Upload
cap-history-library
View
215
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
1/48
Vol IV
No
Summer
1999
Official Publication o the California Wing Civil Air Patrol
P
O Box 9117 Ontario CA 91762
Photo by Lyn Sm
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
2/48
Superior Industries
International Inc.
Proudly salutes
our
Civil
Air
Patrol
an
outstand
ing
organization
UPEAIIOA
CORPORATE
HEADQU
ARTERS
7800
Woodley
Avenue
Van Nuys CA 91406-1788
8 I 8) 78 I -4973
IE;;
Los
n
eles World Airports
. Four Great Airports To Serve You:
Los Angeles International
Ontario International
Palmdale Regional
Van
Nuys
For Information, call Public Affairs:
31
0)
646 5260
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
3/48
Eagle Call is an authorized publica
tion published
in
the interest
of
the
member of the California Wing of
th
e Civil Air Patrol. It is published
by a private firm
in
no way
con-
nected with
th
e Department of the
Air
Force or the Civil
Air Patr
o l
Corporation. The appearance
of
ad
ve rti sements in this publication in
c luding supplements and
in
se rts
does not constitute an endorsement
by the Civil Air Patrol Corporation
or the Department
of
the Air Force
of
the products and ervices adver
tised.
Materials for publication
should be mailed to:
California Wing
Civil Air Patrol
Eagle Call
P. O. Box 9 7
Ontario CA 9 762
Colonel Bryon Brammer
ng Commander
Maj. Wyn Selwyn
Editor
For information
on advertis
in
g rates and space
please ca ll 1-800-635-6036
ommand
and
ontrol
By Col Bryon Brammer
Thi s was to be my final article
in
Eagle Call
as your Wing
Commander. In this final
article
I had planned to
re
view our
strengths
and
successes over the last four years, but political
events
between
CAP and the Air Force have almost
mandated
that I di scu the e event with you.
In February
just
before
the N a tional
Board
meetin g in
Washington D.C. CAP caught wind of an Air Force
propo
sa l
originating
in
the highest levels
of
the Pentagon that would sub
stantially ch
ange
Civil
Air
Patrol.
Thi propo
al did away with
our
current leadership structure and substituted it with an Air
Force Executive
Board
and asked Congress to change Public
Law that had guided the Air Force and CAP a a civilian auxil
iary
for more
than
50
years.
Thi
s
proposa
l
would have
done
away with
CAP s elected National
Commander, Vice Com-
mander
the offices of
Finance
Officer
Comptroller
and all of
the Regional Commanders and replaced them with Air Force of
ficers.
While we
were
at the National Board Bryan Sharrett the
Ass istant Secretary for Reserve Affairs which is the individual
that CAP reports to through the
Air
University was asked about
the proposa
l
He sa id that no proposa l was being developed by
the
Air Force
and that
if one were
it would have to
go
through
hi office first and wou ld be discus ed with CAP e f o r ~ the plan
was acted upon.
No
ooner than
we
left Washington D.C. team
of
Air Force
officers started
making
the rounds in the halls
of
Congress and presenting their plan .
This is a command and co ntrol i sue. The
Air
Force wants
total control over CAP as its auxiliary. Currently the Air Force is
limited as to its ability to command Civil
Air
Patrol a civilian
corporation. Even though we are an auxiliary we have a level of
autonomy
that is not
found
in any
other
relationship with
the
Federal
Government. In order to do that the Air Force had to
convince Congress
that
public law needed to be changed. The
Continued
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
4/48
2
2,632
Spacious
Rooms World sTallest Roller
Coaster
Over
4,000 Slots
Two
Championship
Golf
Courses
Over
100
Table Games Eleven Restaurants
Motion Simulator Rides Water Log Flume Ride
Dutch
Schultz Gangster
Car
Movie Theater
Bonnie
Clyde
Death
Car
Entertainment
Half
The Price,
Double
The Fun
1800FUNSTOP
30 Miles South
of
Vegas on
1-15
Clay
Lacy
Aviation
proudly supports
the
CALIFORNIA
CIVIL
AIR PATROL
CL Y L CY VI TION
Serving California and the world since 1968
Air
Ambulance
Jet
Charter
Turbine Helicopters
Aerial
Photography
Aircraft
Maintenance
Aircraft
Sales
and Management
Full Service 24
Hour Facility
800) 423-2904
l y
laCY
/ 1 P H O I ~ J
7435 Valjean Avenue
Van
Nuys
CA 91406
Van
Nuys Airport
J.T P Films
We proudly support the lifesaving
efforts of our
Civil
Air Patrol.
Their dedication to
the
on
-going mission
of providing air search for downed and
missing aircraft
is
especially appreciated .
Thanks and Good Luck
818)
788-0300
15821
Ventura Blvd
Suite 460, Encino
SACRAMENTO
AVIATION
M N GEMENT COMP NY
' ' ' f
-
eproudly
salute the
men and women of
CIVIL IR
P TROL
Aircraft Sales
Aircraft Management
Aircraft Appraisals
Pilot Services
SACRAMENTO EXECUTIVE AIRPORT
5951 Freeport Blvd.
Sacramento,
CA 95822
916) 424 1800
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
5/48
ommandand
ontrol
Continued
way the Air Force chose to do this
was to s
tart
a
public
campaign
that CAP was misus ing public
money - almost 30 million dollar
that CAP gets from Congress and
the Air Force.
For
s
upport
they
referred to a two-year-old
Air
Force audit that had found finan
cial irregularities
in
the way CAP
did
bus
ine
ss.
What
they
didn
t
tell Congre ss
was
that all
but
some minor issues were reviewed
by
the Commander of
the Air
University
and CAP. CAP was
found to be using acceptable fi
nancial processes. Of the numer
ous iss ue s was that
Federal
money wa
s u
se
d to
se
nd
CAP
staff on a cruise and the Execu
tive Director used Federal money
to fly first class while conducting
CAP
busine ss.
The li
st
went
on
and on. The truth
of
the matter is
that some of the National Staff at
tended a Southeast Region Con
ference that was being held on a
cruise ship. All
of
the CAP mem
bers who attended the conference
paid their own way as most of us
do when we attend conferences.
Selected members
of
the National
Staff that are required to attend
this function , as well as others.
Their expenses while on this trip
were le
i
timate expenses covered
under existing CAP
and
Air
Force policies. Colonel Albano,
our Executive Director
,
buy
s
coach tickets and receives an up
gra
de
because
of hi
s high travel
miles. Thi s is a practice that we
can do in CAP as a private corpo
ration but cannot be done in the
Air Force. All
of
the issues that
the Air Force is us
in
g are similar
in nature. They claimed a need
for
more oversight of CAP to
protect the millions and millions
of public money
that
CAP
re
ceives. What they haven t said is
that there is currently one Air
Force per
s
onnel
at
National
Headquarters for every four CAP
paid staff. All public money ex
pended by
CAP
is on a reim
bursement basis and,
if
inappro
priate, would not have been reim
bur
se
d.
CAP
also
ha
s
another
so urce
of income
th at is from
your membership dues.
The
Air
Force has no control over the way
thi s mon ey is spent, nor should
they. How membership money is
spent is approved by the National
Board yearly at the general mem
bership meeting held
in
August.
CAP
leaders
hip
, m
yse
lf
in
cluded, went to Congress to fight
this attempt to take co ntrol
of
CAP. Senators Harkin and Allard
drafted a bill to nullify the Air
Force language
in
serted into the
Defense Appropriations bill and
mandated that an independent au
dit be done of CAP and its use of
public
money
by
the Office of
Budget
and
Management. Thi s
bill passed the Senate and no at
tempt
ha
s
been
ma
de
in
the
Hou se. CAP supports this inde
pendent audit that will put to rest
these accusations. This audit will
be complete and reported back to
Con
gress
in
February of
next
year.
With all
that
has been
sa
id ,
there are occasionally issues of
mi su
se of DOD accesses and
money by
CAP
members. These
charges
are always inves
ti ga
ted
and if sustained are turned over to
the FBI
or
the OSI for further in
vestigation and prosecution. Over
the many years that I have been a
member
of CAP
this has and will
come up. CAP has had and prob
ably st
ill
ha
s
so me bad apples.
We will deal with these members
like
we
always
have and thi s
should not be a reflection on the
membership as a whole.
CAP
is in need of so me
chan ges in
the
way we do busi
ness and that has been brought to
light by this struggle with the Air
Force over who controls CAP. As
such, I have proposed to the Na
tional Board changes
in
the Con
stitution and Bylaws that govern
CAP.
Th ese changes include
a
reconfiguration of the National
Executive Committee
and the
election statu s
of
s
ome of our
co rporate
officers. It
authorizes
the Air Force to create an IG and
Safety office that reports directly
to the Secretary
of
the Air Force
and our National Commander.
The new NEC,
if
approved by the
Bo ard , will have on it as CAP
member
s
the CAP elected Na
tion al Commander, Vice Com
mander and Chief
of
Staff, our
Corporate
Fin
ance Officer
and
the Executive Director of CAP.
