CAP SAREX: Trick or Treat!
By Eric McCarthy
A couple of weekends ago, my Civil Air Patrol squadron hosted a SAREX/APEX (Search And Rescue EXercise/Airborne Photography EXercise). These events are designed to simulate emergency situations so that CAP members are prepared in the event of an actual emergency, and so that members can acquire the experience needed to serve in various roles. This means that a lot of us participate in ‘trainee’ (t) roles at these exercises.These exercises require the coordination of lots of members in different roles, many of which are ‘behind-the-scene,’ but crucial to the success of a mission. These unsung heroes make it all possible, working tirelessly to ensure everything is prepared to allow the mission to be completed successfully. Most of these exercises are planned well in advance, but their purpose is to prepare CAP members to be able to deploy at a moments’ notice. In the event of an actual emergency or disaster there won’t be more than a few hours to assemble a team and respond.I’ve participated in several of these exercises over the years, but I won’t pretend to know all there is to know about the machinations that make an operation successful. I’ll try to ‘lift the curtain’ a little to give you at least some idea of the effort that goes into one of these exercises.At the top of the pyramid is the Incident Commander (IC) who will oversee the entire operation; he or she will assemble a team of directors responsible for the smooth running of the various departments and their personnel.For example, there are lots of logistics issues that have to be dealt with: Where are we going to set up the mission base? What equipment do we need? This includes everything from the aircraft we’ll fly to the computer systems, printers, and networks that will be needed, not to mention the basics such as chairs and tables. Fortunately, at least some of this has been prepared in advance. CAP has Mission Management Kits, basically a few Pelican Cases with computers, printers and network gear ready to go – but, where is that equipment and how do we get it to the mission base? Will we have power available? Fuel? Internet? Food and water? Bathrooms? As you can see, there’s a lot to consider to ensure a successful operation, and so far we’ve only touched on logistics.There will be dedicated personnel overseeing the Safety of the entire operation – everything from “don’t trip over the extension cord…,” to securing the flightline, to ensuring aircraft airworthiness, and every other safety consideration in between.We’ll have someone assigned (and trained) as a PIO – Public Information Officer. In a real emergency, these folks are responsible for providing information to the media or any other concerned parties. Let’s face it, most of us may have a pretty good idea about what’s happening in our little sphere of the world, but we probably don’t have the best information about the whole situation; it’s important the correct information is disseminated properly, and that’s the PIO’s responsibility.Then there’s the AOBD – Air Operations Branch Director – these guys are responsible for everything related to the aviation aspects of the mission. Now we’re getting closer to the airplanes! These guys and gals begin the day by briefing the pilots on the weather, the mission, any expected or known hazards, etc. They’ll coordinate the various sorties to deconflict any potential overlap in the mission profiles – in other words, they’ll make sure the sorties are arranged so that there aren’t any aircraft flying adjacent grids, to prevent the possibility of a mid-air collision. They serve as our Flight Release Officers (FRO) as well, releasing flights after the aircrews have satisfactorily briefed our proposed flight, including weight and balance calculations, risk assessment, probability of mission success based on weather, altitude, target size, etc. Once in flight, they’ll also track the various aircraft to make sure they’re where they’re supposed to be doing what they’re supposed to be doing.We’ll have a team of communications personnel responsible for talking to the ground and aerial search teams, and also to keep the AOBD and base staff up to date with aircraft status, etc. As an aircrew, we report various significant events in our flight including: Engine Start; Wheels Up; In Grid (aircrews are assigned search areas based on Lat/Lon grids – “In Grid” tells mission base that we’re starting our search pattern in our assigned grid); RTB (Return to Base), etc. We also report “Ops Normal” every half hour, usually at the top and bottom of the hour – for my aircrew, this is where the fun began! Aerial subterfugeOur aircrew consisted of me as Mission Pilot (trainee), a Mission Observer who was also a Mission Pilot evaluator and instructor, and a Mission Scanner/Airborne Photographer.As the Mission Pilot, I’m responsible for providing a safe flight, transporting my crew to our assigned grid, and executing our search pattern, and of course, returning the crew and aircraft safely to earth. Pre-flight I’ll work with my Mission Observer to determine the appropriate headings, altitudes, and search pattern, taking into account the geography, winds, hazards, etc. to accomplish our mission. We’ll