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Showing posts with label Civil Air Patrol. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Civil Air Patrol. Show all posts
The CAP Cessna 182 N881CP that crashed on Mt. Potosi is in the foreground in this picture (click on the picture to enlarge it):
Obituary:
COLONEL EDWIN W. LEWIS JR.
Edwin W. Lewis, Jr., A research pilot at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center and director of operations for Civil Air Patrol's Pacific Region, died Thursday November 8, when the CAP Cessna 182 in which he was flying crashed into a mountain outside Las Vegas. He was 71. The cause of the crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. Ed was born in New York City and began flight training as a Civil Air Patrol cadet in 1951. He received a bachelor's degree from Hobart College, N.Y., and entered the U.S. Air Force through the ROTC. He served from 1965 through 1966 in Vietnam, where he was a forward air controller, flying more than 1,000 hours in the O-1 "Bird Dog" aircraft. He earned a Bronze Star medal as well as a Distinguished Flying Cross. He then joined Pan American World Airways as a pilot. Lewis served with the California National Guard while working for Pan Am. He retired as commander of the 129th Air Rescue and Recovery Group. He took early retirement from Pan Am in 1989 to join NASA. He flew for eight years at NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View and at Dryden since 1997. Lewis had served in the Civil Air Patrol as California Wing commander from 1978 to 1982, Pacific Region commander for four years and was elected national vice commander in August 1993. Ed was preceded in death by his parents and brother John. He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Midge Lewis of Castro Valley and sons Eric of Castro Valley and Steve of Los Angeles; sisters-in-law, Beverly Lewis of Utah, Sheila Conway (Jack) of Petaluma and Beverly Borges (Jeff) of Modesto; nieces, Susan Tsutsumi (Paul) of Palos Verdes, Kathy Lococo (Larry) of San Anselmo and four great- nieces and nephew. A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, November 17 at 10:00 A.M. at Transfiguration Church, 4000 E. Castro Valley Blvd, Castro Valley. Additionally, NASA will be holding a Service at the Palmdale Airport December 1. Interested parties may email EdLewisMemorial@yahoo.com for more details. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the CAP Lewis Scholarship Fund, c/o Pacific Region CAP, PO Box 4718, Hayward, CA 94540.
Memorial observance for Ed Lewis at NASA Dryden on Friday, Nov. 30 A memorial observance in Southern California for NASA research pilot and long-time Civil Air Patrol Pacific Region official Edwin W. Lewis Jr. is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 30, at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base. The observance will begin at 1 p.m. in Hangar 4802 and is expected to last about one hour.
Lewis and Civil Air Patrol Nevada Wing commander Dion E. DeCamp died in the crash of a CAP Cessna 182 near Las Vegas Nov. 8.
Friends and associates of Lewis wishing to attend the observance should reply by e-mail to <PAO@dfrc.nasa.gov> or advise Beth Hagenauer of NASA Dryden public affairs at 661-276-7960 or 661-276-3449 by Tuesday, Nov. 27, if possible. Please provide full name, place of birth, date of birth, driver's license number and state from which it was issued, and the last four digits of the social security number for each attendee to meet security requirements for on-base access.
Directions To NASA Dryden:
Those planning to attend the Ed Lewis memorial at NASA Dryden should take state highway 14 to Rosamond, turn off at the Rosamond Blvd. exit, turn east and follow signs to Edwards AFB. The Air Force west gate security guard station is about eight miles inside the west boundary of the base. A NASA Dryden representative will be at the west gate security station between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to authorize attendees to proceed. Visitors should advise the west gate security guard and the Dryden representative of their intention to attend the Ed Lewis memorial observance. Drivers should have two forms of photo identification including a valid driver’s license with photo, proof of auto insurance and a current vehicle registration available for possible inspection.
Continue on Rosamond Blvd. about 10 more miles past the main base area to Lilly Avenue, where a large masonry sign identifies NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. Turn right on Lilly, proceed 3/4-mile, turn right followed by a quick left (before reaching the Dryden security gate). Parking will be available in the main parking lot adjoining the display aircraft near Bldg. 4839.
Please allow sufficient time for any potential traffic delays.
NASA Dryden Flight Operations will endeavor to provide ground transportation to the observance at NASA Dryden to those flying into William J. Fox airfield (KWJF) in Lancaster, providing they are advised in advance through the Public Affairs contact above. Transportation will depart from the Fox terminal building at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 30.
Ed Lewis Movie, 10 minutes of footage of the NASA Y0-3A flying at Edwards AFB
Obituary:
COLONEL DION ELLSWORTH DECAMP Colonel Dion Ellsworth DeCamp was born on August 26, 1934 in Blackwell, OK, one of two children born to Oral and Dorris DeCamp. Colonel DeCamp and Barbara, his younger sister by two years, grew up in the small town atmosphere of Blackwell. He was an Eagle Scout and an aspiring athlete, setting an Oklahoma state swimming record for the 50-Meter Freestyle in 1950. He attended Oklahoma A&M College (later Oklahoma State University) from 1951 to 1953, majoring in Industrial Engineering. In June 1956, he entered United States Air Force Aviation Cadet Primary Navigator training at Harlington AFB, Texas. A Distinguished Graduate of Class 57-16, he received the wings of a USAF Navigator and a commission as a Second Lieutenant in September of 1957. After graduation from navigator training, he was assigned to the 1501st Air Transport Wing at Travis Air Force Base, CA, where he served from 1957 to 1961. He flew on many missions over the Pacific, including serving as navigator on the C-97 crew of Hawaiian pilot Don Ho, who became a famous entertainer. While stationed at Travis, Colonel DeCamp was selected to attend Undergraduate Pilot Training. He entered pilot training at Webb AFB, Texas in 1961, and was awarded USAF Pilot Wings in 1962, becoming one of a very select group of Air Force officers who were both navigators and pilots. Following graduation from pilot training, Colonel DeCamp was assigned the 76th Military Airlift Squadron at Charleston AFB, SC where he flew the C-130 Hercules aircraft. During this period of service as a pilot he was awarded the USAF Expeditionary Medal for Cuba in 1962, for the Dominican Republic in 1964, and for Viet Nam in 1966. In 1966, after an active duty career that provided him the opportunity to fly worldwide, including missions to many remote and exotic locations, Colonel DeCamp left the Air Force to accept a position with American Airlines. American soon called on DeCamp's unique qualifications as both a pilot and a navigator and assigned him additional duties as a navigation instructor for the airline's military contract in the Pacific. It was the beginning of a long and distinguished airline career, during which he flew the MD-80 and DC-10, and the Boeing 727, 757, and 767. He retired from American Airlines as a Captain in 1994. Colonel DeCamp paralleled his civilian airline career with one of public service as a citizen soldier pilot in the California Air National Guard. He joined the 146th Air Transport Wing, Van Nuys, California in 1967. The unit was flying C-97 transport aircraft but upgraded to the newer C-130A Hercules in 1970. During the late 1960s and early 1970s the Air Guard flew many support missions across the Pacific to Viet Nam. With his active duty experience as a pilot and a navigator, he quickly became a highly respected member of the unit. Considered by his fellow aircrew members to be an exceptionally gifted aviator, his easy style and personal presence made him a natural choice for positions of military leadership. During his career in the Air Guard he served as Squadron Chief Pilot, Group Chief Pilot, Chief of Standardization/Evaluation, Base Commander and Wing Deputy Commander for Operations. He was a respected mentor who influenced a number of junior officers who would later rise to positions of senior leadership in the military. Colonel DeCamp was the senior officer responsible for the unit's Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) operations. When called upon in emergencies, the Wing converted two of its C-130 aircraft into aerial tankers capable of dropping 3000 gallons of fire retardant on wildfires. It was a dangerous mission restricted to a few carefully selected and highly trained flyers in the Wing. A hands-on leader, Colonel DeCamp personally flew as pilot in command during MAFFS operations on numerous wildfires. Colonel DeCamp received the Air Force Commendation Medal in 1970, a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Management from the Armed Forces Institute of Technology in 1974, and retired from the Air National Guard with the rank of full Colonel in 1980. After retiring from the airlines and the Air National Guard, Colonel DeCamp moved from Southern California to Reno, NV and began another career of public service, this time as a member of the Civil Air Patrol. DeCamp joined the Reno Composite Squadron of the Nevada Wing Civil Air Patrol in 1994. He became a fully qualified Mission Pilot, Check Pilot, Counterdrug Pilot and Cadet Orientation Pilot. He also was a Master Level Standards and Evaluation Officer and became a fully qualified Incident Commander. During his time in CAP, Colonel DeCamp received the Grover Loening Aerospace Award, the Paul E. Garber and Gill Robb Wilson Awards. DeCamp also attended numerous courses within the CAP including the Region and National Staff College, National Commanders Course and other professional development courses pertaining to his progression toward Nevada Wing Commander. Colonel DeCamp was a respected and well liked instructor and trainer for many of the CAP development courses. Positions held in the Civil Air Patrol include: Nevada Wing Director of Operations, Vice Commander, representative to the Nevada State SAR Board, and Wing Commander (March 2003 until his passing). He also held the position of the CAP Pacific Region Director of Operations Training. Among the numerous awards received by Colonel DeCamp during his CAP service were the Commanders Citation, the Meritorious Service Award, Certificate of Recognition for Lifesaving, Red Service Ribbon and Counterdrug Ribbon. Colonel DeCamp never forgot the humble beginnings from whence he came. His reputation among his family, friends and colleagues was one of an officer, gentleman and dear friend. He afforded everybody with kindness, respect and the individual dignity they deserved, and was a man of incredible depth and breadth. He embodied the strength and spirit of truth, integrity and ethical behavior in all his endeavors, inspiring others to act similarly. Colonel DeCamp never failed to celebrate and recognize the effort of others, and how that may have contributed to his success or that of the organization. DeCamp told amazing stories of his days in aviation that never seemed to get old to his listeners. He flew with celebrities such as Bob Hope and Jayne Mansfield across the Pacific on USO tours. He was an grand person to be around, with a manner that put all at ease. Friends always considered his presence at a party the mark of a successful gathering. In his leisure time over the years, he was an expert skier, marksman, hunter and equestrian. Colonel DeCamp is survived by his wife, Betsy (E.J. Smith ); son, Michael; daughters, Gail and Kristin; four grandchildren and faithful hunting dog, Scotch. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to either the Dion E. DeCamp Memorial Scholarship Fund, CAP PACREG, or the Gray Eagles Foundation, Atten. Sue Pyle, O'Connell Bldg., 14600 Trinity Blvd., Suite 500, Ft. Worth, TX 761552512. Palm Mortuary in Las Vegas, NV is in charge of arrangements.
Memorial observance for Colonel Dion E. DeCamp in Reno on December 10, 2007:
Memorial Service/Celebration of Life for Col. Dion E. DeCamp will begin at 1:00 pm, December 10, 2007 at the Wilbur D. May Museum Center in Rancho San Rafael Park, 1595 North Sierra, Reno, NV. There will be a pot-luck with refreshments directly after the services.