The
Air Force would h
ave the
CAP-USAF Commander, Secre
tary
of
the
Air Force
,
Air Force
Chief
of
Staff or their designated
representati ves and a retired three
or
four-star with a tie to business.
Additional member
s
would
in
clude a representative appointed
by the House and Senate and a
represe
ntative from the AOPA
and FEMA.
Thi
s new NEC
would gove
rn
CAP
in
the
ab
se
nces
of
the
National
Board.
Thi
s g ive s
the Air Force
three
more seats on the NEC and along
with the Boar d s approval la st
February to receive funding un
der
the
Federal OMB Circular
L10,
Grant
s
and Coopera
ti ve
Agreements process which give
the Air Force total control over
the
finances should be all that
they need. CAP retains its current
status as a civilian auxiliary to the
Air Force and this can be accom
pli shed without changing public
law. lar
3
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
6/48
4
ORSIS
Aviation. Inc.
FlJEl
JET . l ] ] l l
7
DAYS
6:3D
AM
-
9:[)[)
PM
We
uuk Crew
ates
. Car
Rentals
S3D -S41- i IID
South Lake Tahoe Airport
~ ~ :
Cari};Gn RGck
Cempany,
Inc.
Serving Redwood mpire Since 197]
Class II
ase
ackfill Material
R
I
R
lue
rown Shale
Drain
Rock
Light
Rip
Rap
Large
Rip Rap
Heavy
Hauling
Custom
Crushing
ENGINEERED FILL
707) 887-2634
7525 Hwy. I
16,
Forestville
We re proud to
be
p rt
of
the
lifesaving efforts of
c A P
Thanks,
and
keep up the
good
work
IWJlflffffffl fflVlf lf f
I I I U J r 7 f I E J l ~ e
AGRICULTURAL
FLYING
SINCE 1951
SPRAYING DUSTING
SEEDING FERTILIZING
PO. BOX 213
LIVE OAK, CALIFORNIA 95953
LIVE OAK
530) 695-2294
YUBA CITY
530) 743-5765
)
ACIFIC
J T
~
CHARTER
ON
DEMAND
AIR CHARTER
our alternative travel solution
C LL US T NY TIME
FORA
QUOTE
.
We are available 24 hours a day
t
provide you with a
quick response and
an
efficient solution t
y ur
travel needs.
I
800655FLYY
I
Multi Engine
Turbine & Jet Aircraft
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
7/48
Larry Myrick
o Lead
alifornia
Wing
Lt. Col. Larry Myrick has been
appo inted to be
California 's
new
Wing Commander by Pacific Re
gion Commander Mike Pannone.
The
appo
intment
become
effec
tive with formal change-of-com
mand ceremonies at the Wing Con
fere nce in October when Myrick
a sum e command from
Co
l.
Bryon Bramm
er
Myrick joined Civ il Air Patrol
in 1987 and affi li
ated with San
Luis Obi spo
Squadron
103, be
coming
comma
nd
er
of
that squad
ron
in
1989. He held that position
until he was appointed
Group
Commander
in 1
993.
In 1998
Myrick
joined
Pacific Region a
Director
of
Senior Training. Dur
in
g
hi
s journey thro ugh the ranks
of
CAP he was awarded the Gill
Robb Wilson
award
(1994) and
five Meritorious Service Awards.
Alway s act ive in emergency
services, Myrick has been project
officer for many training projects
and has participated
in
more than
100 Emergency Service tra
in
ing
and actual exercises. His creden
tials include
th
at of Mission Coor
dinator
and Mis ion
Control Of
ficer.
Myrick ha been a private pilot
si
nce ]996 and he and wife Peggy
ow n
aCes
na TR-182 w
hi
ch is
based near their home
in
San Luis
Obispo.
He
is partner in an engi
n
eer
ing
fi rm
w
hi
ch designs
com
mercial air conditioning and heat
ing systems.
Larry Myrick was born
in
Los
Angeles
in 1950 and graduated
from Inglewood
's
Morning
s ide
Hi gh School. He attend ed Cal
Poly, San Luis Obispo, earning a
Bachelor of Science degree
in
Me
chanical Engi neering.
Major Ovey Hebert i l l
Major D
Frin
ge
r, Capt. Ho
wa
rd
N. LaPierre and
Lt.
Co
l
Frederick
V Nelson.
Inland Empire Group 3
Bestows Awards
By Lt Francois Delgado
Inland
Empire
Group 3 hon
ored its own in mid-June amid a
co
l
orful
Dining
Out
awards
ceremony.
Group
3
(f o rmerly
Group
18)
Commander, Major
D
Fringer,
and Capt.
Howard
LaPien-e handed out the kudos to
enior
, officers and cadets.
Squadron
11
from Palm
Spring
s
was
named
Composite
Squadron
of
the Year.
Major Ovey
Hebert
III,
com
manding Squadron 59 , and Cap
tain Harriet Link, Commander
of
Squadron 31, hared the Com
mander
of
the Year award.
Special recognition was ac-
corded
Major
Heb
ert
for his un
tiring efforts in the relocation
of
Group
18
Headquarter
s following
the devastating fire
w
hich
d
e
st royed
all
the gr o up 's equip
ment, buildings and records.
Lt. Col.
Freder
ick Nelson
of
California Wing picked up a spe
cial
awa
rd for
hi
s contributions as
Adv i
ser
to the Commander.
Honored
g ue t
included
Tuskegee Airman
,
Lt. Col.
Charles Bu ssy and
hi
s wife, and
Lt. Gina Martyn-Gray,
a
naval
aviator who held the cadets spe
ll
bound wi th a talk about opportu
nities in naval aviation. Zl i rJ
5
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
8/48
6
*
4 Major / 5 Regional
Airlines Providing
Over
6
Daily Flights
Top-notch Fixed Base
Operators On-site
*
United States Customs
Services Available
Palm Springs
Foreign Trade Zone
International
irport
Designation
AMERICA S RESORTPORT
760 323 8161
e
are
proud
to support the
California Civil
Air
Patrol
AERO TECH SURVEYS INC. , t
Consulting Engineer
Photogrommetr
ic Surveyor
6810 Airport Drive
909) 785-0160
iverside
SONOM
VI TION
FUEL
SERVICE
TEXACO
VI TION
FUELS
AVGAS
and
JET
707) 528-7400
Sonoma County Airport
1 4 - ~ P ~ ~ ~ ?
W
C H D WI C K
H ELMU TH
Balancing e World Since 1954
Th
e VIBREX 2
is
a
high
capability
vibration
ana
lysis
an
d
ba
lancing sys-
tem
that rapidly
and
accurately acquires
and
analyzes aircraft vibration. It uses that
data to calculate an instantaneous balance solution to reduce air
plane
propeller vibration
levels. The VIBREX 2 also
furnish
es accurate helicopter vibration amplitude
and
phase for polar
chart calculations
of
rotor balance solutions. It also
serves
as a
spectrum analyzer and provides the operator with a view of the
entire vibration environment of
his
aircraft.
Aircraft repair stations
and
private aircraft owners will
find
the
VIBREX
2
to be
the
best and most
cost effective
single
tool
for reduction
of
overall operation
and
maintenance costs .
Reduced propeller
and
rotor vibration translates into increased
reliability, reduced mean time between fai lure for avionics,
mechanical
and
aerodynamic structures,
and
better ride comfort
for
pilots
and
passengers
.
The VIBREX 2 can be ordered as
a complete system
package
for much less
than its
closest
com
petitor. C
all
today for a quotation.
C H A D W I C K H E L M U T H
4601 N. Arden
Dr
ive I Monte ,
CA
91731 818 575 6161
FAX
818
350 4236
BBS 818
350-9697
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
9/48
Van Nuys
ir
Expo
Draws Record Crowd
y Lt Margaret Hoebink
A
record
crowd
of 3
50 000 attended
the
1
999
Van
uys
Airport
Aviation Expo July 17-18. Thjrty-four se
nior
s
and
85
cadets
,
from the newly-expanded Group
One that
now encompasses
a of Los
Angeles County
were
on hand
to
help with the crowd contro l,
recruit
and operate food booth
s to
earn money for
their squad
ron s.
Cadets
who worked the two-day
show
were
a l
lowed to view
the
flight deck
of the U .S .
Air Force
B IB bomber after cl
osing the Expo. They
helped
the
Airport police by protecting
the
public from seve
ral
planes that
were
swea ting
fuel onto
the
ground
and
making
a
sc rimmage
line to
conduct
a
crowd swee
p
at
the end
of each day.
Meanwhile se niors
were
bu sy
cookjng and se
rving hundred
s of hamburgers, hot dogs
and co
ld
drinks
.
It was a
very
s
uccessful
event
and
I thank
every
one who worked so hard to make
it happen , sa id
Group
One Commander
Jim Newton.
Photos by
LT
George Fischer
e
erve
/
/
I
That Others Might Live
7
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
10/48
8
IRCR FT COVERS
Custom made for
all
makes models, and modificatioDs.
Reduces interior temperature
by
approx. 25 F.
r e v ~ R t s damage caused by leaking door and window seals.
/
....... . ~ -
...
