A useful hobby while you are building your RV...

Ralph Kramden · #1 06-09-2007, 01:57 PM

I had my first flight today as a member of the Civil Air Patrol. If you are looking for flying opportunities while you are building your RV and you would like to serve your country as well, consider joining CAP.

CAP is a volunteer organization of the US Air Force. Besides providing cadet and aerospace education services, it is probably best known for being the primary search and rescue organization in the US. We fly (mostly) Cessna 172s and 182s (the 182s are new and have glass cockpits) and have about 550 of these aircraft positioned around the country. We also do counter drug, disaster relief and homeland security missions. You don't have to be a pilot to participate in flying missions (but most everyone reading this IS a pilot) but if you are a pilot there is lots of flying to do. You can rent the airplanes for training missions for much less than you could from your local FBO - our 172R is fully equipped (GPS, DME, IFR, etc) and rents for $32/hour dry. If you are training with two others, then that cost gets divided by three. If on an "air force assigned mission" then the cost of flying is covered by the Air Force.

To train to be a mission pilot, you need 175 hours PIC with 50 PIC CC. But you can fly the airplanes with even less time - 100 hours PIC to be a mission transport pilot. You can train to get your IFR rating or your commerical rating. CAP (USAF) regulations have to be followed, but it is real flying.

Our missions usually involve three people in the Cessna flying 80 knots and at about 1000 feet AGL to search for lost aircraft or to do aerial surveys of disaster areas. A mission pilot flies the airplane while a mission observer observes from the right front seat and a mission scanner observes from the lest rear seat. A mission transport pilot can fly "Highbird" missions where the purpose is to take a radio repeater aloft to about 8000 feet and loiter for hours providing communications to ground teams and low flying CAP aircraft.

Today's flight was a training flight with me in the right seat. We practiced flying a low search pattern. I learned clearly that in oroder to be useful as a search and rescue flyer you really do have to prepare and train in advance. I have heard people on this forum wanting to go out and fly search missions for lost RVers, but really a single pilot flying a low wing aircraft like an RV would be ineffective. If you want to help when something bad happens, then invest the time now and join up with CAP.

Later this week, I should be taking a checkride in order to be qualified to pilot the airplane myself. Our squadron has 25 members and one 172 and not many pilots right now. There are units everywhere.

No, it's not an RV, but it is useful flying for a good purpose. Beats sitting in the basement waiting for my RV kit to become flyable.

Interested? Try www.cap.gov for details.

--REK

Baja_Traveler · #2 06-09-2007, 08:40 PM

Thanks for the info - I didn't realize that there were opportunities for people like me who have not yet finished flight training. Maybe they will have a use for me and my Ham radio license - or communications/radio experience anyways.

the_other_dougreeves · #3 06-09-2007, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baja_Traveler

Thanks for the info - I didn't realize that there were opportunities for people like me who have not yet finished flight training. Maybe they will have a use for me and my Ham radio license - or communications/radio experience anyways.

Yes, CAP can and will use your COMM experience. We had several hams that did CAP work in ORWG. We were lucky to have a very experienced Sr. Master Sargent who worked with us and we learned from him.

So, yes, if you can find a good squadron to work with, please do.

Ralph Kramden · #4 06-10-2007, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baja_Traveler

Thanks for the info - I didn't realize that there were opportunities for people like me who have not yet finished flight training. Maybe they will have a use for me and my Ham radio license - or communications/radio experience anyways.

There are in fact many non-pilot jobs to be done. Radio is one of them. I am a ham operator as well and I can tell you they have an extensive VHF FM repeater system nationwide, airborne repeaters, P25 capable VHF FM interoperable systems with the rest of the federal government, and HF SSB systems. Besides needing scanners and observers, ground teams are needed as well - it is one thing to spot the crash from the air but someone really needs to go walk up to it and help survivors.

--REK

grover · #5 06-10-2007, 07:37 PM

was wondering how many rv'ers are also radio operators. . . just curious.

KI4DNI

Paul LeDoux · #6 06-10-2007, 08:50 PM

K5BTD

Paul LeDoux
Sharpsburg, Ga. 30277
RV-8 QB

Hostage46 · #7 06-10-2007, 09:03 PM

I ran 80 and 40 meters as a kid with the novice ticket from the age of 12 to 14. Ran an old Heathkit Xtmitter and a Hallicrafters rec.

WB3DGA... a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away

Quote:

Originally Posted by grover

was wondering how many rv'ers are also radio operators. . . just curious.

KI4DNI

grjtucson · #8 06-10-2007, 09:35 PM

Way back in the day (late 70's) as part of my misspent youth I had a novice ticket (KA7HZO). Had Atlas, Swan, and Ten-Tec radios at various times, much home-brewed gear including an antenna tuner and electronic keyer, and much to the annoyance of neighbors, I had a 400 foot long end-fed Zepp antenna.

During high school I worked for a small electronics manufacturer in Sedona, AZ where I grew up. (Kachina Communications, which has apparently since morphed into Swift Wireless) My boss was Les Earnshaw, a ham, past owner of Southcom, designer for Atlas Radio, and something of a pioneer in ham radio. He is a pilot and generally an all-around incredibly good guy. I learned a lot while there but wandered on to different hobbies/pursuits.

I still have the soldering ability and perhaps most useful, a healthy respect for, but total lack of fear of circuits, boards, home-brew electronics, etc. I am counting on that to be of use as I wire my plane.

George

Daver · #9 06-10-2007, 09:41 PM

I find it interesting how many people on this forum are so similar.

I, also am a ham (KM5XE) AND an engineer AND I'm building an RV9A.

I guess we're just a bunch of nerds

Dave

Baja_Traveler · #10 06-10-2007, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grjtucson

Way back in the day (late 70's) as part of my misspent youth I had a novice ticket (KA7HZO). Had Atlas, Swan, and Ten-Tec radios at various times, much home-brewed gear including an antenna tuner and electronic keyer, and much to the annoyance of neighbors, I had a 400 foot long end-fed Zepp antenna....

George

I spent some time with someone in your neck of the woods last week - down in Green Valley, We were both on 2 meters using the WIN system (Western Intertie Network). Really cool system covers most of the western states (including Alaska and one in Australia) covering 2 meter and 70cm repeaters tied over the internet.

KI6IWX