Civil Air Patrol Media Fly-Along Flight a Big Success

NEW ORLEANS – The Billy Mitchell and Pontchartrain Composite Squadrons of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) turned out in force to mount a successful media flight demonstration of air and ground team SAREX procedures on 19 April 2014.  Lt. Col. Beauford had established a media relationship with Times Picayune editor Melissa Morris who assigned reported Dennis Gallagher to the story.  Capt. Mark Warriner, the organizer of the SAREX, handled getting the permission for the media flight from the National Operations Center and uploaded the reporter’s Form 9 “Release (For Non CAP Members)” to the NOC. He also secured funding for the Media Fly-Along SAREX from Louisiana Wing Commander Col. Thomas Bernard.

Times Picayune reporter Dennis Gallagher observed the Mission Base briefing by Capt. Mark Warriner and met the members of the teams. Reporter Gallagher then flew with Mission Pilot Capt. Emmet Bartholomew, Jr., and Mission Observer Lt. Col. Kathy Beauford on an ELT search for a

“missing hunter with a personal beacon.” A running commentary demonstrated the methods used in locating the beacon. The beacon was located and the aircrew flew back to the ground team van and instructed them in locating the “missing person.” The ground team then proceeded to assess the condition of the “rescued” missing person and offered food and water. Airborne and ground photographs of the scene were taken and processed after the flight, adding photo information to the pictures which were uploaded into the CAP Web Mission Information Reporting System (WIMRS) Operations Database.

The Pontchartrain Composite Squadron ground team consisted of Ground Team Leader Major Dennis Eschmann, Lt, Mike Giroir, C/1stLt. Franchesca Giroir, C/SMSGT Dean Scott, C/SrA Colton McClintock, C/A1C Andrew Rodrigue. The missing person team consisted of Major Lester Cambre and Capt. Creston King. The Incident Commander of the SAREX was Lt. Col. Amos Plante.  Mission Base radio operator was Brian Bowling.

Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 60,000 members nationwide, operating a fleet of 550 aircraft. CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs about 85 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 71 lives annually. Its unpaid professionals also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 25,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet programs. CAP received the World Peace Prize in 2011 and has been performing missions for America for 72 years. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. Visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com or www.capvolunteernow.com for more information

Left to right: Capt. Emmet Bartholomew, Jr.,
Lt. Col. Amos Plante, Capt. Mark Warriner,
Lt. Col. John Morrow, Lt. Col. Kathy Beauford,
Times Picayune reporter Dennis Gallagher,
and Capt. Creston King.

Mission Pilot Capt. Emmet Bartholomew
and Observer/Navigator Lt. Col. Beauford.