.--
BRUCE'S CUSTOM COVERS TOLL FREE U.S.) : 800/777 6405
989 E. CaUfomlaAve. PHONE 408/7383959
Sunnyvale.
CA
94086 FAX 408/738 2729
custom made utilizing the latest in fabric and sewing technology
Oakland
International Airport
Salutes the efforts
of
the dedicated men and women
of
the Civil Air Patrol
Oakland lntemational Airport
77 e
San Francisco Bay Area's
Most Convenient Airport
One Airport Drive
Oakland, CA 94621
(510) 577-4000
HSpecializing in
Small Package Air
Cargo
/
'
-
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
11/48
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
12/4810
silieolJ vAlleu
express
lET CHARTERS
24 Hours
Serving the U.S.A. ,
Canada & Mexico
. Computerized Quotes
.
High
Priority Freight
.
Aircraft
Management
NBAA
(408)
292
-
0677
1250 Aviation Ave. - Su ite
140
San Jose,
C
95110
San Jose International Airport
We are
proud
to
support
the
California
Civil
Air
Patrol.
Xritt r
Inn
8
cL
ites
RIDGECREST'S
FULL
SERVICE HOTEL'
Conference
Centers
Rates Start at
65
Restaurant &
Lounge
Fr
Breakfast
Swimming Pool Fridge / Microwave
Fitness Center &
Spa
Voice Mail / Computer
Ports
Cable
TV
/
Free
Show
time
1
Bedroom
Su
i
te Apartments
760-446-6543 I 1 800 537 8483
1050 N. Norma St., Ridgecrest, CA
Gulfstream
A IRCRAF T
INCORPORATED
AIRCRAFT INTERIORS
SERVICE
&
MAINTENANCE
Quality products
nd
dedicated
pr
of essional service you can depend on
4150 Donald Douglas Drive
Long Beach
562) 420-1818
United
entals
The Right Equipment. N{)fJJ./
M
~
AMERICA'S EQUIPMENT RENTAL
LEADER
EVERYTHING
FOR
CONTRACTORS
INDUSTRIAL
&
HOMEOWNERS
OPEN
DAYS
e
Z'dwett/
760) 446-7628
24
W.
Inyokern
Rd.
Ridgecrest
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
13/48
Catherine
71
Jf{urphr:
C P con
By Major Wyn Selwyn
ED ITOR'S NOTE: This article begins a
series
of
personal vignettes honor-
ing
WOMEN IN VI TION and
spotlighting
outstanding
women
who
have contributed significantly
to
merican
aviation histor
y.
M
any
of
them
are or we re members of
Civil ir Patro l. But all are
foreve
r
woven into the rich
tapestry
of
American aviation folklore
r e year was 1942 and A meri
ca
was los
in
g the
war. The ca rn
age
of P
ea
rl Harbor had put the
na ti o n o n a
wa
rti me
foot
in g. T hat m
ea nt
a ll
no
n-
essential civili an fly ing was banned fo r the du
rat ion of
th
e
wa
r. The o
nl
y way fo r civ
ili
an pilots to
co ntinue fl y
in
g was to jo
in
a n
ew
voluntee r fly
in
g
outfit sa nct ioned by the governm ent. It was ca
ll
ed
Civil Air Patro
l.
Catherine Murphy was tak
in
g fl ying lessons at a
sma ll airport in Minnesota when Ameri
ca
entered
World War II. M urphy signed up with
th
e local CAP
unit and was made corpora
l.
Th
e
fl
ying lessons con
tinued and Murphy co ntr ibuted to the dail y opera
tions
of
the uni
t.
Within a year, a n
ew
opportunity
ca
me along for
wo me n pil o ts to co ntribute th e ir serv ices . The
Women
s'
Air For
ce Se
rvi
ce
Program (WASP) bega n
rec
rui ting q ua lif ied wo men pilot ca nd ida t
es
fo r
training toward
cock
pit duties
in
mili tary a ircraft.
Wi th grudging support from Washington,
th
e WASP
pr
og
ram got underway. Many male commanders be
li
eve
d that
wo
men p ilots had neither the skill s nor
stamin a to fly high-performan
ce
military a ircraft.
Th
e
wo
me n
wo
ul
d h
ave
to
pr
ove
them
se
lves
ca
pable.
Murphy jo in ed the WASP pr
og
ram
in
1943 and
was se
nt to Aven
ger
F ie ld at Swee twater, Texas,
where she began
th
e same rigorous tr
ai
ning schedule
as male
ca
dets who were training to b
eco
me pilot
s.
Th e men wo uld b
eco
me of fice rs, but the WASPs
would never be given
th
e status of rank.
Fro m before dawn until nea r mjdnight,
th
e pace
was frantic: Reveille at 0400,
in
spection, chow hall ,
Catherine Murphy
at
Sweetwater, Texas, in 1942.
ca
li sthe ni
cs,
ground sc hoo l a ll morning, a qui ck
lunch, and fl ying a ll afternoon, then more study and
ba
rr
acks cl
ea
ning we
ll
into
th
e night. There
we
re
44
was
hout
s
but the majority of the
wo
men s
tu
ck it
out and qualified as pilot
s.
Although the WASP
wo
men
we
re qualify
in
g to
be co mmissioned fly ing offi ce rs, they were consid
ered onl y civil se rvice employees .
Th
ey had no in
surance, and no GI veteran benefits, or other mili tary
statu
s
other
th
an the
ri
ght to wear the uni
fo
rm . Later
as several of their numbers
we
re killed in
th
e line of
dut
y
the unit
's
survivors would take up a co llection
to
se
nd the vic
tim
's body home beca u
se
the Air
Force refused any responsibility.
Follo
wing her gradu a
ti
o n as a b
as
ic fli ght in
structor f
rom
Randolph Field , Texas, Murphy was
ass igned to the
Tr
aining Command and sta
ti
oned at
Gr adn er Fie ld, nea r Taft, Ca lifo rni a. B
eca
use the
male training officers did not be
li
eve women co uld
in struct men, the WASP officers
we
re given
th
e rou
tine, the boring, and sometimes dange rous eng inee
r
in
g test pilot chores such as running-in new eng
in
es,
w rin ging-o ut rebuilt tra iners and fe rr ying a ir-
Continued
11
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
14/48
Catherine Murphy
CAP Icon
Continued
planes from one airport to another.
In Decemb
er
1943, the WASPs were
di
sbanded because there was no l
onger
a
male pi
lot
s
hort
age.
The
women were
imply told to go home, that they
weren t
needed any longer. It wa not unti 1977
that
Congre
ss got arou
nd
to recognizing
their service by directing the Ajr Force to
give the former WASPs Honorable Di s
charge.
1984
photo-
The
flying dream was sti
ll
trong and
Murphy needed a job , so she bought a
Stinson
SR5 and began
flying
charter
hops as the war drew to a close.
But
real
ity
et
in
when it became apparent that one
charter
pilot with
one
airplane could not
financially keep the flying dream alive.
Catherine Murphy, Gene Fitzpatrick and Dorothy Scatena.
Reality consisted of going back into finance, for
which she had been trained. For some twenty years,
Catherine Murphy toiled at the accounting tables
of
various Ca li fornia firm s and governmental entities,
dreamin g about flying again, but faced
with the
day-to-day demands of making a living.
By
1982 she
ret
ired a City Treasurer and Assistant
Finance
Of
ficer for the City of Arcad i
a.
12
On the wing of a PT19 during training
at
Avenger Field, Sweetwater, TX.
The
flying yen wa still there. Catherine got be
hind
the
controls
aga
in a nd
with seve
ral
WASP
fr iends flew back into the past, back to
Sweetwater
and the days of their youth for a reunion. She bought
a Piper Tri-Pacer and later a brand new Piper Archer,
N7969F and the hours began adding up once again .
Then Civil Air Patrol
came
back into her life and
she became a mi ss ion pi lot, standard, Squadron 2 L
Commander, a Mission Coordinator, a Mission Con
trol Officer and finally, California Wing Finance Of
ficer. When Wing moved to Southern California, Lt.
Col. Catherine Murphy served as Finance Officer for
Group 25.
Now cruef Mission Control Officer for California
Wing, Catherine operates out
of
Pine Mountain Lake
Airport
on the cusp
of
Yosemite Valley, where she
acts as the nerve ce nter for California Wing Emer
ge
ncy Services. She al 0 still flies her beloved Ar
cher when not involved with compiling the
hi
story
of
the WASPs and publishing annually a 140 page ro -
ter of WASP throughout the Unjted States.
The WASPs remain a big part of Catherine
Murphy's life: We had a wonderfu l experience, do
ing so mething in those times when it wa thought
women were not capable of handling military planes.
It brought us all closer together
,
ays Murphy.
~
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
15/48
jlllJ?11 (11
1
IlLl(;111
Your
passenge
rs
ALWAYS
come first
and you
MUST protect them
Several years ago
my
wife,
my siste r, and I decided to
fly
from Burbank to Kalispell , Mon
tana, by way of Salt Lake and
Boi se. We
were
aviating in a
sub-sonic Cessna
XP,
which made
for a long time getting there.