In order to provide adequate seating and refreshments we need to know how many people are planning on attending. Please notify either Point of Contact listed below via e-mail no later than 5, December 2007. Please do not contact the Museum directly.
POC SOUTH: Lt Col Roy Campbell, campbell1735@cox.net POC NORTH: Lt Col James Nicholson, tkanis@aol.com
Pacific Region director of operations, Nevada Wing commander en route to Rosamond, Calif.
Nov. 9, 2007
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. – Two nationally recognized and highly regarded members of the Civil Air Patrol – Col. Edwin W. Lewis Jr., director of operations for CAP’s Pacific Region, and Col. Dion E. DeCamp, commander of CAP’s Nevada Wing – died Thursday evening when their CAP plane crashed south of Las Vegas.
Lewis had traveled to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas to drop off a CAP airplane to be used as an airshow display. He and DeCamp were apparently en route to Rosamond, Calif., Lewis’ hometown, when the crash occurred.
Lewis and DeCamp had enjoyed long and distinguished careers, both in the U.S. Air Force and the Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the Air Force. Most recently, both men were actively involved in the search for legendary American aviator Steve Fossett.
Lewis, 71, had served in the Civil Air Patrol for more than 50 years. He was a former national vice commander, elected in August 1993. He served in that capacity for one year. Before that, he served as Pacific Region commander for four years. He also was California Wing commander from 1978 to 1982.
Lewis was both a CAP and USAF command pilot with more than 28,000 flight hours.
He retired from Pan Am as a commercial airline pilot in 1989 to become a research pilot with NASA. Since 1997, he worked at Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., where he instructed in four aircraft – C-12, C-20A, DC-8 and T-34C – supporting NASA-Dryden flight test programs. He also was the center’s aviation safety officer.
Lewis’ military awards include the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Air Medals, Meritorious Service Medal and others. His CAP awards include Distinguished Service Medals, Exceptional and Meritorious Service Awards, Gill Robb Wilson Award, the Search and Rescue ribbon, and others.
He is married to the former Midge Chrestenson. They have two adult sons, Eric and Steven.
Lewis was a region advisor for the Fossett search.
DeCamp, 73, of Reno, Nev., has been commander of the Nevada Wing since 2003. Most recently, he led the wing’s initial search efforts for Fossett, who disappeared on Labor Day during a solo flight in Nevada. The search for Fossett, who has yet to be found, was the largest in the Civil Air Patrol’s modern-day history.
DeCamp is married to CAP Lt. Col. E.J. Smith, who also served as search Incident Commander during the Fossett mission. He is survived by adult son, Michael and two daughters, Kristin and Gayle.
Col DeCamp joined CAP in 1994 having served as Nevada Wing director of operations, vice commander, representative to the Nevada state SAR Board and Pacific Region director of operations training before becoming Nevada Wing commander.
DeCamp was a CAP and USAF command pilot with more than 27,000 flight hours, and was retired from the California Air National Guard, served in Vietnam and flew C-130 missions worldwide. He retired, as Captain, from American Airlines in 1994.
The cause of the Thursday evening’s crash is unknown at this time. A full investigation of the crash by the National Transportation Safety Board is scheduled to begin this morning.
“The CAP family is deeply saddened by this tremendous loss,” said Brig. Gen. Amy S. Courter, CAP interim national commander. “There were no finer members than Col. DeCamp and Col. Lewis. Their illustrious volunteer service, which collective spanned more than seven decades, touched innumerable lives and now, in sorrow, consoles those left behind as a testament to their dedication and commitment to the citizens of their respective communities.”
The Civil Air Patrol was founded on Dec. 1, 1941, less than a week before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II. Today, CAP performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and was credited by the AFRCC with saving 105 lives in fiscal year 2007.
In addition to their search and rescue duties, CAP volunteers perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Members also play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the more than 22,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet program.
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National Transportation Safety Board Preliminary Report:
NTSB Identification: SEA08FA023 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, November 08, 2007 in Las Vegas, NV
Aircraft: Cessna T182T, registration: N881CP
Injuries: 2 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.
On November 8, 2007, approximately 1930 Pacific standard time, a Cessna T182T, N881CP, was destroyed after impacting mountainous terrain while in a climb near Potosi Mountain, about 24 nautical miles southwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. The airplane was registered to the Civil Air Patrol, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama. Both the left-seat and right-seat certificated airline transport pilots sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological dark night conditions prevailed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal cross-country flight, and a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan had been filed and activated at the time of the accident. The flight departed the North Las Vegas Airport (VGT), Las Vegas, Nevada, approximately 1915, and was destined for Rosamond, California (L00).
In an interview with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC), a local law enforcement helicopter pilot, who was on an aerial patrol mission at the time of the accident, reported observing an explosion in mountainous terrain southwest of Las Vegas. The pilot stated that immediately after the explosion he flew directly to the impact area, which took approximately 5 to 7 minutes. The impact site was reported to be at coordinates 35 degrees 57.542 minutes north latitude and 115 degrees 29.634 minutes west longitude, at an elevation of approximately 7,200 feet mean sea level. The accident site was located about three-quarters of a mile southeast of Mount Potosi, elevation 8,514 feet mean sea level.
Due to the remote location of the accident site, only limited onsite documentation was possible. A detailed examination of the airplane will be conducted subsequent to its retrieval.
Parties to the investigation include the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Civil Air Patrol, the United States Air Force, Lycoming, and Cessna Aircraft.
The cause of the Thursday evening accident is unknown at this time. A full investigation of the crash by the National Transportation Safety Board was scheduled to begin Friday morning.
Mt. Potosi in Nevada is the site of the TWA Flight 3 crash on January 16, 1942 that killed actress Carole Lombard, 15 Army Air Corp pilots, 3 passengers and 3 crew members:
August 18, 2011 UPDATE: Chuck Carr has been elected National Commander. After four years as National Commander, Major General Courter's term is ending. General Courter was responsible for the CAP Civic Leadership Academy and was very vigilant in emphasizing the importance of cadet protection and safety. She never lost her focus on the mission regardless of the naysayers. Amy came through. Turns out, Amy was mainstream CAP all the way, even ahead of her time. A leader. Our grade of Amy Courter's job of National Commander has to be an unqualified A.
MAJOR GENERAL AMY COURTER, CAP: JOB WELL DONE! THANK YOU! and congratulations to CAP's new National Commander Chuck Carr who recieved an overwhelming majority vote on the National Board of 44-14. The National Board seemed quite pleased by General Courter's leadership. During the five minute question and answer session with Colonel Weiss, the questions were all about his postings in an internet chat room.
The vast majority of CAPers are proud of the job Amy Courter has done. We have heard from countless people in person and on the chat boards that appreciate Amy's service. After talking to hundreds of members, all doubt is removed in my mind that Major General Amelia S. "Amy" Courter has earned her way into the Civil Air Patrol Hall of Honor.
Candidates for National Commander:
BGen Charles Carr CHUCK IS ELECTED 44-14 AS THE NEW NATIONAL COMMANDER. Congratulations to Major General Carr!
Col Fred Weiss IN THE FIVE MINUTE Q AND A, ALL THE QUESTIONS TO FRED WERE ABOUT SOME POSTINGS FRED MADE IN A CHAT ROOM, THE NATIONAL BOARD WAS NOT TO HAPPY ABOUT SOME OF HIS POSTINGS.
Candidates for Vice Commander:
Col Jim Rushing Rushing is a good commander. The election was close but he had the bad luck of coming up against the man with the best presentation of the four.
Col Joe Vasquez JOE VASQUEZ WINS ELECTION AS CAP VICE COMMANDER, VOTE WAS 38-28.
Good luck to all the candidates. Thanks for running and putting up with the abuse that comes with the position. No wonder so few people are running this year. We are not so arrogant as to tell the National Board how to vote. But we can tell you, consensus is rapidly forming around one candidate for National Commander. What would you do if you suddenly became the national commander of the Civil Air Patrol?
WHEN TRAINING PAYS OFF: General Courter emphasized safety and cadet protection. I believe her focus on safety might of saved an aircrew or two. Even still accidents happen. On May 19, 2011, a Civil Air Patrol Cessna Turbo 206 Stationair crashed Saturday on final approach to Thun Field Airport, in Puyallup, Wash., after the engine reportedly lost power. The two pilots were unhurt but the plane was destroyed, according to the Washington Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. “When the aircraft lost engine power, these pilots handled the situation correctly and relied on their emergency training to make the best of a bad situation,” Lt. Col. Jeffrey Lustick, a pilot and Washington Wing Legal Officer, said in the release. “It’s very fortunate that no one was injured.” The destroyed aircraft was initially certified by the FAA exactly 30 years earlier, on March 19, 1981. The cause of the incident remains under investigation by the FAA:
ANOTHER TRAINING PAYS OFF STORY - Pineville, AR., November 2010 — A pilot survived the crash of a single-engine Civil Air Patrol plane near Pineville Municipal Airport at Lake Buhlow Tuesday afternoon when his plane lost power, officials said.
The pilot, Lonnie Lucius, is the manager of the airport, said Pineville Police Capt. Greg Henley.
“He was taking off,” Pineville Police Lt. Darrell Basco said. “As he took off, the engine in the plane quit on him.”
Lucius, 36, was walking around the crash scene and appeared unhurt. He refused medical treatment, Basco said.
Basco said an investigator with the Federal Aviation Administration would be at the scene today.
The Nevada Civil Air Patrol (and neighboring Wings) did a great job in the Steve Fossett search. Thank you for your professionalism. But whats happening back at National Headquarters? On October 2, the National Commander was fired and kicked out of CAP. Isn't he a volunteer too? Are reforms needed? Here is former CAP Major General Tony Pineda's letter to Congress:
I am sorry to take time out of your busy schedule, but I have a situation that needs your attention. My name is Tony Pineda and I am the National Commander of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), a Federally chartered non-profit volunteer organization which also performs missions for the U.S. Air Force. I’m writing this letter to you because the Board of Governors (BOG) that was set up by Congress a few years ago to ensure cooperation between CAP and the US Air Force, suspended me from office in Aug, 2007. They have misused and abused the powers they were given and there is no one to oversee them and take them to task for these injustices. Members inside the organization who have recently questioned their tactics have been fired and they have instilled a fear of reprisal in the other CAP members. I will try to explain the situation as concisely as possible. I have volunteered as a member of this organization for 19 years. I joined CAP because I wanted to give something back to this country that accepted me and my family when I came from Cuba in 1962 after my dad was released from prison there because of his involvement in the Bay of Pigs invasion. My wife and children are also CAP members. I recently retired as a law enforcement officer with 35 years of experience, leaving my DROP program early to dedicate all my time to my last year serving as the National Commander for CAP. This problem began in 1996, when I was the Florida Wing Commander and Gen. Paul Bergman was the National Commander. Gen. Bergman ordered me to pay a volunteer member $8,000.00 dollars for services as a contract employee out of a Fla. Hospital District grant. I advised Gen. Bergman that the payment would be a violation of Fla. State Law and that I wouldn’t do it. Gen. Bergman then fired me as the Fla. Wing commander for not making the payment.
