October 2012

AMATEUR RADIO RELAY

LEAGUE
PAGE 2

TUMBLEWEED
PAGE 3

NEW MEMBERS
PAGE 6

Semper
Vigilans

PE AC HT R EE D EK AL B SEN IO R SQ U AD R ON
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

Integrity, Volunteer Service,

Excellence, and Respect

The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we

sat in the house. All that cold, cold, wet day.
8 September 2012- Americus
Georgia: Despite the efforts of the
Georgia Wing SAREX planners and
the skills of our Air
Crews, Mother Nature
scored a knockout blow
Saturday when a strong
weather front roared
through Alabama and
Georgia Saturday afternoon.
After completing one successful aer-

ial photography mission and facing

severe weather, Mission Pilot 1st Lt
Mike Mullet made a run for PDK.
The racing storm caught up
with the straining Cessna
172 when according to
Communications Officer
Jeff Chiu, who was acting
as Aerial Photographer,
when ATC recommends you land,
you land. After weathering the

Jeff Kanarish Visits PDK

If you missed the September 11 meeting, you missed a keynote speaker
whose flight missions in the first Gulf
War provided an exciting backdrop to
the importance of radio communications.

Using audio and visual examples as

well as his own personal experiences,
Jeff emphasized that communications
is equally important as any other mission objective. Jeff entertained PDK members as
he described the disciThe Squadron was honored by having pline, use, and even misJeff Kanarish speak for over an hour use of radios and phraseabout his service in the first Gulf War ology.
and how his combat experiences can
help us improve out radio communi- Jeffs presentation reflects
cation.
PDKs emphasis on pro-

storm in an Applebees south of Atlanta, the valiant air crew returned

safely to PDK.
Meanwhile in 493CP, newly minted
Mission Pilot Jonathan Holland, Jerry Lewis (MO), and Richard Binkley
(MS) were sent to Macon to wait out
the storm. After some time, Mission
Base directed the 493CP crew to return to LZU.
On Sunday, some air crew members
returned to fulfill their mission objectives in beautiful blue Skies.
fessionalism. To learn more about
Jeff and his mission to make each one
us Radio Phraseology Experts, visit
his web site at http://

Partner Profile

Multiagency Coordination:

Amateur Radio
Relay League

An Introduction

What is the ARRL?

Amateur Radio Emergency Service

Founded in 1914, the 150,000-member ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio
is the national association for Amateur Radio
in the USA. Other countries also have their
own national associations. The ARRL not only
reflects the commitment and many enthusiasms
of American hams, but also provides leadership
as the voice of Amateur Radio in the USA,
whether in dealings with the Federal Communications Commission, the World Administrative Radio Conference, the International Amateur Radio Union or with the general public.
The ARRL is the primary source of information about what is going on in the ham radio
world. It provides books, news, support and
information for individuals and clubs, special
operating events, all sorts of continuing education classes and other benefits for its members.
Being a member of the ARRL is important for
hams!
Why Do They Call Themselves "Hams"?-

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES)

consists of licensed amateurs
who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and
equipment, with their local
ARES leadership, for communications duty in
the public service when disaster strikes.

"Ham: a poor operator. A 'plug.'"

National Traffic System (NTS)

During disasters or other
emergencies, radiograms are
used to communicate information critical to saving lives
or property, or to inquire
about the health or welfare of
a disaster victim. To get involved with NTS, find your local NTS affiliate
on the air via the ARRL on-line Net Directory.

Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service

(RACES), is administered by
That's the definition of the word given in G. M.
local, county and state emerDodge's "The Telegraph Instructor" even begency management agencies,
fore there was radio. The definition has never
and supported by the Federal
changed in wire telegraphy. The first wireless
Emergency Management
operators were landline telegraphers who left
Agency (FEMA) of the Unittheir offices to go to sea or to man the coastal
ed States government. It is a
stations. They brought with them their lanpart of the Amateur Radio Service that proguage and much of the tradition of their older
vides radio communications for civilprofession. In those early days, every station
preparedness purposes only, during periods of
occupied the same wavelength-or, more accu- local, regional or national civil emergencies.
rately perhaps, every station occupied the
These emergencies are not limited to warwhole spectrum with its broad spark signal.
related activities, but can include natural disasGovernment stations, ships, coastal stations
ters such as fires, floods and earthquakes.
and the increasingly numerous amateur operators all competed for time and signal suprema- As defined in the rules, RACES is a radio comcy in each other's receivers. Many of the ama- munication service, conducted by volunteer
teur stations were very powerful. Two amalicensed amateurs, designed to provide emerteurs, working each other across town, could
gency communications to local or state civileffectively jam all the other operations in the
preparedness agencies. It is important to note
area. Frustrated commercial operators would
that RACES operation is authorized by emerrefer to the ham radio interference by calling
gency management officials only, and this opthem "hams." Amateurs, possibly unfamiliar
eration is strictly limited to official civilwith the real meaning of the term, picked it up preparedness activity in the event of an emerand applied it to themselves in true "Yankee
gency-communications situation.
Doodle" fashion and wore it with pride. As the
years advanced, the original meaning has completely disappeared.