We got into Boise late
in
the
afternoon and so
mehow
con-
vinced
ourselves
that we had to
ge t to our de s tination that
evening.
We were in a hurry . I
filed a quick flight plan and we
were off for a weekend
of
fun.
But things began to change as
the sun sank off the left wing and
we
s
tarted
encountering an
undercast, forcing us to climb to
VFR on top at 12,500. Soon it got
black as the in side of a cow, and
we
were
over
the
Bitter
Root
Mountains . In my frenzy to de
part, I had left my Jepp binder and
a
ll
my IFR stuff on the counter
back at the FBO in Boi se.
So here I was, about as high
as I could
go
without oxygen, in
the dark, without proper naviga
tion facilities, in a s ingle-engi ne
airplane, not really sure where I
was . I vaguely remembered the
NOTAM about Mullan Pass VOR
being out
of
service . I flicked on
the
st
robes
and
be
ga
n to smell
burning
in
sulation . I flicked
off
the
st
robe s, hopin g the others
wouldn't ask. They didn 't.
No
lights could be seen be
low, there was no horizo n, and I
s tarted se riou s
ly
flying the
gauges. I appealed to the God of
Good Vectors on 122 .5, in the
blind. My sister, in the back seat
had
gotten out her Bible
and a
smal l fla shlight and was perusing
scripture for loopholes as I made
my call. At least she had faith. My
wife, in the right seat, was asleep
(or
pa
ssed out . I never knew
which).
An American 737
ca
me right
back and we chatted. They h
ad
just
departed Kali spel and it was
clear. Would I like Center's fre
quency? Yes, that would be keen.
From there on it was just a matter
of
flying headings as the nice man
at Center vectored us direct to
Kalispell
, l ike the village idiot
who really
needed help. We ar
rived without incident. The chain
leading to the accident was some
how broken. I don
' t
know how.
Sometime
s, when
we
do re
ally stupid thjngs in airplanes, we
get a second chance. There are no
guarantees . I've thou ght
man
y
times about that flight, and of its
other
potential outcomes. In
my
mindset to get there at all costs, I
jeopardized
the
live s of two
people who love and trust me and
believe
I
will keep them from
h
arm's
way. I hope I le a rned
something
th
at night.
We 've all shared the ago
ny
of
the John F Kennedy, Jr., tragedy.
In time, the NTSB will arrive at
an official conclusion. It is not our
place to speculate on the cause of
the acc ident, but the following
scenario
of
aircraft loss of control
rin gs true from a
ll
my years of
teaching
in s
trument flight.
We
thank Lt. Col. Eugene Mel v
in
for
passing it along.
78 Seconds o Live
How long can a pilot who has
little or no instrument training ex
pect to live after he flies into bad
weather and loses visual contact?
Re
searchers
at
the U niversity of
Illinois did so me tests and came
up with so me
very
interesting
data.
Twent
y
st
udent
g
uin ea
pigs flew into simulated instru
ment
weather, and all
went
into
graveyard spiral s . The outcome
differed
in
only one respect - the
time required until control was
lost. The interval ranged from 480
seconds to 20 seconds.
The
aver
age time was 178 seconds - two
seconds short of three minutes.
Continued
3
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
16/48
IP T RSON
11m
Your
Northern California
Caterpillar
ealer
Since
1936
14
1-888-PETERSON
San Leandro Eu ,ka
Redd
ing Chico WiU
ows
WiU
its Santa R
osa
San Jose
D.H.
Smith
Company, Inc.
LATH
&
PLASTERING
CONTRACTORS
~
Proudly salutes the
. Civil A ir Patrol in their
f. .' lifesaving efforts.
(408) 532-7617
1090
Mt. Pleasant Rd.
San
Jose
Fowler
Auto Centers
Sales Service
Leasing Parts
-800-
287-0.07
SERVING
ALL
O LAKE ...
MENDOCINO
COUNTIES
II t
UBARU
, , , ? - I
7 _ .;
7. [ 2 6 ~ 0 i J @
9....te.
'7_. U U l
e K
f 'WUKIAI t in1l . AIID
~ : ~ ~ 964-1?OO
UNDER SAME OWNERSHIP
Pacific
Aerial
Surveys
A Division of
Hammon Jensen
Wallen & Associates
- Since 1928 -
ERIAL SURVEYS
AER I
AL PHOTOGRAPHY
Topographic Mapping
Photo Murals
Black
&
White - Color
Over 200 ,000
Air Views
In
Library
8407 Edgewater
Drive
(510)
632-2020
Oakland
UBURN AIRPORT
Pf20t.AoLY A L t . A T E
~
THE
H A ~ Y
F i ~ E
H E ~ ~
L J O H E ~ ot.Af2
c 'il.liL A if2 PATf20L.
s
0 T H E f 2 ~
HAY
LiI.lE
K A I i E R A I R ~
INC.
P. [].
Bo
x 2 6 2 6
Airpor t
Sta t ion
[ ]ak land
,
[A
94614
[51[]] 5 6 9 9 6 2 2
Fax:
[51[]] 569 9 67 [ ]
Weare
proud to
support
the GA.P
With
thanks
&
appreciation to
the Civil Air Patrol.
from
alL ofus at
St
.
Joseph Hospital
Eureka, 707-445-81 2 1
Redwood Memorial Hospital
Fo rt un a,
707-725-3 36 1
Humboldt Home Health Services
C
ount
y-wide, 707-44
3-
9332
and
the rest
of
he
t
. Joseph
fa
mily
of
healthcare
..I L ST . JOSEPH HEALTH SYSTEM
. r HUMBOLDT COUNTY
J ?CJ :F{y
J ~
Service
Charter - A ir Taxi
~
@ ~ S ;
:
o
Jaa.s: .
Fl u.,r SerIJicf i;i;;;A
~ 4 1 '
Ai r Tax
i Air
Ambulan
ce
F.A.A. App roved
Compare Our ates
( 760) 398-3377
702 Calle De Oro West
Calexico
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
17/48
Safety
of light
78
Seconds o
Live
ntinued
. .
Here s the
fatal scenari
o
Th
e sky is
ov e
r
cas
t and the
vis ibility is poo r.
Th
at reported
fi
ve- mil e v is
ibilit
y
look
s more
like two and you
ca
n' t
ju d
ge
the
height of the overcas
t.
Your altim
eter te
ll
s you that you are at 1500
fee t but y
our
m ap te
ll
s yo u th a t
th e r
e's
l
oca
l te
rr
a in as hi g h a
1200 fee
t.
There
mi
ght be a tower
ne
arb
y b
eca
u
se yo
u' re no t sure
how far
off
co ur se yo u are .
But
yo u've
fl
ow n into wo r
se wea
ther
than thi s, so
pr
ess on.
Yo u f ind
yo ur
e lf
un co
n
sc iously easing bac k
ju
st a bit on
the
co
ntrols to clear tho
se
towers.
With no
wa rnin
g,
yo
u' re in the
oup . You pee r
so
ha rd into the
mi lky w
hit
e mist th at
yo
ur
eyes
hurt. You
fi
ght the fee ling in yo ur
stomach.
You
try to swa
ll
ow, o
nl
y
to find
yo
ur mouth dry. Now
yo
u
rea li
ze
yo u shou ld have waited fo r
bette r
wea
the r.
Th
e appointment
was important, but not all that im
po rt a nt. So me
wh
e re a vo i
ce
is
say
in g, You ' ve had it - it
's
a ll
ove
r
You now have
78
seconds
to live.
Yo ur a ircraft fee ls o n eve n
kee l
but
your
co mp
ass
turn
s
sl
ow
ly. Yo u pu sh a littl e
rudd
e r
and add a litt le
pres s
ure
on
th e
co
ntro ls to stop the turn
but
thi s
fee ls unnatural and you return the
co
ntrols to their o
ri
g
in
al pos ition.
Thi s fee ls be
tt
e r
but
n
ow yo
ur
c
omp
ass
is turning a litt le fas te r
and yo ur
a irsp
ee
d is inc r
eas
ing
sli g htl
y.
Yo u sca n
yo
ur in s tru
ments fo r help
but
what
yo
u
see
lo ok s o mewh a t
unf
a
mili
a
r.
You
' re sure that thi s is
ju
st a bad
spo t. Yo u ' ll
br
ea k o ut in a few
minut
es. (
But yo
u don ' t h
ave
a
few minutes left
You now have
100
seconds
to live.
You glan
ce
at yo ur a ltimeter
and yo u are sh
oc
ked to see it un
winding. Yo u' re alr
ea
dy d
ow
n to
1200 feet. In stin c
ti
ve l
y,
yo u pull
back on the controls but the a ltim
e ter still un winds.
Th
e engine is
into th e red a nd th e a ir s p
ee
d ,
nearly so.
You
have 45
seco
nds
to
live
.
Now
yo
u ' re s wea tin g and
sha
kin g. Th
e re mu s t be
so
me
thin
g w ro ng w
ith
th e
co ntr
o ls;
pulling b
ac
k only m
oves
the air
spee d indi ca to r f urthe r in to th e
red.