I went back to the squadron level and worked my way back up to the position of National Commander two years ago. In Dec. of 2006, an incident occurred at a training session in Fla., of which I had no involvement. This incident involved a CAP Testing officer named Ray Hayden, who made threats against the Fla Wing Vice commander by telling him that he was going to get an UZI and spray everybody. His incident was investigated by the CAP Inspector General’s (IG) office and he was put out of CAP. Hayden contacted me via email and asked me to stop the investigation. I checked with the IG’s office and advised Hayden that there was nothing I could do. He then threatened to tell them that he had taken some Air Force Staff and Command College tests for me back in 2002. It should be noted that these were courses and tests I took to further my knowledge and they weren’t required for my rank or any promotions I received. The investigation into Hayden’s allegations against me by CAP began in Dec, 2006, by the CAP - IG. I was informed in July, 2006, that they had not found information to sustain the charges and they would be dropped. The normal procedure would have been to present the allegations to the National Board (which is made up of the wing and region commanders nationwide), where I would have had a chance to defend myself and then the board would determine if I should be suspended and the investigation initiated or if there was no merit to the allegations, it would have been dropped. This is delineated clearly in the CAP By Laws and Constitution. I am including that site for your review. DISCRIMINATION: The precedence has been set that the above process occur when charges are filed against the National Commander. In three previous situations in which charges were filed against the national commanders, they were properly handled by the National Board, not the BOG. However, because Gen. Bergman was on the BOG, he convinced them that they could suspend me and conduct a further investigation. In the previous situations, the one commander was Gen. Bergman and he resigned before the National Board took him out of office. In a second situation, Gen. Richard Bowling, who is now the Chairman of the BOG, had charges brought against him and they were presented to the National Board, where they were dismissed. The third situation involved my predecessor, Gen. Wheless, who also resigned before the National Board heard the charges against him. In those situations, the BOG never got involved as they said it was the duty of the National Board. It should be noted that the other three national commanders are all white males and I am the only Hispanic commander. VIOLATION OF RIGHTS: I was suspended telephonically at 11:00 pm, on the Sunday night, just a few days before our summer national convention in Atlanta, GA. I was advised at that time that I was to have no contact with any CAP members, except Gen. Bowling. It’s clear they did not consider that my family members are all CAP members. I believe that violated my constitutional rights. I could have understood them saying not to discuss the issue, but no contact was unreasonable. DENIED RIGHT TO COUNSEL: I contacted my attorney, Neal Poller, who has handled all my personal legal affairs for me for years and advised him of the situation. He told me he would handle it. He contacted CAP legal counsel and was told that it was a conflict of interest for him to represent me as he is a CAP member. He has never done any legal work for CAP and I could not see the conflict. He asked them to reconsider and they advised him a week later that they wouldn’t allow him to represent me. I have contacted other counsel; however, due to the cost I have waited to proceed with that. I provided the BOG with a copy of the CAP By Laws and Constitution, Article 15, which shows the procedure for suspension and removal of the National Commander and Vice Commander. Their response was that US Code 10 supersedes that and as the governing body of CAP, they can do whatever they want to do. They have not provided me with any evidence of the charges and I have obtained a copy of the statement of Ray Hayden, which has no evidentiary value either. Hayden has a motive for making the allegations; however, I would have no motive to cheat on a test that I didn’t need to take in the first place. They have kept me in limbo for the past month and a half, still under the direction not to have contact with CAP members. They have caused a fear of reprisal among the general membership and the turmoil has not been good for the agency. They are removing from command all of the members who have been put there since I’ve been the commander. In all fairness to me, as well as to the continued success of the CAP, someone who they have no control over needs to address this issue with the BOG and I am asking for your help in this matter. - Tony Pineda
Last letter to members from General Pineda:
The last two months was a horrible time not being able to communicate with all of you. For that I have to apologize but as you know it was beyond my control.
There is always two sides of a story. Now in a short summary I want to share mine with you. Earlier you received the letter to congress that I sent, it describes some of the issues.
First I need for all of you to know that I will never compromised my integrity over anything and I will never place CAP in jeopardy.
The BOG not only took me off command but also terminated my membership and I have no right to appeal to anyone because there is no body and I was told that the BOG can do what ever they want without following any regulations.
Up to this date the only thing that I was told it was because of the Hayden issue. This issue was resolved and the BOG was told that it was not sustained by Col Linker our IG. He told them this at the BOG meeting in June of 07 in Atlanta.
Col Linker also advised Gen Bowling in an email (below) that all of the complaints were not sustained.
Kuddes, et al.
Investigation is complete. The write up is first on my agenda after finishing a few pending complaint items and return from IG travel next week. The report will show that
(1) There is nothing to suggest that the resignations of Starr, Glass and Moseley were not freely given by these officers at the time they offered them.
(2) Kuddes removal was within the scope and authority of the national commander.
There is more to it, but these are the facts it boils down to.
Hayden v. Pineda
This was held up by an effort to get course records from USAF-Air University re. the tests in question. AU’s registrar was understanding and forthcoming, but the reports were blocked by USAF-JAG, requiring a FOIA request, which was itself blocked. This became an extended issue. In the end (late last week), nothing useful was received.
Lacking any forensic information, this remains a case, on one hand, of the word of an apparently troubled former member who admitted committing widespread and repeated course testing improprieties as Testing Officer, and has demonstrated violent behavior at CAP, and the National Commander, on the other. Investigation into the lie-detector test taken by the complainant raises many questions and concerns in its administration. The transcript of the 3-hr recorded testimony of the complainant is strong and convincing testimony to his state of mind and motivation. The preponderance of evidence does not sustain the claim of cheating.
Re: Col. Levitch and wife taking the ECI-13 course un-proctored. Facts are that Hayden admits to allowing this routinely, Levitch claims he was newly rejoined in CAP, didn’t know the testing rules, event happened a few years ago, USAF-AU did not give us the information necessary to discern how many and who may also have done this. I’ll report the facts and leave action to the judgment of the BoG, unless a recommendation is requested.
General Bowling indicated he wanted an executive summary of the cases. I will provide these before the next BOG, even if fully assembling the considerable documentation into a proper package may take a little longer.
We have a major problem that if it is not stop will continue to grow where no one will be able to stop it. The BOG should only be an oversight board not a Governing Board. Most of the BOG members are not CAP members and don't even know our regulations and Constitution and By Laws. CAP needs to be governed by the National Board as it use to be not by outsiders that have no regards for the needs of the membership and who don't have the pride that we all have in our organization. I may not be a member of CAP anymore but I still care very much for this organization and all of you. I will send you another email over the weekend. I don't want to over burn you guys and ladies with this.
Thanks. Tony Pineda
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FLORIDAYS - CAP HEROES - "so that others may live" - Silver Medal of Valor Recipients: Maj. Gen. Tony Pineda, National Commander, Col. Dan Levitch, FL Wing Commander, and Col. Eileen Parker, FL Wing Vice Commander, received the Silver Medal of Valor. This award is the highest honor that is presented within the Civil Air Patrol. Each received this special award because they risked their life in order to save others when they came upon an automobile accident while returning from National Headquarters. Gen. Pineda assumed the duty of directing traffic and oversight of the accident. Because of the imminent danger to the trapped occupants and leaking fuel, Col. Levitch climbed through a window to assess the injuries of the four passengers, extricated them from their seatbelts and passed them through a small window. Col. Parker laid the victims down away from the vehicle, aided and consoled them.
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Greetings! For those of you who may not know me, my name is Rex Glasgow, and until late last year, I was your elected National Vice Commander of CAP. After I stepped down and subsequently resigned my membership, many of you attempted to contact me to find out the "rest of the story." After months of contemplation and silence, I have decided to share the unfortunate circumstances surrounding my situation.
At the outset, I apologize for the length of this letter, but I felt that it was necessary to give you a full and complete picture of my own situation and how it fits into the bigger picture of how the National Board is being bypassed in a number of important decisions. In this way, I hope to assist you in your role as a member of the CAP National Board.
To come to the point, I have been forced into resignation and silence, a situation that has occurred to other senior leaders on the CAP National Board. Until recently, I did not understand the reasons behind these personnel changes-but I now understand that they occurred because your National Commander plans to remain in his present position for many years to come. This is all about power and greed and ego.
All of the recent changes happened because Tony Pineda intends to introduce a surprise change to the CAP Constitution and Bylaws, within days or weeks, to allow the sitting National Commander to run for consecutive terms. I have always had a problem with the NEC and senior leaders changing regulations and policies without input by the Wing Commanders. I thought that this had been corrected under previous National Commanders, giving us the opportunity to discuss policy changes before their ratification. Pineda continues to bring things to the floor without any lead time to force votes to accomplish his agenda. I was offended to learn about this most recent attempt to extend his time in office. I am outraged that the majority of the National Board, especially our Wing Commanders, is not aware of such a major change until it is presented to the NEC or BOG for a vote.
Many years ago, the National Commander was elected one year at a time for up to three consecutive years. The National Board changed our Constitution and Bylaws in 1984 so that the Vice continued to be elected yearly and the Commander to a single three-year term. This allowed elected officials to serve without fear of negative politics or having to run every year. Since 1984, the Commander did what is best for the Corporation and when finished returned to the general membership, allowing others to bring new ideas and fresh blood to the helm of CAP.
I understand that Pineda plans to secretly present this proposal for multiple terms to the NEC later this week to obtain an NEC resolution to present to the BoG next month for implementation. As an alternative, he may bypass the NEC and present his proposal directly to the BOG-or even ask a BOG member to make the presentation in order to insulate Pineda from charges of attempting to continue his time in office. As related to me by several NEC members, Pineda will do so as the last item under the "New Business" agenda item just before adjourning. If this is passed, the Commander could run a three-year campaign funded with volunteer dues money, and by eliminating all possible competition, as he has done many times over the last year, then he could remain in office for years on end. Is this what you want? Did you have any idea this was coming? Do you feel, as I do, that such a dramatic change should and must have input from the Wing Commanders as the most important segment of our National Board? Do you think that Pineda's proposal, if made at this weekend's NEC Meeting in Atlanta, will be broadcast openly over the live Internet web stream from 0830 until 1700 on 12-13 May 06? Or will it be masked from our Wing Commanders and our general membership?
The story goes deeper, and I would like to share some other events and stories with you that will demonstrate why so many Wing and Region Commanders, besides myself, have been removed or forced to resign.