(MAC)

MAC is a process that allows all levels of

government and all disciplines to work together
more efficiently and effectively.
A MAC System:
Defines business practices, standard operating
procedures, and protocols by which participating agencies will coordinate their interactions.
Also provides support, coordination, and assistance with policy-level decisions to the ICS
structure managing an incident.
Primary MAC System functions include:
Situation Assessment
This assessment includes the collection, processing, and display of all information needed.
Incident Priority Determination
Establishing the priorities among ongoing incidents within the defined area of responsibility
is another component of a MAC System. Additional considerations for determining priorities include the following:
Life-threatening situations
Threat to property
High damage potential
Incident complexity
Environmental impact
Economic impact
Other criteria established by the Multiagency Coordination System
Critical Resource Acquisition and Allocation. Resources may also be acquired from
outside the affected area.
Interagency Activities
Another primary function outlined in a MAC
System is a process or procedure to keep elected and appointed officials at all levels of government informed. Maintaining the awareness
and support of these officials, particularly those
from jurisdictions within the affected area, is
extremely important, as scarce resources may
need to move to an agency or jurisdiction with
higher priorities.

Learn More:
IS-701.a NIMS Multiagency Coordination
System (MACS) Course

TUMBLEWEED: Building
Trust through Effective
Communication
Lack of communication can take the most carefully laid plans and destroy them with the corrosion of doubt. It can transform the most confident person into a second-guesser and thats
bad for everyone on your team.

1. Brief the mission to establish and com-

Heres the kicker. Great communication doesnt

just happen. You build a framework that assures
it. You train for it, and then you hold everyone
accountable to it!

Most importantly, they will trust that someone on their team will heed the wingmans
call for action which is I need help!

municate objectives, delegate responsibilities, analyze threats, and review contingency plans.
2. Establish a communication plan (a
Comm Plan) by confirming when and
I remember flying a combat mission in Iraq
where to change frequencies.
when I lost radio contact with my wingmen. I
3. Brief a back-up plan in case communicawas flying in the dark. Having no radio contact
tion fails (known as radio-out proceat 20,000 feet and separated from my wingmen
dures).
by 10 miles on a night combat mission in hostile
4. Ensure positive two-way communication
territory was not an ideal situation. What if I lost
is established between wingmen during
my engine or was engaged by ground fire? How
critical elements of a mission.
could I call for help? Was something wrong with
5.
Debrief every mission to review lessons
my radios?
learned and reinforce training.
- Do you have a Comm Plan with your
I was quickly reduced to a second guesser
wingmen?
filled with doubt and fear, and fear kills the war- Are you taking the time to brief your sales,
rior spirit! I felt clueless. This is the state that
fighter pilots call Tumbleweed having lim- IT, or marketing missions?
- Do you ensure all team members are on the
ited to no situational awareness (SA) and barely
same wave length and understand their roles,
hanging on.
responsibilities, and objectives?
- Are you aware of those wingmen that may
Suddenly my back-up radio blared with the terse be on the wrong frequency with no SA
(yet comforting) sound of my flight lead, 2,
(Tumbleweed) and do you have a plan to get
come up frequency 239.9. I realized then that I them back on frequency?
had accidentally typed in the wrong frequency of
233.9! I was relieved! My flight lead continued,
Vipers, check! We responded in a crisp, mono- Leaving any of your wingmen in the dark
guarantees one thing that youll have
tone cadence, 2, 3, 4. With a brief position
second guessers on the team making deciupdate, Viper flight was now marching to the
sions on their own that might not be in the
same beat. We had SA. We were ready for battle.
best interests of the mission and the other
wingmen involved. Communication is the
Looking back, it was a single act that changed
conduit of teamwork and is the basis for all
everything. One second, I was in the dark, untrust. Without it, a team is useless.
knowing, afraid and full of doubt a second
guesser with no SA. Then, with the crackle of
Checking in with your wingmen and makthe radio and the reassuring sound of my flight
ing sure theyre on the right frequency,
lead, I was back in the game and had re-gained
listening to their questions, and undersituational awareness just like that!
standing their challenges are fundamental
components of teamwork, leadership and
Communication is not important, its critical.
trust. When peoples problems are acknowlThis holds true in every walk of life whether in
edged and they know who to go to for help
business or combat. Communication keeps wing- (and that its okay to ask for help!) they are
men focused on their responsibilities and builds more likely to admit mistakes to their wingsituational awareness in rapidly changing envimen (supervisors and/or peers) and reveal
ronments. It makes or breaks a mission. Its all
situations that can adversely effect the acbased on trust.
complishment of a mission.