Yo
u can h
ear th
e wind t
ea
rin g
at the aircr
aft.
Yo u are abo ut to mee t
yo
ur
Maker -
You have 1 seconds to
li
ve.
Sudde
nl
y yo u see the ground .
Th e trees ru sh up at yo u. You ca n
see the ho
ri zo
n
if
yo u
turn
yo ur
h
ea
d
fa
r enough but it's at a weird
ang le -
yo
u ' re a lm
os
t inve
rted
.
You open yo
ur
mo uth to screa m
bu t
You just
ran out
of seco
nds.
Thin
k a bo ut it befo re
yo
u
press on into marg
in
al weathe
r.
B onald F . Engen
9H-
999
lfn mr
mor
yof
Bon
ad B. n n
92
999
t sa dd e ns us to repo rt th a t
Ci v il
Air
Patro l has l
os
t a friend
and mentor
in
the d
ea
th
of
Dona
ld
D . En ge n ,
Dir
ec
tor
of th e
Na
ti
onal
Air
and
Sp
ace
Mu se
um fo r
th
e past three
yea
rs. Enge n was 75
years
of
age.
On Ju ly 13, Don E nge n was a
p
asse
n
ge
r in a moto
ri
ze d glider
nea r Minde n, Nevada w hen th e
fatal accident occurred . Witnesses
sa
id the sma
ll
cr
af
t
ca
me apa
rt in
th e a ir at a bout 5,
00
0 feet. An
o th er
sa
i lpl a ne
pi l
o t
wh
o w it
nessed the crash sa id the Ni mbus
4DM
a
pp
ea
red to be nose dow n
w ith th e w ings f lex in g g rea tl y
befo re brea k
in
g up .
E nge n was a N avy di ve
bomber
pi
lot who
sa
nk a Japan
ese
ship
in
World W
ar
n and received
hi s se rvi
ce's
highes t dec o ra
ti
o n,
the Navy
Cr
oss. He was the FAA
Administrator from
19
84 to 1
98
7
Ve te ra n
CAP
pi lo t, a
nd
fo rmer nava l av iator M D. Short
served with Enge n in the mid-fif
ti es on the ca rri e rs Fores ta ll and
Be
nnin
g to n.
Th
ey
we
re r
oo
m
mates o n the Bennington and have
re
main
ed c l
ose
pe rso nal f
ri
end s
s
ince
then. En
ge
n was Godfa ther
to S ho rt 's da ug
ht
e r
Su
za nn e
Sh
o
rt-Adlkin so
n, who i n
ow
a
maj o r in th e T
exas
Nat io na l
Guard.
E n
ge
n a
nd
S ho
rt
a l
so
fl
ew
FJ-
3s (F- 86) w ith a N avy
ac
ro
ba
tic tea m.
Don Enge n was always eager
to m
ee
t Civil Air Patrol M embers
at the Air and Space Mu
se
um and
always showed a great inte res t
in
CAP. H
e'
ll be mi ssed.
15
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
18/48
WATSONVILLE
- A l r P e t ~ f
EXCEL
AEROSPACE
MUNICIPAL
AIRPORT
-
SUPPLY, INC.
is
proud
CHEVRON AN
, MS, NAS
to suppo
rt
AVIATION
HARDWARE& FAS
TEN
ERS
and
salute
WE
SALUTE
the men
q.uet.J,
q.c
q.B j d,
AND SUPPORT
and women
THE
LIFESAVING
of
Arizona
EFFORTS OF
THE
Cal
ifornia
Civil A ir Patrol
California
CIVIL
AIR PATROL
Keep up the
good
work
831-728-6075
Nevada
818-767-6867
email:
New Mexico
Fax: 818-504-2979
661]
949-6620
11855 Wicks
Sf., Sun Va
lley
The Pacific
800]
548-4184
Lincoln
Lumber
Company
Memorial
We
say
THANKS to
45315 Trevor
Ave ,
Airport
the Civil Air Patrol.
P.O. Box 2226
< ~
Lancaster
e proudly
support
the
men
& women of our C.A P
'G;.
California 93539
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
19/48
ngs
Over
offett
By Lyn Smith CSM
On Friday, 16 June, at
17
I
arrived at
Moffett
Fie ld to
drop
my son off at Building 152. We 'd
driven all day from Ventura
County to the Bay Area. t was a
pleasant drive, but I was tired and
he was excited and anxious to par
ticipate in his first Cal ifo rni a
Wing event.
On Saturday, my husband and
I walked
allover
the grounds in
hopes of finding our son working
Unknown cadets on break watch A-10 perform on 19
June
1999, Moffett
Field.
at his duty station. In the pro
cess, we met several very nice
cadets and eniors from
all
ac r
oss
the State. There were
138 CAP members, 40 Sea Ca
dets and approximately 15 Boy
Scout assisting wit
h the air
show
The
first Wings over
Moffett air show drew a crowd
in
the
tens of thousands to
watch
aerobatics and view
some of
the civilian antique and
experimental aircraft on display.
There
were several military air
craft as well, including the MIG
] 7 and the A-I Warthog.
Security was foremost
on
everyone s mind. Radio
commu
nications
between NASA Secu
rity
and CAP
seemed
constant
and
profe
siona . In fact,
every
one we saw that was
associated
with
the CAP prese nted them-
elves
with the proficiency one
would expect from a professional
security team.
I
met
three different flights:
Bravo, Charlie and Delta. I spoke
with
cadets in
each
of these
flights . They had traveled from
Sacramento and Los Angele to
be
part
of this event. C12Lt. Ian
Lewis of Squadron 153 told me,
"
It s
been
great
being here. I ve
been very busy
but
I like every
thing about it."
There are s ilent heroes that
participate in
cadet-oriented
ac
tivities
all
the
time.
Thi
s
event
was no different.
My
pedestrian
wa nderi ngs
at Moffett
Field l
ed
C/Sgt.
Ed Dougherty, Sq. 131, guarding planes on 19 June 1999, Moffett
Field.
Continued .
. .
17
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
20/48
Jerry Melton
and
Sons
Construction
Oller 2 'Jears Experience
OILFIELD CONSTRUCTION
Portable Welding
Backhoe Work Hydra Crane
Jerry Melton
President General Manager
(661] 765-5546
100 Jameson Ln., Taft
management
& employees
are
proud to
support the
Civil
Air
Patrol.
Mercy
+ C H W
Hospital
Health
Services
is proud to support the
lifesaving efforts
of
Civil Air Patrol, for we too
are
dedicated to saving lives
(209) 384-6757
2740 M Street, Merced
Kick-Off
Your Flight Training
With
An
INTRO FLIGHT LESSON
Horizon Aviation
Only 35 bucks
gets
you
in the
air
Call today
and schedule
your Intro
Flight
Lesson with
one
of
our
Cert
i
fied
Flight Instructors .
18
(530) 823-3495
Auburn Municipal Airport
2410 Rickenbacker
Way
DISCOVER
TH.
J UN '
REEDOM 0.
' .UING
Fresno
Countv
Sherin's DePt.
Sherin Richard
Pierce
Stan
Are
Proud
To
Salute
The
Fine Enons
Of
The
Civil
Air
Patrol
ThaIOIhIJ/SMlIYlivlJ
WAL*MART
ALWAYS
LOW
PRICES
.
ALWAYS
WAL-MART.
~ .
We are proud to
salute the lifesaving
efforts of our Civil Air Patrol.
So others may live.
2900
Main St.
(530) 251-2000
Susanville
- - - - . : . .
61ottos ircraft Interiors
1250 Aviation
Ave.
,
Hangar
0
1 03
(408) 286-4500 San Jose
Gates Machinery
Sales,
Inc.
827 N. Tehama St.
Willows 916-934-3382
Aero
Vista
Inc.
13604
Newport
Rd.
Ballico
(209) 632-3244
The Catalina
Lodge
237 Sumner Avenue
(310) 510-1070 Avalon
Clovi
Funeral
Chapel
\
tr
a
dition
of
quality care
and
sel Vice.
559-298-7536
1302 Clovis Ave., C lovis
Pioneer
Motel
Heated Pool Whirlpool Spa
Air Conditioning. Color
LV
Kitchens Direct Dia l
Telephone
416 S. China Lake Blvd.
Ridgecrest
760-375-1591
,
A ~
AIRlRAIT
u 5,
LE5
Complete
Aircraft Sales -
Brokerage Management
High Pe
rformance
Singles - Light Cabin -
class Twins Turbo-Props Business Jets
San Jose
Jet
Center
1250 Aviation Ave.
408-293-5352 San Jose
C . l l l \ N I 1 1 ~
C ~ C ) N s r r l l J c : ~ r r I C ) N
,
~
I N C ~ .
the fine men
and women
I
r:
.
is proud
to
salute
and
support
_ ofCivifAr Patrol
585 W. Beach St.
831-724-1011 Watsonville
QUALITY
STRUCTURES
INCORPOR TED
Serving all of Southern California
Residential Commercial
Con
s
truction
Lic. 734580
(909) 699-9973 Temecula
FAX (909) 699-3265
Fine Line
Construction, Inc.
