Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Rocket Making Class

By 2d Lt Karin Hollerbach, photos by 2d Lt Hollerbach and Lt Col Juan Tinnirello

Following a fun aerospace education class #1 (click here for details), on 11 November (happy Veterans’ Day to all), 1st Lt Pat Bitz held the second in a series of Aerospace Education classes.  In this class, participants built and tested 2 rockets from everyday household materials and objects plus a super-secret rocket fuel formula.

Secret rocket fuel formula, photo by 2d Lt Hollerbach
The first rocket built was the Fizzy Flyer, a fun, liquid fueled rocket. Only class participants know the secret formula that was used!  But if you attend the rest of the series, we might tell you… without having to… you know…

The Fizzy Flyers were a lot of fun to build and launch, although time from ignition to liftoff was a bit unpredictable due to the nature of the fuel involved. In theory, one of the advantages of using liquid fuel in a rocket is that its burn can be controlled. That might have been a design shortcoming in our liquid fuel rocket, since we did not have such fine control!

Instructions for making the Fizzy Flyer,
photo by Lt Col Tinnirello
No wonder the second rocket type was designed – based on solid fuel (aka rubber bands).  This one was named after Dr. Robert Goddard, considered by many to be the father of modern rocketry.

Getting ready for launch, photo by
2d Lt Hollerbach










According to CAP’s rocket-making educational materials, during WWI, Dr. Goddard received a grant from the US Army to work on solid fuel rocket projects. One invention from his work during this time was a 3-inch rocket fired through a steel tube – which later evolved into the well-known anti-tank bazooka that was widely used in WWII.

1st Lt Bitz demonstrating how to make a Goddard rocket, photo by Lt Col Tinnirello



Dr. Goddard’s experiments also included fuel feeding devices, propellant pumps, gyroscopic stabilizers, and instruments for monitoring the flight of rockets. Just before WWII, Dr. Goddard was hired to help develop rocket-powered, quick-takeoff propulsion units for the US Navy.

We have now completed the rocket-making portion of Stage One: Redstone Phase of the cadet aerospace education program.

Capt Rivas launching his Goddard rocket,
photo by Lt Col Tinnirello
The third class in this 6-part series will be held at Squadron 188’s headquarters at Oakland Airport on 9 December. Members of other squadrons are welcome to participate.

For those of you senior members that want to learn more about CAP’s internal aerospace education programs, please go check out the requirements for earning the Charles E. Yeager Aerospace Education Award. Our squadron is proud to have a 90+% rate of members having earned the Yeager Awards!  New members, listen up – it’s up to you to get us back to 100%!












Sunday, November 16, 2014

Congratulations Lt Gast - Commercial Glider Pilot

By 2d Lt Terence Wilson and 2d Lt Karin Hollerbach, photo provided by 2d Lt Wilson

Congratulations to 2d Lt Matthew Gast, who just earned his Commercial Glider Pilot rating.

On 25 October, Lt Gast completed his checkride with DPE Dan Gudgel, after training with his CFI, 2d Lt Terence Wilson at C83.

DPE Dan Gudgel, 2d Lt Matthew Gast, 2d Lt Terence Wilson
Next up for 2d Lt Gast? Working on his CFI rating.  Then we’ll have 2 CFI-Gs in our squadron!  

Besides flying gliders out of Byron, both Lts Gast and Wilson have been involved in CAP’s glider program (click here to see a recent description of glider O-Rides at Byron). Since CAP does not own many nearby gliders, the program relies on the support of and relationship with the Northern California Soaring Association (NCSA).  

Based at Byron airport, the NCSA is in an excellent position to support local CAP squadrons. The NCSA club has been in existence since 1947 and currently has half a dozen CFI-Gs (although I don’t think any of them were teaching when the club was founded!). You’ll be able to meet someone at the club almost every weekend, although a part of the glider fleet is repositioned to Truckee and Minden each summer, to take advantage of the excellent soaring conditions there.

In addition to being able to fly the NCSA gliders, squadron members now have an additional resource: California Wing recently got a Super Blanik from the United States Air Force (click here for a description of its assembly at Byron). 


Both Lts Gast and Wilson have offered to take squadron members for intro flights – so what are you waiting for?


Thursday, November 13, 2014

Lt Col Tinnirello interviewed for CAP Volunteer article on Amelia Rose Earhart

By 2d Lt Karin Hollerbach

Congratulations to Lt Col Juan Tinnirello!  Lt Col Tinnirello was interviewed for an article in CAP's Volunteer magazine, about Amelia Rose Earhart's historic flight around the world and about Lt Tinnirello's role in organizing Ms. Earhart's Welcome Home event at Oakland Airport.

Please click here to read the article, “New Ties to Amelia: California Squadron Welcomes Amelia Rose Earhart Following Her Flight Around the World.”

