Thursday, November 30, 2017

All Hands Meeting - November 2017


By 1st Lt Karin Hollerbach, photos by Lt Col Juan Tinnirello

New member, SM Jones
Welcome to new members, SM Don Jones, retired USAF, and SM Sara Vazquez Gonzalez, who has already begun her training and is currently a Mission Scanner Trainee (MS-T).

New member, SM Vazquez Gonzalez



Squadron Recap

FEMA Wildfires - Thank you to all of the Squadron 188 members (more than 30!) that participated in the FEMA Northern and Southern California Wildfires Mission.  Click here to see more information on this mission.

Other events in October included the Livermore Airport Open House  - participants included Lt Col Tinnirello, Maj Luneau, Capt Stevulak, 1st Lt Hipp, SM Rainville] + CAP483 plane wash [Lt Col Tinnirello, Maj Luneau, Capts Eichelberger & Stevulak, 1st Lt Hollerbach, SM Rainville] , Juan was interviewed for KKIQ. Click here to see the blog description of this event.


Aircrew Survival School - What do you do if you find yourself out in the middle of nowhere, potentially hurt, potentially having to spend the night? 3 squadron members participated in the Aircrew Survival School in October: Maj Luneau and Capt Perreira served as aircrew, and 2d Lt Roudnev participated as a student.
One example of a survival kit.

The idea was to go into the woods and learn how to survive without equipment.  Participants were able to bring whatever they would have on their bodies in an airplane, like a safety vest, nothing more.  Over the weekend, they learned how to make shelter and other useful skills. Lt Roudnev indicated that this was a good reminder to verify what to bring in terms of emergency equipment and confirmed he has since the event updated some of his survival gear.

At the beginning of the month, squadron members also participated in the basic SAREX, held at KLVK. Our squadron provided approximately 1/3 of the personnel for the exercise!

  • Maj Michelogiannakis: AOBD (Air Ops Branch Director)
  • Maj Fridell: MP (Mission Pilot)
  • Maj Wang: CUL (Communications Unit Leader)
  • Capt Brown: MSO (Mission Safety Officer) 
Capt Brown, who moved to California relatively recently, commented that, so far, it’s been all beautiful weather.  “During the exercise, most of Saturday we didn’t think we’d fly anything. Forecast was for clear at noon, so we opened the base at 10.  Then scratched the day – then all of a sudden everything cleared.  Good experience, real world for planning.” 
  • Capt Hayes: LSC/FASC (Logistics Section Chief / Finance and Admin Section Chief)
  • Capt Rivas: MO (Mission Observer) 
Capt Rivas commented that he flew with newly minted MP, David Hartman (San Jose Senior Squadron 80), conducting a parallel search in the Central Valley. Without a SAR package in the aircraft, it was a great exercise for both MO and MP! 
  • 1st Lt Chavez: UDF/SET (Urban Direction Finding / Skills Evaluator)
  • 1st Lt Choate: AOBD
Lt Choate is usually on an aircew. This time he spent the SAREX learning about AOBD duties. He felt he had a good mentor and had read everything, brought what he thought was enough stuff.  “When I got there, the white board didn’t have markers, erasers – and I had to scramble. Capt Hayes showed up as logistics – phew.  I thought I’d be bored – but was very interesting.  Go, go, go all day. Go/no go decisions. Then planning for next day. Two of the pilots that were going to fly in the SAREX but then one got called to fly the FEMA mission and one had a mixup. So we had 4 crews but only 2 MPs. I was tasked to schedule the next day’s activities with 2 less pilots. It was interesting to see how many criteria go into matching crews. Juggling so many different things – type of aircraft; weight & balance; trainees signed off – is someone in the aircrew be a SET.  When you’re in an aircrew, you don’t realize how many people it takes on the ground to support the aircrew!” 
Lt Hollerbach
  • 1st Lt Devine: MSA (Mission Staff Assistant) / UDF 
  • 1st Lt Hollerbach: PIO (Public Information Officer) 
  • 2d Lt Booth: MP
  • 2d Lt Krivega: MSA
  • SM Fogle: MS (Mission Scanner) 
  • SM Jones: MS
  • SM Rainville: MS
SM Rainville was happy that he got to practice everything from his MS training class – including reducing fatigue, how to do proper scanning, and keeping eyes open for anything that looks out of place: His aircrew saw a sailboat on top of a mountain!  