We
v
e
built our
reputation
on
:
- Ifi.}V
C
areful Estim
ates
_ ~ : V Rapid
Complet
ions
Q ( ~ : ~ ~
V
: ~ n ~ _ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ; ~ :
j;'[ ',1
: )'
Avalon
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
21/48
Wings
Over
offett
Continued
me
to the mess hall several ti mes
during the day where I met the
cooks . I mistook
CAP
members
for professional catere rs. They
were polite and informative
giv
ing me a tour
of
the facility and
whetting
my
appetite
with tanta
lizing menus. Their
day
began at
0500 and continued until
2300.
The
evening s
fare
was
Chicken
Teriyaki, steamed rice, tossed
salad and carrot cake.
As I watched Lt.
Col.
Chr is
Lee, Lt. Col.
Marc Cohen, retired
S/M
Valerie Watt and
S/M
Denise
Van
Loo working, I couldn t help
but feel
the dedication and com-
mitment these
four
people dem-
onstrated. It was late
in
the after
noon and they were
clear
ly tired
from their long day, but there was
no shortage of enthu siasm in the
kitchen on that
day. I
remember
thinking to myself that these were
the si lent heroes of the
CAP
- the
glue that keeps
our
team together.
Thank you
Remember
Our youth are
the
future
of
Civil ir Patrol
Give them every
consideration
Br
avo Flight. 20 June 1999, Moffett Field.
Cf Sgt. Mueller prepares for lunch on 19
June
1999, Moffett Field.
19
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
22/48
AVAG, INC.
AERIAL SPRAYING
SEEDING &
FERTILIZING
~ ~ : ? ?
.
- .'
Complete Spraying Service
Richvale
Airport
530] 882-4286
S C H A E F E R ~ S
PA
RKIN
G LOT
SERVICE
Seal Coati ng
As
ph
alt Rep
ai r
. Striping
Li
ce
nse #258857
72 2
Pet terson Lane
a a l i ~ n
~ s J a n
Aif2POf2T
ilJ
THE
sCY
FOR WEATHER
& INFORMATION
IN
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
1-800-255-8700
Buffalo Springs Ave., Avalon
(310) 510-0143
since 196
READY MIXED CONCRETE
Asphalt. Rock ., Sand Gravel
707) 422-2520
t 6 t
Cement Hill Rd., Fairfield
20
We sa/ute the
CivilAir Patro/ -
Avita/service for
safety
in
the
air
ARCO >
The lean
Energy
ompany
kaWi) MASON
From control wheels
and grips,
o
communication
hardware
We
Make it Happen
for the Civil Air Patrol
605 8th Street P O Box 311
San Fernando, CA 91341-0311
TEL: 818-361 -3366 FAX:818-365-6809
www.mason-electric.com
ha
Qain
Trailer
Park
We
proudly
support
the
men
and women of the California
Civil Air Patrol for their
lifesaving efforts.
HeR 20, Box 2400
Blythe
(760) 922-3604
Visalia Municipal
Airport
Serving the
aviation
industry
with pride
and
dependable service
~
e salute the lifesaving efforts
of
our CAP
9501
Airport
Drive
VI
I.
209) 718-3201
ROUND
VALLEY
INDIAN HEALTH
CENTER
Serv
ing our community w ith
pride and quality care ,
(707) 983-6404 Covelo
HAYMES
Equipmenc Ereccors
Serving California With Pride &
Dep
e
ndabl
e Service
20
15
East Reilly
Road
(200) il8i1162i1
MERCED
We Are Proud
To Salute
And Support Civil Air Patrol
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
23/48
rom the
LO
Mission Paperwork
With a
ll
th e
co
nfu sion taking
pl
ace in
CAP
today, mi ss ion paper
wo rk is the furthes t thing in m
os
t
peo ple mind .
Th
ere a re
eve
ra l
facts yo u n
ee
d to be
awa
re of. Fact
# 1 - ab o lutely nothing you do w ill
affec t th e o
ut
co me o f th e
CAP-USAF turmo il go ing on right
now. Fac t # 2 - CAP will survive
and co ntinue its important roles in
Sea rc h a nd R esc ue, C ade t pr o
g rams and Aer
os
pace e
du
ca ti o n.
Fac t # 3 - miss ion paperwo rk has
been and always will be a so re spot
in CAP and a detriment to fact # 1
and 2.
A yo ur USAF
li
aiso n
of ce
r,
it's my job to put the log ic tes t to a ll
th e mi
ss
io n pa per
wo
rk befor e
end it forward to National HQ or
USAF
fo
r re
imbur
se me nt. You
wo uld he lp the
process
grea
tl
y
if
yo u put
yo
ur own log ic tes t to the
paperwork before submitt
in
g it. For
exampl e: a co rp o rate C
ess
na 206
fli es a 1
5
hour so rtie and reques t
(v ia receipt ) re imbur ement for 40
ga llons of fue
l.
Those of
yo
u who
fl y 206s know
40
ga llons is not rea
so nable and will ra ise a red fl ag.
Wh at s mo re, Na ti o na l wi ll o nl y
pay fo r
1.5
hours of
fl
ying r
ega
rd
less of the fuel used - the w ing ea ts
th e res t
of
the cos
t.
In the n
ea
r fu
ture th e wing will not accept unex
pl ainabl e variances . Pl ease be co n-
c ienti ous and ex pla in ano ma li es
like thi s o r at l
eas
t l
eave
a pho ne
numbe
r.
The a me
thin
g w
ith
ground crew
s.
Onl y
50
of ground
crews put mil eage o n th e ir 108
form
s.
Everyone needs to put down
their mileage
Here are
so
me miss ion paper
work guidelines.
l.
In sure
yo
ur pho ne
numb
er
(not yo ur squ adr on s) is in
block 4 of th e 108.
2. Si gn the 108 .... leg ibly
3. Do a
sa
nity c hec k on the f uel
u
se
d vs . so rtie
dur
ation and
ex
pl
a
in
anoma
li
es.
4 . For ground crews put actual
mi leage a nd do a
sa
n ity
check on gas
co
nsumption.
5
Use only the fo rm 108 dated
January 99.
6.
Timeliness
in
turnin
g in
miss ion pa perw ork is criti
cal.
Pl ease he lp me in ensuring th at
the wing s miss ion paperwo rk pro
vides fo r a
pr
ec i e audit tra
il
and ,
mos t im po
rt
a ntl y, t im e ly re im
bur ement to our member .
Mike Prusak
California Wing Liaison Officer
Mahadocon
Takes
P
Reins r
om
Selwyn
eartfelt thanks from
Major Wyn Selwyn
Th
ese
past few years as Ca
li f
ornia Wing
Direc
t
or of
Public Affai rs have
been eve ntful and challenging fo r me as we in Public Affairs did our bes t to
ca rry out our mandate to in form the public and to enhance the im
age
of
bo th the Air Force and its offic ial aux ili ary.
Bu t now,
I ll
be stepp
in
g down as PA Director, and
I
ll be relinqui shing
the l
eader
hi p re
in
s to the eminently q ua
li
fied Lt. Co
l.
Fred Mahad
oco
n. As
many of yo u know, Fred holds a master's track in PA and served in that po
sition with great success prior to taking his ret irement from the Air a
ti
onal
Gu ard.
I d
like to thank a
ll
of yo u who ve touched my
li
fe during my tenure.
Th
anks for the many kindn
esses
and moments
of co
nsideration yo u have
ex tended to me and to the Publi c Affa irs spec ia
li
sts.
But
, then, thats how
Ci vil
Air
Patrol operat
e
with profes iona
li
m and mag nanimit
y.
Publi c
A
ff a
ir
s is o ne
of
th
ose
thin gs,
w hi c h
se e
ms to th e
uniniti
a ted , a
will-o -th e-w isp, a so rt of smoke-and-mirrors ba llet of words. Not r
ea ll
y
nuts and bolts stuff so me say.
No thing co uld be further fro m th e tru th. The effects of good public re
la
ti
ons are hard to measure. The effects of sub tandard or no PR are easy to
measure. Th e co
mp
a ny pa rkin g lo t is impl y e
mpt
y and the doo rs a re
boarded up because the
co
nstituencies
we
depend upon (our members and
the public) go do oth er things more fun becau e we haven' t bee n a
bl
e to get
our message acro s. (Here s the rah-rah part). A we travel into a new cen
tury,
we
all n
ee
d to loo k closely a t our squadron and at
CAP
as a whole and
ask ourse lves the ques tion: "Are we still relevant to our customers?"
2 1
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
24/48
Chaplain Lt Col.)
T.
Lloyd Cummings (left) and Chaplain (L t. Col.)
Delbert McLaughlin reminisce in 1985 about how they earned their mem
ber
ship in the
Caterpillar Club"
by
parachuting
from a
burning trans
port plane over Newhall 54 years ago.
The Dan It Rained Cha p
lains
Over Newhall
ou Just Never Know When
The Preacher Will rop
In
By Major Wyn Selwyn
EDITOR'S NOTE: CAP Chaplains are well versed in scriptural miracles. but
only a select few have ever experience one first-hand. This is
th
e story offil
teen chaplains who lived their own miracle one September day in J954.