More information about the event can also be found in this blog article


Lt Col Juan Tinnirello and Amelia Rose Earhart at Oakland Airport

Monday, November 10, 2014

November All Hands Meeting

1st Lt Stevulak, Capt Rivas
By 2d Lt Karin Hollerbach, Photos by Lt Col Juan Tinnirello

Awards
Congratulations to the following members:

  • Red Ribbon – 2yr: 1st Lt John Stevulak
  • Red Ribbon – 10yr: Capt Lutz Heinrich
  • Red Ribbon – 25yr: Lt Col Roger Glenn




Awarded last month but presented this month:

    Capt Rivas, Maj Johnson/K, Maj Johnson/C,
    1st Lt Rugroden, 1st Lt Cao
  • Disaster Relief Ribbon with Silver V: CAP445: Maj Luneau, 1st Lts Cao and Rugroden, Base Staff: Majs Johnson/C and Johnson/K






Promotions
Capt Rivas, 2d Lt Roberts and Capt Fenolio

  • SM Timothy Roberts was promoted to 2d Lt
  • 1st Lt Douglas Perreira was promoted to Capt
  • 1st Lt Chris Fenolio was promoted to Capt





Safety Briefing: Passenger Briefings

2d Lt Roberts conducted this month’s safety briefing, presenting a video and leading a discussion of passenger briefings.

2d Lt Roberts
Too many of us take for granted that our passengers know all the things they will need to know in the event of an emergency in the airplane.  This month’s discussion served as an important reminder of things to make sure to include in a safety briefing, particularly with new passengers that you may not have flown before.  A few examples include:





  • Do they really know how to operate the seatbelts?  There is a range of styles, each with its own method of opening/closing.
  • Do they know how to operate the doors?
  • What is the plan for egress in an emergency?  Have you ever practiced it? How/when will the crewmember in the back get out?
  • Do your passengers know how to operate the radios, at least at a most basic level to call for help in the event you, as pilot, are incapacitated?  Do they know the emergency frequency?
  • What is available by way of a safety kit, either the airplane’s or one you, as pilot, brought?
  • Etc. 
A toast to Squadron 188 - celebrating our Unit Citation

Unit Citation
After the presentations, we had a short celebration with sparkling apple cider, to celebrate the Unit Citation awarded to Squadron 188.  Congratulations to all members!


Upcoming Events
Upcoming events include:

  • Holiday dinner, TBD
  • Wreaths Across America 
  • Aerospace Education class #2 on Tuesday 11 November (click here for a description of the SR-71 Blackbird class)





Friday, November 7, 2014

Red Cross Damage Assessment Training

By 2d Lt Karin Hollerbach, photos by Lt Col Juan Tinnirello


1st Lt Chavez
Home Land Security Officer
On 21 October, Squadron 188 hosted the Red Cross in delivering a Detailed Damage Assessment Training, aka Windshield Assessment Training.  The class was organized by 1st Lt Alvaro Chavez and taught by Go Funai, Disaster Program Manager, Alameda, from the Red Cross.

The purpose of the class was to train CAP members in performing effective damage assessments.  In this course, we learned how to:
  • Perform a Detailed Damage Assessment (DDA)
  • Describe safety precautions to take while performing a DDA
  • Learn how to complete a “Street Sheet”
  • Identify criteria for each damage classification category
  • Describe and classify damaged dwellings

CAP has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Red Cross, and CAP members may be called upon to support and/or work together with the Red Cross in disaster relief missions. A DDA is normally conducted from a slow-moving vehicle or on foot. In addition, in the context of CAP’s airborne photography (AP) missions, this training will help provide perspective on what to look for when performing disaster relief missions from the air. 

Go Funai, Red Cross
According to the Red Cross, a disaster assessment mission helps to provide decision-making information for a disaster relief operation, and supports effective service delivery through the gathering, analysis, interpretation and distribution of accurate and timely information. 

In disaster relief missions, the Red Cross conducts Impact Assessments, Preliminary Damage Assessments and Detailed Damage Assessments.  This class was specifically about the Preliminary Damage Assessment, in which a preliminary estimate is made of the number of dwellings affected, and each affected dwelling is categorized according to the extent and scope of the damage. 

The 5 damage classifications discussed in the training included:
  1. Inaccessible – unsafe to enter the area, or there is standing water or impassible access routes
  2. Affected – cosmetic damage, e.g., some shingles or siding missing, dwelling is livable without repairs 
  3. Minor – minor structural damage, e.g., damage to small sections of roof, several broken windows, large portions of roofing materials and/or siding missing, penetration damage without structural damage 
  4. Major – large portions of roofing material missing or debris penetration, one or two walls missing, slight twisting or bowing of mobile home frame, forceful penetration of walls with debris
  5. Destroyed – total collapse, residence has shifted on the foundation, not economically feasible to repair, mobile home collapsed or turned over, frame buckled or significantly twisted

A “good description” in the damage assessment is one that contains evidence and data: percentages (“50% of roof shingles missing”) and counts (“2 windows broken”) are most effective. 