Before I continue, I need to take you back before the last election of 2005 to give you some background. Most of you at this point believe that Dwight Wheless resigned over personal circumstances. I did not realize until the day or so before Wheless tendered his resignation that Pineda was deeply involved behind the scene. Most members thought that Rick Greenhut led the charge behind this action, but actually, I feel that this was Pineda's plan from the beginning. This was confirmed for me one day when Pineda called me on the phone. He was chuckling because he had just gotten off the phone with Wheless. Apparently, Pineda led Wheless to believe that he was fighting for him, and Wheless commented that Pineda needed to distance himself from the situation in case it escalated-in the belief that Pineda should stay "clean" in the event that Wheless was forced from office.
Knowing that I had continual communication with the other Region Commanders, Pineda and his friends fed me false information. Unfortunately, I relayed this to others as factual and probably influenced their final decision. I feel used and misguided. I owe Maj Gen Dwight Wheless an apology. During my CAP career, I have done many things that I am proud of-but in the case of Wheless' forced resignation and the way that I feel Pineda used me and others as a pawn, I must confess embarrassment. The end result of all this was that Pineda successfully eliminated his competition, assumed office as Acting National Commander, and won election in 2005 as National Commander and without opposition-as planned.
And when the eight Region Commanders gathered in a telephone conference call to discuss the situation, Pineda, who by then was National Vice Commander and no longer a Region Commander, was secretly lurking on the phone call, listening to see who supported him and who did not support him.
Pineda and I had numerous conversations about the CAP elections and our goals if permitted to serve. Being assured that Pineda would work for the members in the field, I was satisfied. Pineda, however, had reservations about me as a candidate for National Vice Commander. He thought that I might be easily influenced by past Commanders, other region commanders, and certain friends. As a result, he secretly asked Andy Skiba to run for Vice Commander, figuring that if we came to a disagreement that he would ask you to support Skiba. After explaining that I am capable of making my own decisions and have not been influenced by others in the past, I apparently convinced him that he could trust me as Vice Commander, and he quietly shared his support with many of you the night before the election. I still feel bad for Skiba, as he never had any intention to run on his own, but was only doing a favor to Pineda. I was informed of this during a drive from Atlanta to Maxwell AFB with Skiba in December 2005.
After the election was over and hurricane Katrina hit, Pineda asked me to travel to the disaster to show the CAP command flag. I drove to Mississippi with fuel, generators, MRE's, and water. Pineda arrived a few days later and flew all over Mississippi and Louisiana to visit our CAP troops. He continually bragged to me and others about being paid by his employer while being away from work on CAP business. One day, he scheduled a CAP airplane and aircrew to take him to work. He then had the pilot fly back alone to the mission base and return later to pick up Pineda for transport to another location.
Afterwards, others around Pineda told me that he felt that I received too much exposure, despite the fact that I worked 18-hour days, helped with obtaining more than $100,000.00 in funding, and published email reports to the membership to showcase what our members were doing.
Apparently somewhere between Hurricane Katrina and the Northeast Region Conference, Pineda decided that he wanted far more than his allotted three years. To achieve this end, I now believe that he thought that all competition had to be eliminated, and he therefore proceeded to target me.
At the Northeast Region Conference, I was approached by Pineda and told that he had received an anonymous letter complaining that I have been improperly utilizing the CAP vehicle assigned to me. Throughout a lengthy discussion, I continually stated that I had not misused this asset and that I could logically explain any situation.
As an example, one of the stories relayed was that I used my assigned CAP Expedition to haul antiques to Colorado. This statement is partially true, but it was not done in the spirit of violating any CAP regulation. The part left out was that, with only a few days' notice, I traveled to Colorado Springs at the request of Rick Bowling to sit as a member of the Colorado Wing Commander Selection Board. By driving, I saved CAP $1000.00 on an airline ticket. And I had permission after the meeting to drive 30 miles south of Colorado Springs to visit my brother for a few days. Yes, I transported a bed frame and headboard from my grandparents for delivery to my brother. I paid for the fuel for that short trip out of my own pocket.
Further, I admit that I have detoured 10 feet and parked in a restaurant parking lot while driving home from CAP to meet my parents for dinner. I have also stopped on the way home for milk at the grocery store. I have been seen at Barnes and Noble Bookstore after purchasing office supplies for my CAP office at an Office Max-and then walking next door. If any of this is abuse, then I am guilty.
My intention was to fight these charges, but Pineda then informed me, and I suspect falsely, that the Air Force would investigate my situation to ensure that Pineda was not covering anything up. He then extended his story to say that this "investigation" was not only going to be about me, but the Air Force would look at everyone in the organization-and if anyone had improperly used any vehicle anywhere in the country, I was going to be the scapegoat. He even mentioned involvement of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) and how he feared an Air Force confrontation with CAP. Pineda then acted as if he supported me and asked that I write a resignation letter to show the Air Force that I would fight these charges and was even prepared to resign. Trying to depart the Northeast Region Conference on Sunday for my parents' anniversary party in Iowa, I agreed to trust him, leaving him with a few sentences on a paper to use as leverage.
Within two days, my resignation letter was inappropriately shared with others. By Wednesday, Pineda inappropriately attached an acceptance letter to my letter of resignation. I was outraged. In a conversation, Pineda then told me that it did not matter because, if I challenged him, he would suspend me during the investigation and destroy my chances of election to a second term as National Vice Commander.
Pineda then offered me a token prize in the form of a dual appointment as Director of the National Blue Beret Program and Chair of the National Cadet Program Committee again. Both of these are true and dear to my heart. Most of you know of the inordinate amount of time and energy I have put into these areas-and so I was silenced by the blackmail option of either holding these positions or being forced out of CAP.
Because of these circumstances, I do not make the first BOG meeting after my election as National Vice Commander. I have been told that Pineda expressed the view that he could operate without a Vice Commander during his three years as National Commander. His statement indicates to me the true nature of his intensions.
I attended the Hurricane Hot Wash at Maxwell AFB in mid-December 2005. Please keep in mind that I came home from Blue Beret, campaigned for election to National Vice Commander, attended the National Board Meeting in St. Louis, was elected as your National Vice Commander, and departed soon afterwards for Hurricane Katrina relief duty for 15 days and Hurricane Rita Relief Duty for seven days. I then went home for a short while, attended several region conferences, and visited CAP National Headquarters. Between Blue Beret and the Hot Wash, I had been home for less than 10 days total, all for CAP. I had not had ample time to complete the Blue Beret financial report and assured all that I would do so immediately upon returning home. To be more precise, I spent only 10 days at home in three months, using those 10 days at my business and with my elderly parents as their primary care-giver.
On Monday, 19 Dec 05, I stayed up extremely late to complete the Blue Beret Financial Report, as promised. Several Blue Beret members were still owed reimbursements and had only recently provided me with receipts. I consulted with the CAP National Headquarters Cadet Program staff on how to transmit to them cash receipts that I was holding. They suggested that I deposit it in a bank and transmit the funds to National Headquarters via check. On Tuesday morning, 20 Dec 05, I mailed the report by overnight delivery service. That evening, Pineda called; however, I was teaching a Red Cross class and was not able to answer his call. During a break, I sent him a text message that the report was in the mail.
The next day, I received an irate call from Pineda that I had not followed his "orders" and must immediately submit the Blue Beret Financial Report. I explained again that I had mailed all receipts, remaining funds, and documentation the day before. I further commented that I sent him a text message and sent Susan Easter, Don Rowland, and Larry Kauffman an email with the tracking number. I remember thinking that Pineda was inattentive to my words because he had been told multiple times that this project was completed and mailed with verification. On Friday, 23 Dec 05, four days after mailing this package and our conversation, I received a Fed Ex delivery from Pineda, informing me that I was suspended for not following his "orders twice" in the past week and failing to forward the documentation. The suspension letter went on to say that the Blue Beret finances would be investigated and that I would remain in suspended status until he was assured that all was in proper order. I called him by phone; however, he would not take my phone call, so I faxed him an explanation that he was in error.
Several days later, Pineda suggested that I resign my CAP membership. I assured him that Blue Beret finances were in perfect order and to proceed with the investigation, confident that all funds would be accounted for to the cent. I further commented that National Headquarters was in receipt of a preliminary report that documented expenditures, to include all checks submitted for activity fees at Oshkosh. I had mailed this preliminary report the day after returning home, before the election. The report was received because all checks were deposited. In my view, this latest development was the next step in the plan to remove me. I freely admit that I was late in finishing these actions, but I was traveling for CAP and believed that hurricane relief activities and the preservation of human life had a higher priority.
Confident that he could take no further action because I knew that all funds were accounted for perfectly and included every receipt. To this day, I remain convinced that Pineda could not manipulate my records because Susan Easter and her team are in possession of all bills, checks, and receipts.
I and numerous other activity directors issued checks under $500.00 with only one signature. I was not aware that this was incorrect, but now that I am aware of this requirement, I acknowledge my guilt, however unintentional it was. It is interesting that so many CAP activity directors operated under the perception that this was permitted. A petty cash fund has been used ever since I have been involved with the Blue Beret activity at Oshkosh WI, where we spent more than $5000.00 in petty cash because many vendors will not take credit cards or out-of-town checks. One member used his card for over two thousand dollars and was later reimbursed. As the activity continued, we exhausted our petty cash reserves and cashed another check to replenish our petty cash account. In the final days, we cashed another $1000.00 check for petty cash, but because one of our members generously used her personal credit card for trophies and awards, we completed the activity with a little over $800 remaining.
Two points about this investigation. First, these same financial procedures have been used for at least the past five years. Nothing has ever been a concern previously, so I simply continued the procedures in place when I learned the system. Second, during this "investigation" that ensued, I was never contacted or allowed to make a statement, despite my requests to be interviewed and the fact that I provided the names of Blue Beret staff members who had eyewitness testimony. None of these members were contacted, meaning that neither I nor any witnesses were allowed to speak.
Pineda then informed me that, even if the Blue Beret financial report was returned without findings, he would maintain me in suspended status and investigate all transactions during my service as Iowa Wing Commander and North Central Region Commander. In my view, this was simply an attempt to exert undue command influence to force me from CAP without due process.
He stated that this would take months and that he was personally appointing an investigator of his own choosing, not the IG. He further insisted that he would find something through all those years of financial transactions. He concluded by suggesting that I resign my CAP membership in exchange for halting all investigations.
I refused. I told him that I was comfortable with any investigation because I was confident that all Iowa Wing and North Central Region finances were in proper order, just as were the Blue Beret finances. Why wouldn't he finish the first investigation before deciding prematurely that more needed to be looked at? And why would he stop an investigation if he truly thought something was wrong?
Recently, I was informed that Pineda commented to commanders at the last National Board meeting that I had to send a check to National Headquarters for over $800 to clear the Blue Beret investigation, insinuating that I had to reimburse CAP for $800.00 of improper spending. In actuality, the money I submitted to National Headquarters with the final finance report package, which was before any investigation began, was merely $800.00 in leftover funding. For your knowledge, I have never sent or been asked or required to submit any additional monies to "clear up" this matter.