Call it what you will - miracle divine intervention or ju st plain luck -
these men
of
God we re changed that day as they played out their li fe and
death drama of survival in the sky over Southern California. What fo llows
is an amazing story in the words of two people who li ved it.
Special thanks to Col. Ernie Pearson for his research help on this story.
T. Lloyd Cumming, a brand
new Civi l Air Patro l
Senior
Mem
ber, was hav
in
g a bad day. It wasn' t
so
much the
engi ne falling
off
the
airplane and the left
wing
engul fed
in
flame , but he had jumped out of
the gapi ng
ca
rgo
do
or a ll crooked
and the h
ock
of the chute openi ng
tore both s ho es f ro m hi s feet.
Worse, he was now descending d i-
r
ec t
ly into a sea
of
hi gh vo ltage
power lines, in hi s socks
C
ummin
g's adve
ntur
e had be
g un a few brief
minute
s before at
22
Burb
ank Airport
as
the
big Boeing
C-46 lumbered off runway one-five
a
nd
turned north throu g h the
Newha
ll
Pa
ss
for
a trip to
Mather
Air Force Ba e o
ut
s id e Sacra
mento.
The
15 c lergy me n aboard
we re on their way to a chap lain '
co
nfe ren
ce
.
They had bee n delayed for a
few minutes on the ramp as the pi
lot,
Air
Force
Captain
Thomas E.
Wil son, gave hi s passe nge rs a thor
ough hand
s-o
n briefing on poss ible
emergencies, including bailout pro-
cedures and the use of their para
ch
utes.
It wou
ld prove to be time
we ll spent.
Cummings took a seat forward,
on the right side of the pl ane .
Th
e
engine and curved ski n of the wing
dominated hi s view. T he men of
th
e
c lot h began to se ttl e in for what
th
ey
assumed
wo
uld be a
routine
two-hour flight to Mather, followed
by a pleasant lunch
at
the Officers'
Club.
Captain
Wil so n trimm ed th e
bi g
tran
s port for a steady crui se
climb as Oat Mountain pas
ed
be
hind
them
and the c ity g rid
gave
way to
rolling
fa rml a
nd
s
of
the
Santa Clarita Valley.
Ther
e we re
few congregated h
omes
there in the
mid -fifties, o nl y
farms
and or
c hards leading up to Southern
Ca
liforn i
a's
northe
rn
port
al, known
as
the Ridge R o
ut
e. The pilots
cou ld see plenty of
plac
es to land
the fat-bod ied transport if any thing
went wro ng.
Cummings stared vacantly out
the w indow, mesmerized by the in
visibility of the spinning prop pull
in
g them into the
ky
oIt wo uld be a
good
weekend
, he thought , a
chance to meet hi s
co
lleagues and
to lea rn so mething about thi s new
thing in hi s
li
fe called Civil Air Pa
trol.
Then it happened First an aw
fu l shuddering, as if the plane was
co
min
g apart.
It
was
In a few
heartbeats
the
big radial eng ine be
came a fiery ball of molten metal ,
shedding parts and sh
eets
of flame
back over the wing . For a second
Cu m min gs
was
tran sf i
xe
d
as
he
watched the skin
of th
e
wing
begin
to curl and me lt in the aw ful heat.
He knew the plane was doomed as
he watched the engine wrench it
se
lf
from the wing and tumble toward
the f ie ld s be lo w li ke a burnin g
co met. Life wa now meas ured in
mere
seco
nds.
Chaplain (Captain) Delbert
T.
McLaughlin , who wa s s itting ju st
behind the co-pilot, watched
in
dis
belief
as th e burning e ng in e fell
away. He had taken hi s
parachute
Continued . . .
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
25/48
ou
ust
Never
Know
Continued .
off
shortly after takeoff, leaving it
on an empty seat in
th
e back
of
the
plane. McLaughlin sprinted to the
chute
and stru gg led into the har
ness . It was
if
hi s fingers had lost
their Link to hi s brain. They fe lt like
sa usages as he fumbl ed with the
unfamili
ar s
nap
s a nd belts . The
plane began to fill with acrid black
smoke as he worked. Now he felt
the first
tentacle
s
of
panic ri se in
hi s throat as the plane lurched ,
nearl y
throwing
him to the floor.
He estimated he had sixty seconds
to get out
of
the plane.
Sudd
enly , one
of the pa
ssen
gers screamed that he couldn ' t get
out of hi s sea
t.
In hi s panic, he had
forgotten to unfasten hi s seat belt.
McLaughlin fought down hi s own
panic and courageous ly pau sed to
unh ook the man 's belt , certain ly
sav ing hi s li fe.
He
propelled the
panic-stricken man to
hi
s feet and
toward the door as he finally got hi s
own chute fastened. The frightened
man moaned,
we
must pray. We
can pr
ay
on the
way down ,
McLaughlin yelled , pushing him
toward the door.
The crew chief, hi s face
drained of
co
lor, ran aft and
struggled to jetti son the big cargo
door. The man was yelling so me
thing , trying to be heard
over
the
sounds of the dying airplane. Rac
ing with the others toward their one
dim hope of
escape,
Cummings
caught the words: evacuate
going
down
out
now Fi
nally, the hatch flew off and flames
began
to
lick at the men
in
the
cabin.
One of the chaplains had fro
zen at
the
door.
He
was doubled
over, blocking
the escape
of the
others. To hesitate was to die. Wing
Chaplain
Bert
Von Norman placed
his foot firmly on the man 's bac k
and booted him
out
into the void.
Th e
others
jumped as
quickly
as
they could hurl themselves into the
hazy morning
air
, 4000
feet over
Newhall.
The shock of the chute opening
slammed the leg s
trap
s into
Cummin
g's flesh and
hi s s
hoe
s
were
torn
from hi s feet. As he
floated down he watched as the pi
lot pulled th e faltering C46 up into
a stall , buying a few more seconds
for hi s own surviva l. Seconds later,
as the nose started down ,
Capt
ain
Wilson was seen to hurl himself out
of the plane at
700
fee
t.
There was
little chance his chute would open
at that altitude.
Now
Cumming
s faced another
major problem. Ten thousand-volt
power
lines laced the
earth
a few
hundred feet beneath
hi
s dangling
so c
ks. He wiggled hi s
toe
s
and
pondered
a plan
of
esca
pe
as the
power lines below got bigger every
second.
He 'd heard that it was possible
to s
teer
a chute by pulling on the
ri
sers to partially spill air. Desper
ately he pulled at the cords and the
chute began to go sideways, and at
the same time plummet him toward
the ground. Cummings was certain
he had fatally
co
ll
apsed hi s chute,
convinced that his arrival back on
earth
wou ld momentarily
be
her
alded by a
di
sgusting squishy thud,
but
at
l
east
he had avoided frying
amid the wires.
Finally the canopy refilled and
he landed easi ly in a fie ld , on his
feet. Then he watched in horror as
the
pilot 's chute
failed
to
open
completely, s
treaming out behind
the falling man. Then, just a second
before he hit the ground, the chute
blossomed . Wil so n was vio lently
sw ung up, then sl
ammed
onto the
ground
fl
at of hi s
back
.
The
chute
began dragg ing
the s
tunned
man
over the rough field. Cummings ran
to him and spilled the air from the
billowing silk canopy. Aside from
scrapes and bruises he was not in
jured.
Meanwhile McLau g
hlin had
tumbled out the door, also in a con
torted position. When he pulled the
ripcord
the
s
hroud
lin
es
tangled
around hi s left leg in a deadly
Gordian knot.
He
fo
und him
self
hanging up side down in
the
har
ness. Hi s eyeg lasses
were gone.
Strugglin g
with
all hi s mi ght he
somehow freed himself not realiz
ing that the opening shock had dis
located
his knee.
Below were
the
sa me
power
lin
es
Cummings had
see n. McLaughlin also
remem
bered the shroud-pulling trick and
maneu
ve red
away from
po ss ibl e
electrocution,
mi
ssing the lines by
only a few feet.
McLaughlin l
anded
hard and
was
unable
to get to hi s feet.
He
watched as a farmer , carrying a
lethal-looking pitchfork
, ran to
ward him . The
wild-eyed
man of
the so il looked him over warily,
fork at the ready.
He
finally low
ered the weapon. I thought the
Russ ian s had landed, he told the
injured chaplain.
A nearby sc hool had emptied
to see the spectacle. Scores of little
kid s ran willy-nilly toward the
prone McL
a
ughlin and crowded
around
to see
the
de ad man.
Mc
Lau
ghlin g
rinned weak
ly
and
feebly waved
an
arm
to
rea
ss
ure
them. The sc
reamed
and recoiled
when the co rp se moved.
To
McLaughlin 's great re li
ef
a teacher
Continued . . .
