BRUNSWICK COUNTY COMPOSITE SQUADRON

CIVIL AIR PATROL

UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AUXILIARY
4404 PRINCE REGENT COURT
SOUTHPORT NC 28461

JANUARY NEWSLETTER

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful time over the Christmas and New Years break.
We certainly had beautiful weather on Christmas Day. 2017 is here and there are many things
planned for our squadron. What are your personal goals this year? Consider getting a new
qualification (or two), advance your specialty rating or take a professional development course.
Cadets, stay on top of your Learn to Lead chapters, Aerospace Dimensions, drill and PT this year.
Never stop learning and achieving. Why settle for average when you can achieve excellence!
Please take a look at the calendar of events and make your plans accordingly. We have training opportunities
separate from regular meeting nights and a squadron exercise to put your skills into action this month. Thank
you for all you do in serving one another, our community and CAP.

BDU Uniform effective 1 Jan the American flag is no longer a part of the BDU/ABU/BBDU uniform. It must be
removed from your uniform by this date. Flight suits are still permitted to have the flag. Pilots, the
commemorative WWII Wings are no longer authorized to wear as of 1 Jan. Please review CAPM 39-1 for
information on the proper wear of CAP uniforms.

Promotions and Awards - Congratulations to all our members on their achievements!

Cadets: Promoted to C/A1C and Gen Hap Arnold Achievement Brannon Guertin, Carson
Mearns and Carson Satterwhite
Senior Members: Completed Level III Capt Will Windham
Completed Senior Rating in Aerospace Education Maj Marty Heller

Welcome New Members

We welcomed two new cadets to our squadron in December. C/AB Alex Bencia and C/AB Sophia Cunningham.
Soon to be senior member Greg Cunninghams application is being processed. We are excited to have you all join
us. Welcome!

North Carolina Wing Conference 3-5 February, JB Duke Hotel, Durham

Registration is now open for the NC Wing conference. We would like as many members to
attend as possible. There is a special Cadet Conference so all cadets are encouraged to
attend as well. Workshops, speakers and learning labs are planned. I was able to get the
following information from the conference coordinator. Friday night is a reception meet and
greet with a cash bar. Sunday mornings meeting is for group and squadron commanders.
Saturday will be the main event with the banquet in the evening.
Please let Maj Nicholas know if you are planning to attend so we can travel as a group. Click here for
conference registration. The conference hotel is the JB Duke Hotel located on Duke University campus.

GES and GTM3 Training IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Cadets and Seniors if you have not completed the General Emergency Services (GES) training please log in to
eServices and under the Learning Management System go to Emergency Services and complete CAPT 116.
Without completing CAPT 116 you will not be able to get credit for all the ES training our ES staff have been
providing. Our goal is to have all our members Ground Team Member 3 (GTM3) trained this year.
Air Force Association
Air Force Association (AFA) members have an opportunity to become a Friend of CAP for a
discounted rate at the current time. Likewise CAP members can become a first time member
of the AFA at a 50% discount. Click here to read about this partnership between the two
organizations and membership if you are interested. The AFA sponsors an annual award for an
outstanding cadet each year. C/CMSgt KJ Willetts was a recipient of this award last year.

Patriots Point 16-18 Jun

We are planning a field trip to Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, SC the
weekend of 16-18 June. We need your response to set up the trip. You will be
sleeping on the USS Yorktown Aircraft Carrier for two nights and participating
in programs, a trip to Fort Sumter and enjoy the full run of the carrier,
destroyer, WWII submarine and Vietnam War base. Cost (as we know it) is
$25 per cadet and $110 per senior member. We need your response to know
how to plan the trip. Please send Maj Nicholas an email today!

December Recap
Glider Flights
On a beautiful 3 December day cadets and
senior members traveled by CAP vans and a CAP
airplane to enjoy glider flights at Triangle North
Airport in Lewisburg NC. Maj Marty Heller
provided power orientation flights to cadets
there, while we were there and back home. All
cadets received two glider flights each and SM
Cindy Willard and Maj Kathy Nicholas each went
for a ride. Lt DeeDee Willetts was our official
photographer for the day.
Besides flying, cadets took turn retrieving the
tow cable after the tow airplane dropped it and
getting a chance to hook up the glider or be a
wing walker. NC-145 provided the personnel
and operations along with Maj Bailey and glider
and two pilots. SM Willard was the official
timekeeper. Check out our Facebook page for more pictures. Everyone agreed the trip was fantastic and are
ready to go back again.

Flight Line Marshalling

On Dec 7th, three new and four
experienced senior members learned and
practiced flight line marshaling (FLM). A
visiting CAP aircraft was commandeered
and used for taxi and refueling
practice. Our Cessna 172, driven by Lt
James Green, allowed new members to
get a cockpit view of taxi operations. Requalifying flight line supervisor, Vice Wing Commander, Major Ed
Angelovich, complemented Major Heller for setting up this thorough and realistic training.
Professional Development Weekend NC Wing HQ
Maj Marty Heller and Capt Will Windham attended the Professional Development Weekend at NC Wing HQ in
Burlington on 17-18 Dec. They both completed the Corporate Learning Course. Thank you both for participating
in an important professional development course and increasing your knowledge about CAP.