Later, Pineda informed me that his appointed investigator would be Mike Brown. I later learned that Brown was in law enforcement as a white collar financial detective who has "done a few jobs" for Pineda. The comment was made that Brown knows not to come home without finding something on the individual who was the subject of an investigation.
I believe that Brown was biased against me because his wife, Valerie Brown, also a CAP member, had approached me in anger after a National Board meeting at which I had made a motion that had passed to her dissatisfaction. Because Pineda had on several occasions appointed favored members as Region Vice Commander for a short period in order to promote them to the permanent grade of Colonel, Rick Bowling, then the National Commander, asked me to make a motion that all permanent colonel promotions for Region Vice Commanders be approved by the NEC. This passed unanimously. After we adjourned, Valerie Brown approached me in anger and exclaimed that her goal was to become a CAP full colonel, and that she planned to return home from the National Board to move to a new position, having been promoted to full colonel as promised by Pineda. Apparently, Bowling was right and Pineda had been rewarding members with a promotion to full colonel after only a short time in position. I was particularly offended because most National Board members serve for a number of years before the rank of permanent colonel.
To put this situation in perspective, I am about to be investigated and have been threatened by the National Commander that he will document pre-determined findings before the investigation begins. Pineda also explained that this investigation would likely take over a year and that I would remain in suspended status and gagged by the IG-unable to discuss this with anyone, defend myself, or participate in any CAP activity-all on the heels of a process during which I did not get to provide comments or be interviewed.
At this point, I had no reason to continue my resistance and no one to help me. Under these circumstances, I tendered my resignation of membership. The Wing and Region financial investigations were stopped. Pineda wins. I am out of the way. His plan can now proceed toward extending his time in office from three years to six years or more, while removing all competition.
A few weeks after my resignation, Pineda called and asked me in a voicemail to call him back because he had "good news" for me. Before I returned the call, he left a second voicemail, stating that the Blue Beret investigation was complete. The result: Not a penny was missing, but several minor procedural errors were noted, to include the use of several checks with one signature, the establishment of a petty cash account, and acceptance of activity fees at the activity site. I later asked for a copy of the investigation, and Pineda agreed to provide a copy, which he never sent.
In this second message, Pineda also stated that he concluded that, because only minor procedural errors occurred, I would retain my CAP membership. He stated that he would instruct Susie Parker at National Headquarters to return my CAP membership card to me and that no break in service would be documented. Pineda's voicemails were digitally recorded on my cell phone and were later downloaded to my computer. Soon, I will make Pineda's personal exoneration of me, in his own voice, available on a website for all of you to hear-so that you can hear him provide assurances that no money is missing and that my CAP membership will be reinstated.
During the next several months, I waited patiently, not receiving or hearing anything. I made a telephone call to National Headquarters and learned that my membership card and reinstatement were on Susie Parker's desk, ready to be mailed to me. Pineda, however, called National Headquarters during this period and directed that my membership credentials were to be held and not mailed to me. I telephoned Pineda and asked for an explanation for the delay. He told me that he had not yet received the official report and needed to add his comments and authorization to conclude this matter.
After a protracted period, I called Pineda on several occasions until I heard last week from one of his entourage that he never intended to reinstate my CAP membership. I then sent an email inquiry to Pineda and received a reply from him that he "does not think it is in my or the Corporation's best interest for me to return." I will soon post that message to a website for you to see.
And so, this is the true explanation of the circumstances surrounding my decision to resign my position as National Vice Commander and my CAP membership. As I stated in my letter of resignation, I was spending far too much time on CAP matters, neglecting my business, and devoting insufficient time to the care of my elderly parents.
Unfortunately, I am not the only member who has faced threats, retribution, and unconscionable actions. I believe that Col Charlie Glass and Col Matt Sharkey suffered similar fates and have their own stories to tell about how they too were forced to resign or be investigated in a way that would lead to sure termination of CAP membership. I am concerned that, if Pineda continues to eliminate talented, experienced, and knowledgeable leaders, CAP will be left with an undesirable element in command of our organization.
I have been informed by multiple sources that both Rick Greenhut and Drew Alexa were threatened with removal from their chairmanships of the Homeland Security and Advanced Technology Groups, respectively, if they continued their campaigns for National Vice Commander. I presume that my sources were accurate because Greenhut removed has now himself as a candidate.
Further, I have been informed by sources close to Pineda that Pineda will support Tom Todd in the forthcoming election for National Vice Commander. Pineda apparently knows that Todd will be unable to travel extensively because of his wife's health and that "he can be controlled." In the view of many insiders, Pineda will remove Todd after the August 2007 CAP national elections to eliminate him as a potential next National Commander. Pineda will likely center his investigation around an unfavorable financial situation in Texas, which reportedly includes the largest embezzlement case CAP has witnessed. Pineda will then have no competition during his sequential run for National Commander-should the BOG approve Pineda's suggested amendment to the CAP Constitution and Bylaws.
Several NEC members have informed me that Pineda will entice the Region Commanders to support his proposed Constitution and Bylaws amendment by suggesting that the change include the ability of the National Commander to extend the terms of sitting Region Commanders. In my opinion, this is Pineda's attempt to test the loyalty of his Region Commanders, just as he has tested several Region Commanders on previous occasions. He has done so by directing selected Region Commanders to remove or terminate Wing Commanders who have disagreed with proposals put in front of the National Board by Pineda. For instance, Pineda forced the new North Central Region Commander to remove the South Dakota Wing Commander because he expressed his views to Pineda and myself in a private letter after Pineda silenced him at the microphone at the National Board Meeting in August 2005 in St Louis. Reliable sources have informed me that this removal was a test of the Region Commander's loyalty.
I am certain that many of you know what is going on, but that you have no alternative course of action. It appears that Region and Wing Commanders will be removed for failing to vote in accordance with the National Commander's wishes. Many of you have shared your fears with me. Many of you have articulated your concerns over the atmosphere of fear that permeates the National Board. Many of you have commented that you will be gone if you say what you truly feel during discussions at the microphone at National Board Meetings. How did we get to this point in such a short period of time? In my view, this National Commander seized "command" through unconstitutional means, entered office illegitimately, and has chilled free thinking and open discussion. In short, I feel Pineda has regressed our NEC and National Board back to the dark period of power politics, smoke-filled back rooms, retribution, and intimidation.
Pineda will surely rebut my observations in this letter. What is not clear is how he will proceed with his term extension amendment to our Constitution and Bylaws. I suspect that he may abandon presentation of his secret proposal at the NEC Meeting this weekend now that his plan has been exposed. Why do I say this? Simply because, after receiving the anonymous letter before the August 2005 National Board Meeting and his election as National Commander, Pineda retreated from appointing Eileen Parker to the position of National Controller after promising her the position-simply because his plan was exposed before he was able to execute it. He truly dislikes having his plans and activities exposed to public examination.
I write to you today not only to inform you about this situation, but to also enlist your help. First, please contact your Region Commander and insist that Pineda's secret Constitution and Bylaws amendment not be favorably forwarded to the BOG for consideration. If necessary, write or email all BOG members to let them know how you feel so that you as Wing Commanders are not bypassed on this vital decision. Second, please make it known to the CAP volunteer leadership, in your own way, that you demand to be part of the discussion and decision process as CAP makes policy-and that you will not tolerate being bypassed in the governing process.
One need only look at recent CAP uniform changes to see how new proposals are thrust on Wing Commanders without the benefit of thought or detailed discussion. When the AETC Commander disapproved the return of blue epaulets and metal rank to the uniform in a meeting with Pineda, he presented a proposal at the Winter 2006 National Board Meeting for a new uniform that closely approximates the USAF uniform. Pineda's alternative plan includes a double-breasted jacket to wear with this new uniform-to include metal rank insignia-so that he can proclaim success. His present course jeopardizes our continued wear of the USAF uniform because we have now adopted a uniform very close in appearance to the USAF uniform. This was, in reality, an end-run around our Air Force partners.
I also hope that this will prompt others that have experienced similar circumstances to come forward and explain their situation. We can not operate in this arena of fear and expect success. If you do not take action to oppose this unfair play, then we condone this process.
In closing, serious actions are underway that erode your authority and responsibility as Wing and Region Commanders and your role in the decision process as members of the NEC and/or National Board. Your role is quickly devolving to one of simply passing along, and enforcing, the solo decisions of one member. When do you get to act on your roles as CAP Corporate Officers?
I thank you for reading this letter, and I thank you for the opportunity to have served as a Wing and Region Commander and as your National Vice Commander. As you continue the great work of this organization, please stand up and be heard. Hold the National Commander accountable, keep your eyes on the important public service role to be fulfilled by CAP, and do not permit the current situation to go unchecked. Care enough for Civil Air Patrol to fight for the finest volunteer organization in America-YOUR CAP!
Best regards,
REX GLASGOW Former National Vice Commander Civil Air Patrol
The Air Force and the membership salute General Glasgow for his service during difficult times. He was a dedicated volunteer that never forgot the Civil Air Patrol is the auxiliary of the United States Air Force.
Open Letter to National Board, Civil Air Patrol.
15 Aug 2011
To all,
The purpose of this letter is to provide information to assist you in deciding how to cast your vote in the upcoming election.
In November 2007 in a letter from the National Commander, as Chairperson of the National Executive Committee (NEC), with information provided by the National Inspector General, was presented to the NEC for the express purpose of removing me from the “At Large” position on the Board of Governors (BoG).
This action was the beginning of a long struggle to clear my name and retain my membership.
In a recent Appeal Board after the National Commander took action to 2b me, she admitted, under oath, that charges in that letter were not true.
She stated that the National IG had confused the findings of a Compliance Inspection with the Allegations in a Report of Investigation. She also stated that she had corrected those false statements with all members of the National Executive Committee.
What she did not state was whether the correction was delivered before or after their vote to remove me.
In regard to said statement of correction, I have questioned several members of the NEC and the secretary of the NEC concerning the correction. I have been told that there is no note in the minutes, nor does anyone recall of any such correction. Most members were reluctant to discuss details due to the non-disclosure statements.
There appears to be a suppression of “openness” in our proceedings when senior leaders are required to sign non-disclosure agreements. There is also a problem with leadership when it refuses to admit mistakes and to promptly correct them or leaders who blame others for their mistakes.
Rather than be corrected, these false charges have shown up on the internet and were supposedly leaked by an NEC member who had no problem with the non-disclosure agreement.
I have asked several times for the Chairperson of the NEC to publicly state that these charges were false. In November of 2009 I was even promised a letter to that effect. I have yet to receive any such letter.
Based on false charges, I was removed from the BoG.
I appealed the removal from the BoG to the Membership Action Review Board (MARB). The chairman of the BoG gave the MARB permission to review the appeal and the MARB ruled the proper procedures were not followed.