Save
this
magazine and
when
you need a job
done, service performed or
to
make a
purchase, check back to the advertisers
inside. They can build you a sidewalk,
fly
you in
a chartered plane or just sell you a pound of
bacon.
ou
name it ou will find they are some
of the
greatest
people
in
the state
23
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
26/48
Warehouse irect Wholesale Prices
ALL
MAJOR
APPLIANCES
WH IRLPOOL KI
TCHENAID
GAGGENAUo
THERMADORoAMANA
FRIGIDAIRE
VIKING
JENN-AIR
5561 West San Madele
Fresno
559-276-1500
"Dedicaled 10 Ex
cellence
/
Executiue
L\utoPiloh
Would
like
10
Ihank Ihe
men
8
women
of
[t1 p for all Iheir
programs and lifesaving efforh.
Sacramento hecutive
Airport
916)
399-5969
6155 freeport
Blvd
.,
Sacramento
fax: 916) 399-5838
C
M A i r c r a f t
IRCR FT CH RTERS
Weq.IAt ~ j J
W ~ i f o u W a d
~ ? ~
WIwte ifou
Wad"
c
Trained Pilots
24 Hour Service
Preferred Maintenance Shop
of Civil Air Patrol.
9 1 6 ) 3 9 2 - 7 0 6 8
SacraDl.ento
8 1
r ;: : 0J E B
P L U M B E R S
FOR
ANY DRAINAGE
FA ILURE
A
ngles
Camp
Calaveras Co
.
Valley
Springs
736-0244 795-6417 772-0277
Jamestown Sonora Twain Harte
984-4045 532-3995 586-
10
47
24
C O N V E R S E
~ ~
PETERSEN
~ V I T I O N
PL UMBIN
G ..
Executive Terminal
Jet
Charter
Services
Residenti
al
- Commercial
Remodeling - Core Drilling - '
-:
Aircraft Sales and Management
Geo thermal - Septic Tanks Serving the aviation industnJ
Sewer Lines - Water Lines
wi
th
quality
serv
ice,
Backh
oe
Work - Solar Systems
Emergency
Repairs
469-800
Amesbury
530)
257-6957
Susanv
ille
~ ~
~ ~
SIERRA
NATIONAL
BANK
--
Member FDIC --
661-822-6801
224
W. F St., Teh
ac
h
api
Our Management and st ff
are proud to
s
lute Ca
li
fornia
Civ
il
A ir Patrol
Van Beurden
Insurance
Service Inc.
We
've
Got
You Covered.
For
your
home
,
auto, ti fe ,
farm
or
business
.
1600 Draper St
(559) 897-2975
Kin gs
bur
g
QUALITY IS
Dun
pnlDF'
Proud To
Salute
The Lifesaving
Efforts Of The
Civil
Air
Patrol.
28079 Avenue Stanfo rd
661) 294-9911
I 661) 257-2936
VAL EN C I A
800-451-7270/818-989-2300
7155 valjean Ave.
at Sherman
Way
Van
Nuys
- - - - -
BARRY G . MILLER
& ASSOCIATES
INSURANCE
SERVICES,
INC.
E I I I j I ~ e e ~ G l U ~
We are proud to
solute
the
lifesaving work of the
Civil
Air Patrol
3161
Cameron
Park Dr., Ste. 203
530) 672-
0187
Cameron Park
Fax 530) 672-0838
LEX NDER
Ae FlyineService, Inc.
. - - . r - ~ /
~
~
' ~
on and Steve are proud to
suppo
rt
the Civil Air Patrol
in
their lifesaving missions.
14990 Andrus
Island Rd .
Walnut Grove
916) 776-1579
Malott Metalcraft
and Manufacturing
STANDING SEAM
ME
TAL
ROOFING
CUSTOM
ROOF ACCESSORIES
CUSTOM
COPPER
TITANIUM
FOLLANSBEE TCS STAINLESS STEEL
GENERAL
SHEET
METAL
813 W. Ave.
L-
8 Unit C
805) 723-9888
Lancaster
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
27/48
ou ust Never
Know
Continued .
fi
nally arrived and t
oo
k control of the milling gawkers
In anothe r nea rby f ie ld ,
Cummin
gs and the pilot
ga
thered up their chutes , and made their way toward a
n
ea
rby road where a pic kup tru ck had stopped . Th e
driver poked her head out of the window and dema
nd
ed
of
the barefoot cha
pl
ain :
Wh
y Lloyd
Cummin
gs, what
on earth are you doing here? It was Gwen Gillespi e, one
of
C
umming s
fo rme r pa
ri
shi on
ers
and an o ld friend
fro m the Newha
ll
church where he had pas tored. He
couldn ' t res ist th e line th at popped into hi s head.
G
we
n, yo u j u t neve r kn ow w he n the
pr
eac her
mi
ght drop in .
Later, a chastened Cummings visited the
wr
e
ckage
at the Sheri ff 's Hon or Farm where th e plane had hit and
f ireballed . Ponderin g the
mir
a
cl
e of hi s s
ur
viva l, he
poked among the ashes and fo und his parti a
ll
y burned
jacket In its pocket was a ch
ar
red, but readable bit of po-
eb'y he cheri shes to t
hi
s day; a momenta
of hi
s gratitude:
6
S,I
L ZE
1thr
[lock
of 1.[ifr
The clock o ife is wound but once
An
d no one
has the
power
To tell w
he
n the hands will stop
At
la
te or early hour
So
live and
lo
ve and
to
il
with
a
will
Place
no faith
in
the
distant
tomorro
w
s
Fo
r t
he
nfor you the clock may
be
still.
wo
Ho
spitals in
at
of ngeles Forest Fire
25
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
28/48
cS
8/11/2019 California Wing - Jun 1999
29/48
o
ll
California
Wing
Public
ffairs
Officers
I am honored fo r the r
eco
mmenda
ti
on,
se
lec
tio n and appointm ent to be yo ur new Ca lifo rni a
Wi ng
Directo
r
of
Publi
c
Affa
irs. I
ass
ure a
ll
of
you I wi ll do my very bes t to
se
rve yo u and the
Ca lifornia Wing. It is my hope,
th
at with your as
sistance, we can make
th
e Ca
li
fo rnia Wing Pub
li
c
Affairs Program more viable and valuable to our
orga
nization - Civ il Air Patro l, United States Air
Force Auxi liary.
For the next month or so, 1 will be rev iew ing
our resources and try to utili
ze
them where it will
be most beneficial to our Public Affairs Progra
m.
Yes, as with most changes
in
a management posi
tion , chan
ges
in assignments, procedures, ex pec
tat ions, etc., are like ly to happen. But fo r now, J
hope the
Ca
lifo rnia W
in
g Publ ic Affairs St
aff
will
sincere ly co ntinue with
th
e ir current duti es in the
best manner possible.
For dle Groups, Squadrons and F
li
ghts Public
Affairs Officers, do ca rr n doin g the very bes t
you can for your unit. One
of
my primary
goa
ls is
to provide each and every Public Affairs Off ice r
the
train
ing you nee d to do yo ur job bette r and
with
greater
sati faction. I hope a ll Public Affairs
Officers, experienced and
in
experi enced, wi ll take
on these
tr a
ining
op
po rt
unities
when it co m
es
the ir way.
We, the
Ca
li
fo rnia Wing Public Affairs Staff,
w
ill
be dedicated to erve you - so, ask for our as
sistan
ce,
if and when
yo
u require it. Remember,
every
Ca
liforn
ia
W
in
g Publ
ic
Affairs Officer must
also dedicate themselves and their efforts towards
their duties
and
re spo nsibi l
ities
as out lined in
CAPM 190
-1
, Civi l Air Patrol Public Affairs Pro
gram.
Will be looking forward to meeti ng and work
ing with a ll you Public Affairs Office rs as we exi t
this ce ntury and enter the nex t. As
we
move fo
r
ward in time, tow ard s the end
of
Yea r 1999 and
into the beginning of Year 2000, let us truly work
togeth
er
and re
in
force Ca
lifo rni
a s
claim as be
in
g
the gr
eatest
Wing in C ivil Air Patro l. Public Af
fairs Officers ca n make it - o r br
eak
it. A fe llow
Ai r Fo rce Sergeants Assoc ia ti on me mb er once
said, Worki ng Togeth er, Works.
Res pectfully,
FREDERICK R. MAHADOCON, JR .,
LT. COL., CAP
Director,
Ca lifo
rn
ia W
in
g Pub
li
c Affairs
MEMORIAL
DAY
, MAY 31 , 1999 - 28th Annual Veterans
of
the
Flag
s,
Ventura, California. Honor
Guard (left to
right): C AIC Sean Haley; C A IC Dan Darrow, Com-
mander; C SRA David Thomas; CIA Ryan King.
Squadron
6
Honor Guard
Getting Fully
Booked
By Corinne R Miller
CAMARILLO ,
CA
- The Cadet Squadron 61 Honor Gu ard
is co mposed
of
two e lements, the Co lor Gu ard , led by CI
A IC Dan Darrow and the Rifle-Drill Tea m. Both units func
tion as one w ith the overa ll co mm and
of
C LT M atth ew
Jen
se
n. The Honor Gu ard has bee n receiving many reques ts
fo r the
Co
lor Guard and for the Rifle-Drill Team demon