Wreaths Across America

The event at the Wilmington
National Cemetery was held on
17 December. Thirteen cadets,
two senior members and one
cadet parent was present.
Cadets unpacked over 3,000
wreaths placing them in two
locations in the cemetery so
they were ready for placement
after the ceremony. The cadets
under the direction of Lt DeeDee
Willetts and First Sergeant
Willetts worked hard unpacking wreaths, assisting with container removal and policing of the entire cemetery for
debris. Cadet parent Marc Wuchter was our photographer for the event. Lt Richard Hart assisted with the
ceremonial wreaths and commented that our cadets standing in formation stood tall, very tall. We truly have
wonderful cadets and they are a joy to work with and be around. Thank you all for your service at the ceremony
and for everyone who sponsored or obtained sponsorships of wreaths. Please visit our Facebook page for more
pictures.

NC-170 Squadron Trailer

Using the grant funds from BEMC and Walmart we now have
our own trailer to use for Points of Distribution (POD) and a
communications base/command post. Thank you to 2d Lt
John Matter, Capt Neil Fowler and Maj Marty Heller for
outfitting the trailer and getting it ready for our use. It is
parked inside the airport fence along Long Beach Road for
visibility to the community. Those who were at the 20 Dec
meeting were able to see it up close. It will get its inaugural use during our Squadron Exercise on 14 January.

January Events and Meetings

3 Jan CAP Emergency Services Meeting, Brunswick County Emergency Services Department, Building C, Bolivia,
Uniform of the Day (UOD) is BDU. The safety briefing on Operational Resource Management (ORM) is
presented by Lt James Green. Emergency Services Officer Maj Jeff Farkas will continue our Ground Team
Member 3 (GTM3) training.
4 Jan Mission Scanner training, part 1 18:30, Brunswick Air back office
10 Jan Aerospace Education Meeting, UOD is BDUs for cadets and blue polo for senior members. Cadets will be
building rockets in preparation of launch day 21 Jan.
11 Jan Mission Scanner training, part 2 18:30, Brunswick Air back office
14 Jan Squadron Exercise - preparations are underway for an air and ground squadron exercise, more
information will be forthcoming
17 Jan - Business Meeting night at Beach Road Baptist Church. UOD is Class B blues for cadets and Aviator shirt
or blues for seniors.
21 Jan Rocketry and RC Aircraft Day at Brunswick Forest Field in Leland set up starts at 08:30
21 Jan NC Wing SAREX
24 Jan PT night wear your PT clothes and join the cadets!
31 Jan First Aid Class for GTM3 - Lt James Green will be teaching first aid for ground teams.
**Note start time is 6:00 pm** Contact Lt Green to sign up
Future Events
3-4 Feb NC Wing Annual Conference in Durham, NC
10-12 Feb NC Wing Winter Ranger Training Weekend, Morrow Mountain State Park
11 Feb NC Wing Aerospace Education Day, NC Wing HQ Burlington
18 Feb Squadron Exercise demonstration of capabilities to Brunswick County Sheriffs Office
17-19 Mar NC Wing Drill and Ceremonies Academy, Seymour Johnson AFB
8 Apr Rocketry and RC Aircraft Day at Brunswick Forest Field in Leland
21-23 Apr Middle East Region SAR College, Ft Picket VA
29 Apr Tentative date for Wilmington ATC Tower visit to be confirmed
5-6 May Required Staff Training for all summer encampment staff, NC Wing HQ
13 May NC Wing Commanders Call and Cadet CAC Meeting at NCWG HQ
19-21 May NC Wing Cadet Programs Leadership Symposium II, TLC, TLC Intermediate and Cadet Commanders
School
2-4 Jun Cadet Programs Leadership Symposium II
8-15 Jul NC Wing Summer Encampment

Aerospace Education Articles

NASA Langley Research Center - The Bright Stuff: The Story of the Mercury 7 Astronauts in Hampton Roads
The Virginian Pilot was my local paper when I lived in the Hampton Roads,
VA area. I still look at it online from time to time and saw a series of articles
they are calling The Bright Stuff. It is the story of the engineers and
scientists of NASA Langley Research Center. It is a fourteen part series. I
just read the first one and cant wait to carve out time to read the rest. Ive
been very fortunate to be on NASA Langley grounds many times over the
years living in Newport News and Chesapeake. When I was a docent at the
Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton, VA it was an honor to retell some
of the stories that were given to me by the engineers who worked there. It will be great to revisit a favorite place
through the articles. Click The Bright Stuff for the link to the articles. Enjoy! Maj Kathy Nicholas