Members before the meeting. 
Renewed/New ES Ratings 
Congratulations to the following members, who renewed and/or completed new ratings:

  • Lt Col Glenn: completed MSA 
  • Capt Perreira: renewed MSA
  • 1st Lt Hollerbach: renewed MRO and AP 
  • SM Fogle: completed MS


I Know About This: Checklists 
Maj Michelogiannakis asked the question, “why is CAP so focused on checklists?”

Because you might forget  something important, even if you fly the same plane all the time. In emergencies, it’s even easier to forget. And in CAP, we fly different airplanes all the time.

Maj Michelogiannakis discussing the use of checklists.
Be aware of being too complacent and not questioning. Let’s say during your preflight, the tires look a little low. But someone flew yesterday and it was fine.  So it’s probably ok. Know the specs. People do it all the time, and they get away with it. Until they don’t!

In one accident, the aircrew didn’t check that the flight controls were free and correct.  The crew did that check only one in 10 times – and during one of the other 9 times, took off with rudder gust lock attached. If you do something and it succeeds all the time, the temptation is to skip it the next time. Check every step every time!

The POH doesn’t always say why to do certain items in the checklist. Do it anyway.


FEMA Wildfire Support Mission - October


By 1st Lt Karin Hollerbach, photos by Lt Col Juan Tinnirello

Many Squadron 188 members participated in the FEMA Northern and Southern California Wildfires Mission.


The temporary incident command post established at Livermore airport, including on the left, front to back: 1st Lt Richter, 2d Lt Zherebnenkov (Squadron 188), Maj Wang (Squadron 188), 2d Lt De Bleecker; on the right, front to back: Maj Luneau (Squadron 188), Maj Hayes (Squadron 188), Capt Brown (Squadron 188), and 1st Lt Pierce; and in center front: Maj Lam.
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From a press release on 28 October:
The California Wing of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) was tasked on the 20th of October by the U.S. Air Force (USAF) to assist the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with disaster relief efforts related to the wildfires in Northern California. CAP has been working closely with CAL FIRE throughout this mission.  
Since the 20th, CAP has been operating from a temporary incident command post established at Livermore airport, flying photographic imaging sorties in Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino, Butte, and Napa Counties. Current operations in Northern California were completed yesterday and resources moved to Southern California, to commence photographic imaging sorties for the Orange County fires.  
In support of this mission, CAP volunteers flew over 150 flight hours in approximately 120 sorties. These flights have resulted in CAP uploading more than 5,750 images from 940 square miles, and flew FEMA / U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) personnel to view the areas impacted by the fires. 
Lt Hollerbach (L) and Lt Roberts (R) preparing for a sortie in
Sonoma County.

Approximately 120 members participated Wing-wide, including more than 30 from our squadron:
Maj Wang (L) assisting an aircrew (2nd L, Lt Col Dunn and 2nd R, Maj Vance )
with ensuring the proper camera placement before a sortie. 

  • Lt Col Glenn
  • Lt Col Tinnirello
  • Maj Blank
  • Maj DeFord
  • Maj Fridell
  • Maj Ironfield
  • Maj Johnson/C
  • Maj Johnson/K
  • Maj Luneau (squadron member emeritus – yes, we’re still claiming credit for him!)
  • Maj Michelogiannakis
  • Maj Wang
  • Capt Brown
  • Capt Eichelberger
  • Capt Fenolio
  • Capt Gast
  • Capt Hayes
  • Capt Perreira
  • Capt Ramsey
  • Capt Stevulak
  • 1st Lt Chavez
  • 1st Lt Choate
  • 1st Lt Devine
  • 1st Lt Hollerbach
  • 1st Lt Roberts
  • 1st Lt Rugroden
  • 2d Lt Baldwin
  • 2d Lt Booth
  • 2d Lt Campbell
  • 2d Lt Roudnev
  • 2d Lt Sharma
  • 2d Lt Zherebnenkov


There will be an article about this mission in the upcoming edition of Bear Facts, the California Wing magazine.  If there’s an online link provided, we’ll add it here!

Participants will be eligible for the disaster relief ribbon with V device – because the affected regions were a Presidentially declared disater area. Congratulations – and thank you – to all who participated in this important mission.

This was an extended mission, including both weekend and weekday time, and we are very grateful for people taking time off from their work-weeks to help.

CAP aircraft at Livermore airport for the mission.