In addition, they ruled that the evidence presented was insufficient to even have a finding of “No Confidence”.
The BoG then changed its opinion and ruled that the MARB did not have the authority to hear the appeal since it was not an “Adverse Personnel Action”. The BoG also chose to disregard the “lack of proper procedure” ruling.
Recently, there was an action filed to remove me from the Civil Air Patrol, based on the same charges as the removal from the BoG.
The Appeal Board mentioned above, overturned the 2b action and reinstated my membership because the charges were not valid.
I am happy to be back serving with the Mississippi Wing. While my membership is intact, I also wanted you, as members of the National Board, to know firsthand, that the information given to you about my removal and subsequent actions were based false information.
My personal integrity has been attacked in meetings and on the internet. Because the National Commander has not seen fit to correct her mistake, I am sending this letter to each of you to point out that National Commander has stated, under oath, that defaming statements made about me in the initial removal from the BoG and subsequent actions were false.
As you gather to select a new Commander, consider which candidates actually follows our core values and maintain their integrity, not blindly voting as the leader wants them to vote.
As I continue my service to CAP, I look forward to new leadership, transparency, and fairness to all members.
John E Tilton, Col. CAP
UPDATE: On November 13, 2012, Colonel John Tilton died in a plane crash en route to a safety meeting:
A small plane crash Tuesday evening in Jackson killed three
Mississippi Wing members – Col. John E. Tilton Jr., former member of
Civil Air Patrol’s Board of Governors and Alabama Wing and Southeast
Region commander; the Mississippi Wing’s standardization/evaluation
officer, Lt. Col. David Williams; and Capt. William C. Young, finance
officer for the Maj. James McKinnie Composite Squadron.
The Piper A-32 the three men were flying in crashed in a residential
area shortly after takeoff about 5:10 p.m. from Hawkins Field Airport,
according to authorities. The plane wasn’t part of CAP’s fleet, and the
men weren’t on a CAP mission; they were headed to a Federal Aviation
Administration safety meeting in Raymond, Miss., about 30 miles away.
“The CAP family is deeply saddened by this tremendous loss,” said
Col. Carlton Sumner, Mississippi Wing commander. “These fine men served
selflessly in the military and/or in CAP. Their legacy will be marked by
tireless service, devotion to duty and with great personal integrity
and character. They touched innumerable lives as friends, business
associates, mentors, instructors and leaders.”
“My condolences go out to the families of these great Americans,”
Sumner said. “May their families know their service to the members of
their respective communities as Civil Air Patrol volunteers was greatly
appreciated and was in keeping with the highest traditions of the
organization.”
Maj. Gen. Chuck Carr, CAP national commander, cited the “tremendous
loss suffered by Civil Air Patrol.” In a message to the organization’s
61,000 members nationwide, he said, “Each of us in the CAP family is
shocked and saddened by this loss, and I ask that you keep the victims,
their families and friends in your thoughts and prayers during this very
difficult time.”
Tilton, who joined CAP in February 1998, was 65. He had served as the
Mississippi Wing’s safety officer since June 2011. His wife, Col.
Rebecca Tilton, is the wing’s government relations adviser.
Tilton served as Alabama Wing commander from April 2002-February 2006
and as Southeast Region commander from February-October 2006, then as
national safety officer from October 2006-December 2007. He served as an
at-large member of CAP’s Board of Governors from August 2007-November
2009.
He was an experienced aviator, having flown as a helicopter pilot in
the U.S. Army, where he retired as a lieutenant colonel and held FAA
qualifications as a certified flight instructor.
Williams, who also served as the McKinnie squadron’s operations and
standardization/evaluation officer, joined CAP in August 1994. He was
69.
He previously served as the wing’s vice commander, chief of staff and
director of operations. He had also been the McKinnie squadron’s deputy
commander and Web security administrator for the Singing River
Composite Squadron.
Williams' aviation credentials included military service as an Air
Force F-101 fighter pilot, and he held FAA qualifications as a certified
flight instructor.
Young joined CAP in May 2011. He was 78. His aviation credentials
also included qualifications as an FAA certified flight instructor.
RIP Colonel John Tilton
John Edward Tilton, Jr., beloved husband, father, and grandfather,
passed from this life on November 13, 2012, leaving behind scores of
dear friends and colleagues, and a lifelong record of service to his
country and his community.Born into a family legacy of military service,
John attended Georgia Military Academy and The Citadel before
completing his degree at Georgia State University in 1970. He enlisted
into the United States Army that same year and spent over 20 years
serving his country as a pilot and officer, both in the active Army and
the Army Reserves, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. John received over a
dozen decorations and service badges, including the coveted Bronze Star
Award and the Master Aviator Badge. After an illustrious career in the
military, John turned his service to his community through the Civil Air
Patrol, where he held the rank of Colonel and served in a variety of
leadership roles including Alabama Wing Commander, Southeast Region
Commander, National Safety Officer, a member of the Board of Governors.
John's exceptional skills as a pilot and a teacher were well known to
colleagues and family, who were often heard to say "if it flies, John
can fly it." His love of the air led him to pilot gliders, helicopters,
prop planes, jets, float planes, and hot air balloons. He was a
Certified Flight Instructor and a corporate pilot for companies such as
Energy Helicopters, Magic Express Airlines, and The Southern Company,
from which he retired. Over his military and private careers, John
accumulated over 18,000 flight hours.Within this talented professional
man lived a kind, gentle, and loving spirit who was at his happiest when
he was helping and supporting others. Quick with a joke, John was
equally quick to make everyone he touched feel special, valued, and
unconditionally loved. In 2007, he met his soul mate, Becky, and after
their marriage in 2008, devoted himself to their life together and love
for one another. In today's world, it is rare to find what used to be
called a "renaissance man" - one whose interests and talents are diverse
and profound. John Tilton was such a man, as comfortable researching
his family's genealogy as he was tending his roses. Everything about
John was positive, patient, and uplifting, and his spirit was as light
as the hot air balloon he so loved and piloted in his later years.
John's
life and love lives on in those he loved and who loved him, including
his beloved wife, Becky, his daughters, Allison Gale Tilton Clark (Ray),
Natalie Anne Tilton Lloyd (Brandon), his son, John Edward Tilton, III,
his stepdaughter Larissa (Lacey) Greer Bran Hughes (Heath), stepson,
Gregory Joseph Brand, II, grandchildren, Layne and Shelby Clark, Niko
Lloyd, Ava Greer, Layla Westyn Hughes, and Tabatha Baum, his sister
Connie Bryant (Jack), nephew Johnny Bryant and niece Kim Bryant, brother
in law Sonny (R.E.) Dyer, and mother in law Sara Ferguson. John was
predeceased by his parents, John Edward Tilton, Sr., and Ruby Tilton.
A
memorial service celebrating John's life will be held at 3:00 p.m. on
Sunday, November 18, 2012 at Raymond Road Baptist Church in Jackson, MS,
with visitation from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. at the Church. In keeping with
his extraordinary life of service to country, family, and community,
John's last resting place will be Arlington National Cemetery.
-----
UPDATE: Civil Air Patrol won't release findings of investigation, by John Nolan with the Dayton Daily News, August 5, 2012:
The Civil Air Patrol, a 70-year-old nonprofit that operates as an
official U.S. Air Force auxiliary and receives tens of millions of
dollars in federal funding annually for search and rescue and other
operations, won’t release findings of an internal investigation into
allegations its historians stole donated artifacts.
Volunteer
historians in the Civil Air Patrol’s historical foundation have alleged
for more than a year that the organization fails to properly account for
uniforms and memorabilia entrusted to its care and that some of its
historians have stolen those donated items.
The Civil Air Patrol, a
61,000-member nationwide organization, investigated those allegations
and completed an internal report in March, but refuses to make the
findings public, contending that this is a private matter not subject to
public scrutiny.
The historical foundation uses the Civil Air
Patrol’s name and is populated by its members. But the CAP’s leaders
said the historical foundation is a legally separate nonprofit
organization not covered by the Freedom of Information Act, a law that
allows the public to obtain copies of government records.
The
Civil Air Patrol’s national commander, Maj. Gen. Charles L. Carr Jr. of
Columbus, and senior officials at its national headquarters at Maxwell
Air Force Base, Montgomery, Ala., refused repeated requests from the
Dayton Daily News and its lawyer to see the organization’s investigative
report.
Carr declined to discuss any details of the report.
“There
was no evidence of wrongdoing whatsoever,” Carr said. “I can assure you
that if there was any evidence of wrongdoing, actions would have been
taken.”
Rafael Robles, general counsel of the Civil Air Patrol,
said that even if anyone had been disciplined, the organization would
not disclose it.
“CAP is under no ethical or legal obligation to
provide the results of our internal investigation. Any findings and/or
personnel actions taken are private and deemed confidential,” Robles
wrote in an email responding to written questions from the Dayton Daily
News.
Richard Anderson, a Virginia state legislator who is a
member of the CAP’s board of governors, its governing entity, said that
releasing the CAP’s internal report would expose the identities of
people who were interviewed for it.
The Air Force, which oversees
and provides operational funding for the Civil Air Patrol, said it does
not have the report and isn’t entitled to it because the historical
foundation is beyond the reach of the Air Force.
“The Civil Air
Patrol is established, in part, to serve as an auxiliary of the Air
Force and chartered by Congress as a private, nonprofit corporation. The
scope and authority of the Secretary of the Air Force depends on the
specific CAP function being performed,” said Maj. Jennifer Spires, an
Air Force spokeswoman at the Pentagon. “The alleged misuse of historic
aviation artifacts by CAP, and any corollary investigation, is a matter
properly within CAP’s corporate status and outside of its role as an
auxiliary of the Air Force.”
The Civil Air Patrol, founded in
1941, is a civilian entity organized on a military model. It has three
congressionally assigned key missions: emergency services including
search and rescue, and disaster relief operations; aerospace education
for youth and the public; and cadet programs for teenagers. That
included the 2012 national cadet competition in June at Wright State
University’s Nutter Center.
The organization is heavily dependent
on the Air Force, with its national headquarters and many of its state
wing organizations maintaining their offices on Air Force bases. Through
the Air Force, the Civil Air Patrol was allocated $37.7 million in
federal funding this year for operations, maintenance, and aircraft and
vehicle procurement. That funding does not extend to the CAP’s legally
separate historical foundation, the Air Force said.
The
misappropriation, or at least undocumented handling, of donated
historical items undermines confidence in the Civil Air Patrol, its
historians said.
“We would ask where it was, and we wouldn’t get
any answers,” said Ed O’Brien, a Civil Air Patrol historian, deputy
squadron commander and member of its Colorado Wing, based in Denver. “I
found out that some of the stuff I’d sent in never got accounted for.”