In the class, we practiced describing and then classifying based on our descriptions 20 different damaged residences (from photographs, for in-class training purposes). 

The class was attended by members of squadrons from throughout Group 2.

Participants in the Red Cross training course, hosted by Squadron 188.




Thursday, November 6, 2014

Build-Your-Own Aircraft: SR-71 Blackbird! (Aerospace Education #1)

By 2d Lt Karin Hollerbach, photos by 1st Lt Pat Bitz

Airplane parts.
On 14 October, 1st Lt Pat Bitz held the first in a series of Aerospace Education classes.  In this class, participants built a simple model SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft from everyday household materials and objects.

1st Lt Bitz, photo by
Lt Col Juan Tinnirello

Airplane builders hard at work.
Lt Bitz talked about the functional pieces of the model the class was building – including wings, engines, and stabilizers. Then participants worked from a template, traced and cut out control surfaces from a Styrofoam dinner plate, and assembled the fuselage and engines from foam tubes normally used to insulate hot water pipes using a hot glue gun.  A clever bit of rubber band and wire-ties allowed the aircraft to be reusably launched and recovered using human power. Most were able to fly their creations for across-the-room distances.

Comparing design variations.
The second class in this 6-part series will be held at Squadron 188’s headquarters at Oakland Airport on Tuesday 11 November. Members of other squadrons are welcome to participate.

Blackbirds were used for their advanced photographic and electronic sensor systems, which collected intelligence for the Air Force and other federal agencies from the late 1960s through the 1980s.

The following information is extracted from a NASA factsheet about the SR-71:

Still hard at work!
The Blackbird design originated in secrecy during the late 1950s with the A-12 reconnaissance aircraft that first flew in April 1962 and remained classified until 1976. President Lyndon Johnson publicly announced the existence of the YF-12A interceptor variant on Feb. 29, 1964, more than half a year after its maiden flight. The SR-71 completed its first flight on Dec. 22, 1964. More than a decade after their retirement the Blackbirds remain the world's fastest and highest-flying production aircraft ever built.

Almost done...
The Blackbirds were designed to cruise at Mach 3.2, just over three times the speed of sound or more than 2,200 miles per hour and at altitudes up to 85,000 feet. The extreme operating environment in which they flew made the aircraft excellent platforms for conducting research and experiments in a variety of disciplines: aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, thermal protection materials, high-speed and high-temperature instrumentation, atmospheric studies, and sonic boom characterization.

Finally… airplanes! 
Two Pratt & Whitney J58 axial-flow turbojets with afterburners, each producing 32,500 lb of thrust, powered the Blackbirds. Less than 20 percent of the total thrust used to fly at Mach 3 was produced by the engine itself, however. During high-speed cruise conditions the balance of total thrust was produced by the unique design of the engine inlet and a moveable conical spike at the front of each engine nacelle. Under these conditions, air entering the inlets bypassed the engines, going directly to the afterburners and ejector nozzles, thus acting as ramjets.

The airframes were built almost entirely of titanium and other exotic alloys to withstand heat generated by sustained high-speed flight. Capable of cruising at Mach 3 continuously for more than one hour at a time, the Blackbirds provided a unique research platform for thermal experiments because heat-soak temperatures exceeded 600 °F.

Blackbirds being tested.
The aircraft was 107.4 feet (32.73 meters) long, had a wingspan of 55.6 feet (16.9 meters), and stood 18.5 feet (5.63 meters) high (from the ground to the top of the rudders when parked). Gross takeoff weight was about 140,000 lb (52,253 kilograms), including a fuel weight of 80,000 lb (29,859 kilograms).

Aerodynamic control surfaces consisted of all-moving vertical tail fins above each engine nacelle and elevons on the outer wings and trailing edges between the engine exhaust nozzles.

Additional information about the SR-71 Blackbird can be found at the following links:
YouTube videos of Blackbird flights
NASA gallery pictures of the Blackbird

Class #2 – Tuesday 11 November – 7 PM at Squadron 188
Build and Launch:
1.  AlkaFuji rocket - aka "Fizzy Flyer"
This activity illustrates Newton's Laws of Motion.

2. Build -"The Goddard Rocket"
We will introduce Dr Robert Goddard, the man who pioneered liquid propelled, controlled rocket flight, and build a flying model of his 1931 rocket.

Take home two rockets, then re-launch with your family and friends demonstrating Newton's Laws.


Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Group 2 Change of Command and Awards Ceremony

By 2d Lt Karin Hollerbach, photos courtesy of 1st Lt Gabriel Fletcher-Hernandez and Maj Thomas Wiley


Group 2 Commander Maj Renwick
photo by Lt Fletcher-Hernandez

San Francisco Bay Group 2 of California Wing (CAWG) held a change of command ceremony on Saturday afternoon, November 1st.  At this ceremony, a number of officers and squadrons were honored for their performance and their dedication to CAP.

The ceremony was hosted at the Squadron 18 and Group 2 headquarters in Hayward. CAWG Commander Col Jon Stokes and outgoing Group 2 Commander Maj Steven Renwick presided over the ceremony.



Maj DeFord, Col Stokes, Maj Renwick,
photo by Maj Wiley




Awards

Staff duty performance awards "Of the Year" included:

Col Stokes, 1st Lt Hayes, Maj Renwick,
photo by Maj Wiley
  • Aerospace Education Officer: Capt Tom Estrada, Squadron 36 (San Jose)
  • Cadet Non-Commissioned Officer: C/TSgt Quynh Tran, Squadron 86 (San Francisco)
  • Cadet Officer: C/2d Lt Cameron Leahy, Squadron 18 (Hayward)
  • Cadet Programs Officer: Capt Marc Stephenson, Squadron 10 (Palo Alto)
  • Communicator: 1st Lt Jordan Hayes, Squadron 188 (Oakland)
  • Ground Team Member: Maj John MacKenzie, Squadron 44 (Concord)
  • Mission Observer: 1st Lt Jordan Hayes, Squadron 188 
  • Newsletter: ”The Logbook” (this very blog!), Squadron 188
  • Public Affairs Officer: TFO Timothy Gooler, Squadron 18
  • Pilot: Capt Josh Edwards, Squadron 10
  • Safety Officer: Maj Elsie Lam, Squadron 10
  • Senior Member (lifetime achievement): Lt Col James Sena, Squadron 192
  • Senior Officer (achievements in this year): Maj Steven DeFord, Squadron 188
  • Col Stokes, Maj Lam, Maj Renwick, photo by Maj Wiley
  • Squadron Commander: Maj Douglas Crawford, Squadron 18


C/CMSgt Isais, Maj Renwick, photo by
1st Lt Fletcher-Hernandez
Squadron awards “Of the Year” included:

  • Cadet squadron: East Bay Cadet Squadron 18, Hayward
  • Composite squadron: Jon E. Kramer Composite Squadron 10, Palo Alto
  • Senior squadron: Amelia Earhart Senior Squadron 188, Oakland





Capt McCutchen, photo by
1st Lt Fletcher-Hernandez





Col Stokes, Capt Rivas, Maj Renwick,
photo by 1st Lt Fletcher-Hernandez



In addition, Staff Awards were awarded to the following officers:

Achievement Award: 

  • 1st Lt Alvaro Chavez, Squadron 188

Col Stokes, Maj Ironfield, Maj Renwick,
photo by 1st Lt Fletcher-Hernandez
Commander’s Commendations:

  • Maj Mark Fridell – Aerospace Education
  • Capt Ray Woo – Operations
  • Maj Jeff Ironfield – Deputy Commander

Meritorious Service: 

  • Maj Tim Albert – Airshow Czar
  • Maj Steven Renwick - Group 2 Commander

Unit Citation (National):   
Col Stokes, Maj Fridell, Maj Renwick,
photo by Maj Wiley


  • Squadron 188, Oakland


Congratulations to all officers and squadrons for earning their awards.


Change of Command
Outgoing Commander Maj Renwick and
Incoming Commander Lt Col Dolnick
photo by 1st Lt Fletcher-Hernandez
















Maj Lam, photo by
Lt Fletcher-Hernandez


After over 3 years of outstanding service as Group 2 Commander, Maj Steve Renwick relinquished command of Group 2.

According to Col Stokes, "Maj Renwick was the longest serving group commander of my term as wing commander simply because he was an outstanding commander.  When I needed stability in the group commander ranks after adding three new commanders, Maj Renwick agreed to continue to serve into a fourth year and Group 2 was better for it."

Maj Renwick has kindly agreed to continue his active role in CAWG. Col Stokes adds, "I know that Maj Renwick will bring the same outstanding leadership qualities to his new role as Deputy Director of Operations heading up the new missions with the California State Water Resources Control Board."

Lt Col Dolnick, our new Group 2 Commander,
photo by Maj Wiley
Taking command was Lt Col Brett Dolnick, based in Concord.  Lt Col Dolnick has served CAP for many years, joining as a cadet in 1985. He has served in leadership positions at the squadron and group level. Maj Stokes calls him "the best person to lead Group 2 moving forward."

Congratulations to Lt Col Dolnick.  We are looking forward to working under your leadership of Group 2.


1st Lt Doug Perreira and Capt Rivas at the Reception
Following the Ceremony
photo by 1st Lt Fletcher-Hernandez