On every mission, fighter pilots and top businesspersons should:

PUSH IT UP!
Lt. Col. Rob "
Waldo"Waldman

SAFETY:
Climbing to the Next
Level

June 19-20, 2012, NTSB Safety Forum

Subject matter experts from government, industry, and academia served on eight
panels. Panels covered everything from pilot training and weather-related decision making to aircraft design and maintenance. GA pilots are not
learning from the mistakes of their pilot brethren,
noted NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman in her
opening remarks. They are not learning lessons
that have been learned in the hardest of ways.
Chairman Hersman also stated that GA safety is
personal, given the tragic loss of their Chief
Medical Officer, Dr. Mike Duncan, in a recent GA
accident. She and other members observed that
over the last 10 years, the GA accident rate has
averaged more than 1,500 a year about four
accidents a day. GA accidents also account for 97
percent of all fatal accidents, despite the fact that
GA flying only accounts for about half of all flight
time in U.S. civil aviation.
The 5 year plan, as described by FAA
executives, uses a data-driven, consensus based
approach to analyze safety data. Information from
that analysis is then used by the GA Joint Steering
Committee to develop specific accident mitigation
strategies. The current priority focus is on preventing loss-of-control (LOC) accidents, one of the
leading causality factors for GA accidents Another
critical focus area of the safety forum was the role
of the flight instructor. Several panelists including
FAAs GA Training and Certification Branch Manager Jim Viola, discussed the vital role of CFIs and
how they have a potential to make a significant
impact on safety. Viola reviewed the current requirements for becoming a CFI, explained the
importance of participating in the WINGS program, and mentioned how the FAA will begin
looking at the use of risk-based tools to identify
CFIs for surveillance and/or outreach.
In her closing remarks, Chairman Hersman commented on the importance of sound
flight instruction, stating that its connection to
safe piloting is one thing everyone seemed to
agree on. Other consistent messages: The GA
community is not homogenous; we have a lot of
data about fatal accidents, but better data will
enable better decisions; and no matter what the
technology, the innovation, or the information, it
is up to the general aviation community pilots,
instructors, mechanics, and others to make
good use of it. The latter, many would agree, is
the biggest challenge to moving the needle on GA
safety, a challenge to ultimately foster a culture of
safety beyond what prevails today.

Learn More
An archived webcast is currently available at
www.capitolconnection.net/capcon/ntsb/ntsb.htm .
For more information, photos, and copies of the
presentations from the forum, go to www.ntsb.gov/
news/events/2012/GA_safety/index.html.

September 22, 2012-Rome GA:

PDK SQ participated in the

Emergency Preparedness Day
at Mt. Berry Square Mall

Welcome Our
Newest Members

Jermy Oldham
Nicholson Reed
Emmett Shaffer
Douglas WagnerA
Daniel Zambrano

Important
October Dates:
October 2 Staff Meeting
October 9General Member
Meeting and Safety Briefing
October 16 Communications
Training
October 19-20 Salute To
America Air Show at the Pauling
County AirportKPUJ
October 20 Epps Aviation
Youth Aviation Adventure
KPDK
October 23 FEMA will be our
guest speaker
October 27-28 CLC Gainesville
GA
October 30 ELT and Wing Null
training
December 9th
Squadron Christmas Party
57th Fighter Group Restaurant

23 Aug 2012
21 Sep 2012
03 Aug 2012
16 Aug 2012
20 Sep 2012

Unsecured oil cap brings

down Cessna
This September 2010 accident report is provided by the
National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an
educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the
misfortunes of others.
Aircraft: Cessna 182. Injuries: None. Location: Houston,
Texas. Aircraft damage: Substantial.
What reportedly happened: The airplane had just taken
off and was at an altitude of 250 feet above ground when
oil began to spray onto the windshield and the oil pressure
dropped.
As the pilot turned onto the crosswind leg of the traffic
pattern, the engine started to run rough. The pilot turned
back to the runway. The airplane touched down on the last
250 feet of the runway and went through a fence.
The post-accident examination revealed that the engines
oil cap was hanging by its chain and not secured on the
engine case. The caps gasket appeared worn, however, the
inspector could not determine when the cap came off. The
pilot reported that the engine was serviced with oil prior to
the flight and that he thought that the oil cap was secured
afterward.
Probable cause: The loss of engine power during the initial climb due to decreased engine oil quantity and pressure
as a result of the engines oil cap not being adequately secured.
HEADQUARTERS
PEACHTREE DEKALB (PDK) SENIOR SQUADRON
CIVIL AIR PATROL
AUXILIARY UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
2000 AIRPORT ROAD, ROOM 227
CHAMBLEE, GA 30341

B EHIND THE
U NIFORM
J EREMY O LDMAN

What is your profession?

I am an A&P mechanic and currently going through a career
change to be a Commercial pilot.
Why did you join CAP and
PDK in particular?
CAP offers the envirment of being around like minded people
and I chose PDK because they are
a senior squadron and relatively
close to where I live
Do you have a wife/kids?
No kids yet but they are on the
radar for me and the wife
What hobbies do you enjoy?
Flying, camping, fishing, hunting,
basically anything outdoors, and
travel.
Last Vacation spot?
Lived in Europe for a year so
pretty much all of Europe
and anything else you would
like to share...
Look forward to being able to
lend my knowledge and gain
some knowledge