O’Brien
said he accepted a family’s donation of the military footlocker, and
uniform brass and silver decorations, of the late John F. Curry, who
served in the Army Air Corps, was the first national commander of the
Civil Air Patrol, oversaw Dayton’s former McCook Field military facility
and supervised the 1920s construction of Wright Field, now part of
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
The Curry items were supposed to
have been displayed at the Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum
in Denver or at the Civil Air Patrol’s national headquarters, O’Brien
said.
“And it wasn’t. I don’t know why. It was never returned here,” he said. “I did get a receipt, which I sent on to the family.”
The
internal investigation also focused on what happened to a military
uniform and hat donated to James Shaw, now the Civil Air Patrol’s
national curator, by Adair Nunnally Pizer, of Valdosta, Ga. Pizer said
the items had belonged to her late husband, George Winship Nunnally, a
successful Atlanta businessman and early founder of the CAP and its
Georgia Wing, and that she personally entrusted them to Shaw, of
Leesburg, Ga.
“We just wanted it to go into the collection of the Civil Air Patrol,” Pizer said last week.
She
said Shaw told her he arranged for display of the items at a CAP
meeting on Jekyll Island, Ga., and at Robins Air Force Base, Ga.
But
other CAP historians complained about a May 2009 online posting
attributed to Shaw on a CAP chat website that made this reference to the
Nunnally uniform: “There is a uniform in my private collection that
belonged to the first (Georgia Wing) commander. … The widow gave me the
uniform several years ago, along with pictures of him.”
Shaw,
reached at his Georgia home, referred questions to the CAP’s national
headquarters. Carr, the CAP’s national commander, wrote in a March 2012
letter that the internal investigation had been completed and he would
give Shaw, identified only as the national curator, a “verbal
counseling.”
It isn’t the first sign of trouble for the Civil Air
Patrol. A March 2011 inquiry by the Air Force inspector general,
prompted by complaints from within the Civil Air Patrol, said the
organization has suffered for years from turmoil and political
infighting at its highest ranks.
Most of the 25 witnesses
interviewed for that report “blamed the turmoil on CAP’s acrimonious
political culture” and said the organization had a patronage system and
separate entities that competed for governing authority, the Air Force
investigators concluded. They recommended that the CAP consider
improvements to its governing structure.
In 2007, the CAP ousted
its then-national commander, Antonio J. Pineda, over allegations that
another CAP member had taken tests for him at the Air Force’s Air
Command and Staff College in 2002 and 2003. Pineda’s successor, Amy S.
Courter, the CAP’s first female national commander, later complained of
lack of cooperation from senior CAP officials in the organization she
inherited.
Most of the CAP’s ranks are volunteers, outside of a
paid staff at the national headquarters. Despite the organization’s
high-level turmoil, its membership is steady and it performs its
missions capably, the Air Force inspector general’s report noted.
“The
Civil Air Patrol is a very vibrant organization,” said Carr, its
current national commander. “Our people are very dedicated in what they
do.”
---------
3 Civil Air Patrol volunteers die looking for marijuana
On July 17, 2002, about 1522 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172S,
N928CP, registered to the Civil Air Patrol, Inc., crashed while
maneuvering in the vicinity of Tyner, North Carolina. Visual
meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the
local, public-use, counter-drug mission flight, from the Northeastern
Regional Airport, Edenton, North Carolina. The aircraft was destroyed
and a private-rated pilot, a commercially-rated copilot, and an observer
received fatal injuries. The aircraft departed Northeastern Regional
Airport, Edenton, North Carolina, at about 1300.
According to the personnel from the Chowan County Sheriff's
Department and the Civil Air Patrol, the aircraft was being utilized in
marijuana crop spotting. Another Civil Air Patrol aircraft was
conducting the same mission in adjacent areas of the county. Witnesses
observed both aircraft maneuvering in different areas throughout the
county during the morning and afternoon at altitudes of about 300 to 500
feet above ground level (agl), with occasional maneuvering at lower
altitudes. On the pass that N928CP crashed, witnesses stated the
aircraft was in a large clockwise orbit, and was noticeably lower than
300 to 500 feet agl. A sputtering noise was heard by one witness, and
another stated there was no engine sound at all just before she observed
the aircraft depart normal upright flight. From an altitude of about
120 to 150 feet agl, she saw the aircraft simultaneously nose over
vertically and commence a right half roll into the terrain.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The pilot-in-command and left seat occupant, age 38, was the holder
of a private-pilot certificate with airplane single engine land, and
instrument airplane ratings. He was issued a Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) second-class medical certificate on October 24,
2000, with no limitations. He was a First Lieutenant in the Civil Air
Patrol's, (CAP) North Carolina Unit 137. A review of his pilot logbook
revealed his last biennial flight review required by 14 FAR 61.56
occurred on May 15, 2001. He logged a total time of approximately 577
hours, of which 294 were in the accident make and model airplane. Of the
577 total time logged, 552 hours were as pilot-in-command. His logbook
reflected he received his first CAP pilot checkout in March 1997. He had
completed the CAP Cannabis Detection Course in May 1997, in the Cessna
172 type aircraft. CAP records revealed his most recent CAP flight check
occurred on February 22, 2002; and was flown in a Cessna 182R airplane.
The second-in-command and right seat occupant, age 46, was a Captain
in the CAP's North Carolina Unit 153, and was the holder of a commercial
pilot certificate with airplane single engine land, rotorcraft
helicopter, and instrument airplane ratings. His was issued a FAA second
class medical certificate on October 7, 2001, with no imitations.
Examination of CAP flight records for the pilot showed his most recent
biennial flight review required by 14 FAR 61.56 occurred on February 8,
2002.
The observer, seated in the rear seat was not a licensed pilot and
was on his first drug spotting mission which he volunteered for. He was a
deputy with the Chowan County Sheriff's office.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The airplane was manufactured in 2001, as a Cessna model 172S, serial
number 172S8916, and was certificated in the normal and utility
categories. At the time of manufacture, the airplane was equipped with a
Textron Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180-horsepower engine, and a McCauley
1A170E/JHA7660 fixed pitch propeller.
The airplane was last inspected on May 31, 2002, in accordance with
an annual inspection, at a recorded tachometer time and aircraft total
time of 299.1 hours. The airplane had accumulated approximately 74 hours
since the inspection at the time of the accident.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
A METAR weather observation taken from the Elizabeth City Coast Guard
Air Station/Regional Airport at 1454 hours (approximately 28 minutes
before the accident) indicates the wind was variable at 3 knots, the
visibility was 10 statute miles, clear skies existed, the temperature
and dew point were 33 and 18 degrees Celsius, respectively, and the
altimeter setting was 30.03 inHg. The accident site was located 24.7
nautical miles and 280 degrees from the airport.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The airplane crashed into a cotton field during daylight hours behind
a residence located at 644 Happy Home Road. The accident site was
located at 36 degrees 15.390 minutes North latitude and 076 degrees
37.040 minutes West longitude, or about 16.0 nautical miles north of the
departure airport.
Examination of the accident site revealed the airplane came to rest
inverted on an easterly heading; all components necessary to sustain
flight remained attached to the airplane. A ground scar measuring 23
feet in length with red colored lens was located just forward of the
left wing nearly perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the airplane.
Another ground scar was located near the engine which remained attached
to the airframe. The engine, engine mount, and engine cowling were
crushed rearward. Chordwise crushing was noted to the leading edges of
both wings; the left wing was partly detached at the wing root and was
displaced aft. The right wing was also displaced aft; the inboard corner
of the right wing flap penetrated the fuselage. The only damage to the
empennage was slight impact bending of the tip of the vertical
stabilizer. No evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction was noted to
the flight control system for roll, pitch, or yaw. The flap selector
and actuator were found positioned and extended 10 degrees,
respectively. The right cockpit door was separated but found in close
proximity to the main wreckage. The elevator trim tab was found
positioned 10 degrees trailing edge tab up. Examination of the fuel
system revealed the right fuel tank was not compromised, while the left
fuel tank and the header tank were compromised. No fuel was noted in the
fuel gascolator, while 1/2 teaspoon of fuel was noted in the inlet area
of the fuel injection servo. Examination of the engine revealed the
throttle and mixture controls at the partially separated fuel injection
servo were full open and full rich, respectively.
Examination of the cockpit revealed the fuel selector was positioned
to the "both" position. The auxiliary fuel pump switch was in the "off"
position; impact damage to the switch assembly was noted. The fuel flow
gauge was indicating 8.0 gallons-per-hour. The throttle and mixture
controls were "full-in."
Examination of the engine revealed crankshaft, camshaft, and valve
train continuity. Suction and compression was noted in all cylinders
with rotation of the crankshaft. The right magneto which remained
securely attached to the accessory case was noted to produce spark at
all ignition leads with hand rotation of the crankshaft. Impact damage
to the flange of the left magneto was noted; rotation of the magneto
drive shaft by hand was noted to produce spark at all ignition towers.
The oil suction and fuel injector screens were clean. The engine-driven
fuel pump mount arm and flange were broken; a trace amount of 100
low-lead fuel was found in the flow valve chambers of the pump.
Examination of the fixed pitch propeller revealed both blades were
bent aft to varying degrees and both exhibited chordwise scratches on
the cambered side of the blade. Also, both exhibited minor nicks on the
leading edges.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
Postmortem examinations of the pilot, copilot, and rear seat occupant
were performed by the Chapel Hill, North Carolina, medical examiner's
office. The cause of death for all was related to blunt force injuries.
Toxicological analysis of specimens of the pilot and copilot were
performed by the FAA Toxicology and Accident Research Laboratory,
located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The results of analysis of specimens
of both were negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, ethanol, and tested
drugs.
TEST AND RESEARCH
Examination and bench testing of the fuel injection servo (servo),
fuel injector nozzles, fuel injector lines, and flow divider was
performed with NTSB oversight at a FAA certified repair station.
Examination of the servo revealed it had impact damage and the mixture
control shaft and the throttle control lever were bent to varying
degrees, and the throttle stop bushing was missing. Additionally, the
idle adjustment screw was found backed out. Bench testing of the servo
as received revealed the fuel flow in terms of pounds-per-hour was
greater than the specified service limits; however, fuel flow was noted
from idle to full throttle. The impact damaged mixture control shaft was
removed and replaced, and a replacement throttle stop bushing was
installed. With the throttle positioned to the idle position and the
replacement throttle stop bushing installed, the throttle valve was
contacting servo bore (.006 inch clearance required). The servo was then
bench tested which revealed no discrepancies related to fuel flow at
any position above the idle position. Visual examination of the flow
divider revealed the manufacturer's part number "2576556-1", and serial
number "0248722", were vibro peened onto the unit. The engine
manufacturer's assembly number "63B22997-Assy" was also vibro peened
onto the unit. The cover was safety wired with no lead seal noted. Bench
testing of the flow divider revealed the unit opened at 2.0 psi, and
was noted to operate normally. Disassembly of the flow divider after
testing revealed no evidence of contamination; the spring was not failed
and the measured free length of the spring was less than .750 inch.