review this with the entire aircrew and welcome any suggestions, but often the Mission Scanner is not a pilot and may not understand all the nuances of aviating; that is sometimes true of Mission Observers as well, but more often than not, they’re pilots too.The Mission Observer (MO) is responsible for the radio communications with mission base, other CAP aircraft and/or ground teams, while the Mission Pilot generally maintains communications with ATC. These roles are flexible, of course, depending on the situation, but that’s generally how it works. The MO also serves as a scanner on the right side of the aircraft once we’re in search mode.The Mission Scanner usually sits behind the pilot, scanning the ground on the left side of the aircraft. This can be very tedious work and has been known to cause airsickness… You’ve got your head cranked around 90-degrees to the direction of flight, trying to systematically scan the ground 1,000-feet below you while bouncing along in the orographic turbulence – trust me, it’s not as easy as it sounds.In our case, our Mission Scanner was also an Airborne Photographer (AP), and we were assigned two missions: the aforementioned search exercise and a separate photo mission. The AP mission is also not as easy as it looks; we’ve got a small photo window behind the pilot, and this often requires the AP to kneel on the seat in order to get the camera in position. This can be especially difficult and uncomfortable if there’s any turbulence.Getting to the plane, I conducted a thorough preflight while my MO and MS prepared themselves and their equipment for the mission. Prior to engine start, I completed a crew briefing, reiterating our mission, explaining how to use the seatbelts (yep, just like the airlines!), where the fire extinguisher is located, egress plans in the event of an offsite landing, etc. It was then that I learned from my MO/instructor that we were going to be involved in a little subterfuge: we were to go ‘lost comms’ after we departed – what fun! This was to be an unplanned ‘emergency’ to test the base staff, with only the IC and the IC(t) in the know. We remained in communication with the IC(t) via text messages throughout our flight, but other than that, we were NORDO (No Radio). This became apparent fairly quickly as our first ‘Ops Normal’ was due about 15 minutes after departure, and we didn’t make it!It’s not all that unusual that an aircrew will miss an ‘Ops Normal’ call – sometimes they forget, or transmit on the wrong radio and frequency, or there’s a problem with our repeaters – so an initial missed report doesn’t usually spark a panic at base. The Comms team has protocols in place for these kinds of situations, and they’ll work through their procedures to try to re-establish contact, making radio calls both on our predetermined frequencies and on the open ‘San Diego North’ VFR traffic frequency, and requesting radio relays by other CAP aircraft in the area. We heard and logged all the calls as we went about executing our search pattern and photo mission, but responded to none.Mission base has a whiteboard that is updated as the various radio calls are received. We had four or five aircraft aloft at the same time, so this is a quick and dirty way to keep the base staff apprised of aircraft status. Within a few minutes of missing our call, I received a couple of texts from the AOBD trainees casually asking if everything was okay – haven’t heard from you in a while…; I didn’t respond. I’m sure the AOBD staff were amusedly wondering “what’s up with those knuckleheads in CAP499”- at least early on… We found out later during our debrief, that to ‘enhance’ the effect of the emergency, the IC had suppressed our tracking information on the large monitor at base, so as far as the staff knew, we had disappeared. Needless to say, this caused more than a little consternation!The AOBD team reacted quickly, calling SOCAL to report that they had lost contact with one of the CAP airplanes – could they see it on their radar? It turns out that we were operating in LA Center’s airspace, so another call was placed to LA Center. They reported that they could see an aircraft operating in the area where we were expected to be, but they were not talking to them.It was about then, I suspect, that the light began to dawn on the base staff. It had been almost an hour since our missed ‘Ops Normal’ call; allowing time for Comms to work through their protocols, then some time for discussion and strategizing among the base staff, we were probably about 35 minutes into the full-blown ‘emergency’ when I got a text saying: “Heyyyyyy. Wait a minute…”then “You guys are evil and must be destroyed!”Yep – they’re on to us!Upon return to base we were greeted by several staff members: “You really had us going!”– truly a sign of a successful exercise! From my perspective: it’s comforting to know that these guys are prepared and ready to go when the bell rings! I have no doubt that a full scale search and rescue effort was about be launched, and to know that these guys would have moved heaven and earth to find us…well, that’s pretty special!If you’re interested in learning more about Civil Air Patrol, go to: www.gocivilairpatrol.com.Until next time, Fly Safe!