Amazon completes its first drone-powered delivery

It's already been three years since Amazon first revealed its
somewhat audacious plan to make deliveries by drone. But the
company is quite serious about this, and today it is announcing that
it completed the first Amazon Prime Air delivery on 7 December.
The shipment, which took 13 minutes from order to delivery, was
sent to a customer in Cambridge, England, where Amazon is
operating a custom-built fulfillment center.
Amazon's video about the project says that it's only servicing a few
customers in the area right now, but will soon be open to dozens
more who live within a few miles of the Cambridge fulfillment center. Once an order is placed and packaged up, a
drone is loaded up and sent out from the facility on a motorized track. From takeoff, it flies at heights up to 400
feet to make the delivery and then return to the facility.
This Cambridge beta program has been in the works for a long time now; recently it was revealed that Amazon
has been operating a secret lab in the area to get ready for the launch of Prime Air. Amazon's page detailing this
first delivery notes that the company also has Prime Air labs in the US, Austria and Israel as well as the United
Kingdom, so we may hear news about test deliveries in those areas sooner or later as well. Amazon's FAQ page
answers a few other questions about its drone delivery system. For starters, drones are only allowed to fly during
daylight hours when its sunny -- rain, snow or icy conditions will ground them. As for how Amazon's drones will
work in airspaces with other vehicles, the company says it believes drones should operate in a separate airspace
where only small unmanned vehicles can operate. Amazon says airspace access should be "determined by
capability" -- the company envisions the low altitude space it is operating in should be reserved exclusively for
drones similar to what it plans to deploy.
With only a couple customers able to receive Prime Air deliveries, we're a long way out from this becoming a
reality. But the company says that "one day, seeing Prime Air vehicles will be as normal as seeing mail trucks on
the road." It's a big goal, but it's going to be a lot harder to manage drone deliveries in London than it is in the
peaceful pastures of Cambridge. Click here to view the article and watch a video. Article is from Engadget

Farewell, Phantom
The US Air Force bid farewell to the final F-4 Phantom II during a ceremony
Wednesday at Holloman AFB, N.M. More than 500 people gathered at Holloman
to watch the flight of the final F-4, AF 349, piloted by Lt. Col. Ronald King, the Det.
1, 82nd Aerial Target Squadron commander. The F-4 was originally developed for
the US Navy and entered service in 1961. The Air Force approved the F-4C a year
later and conducted the first flight in May 1963. The Phantom II fighter/bomber
became operational in the Air Force in 1964 and was the "workhorse and symbol
of American airpower throughout the Vietnam War," said 53rd Wing commander
Col. Adrian Spain during the ceremony. All five American aces in Vietnam flew the F-4 as they scored their kills.
The Air Force variant is credited with 175.5 aerial victories during the war and the Marine Corps and Navy scored
another 57, said Spain. The Phantom II was USAF's dominant tactical aircraft through most of the 1960s and
1970s, with production ending in 1979. The F-4 was optimized for many specialized missions and evolved through
more than 40 variants, achieving excellence in air superiority, close air support, interception, reconnaissance,
suppression of enemy air defense, and more. USAF acquired 2,840 F-4s, the Navy-Marine Corps acquired 1,264,
and foreign nations purchased 1,091. The F-4 also is the only aircraft flown by both the Air Force Thunderbirds
and the Navy Blue Angels. Known by many names, including Rhino, Double Ugly, and Old Smokey, the Air Force
later converted 317 F-4s to aerial targets. An F-35 strike fighter targeted the last of the unmanned QF-4s during a
training mission at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., in August. The QF-4s will be replaced with modified F-16s.
(Read more about the F-4 Phantom II from Air Force Magazine's Airpower Classic.) Article by Amy McCullough

1st Lt Jim Lesher has a little over 2,000 hours in an F-4 with over 500 carrier landings. I asked him his
perspective on flying this incredible airplane. This is what he wrote:
The landing of an F-4 Phantom at Holloway AFB ends an era starting back in the 1950s when the F-4 was
conceived. A multi capable fighter bomber was born out of a concept that dog fighting would no longer be
necessary. Hence, the aircraft did not have an internal gun and relied on both long and short range missiles. It's
primary focus was to attack bombers.
The aircraft was the premier fighter during the Vietnam war and was used by all US services. As a fighter it could
not compete with the versatile MIG 17,19, and 21 in a turning dogfight, but we learned very quickly to use a
vertical fight instead of a horizontal one. The f-4's power help provide the difference plus the advantage we had
in crew capabilities. Since that time we have learned and developed fighter aircraft based on the ability to
effectively dogfight an opposing aircraft and win.

As we get ready for our trip to Patriots Point and the USS Yorktown Aircraft Carrier, Lt Lesher has offered to
provide a briefing on carrier operations to the squadron.