mph — three times that of a bullet fired from a high-powered rifle.

The Space Shuttle's Main Engine operates at greater temperature extremes than any mechanical system in common use. The fuel, liquefied hydrogen at -423 degrees Fahrenheit (-253 degrees Celsius), is the second coldest liquid on Earth. When it burns with liquid oxygen, the temperature in the main combustion chamber reaches 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit (3,316 degrees Celsius), hotter than the boiling point of iron.

When orbiting the Earth, the Space Shuttle travels at about 17,600 miles per hour. (1) Earth (2) Earth from orbit, and more.

Canada, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Japan, Russia, Brazil, and the United States are all building parts of the International Space Station. International Space Station

Although at first glance it appears wrong, the flag on the shuttle Orbiter is not truly backward. The regulation for displaying a U.S. flag on a national vehicle states that the star field must be positioned at the front of the vessel (towards the shuttle's nose cone), as if the flag were "flying" alongside the ship. This is why the flag on the right side of the Shuttle looks as though it were backward.

Why were the first lunar missions nicknamed "Apollo"? At the height of Greek colonization of the ancient world, Apollo was considered the protector of emigrants and travelers on their way. The name "Apollo" was suggested by Abe Silverstein, an early director of the Lewis Research Center and one of the "founding fathers" of NASA's Manned Spaceflight Center (now Johnson Space Center), in Houston. NASA - History of Human Space Flight

Remote sensing is the process of obtaining information about an object, area, or phenomenon without coming into direct contact with it. Remote Sensors