A couple of weekends ago, my Civil Air Patrol squadron hosted a SAREX/APEX (Search And Rescue EXercise/Airborne Photography EXercise). These events are designed to simulate emergency situations so that CAP members are prepared in the event of an actual emergency, and so that members can acquire the experience needed to serve in various roles. This means that a lot of us participate in ‘trainee’ (t) roles at these exercises.These exercises require the coordination of lots of members in different roles, many of which are ‘behind-the-scene,’ but crucial to the success of a mission. These unsung heroes make it all possible, working tirelessly to ensure everything is prepared to allow the mission to be completed successfully. Most of these exercises are planned well in advance, but their purpose is to prepare CAP members to be able to deploy at a moments’ notice. In the event of an actual emergency or disaster there won’t be more than a few hours to assemble a team and respond.I’ve participated in several of these exercises over the years, but I won’t pretend to know all there is to know about the machinations that make an operation successful. I’ll try to ‘lift the curtain’ a little to give you at least some idea of the effort that goes into one of these exercises.At the top of the pyramid is the Incident Commander (IC) who will oversee the entire operation; he or she will assemble a team of directors responsible for the smooth running of the various departments and their personnel.For example, there are lots of logistics issues that have to be dealt with: Where are we going to set up the mission base? What equipment do we need? This includes everything from the aircraft we’ll fly to the computer systems, printers, and networks that will be needed, not to mention the basics such as chairs and tables. Fortunately, at least some of this has been prepared in advance. CAP has Mission Management Kits, basically a few Pelican Cases with computers, printers and network gear ready to go – but, where is that equipment and how do we get it to the mission base? Will we have power available? Fuel? Internet? Food and water? Bathrooms? As you can see, there’s a lot to consider to ensure a successful operation, and so far we’ve only touched on logistics.There will be dedicated personnel overseeing the Safety of the entire operation – everything from “don’t trip over the extension cord…,” to securing the flightline, to ensuring aircraft airworthiness, and every other safety consideration in between.We’ll have someone assigned (and trained) as a PIO – Public Information Officer. In a real emergency, these folks are responsible for providing information to the media or any other concerned parties. Let’s face it, most of us may have a pretty good idea about what’s happening in our little sphere of the world, but we probably don’t have the best information about the whole situation; it’s important the correct information is disseminated properly, and that’s the PIO’s responsibility.Then there’s the AOBD – Air Operations Branch Director – these guys are responsible for everything related to the aviation aspects of the mission. Now we’re getting closer to the airplanes! These guys and gals begin the day by briefing the pilots on the weather, the mission, any expected or known hazards, etc. They’ll coordinate the various sorties to deconflict any potential overlap in the mission profiles – in other words, they’ll make sure the sorties are arranged so that there aren’t any aircraft flying adjacent grids, to prevent the possibility of a mid-air collision. They serve as our Flight Release Officers (FRO) as well, releasing flights after the aircrews have satisfactorily briefed our proposed flight, including weight and balance calculations, risk assessment, probability of mission success based on weather, altitude, target size, etc. Once in flight, they’ll also track the various aircraft to make sure they’re where they’re supposed to be doing what they’re supposed to be doing.We’ll have a team of communications personnel responsible for talking to the ground and aerial search teams, and also to keep the AOBD and base staff up to date with aircraft status, etc. As an aircrew, we report various significant events in our flight including: Engine Start; Wheels Up; In Grid (aircrews are assigned search areas based on Lat/Lon grids – “In Grid” tells mission base that we’re starting our search pattern in our assigned grid); RTB (Return to Base), etc. We also report “Ops Normal” every half hour, usually at the top and bottom of the hour – for my aircrew, this is where the fun began! Aerial subterfugeOur aircrew consisted of me as Mission Pilot (trainee), a Mission Observer who was also a Mission Pilot evaluator and instructor, and a Mission Scanner/Airborne Photographer.As the Mission Pilot, I’m responsible for providing a safe flight, transporting my crew to our assigned grid, and executing our search pattern, and of course, returning the crew and aircraft safely to earth. Pre-flight I’ll work with my Mission Observer to determine the appropriate headings, altitudes, and search pattern, taking into account the geography, winds, hazards, etc. to accomplish our mission. We’ll review this with the entire aircrew and welcome any suggestions, but often the Mission Scanner is not a pilot and may not understand all the nuances of aviating; that is sometimes true of Mission Observers as well, but more often than not, they’re pilots too.The Mission Observer (MO) is responsible for the radio communications with mission base, other CAP aircraft and/or ground teams, while the Mission Pilot generally maintains communications with ATC. These roles are flexible, of course, depending on the situation, but that’s generally how it works. The MO also serves as a scanner on the right side of the aircraft once we’re in search mode.The Mission Scanner usually sits behind the pilot, scanning the ground on the left side of the aircraft. This can be very tedious work and has been known to cause airsickness… You’ve got your head cranked around 90-degrees to the direction of flight, trying to systematically scan the ground 1,000-feet below you while bouncing along in the orographic turbulence – trust me, it’s not as easy as it sounds.In our case, our Mission Scanner was also an Airborne Photographer (AP), and we were assigned two missions: the aforementioned search exercise and a separate photo mission. The AP mission is also not as easy as it looks; we’ve got a small photo window behind the pilot, and this often requires the AP to kneel on the seat in order to get the camera in position. This can be especially difficult and uncomfortable if there’s any turbulence.Getting to the plane, I conducted a thorough preflight while my MO and MS prepared themselves and their equipment for the mission. Prior to engine start, I completed a crew briefing, reiterating our mission, explaining how to use the seatbelts (yep, just like the airlines!), where the fire extinguisher is located, egress plans in the event of an offsite landing, etc. It was then that I learned from my MO/instructor that we were going to be involved in a little subterfuge: we were to go ‘lost comms’ after we departed – what fun! This was to be an unplanned ‘emergency’ to test the base staff, with only the IC and the IC(t) in the know. We remained in communication with the IC(t) via text messages throughout our flight, but other than that, we were NORDO (No Radio). This became apparent fairly quickly as our first ‘Ops Normal’ was due about 15 minutes after departure, and we didn’t make it!It’s not all that unusual that an aircrew will miss an ‘Ops Normal’ call – sometimes they forget, or transmit on the wrong radio and frequency, or there’s a problem with our repeaters – so an initial missed report doesn’t usually spark a panic at base. The Comms team has protocols in place for these kinds of situations, and they’ll work through their procedures to try to re-establish contact, making radio calls both on our predetermined frequencies and on the open ‘San Diego North’ VFR traffic frequency, and requesting radio relays by other CAP aircraft in the area. We heard and logged all the calls as we went about executing our search pattern and photo mission, but responded to none.Mission base has a whiteboard that is updated as the various radio calls are received. We had four or five aircraft aloft at the same time, so this is a quick and dirty way to keep the base staff apprised of aircraft status. Within a few minutes of missing our call, I received a couple of texts from the AOBD trainees casually asking if everything was okay – haven’t heard from you in a while…; I didn’t respond. I’m sure the AOBD staff were amusedly wondering “what’s up with those knuckleheads in CAP499”- at least early on… We found out later during our debrief, that to ‘enhance’ the effect of the emergency, the IC had suppressed our tracking information on the large monitor at base, so as far as the staff knew, we had disappeared. Needless to say, this caused more than a little consternation!The AOBD team reacted quickly, calling SOCAL to report that they had lost contact with one of the CAP airplanes – could they see it on their radar? It turns out that we were operating in LA Center’s airspace, so another call was placed to LA Center. They reported that they could see an aircraft operating in the area where we were expected to be, but they were not talking to them.It was about then, I suspect, that the light began to dawn on the base staff. It had been almost an hour since our missed ‘Ops Normal’ call; allowing time for Comms to work through their protocols, then some time for discussion and strategizing among the base staff, we were probably about 35 minutes into the full-blown ‘emergency’ when I got a text saying: “Heyyyyyy. Wait a minute…”then “You guys are evil and must be destroyed!”Yep – they’re on to us!Upon return to base we were greeted by several staff members: “You really had us going!”– truly a sign of a successful exercise! From my perspective: it’s comforting to know that these guys are prepared and ready to go when the bell rings! I have no doubt that a full scale search and rescue effort was about be launched, and to know that these guys would have moved heaven and earth to find us…well, that’s pretty special!If you’re interested in learning more about Civil Air Patrol, go to: www.gocivilairpatrol.com.Until next time, Fly Safe!