Bench testing of all four fuel injector nozzles revealed a correct spray
pattern. No obstructions of the fuel injector lines were noted.
Review of the airplane maintenance records revealed no evidence that
the flow divider had been removed, replaced, or overhauled. Further,
there were no recorded engine related discrepancies on the "Aircraft
Discrepancy Report" sheet for the accident airplane. The sheet
contained 7 entries, with the first recorded date of November 13, 2001,
and the last recorded date of May 5, 2002.
According to a representative of the manufacturer of the flow divider
(Precision Airmotive Corporation), it was manufactured with a 2.0 pound
spring as required by the flow divider part number 2576556-1. The
spring installed in the accident flow divider at the time of the
accident was a 2.0 pound spring based on the measured free length.
Additionally, the safety wire pattern on the cover was consistent with
that of the pattern used during manufacturing. The representative of the
manufacturer of the flow divider further reported that a lead seal is
not used during safety wiring of the cover.
At the time of manufacture of the accident engine, the required flow
divider was Lycoming assembly number "63B22997", which equates to a
Precision Airmotive Corporation part number "2576556-1."
One emergency medical technician who was on the scene within minutes
of the crash, reported a stream of fuel the size of a finger leaking
from the left wing root area; the stream of fuel was noted to last an
estimated 15-20 minutes. Most other responders stated they smelled no
strong smell of fuel within minutes of arriving at the wreckage.
Additionally, the Civil Air Patrol party to the investigation member
stated he visited the scene after the investigative team had departed
and reported seeing chemically burned crop. He also reported digging
into the soil in the area where the airplane had come to rest and
smelling the odor of fuel in the dirt he extracted.
Fuel consumptions calculations indicate that based on witness
accounts pertaining to takeoff and landing times, fueling information,
and the number of flights performed, the airplane was estimated to have
approximately 15.3 gallons of fuel on-board at the time of the accident.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The airplane minus the retained fuel injection servo, fuel injector
nozzles, fuel injector lines, flow divider, laminated passenger briefing
card, Civil Air Patrol (CAP) checklist, Cessna laminated "Pilot's
Checklist", and Jeppesen Low altitude IFR chart was released to Gary K.
Woodsmall of the Civil Air Patrol on July 19, 2002. The retained
components were released to Gary K. Woodsmall, on August 20, 2004.
----------
Civil Air Patrol's 24 year old colonel: Meet Colonel Benjamin F Emerick, Rhode Island Wing commander:
Brigadier General Amy S. Courter, the new interim National Commander of the Civil Air Patrol - CAP's future is in capable hands:
Tony Pineda and Amy Courter during happier times on Aug. 10, 2006 in Reno, Nevada:
Steve Fossett Videos:
High Flight by John Gillespie Magee, Jr.:
Update: Where Ed Dames said Fossett crashed (A on the map) and where they found the plane wreckage (B on the map):
Ed Dames Video:
Madera County sheriff John Anderson on finding Steve Fossetts Wreckage:
Steve Fossett Wreckage Found: MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. Wreckage found in the rugged eastern mountains of California is that of Steve Fossett's airplane, the Madera County sheriff said Thursday, adding that missing adventurer's craft appeared to have crashed head-on into the mountainside. Crews conducting an aerial search late Wednesday spotted what turned out to be the wreckage in the Inyo National Forest near the town of Mammoth Lakes, Sheriff John Anderson said. They confirmed around 11 p.m. that the tail number matched Fossett's single-engine Bellanca plane, he said. Anderson said no human remains were found in the wreckage. Teams led by the sheriff's department would continue the search for remains Thursday, while the National Transportation Safety Board was en route to probe the cause of the crash, he said. Most of the fuselage disintegrated on impact, and the engine was found several hundred feet away, Anderson said. Searchers began combing the rugged terrain on Wednesday after a hiker found identification documents belonging to Fossett earlier in the week. The wreckage was found about a quarter-mile from where hiker Preston Morrow made his discovery Monday. The IDs provided the first possible clue about Fossett's whereabouts since he disappeared Sept. 3, 2007, after taking off from a Nevada ranch owned by hotel magnate Barron Hilton. Aviators had previously flown over Mammoth Lakes, about 90 miles south of the ranch, in the search for Fossett, but it had not been considered a likely place to find the plane. The most intense searching was concentrated north of the town, given what searchers knew about sightings of Fossett's plane, his plans for when he had intended to return and the amount of fuel he had in the plane. A judge declared Fossett legally dead in February following a search for the famed aviator that covered 20,000 square miles. Juliana Barbassa reported from San Francisco. Associated Press writers Jason Dearen and Malia Wollan in San Francisco; Scott Sonner in Reno, Nev.; and Alicia Chang and Jacob Adelman in Los Angeles also contributed to this report. From Google Earth (Steve Fossett crash site):
Ed Dames said Steve Fossett crashed in the Sierra Nevadas at 10,000 feet, but he had the exact crash location wrong:
REMEMBERING GENERAL SPAATZ: 1970 National Board picture of General Carl "Tooey" Spaatz and your blogger. This picture was taken on Saturday night, October 10, 1970 at the Statler Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. It was the Civil Air Patrol National Board Banquet. General Spaatz was very friendly and outgoing to this writer from the Vancouver Composite Squadron. General Spaatz served as the first USAF Chief of Staff. General Spaatz died in 1974 and is buried at the Air Force Academy. I remember how with a sly smile he deftly hid his gin and tonic in his left hand when this picture was taken. In the old days the Spaatzen had the pleasure of meeting the General, but now you can get a coin, maybe even one flown in space by a Spaatzen astronaut!
UPDATE: On October 2, 2007, the Civil Air Patrol Board of Governors voted 9-1 to remove Antonio Pineda from his position as National Commander. Shortly after his dismissal from CAP, Pineda received his third star in his Florida pool from his chief hunting dog, Semper Vig. We wish Lt. General Pineda, United States Ranger Corps, good luck with his new USA Rangers program. General Courter is the first woman National Commander and she is a reformer. Its refreshing to see CAP elect such a talented and courageous young civic leader like General Courter. She has been a friendly and approachable commander, a good choice for CAP now. General Courter will leave behind as part of her legacy an emphasis on safety and the CAP Civic Leadership Academy. I remember one CAP cadet from our squadron, James Oppel, who died at 14 on a Civil Air Patrol activity. As General Courter says, parents expect their children to come home the same or better than when they left for a CAP activity. After 3 years on the job, General Courter has to be burnt out. Her last year will be to wean a new National Commander. That person will be decided soon, we hope a person of the caliber of Colonel Carr or better is selected. Its critical he or she can work with General Courter. General Courter has been very good for the Civil Air Patrol.
PREDICTION (made 7/31/2010): We move towards a kinder, gentler and safer CAP.....we heartily endorse Colonel Charles L. "Chuck" Carr, Jr., Great Lakes Region Commander, in the upcoming election to be National Vice Commander. Colonel Carr has an impressive array of credentials and will do a great job as a future CAP National Commander. The present vice commander, General Chitwood, is an outstanding candidate as well, but he does not get along with our present National Commander. After 3 years, most National Commanders are burnt out on the job. CAP needs a Vice Commander who will have a good working relationship with General Courter and be able to fill in for her when needed during her fourth year (usual term is 3 years). That person is Colonel Carr. CAP is fortunate to have such a talented and capable governing body now: composed of six Air Force generals, four CAP members including CAP Generals Courter and Chitwood and former Spaatz cadets General Anderson and Lt. Colonel Ned Lee, and Paul L. Graziani from the civilian sector. One of the newest persons on the CAP Board of Governors is Judge Ned Lee from California. A surprisingly good choice for many reasons, Ned has a solid perspective on the cadet program and he tells the troops what is happening. Bottom line, leaders like Courter, Carr and Lee are advocates of badly needed reform. The reformers will be attacked. One site attacks these leaders daily. But in this fight the good folks are winning. Chitwood has solid support, but its not close to enough votes to win. A vote for Carr is a vote to continue the reforms started with General Courter. UPDATE: General Carr is elected as Vice Commander. Congratulations to General Carr. Good things are being reported about how General Carr is handling his new job; we hope he stays on for another 3 years. We will full heartedly support General Carr if he should decide to run for National Commander in 2011. CAP has some good leaders in place, the future looks bright.
-------
For the CAP, there is good reason to believe the best is yet ahead. The governing body of the Civil Air Patrol is flexing its muscles and providing real leadership, 9 generals, Judge Ned Lee and industry leader Paul L. Graziani, who was renominated because of his valuable contributions to the Board of Governors.
General Hopper, BoG Chairman, is putting a lot of emphasis on honoring the volunteer for his or her service, holding the volunteer leaders accountable and helping put the Air Force back in the CAP. Congratulations to General Anderson for his election as Vice Chairman of the BoG. Look for a kinder, gentler and safer Civil Air Patrol in the future.
WE SALUTE THE CAP BOARD OF GOVERNORS - EXCELLENCE IN ACTION!
AIR FORCE APPOINTED MEMBERS
Maj. Gen. John M. Speigel, USAF (Ret.) Lockheed Martin Enterprise Solutions & Services, BoG Vice Chairman
Lt. Gen. John D. Hopper Jr., USAF (Ret.) CEO, Air Force Aid Society
Lt. Gen. Nicholas B. Kehoe, USAF (Ret.)
Maj. Gen. Garry C. Dean, USAF Commander, CONUS NORAD Region, 1st Air Force
CIVIL AIR PATROL APPOINTED MEMBERS
Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter, CAP National Commander
Brig. Gen. Chuck Carr, CAP National Vice Commander
Brig. Gen. Richard L. Anderson, BoG Chairman, CAP Member-at-Large, Spaatz #193, BoG Chairman
INDUSTRY, GOVERNMENT AND EDUCATION APPOINTED MEMBERS
Maj. Gen. Susan L. Pamerleau, USAF retired
Brig. Gen. Sanford “Sandy” Schlitt, USAF retired
Mr. Paul L. Graziani President and CEO, Analytical Graphics, Inc.
Remember when the Civil Air Patrol was hip? Do you remember the Room 222 television series from the 1970's? "Pat" Cody and Walt Whitman Cadet Squadron:
Our Squadron Commander, Major Jethro of Beverly Hills Composite Squadron has this important message:
------ Civil Air Patrol Core Values:
-------
If you don't have this freedom of the press, then all these little fellows are weaseling around and doing their monkey business and they never get caught. ~Harold R. Medina
The populist authoritarianism that is the downside of political correctness means that anyone, sometimes it seems like everyone, can proclaim their grief and have it acknowledged. The victim culture, every sufferer grasping for their own Holocaust, ensures that anyone who feels offended can call for moderation, for dilution, and in the end, as is all too often the case, for censorship. And censorship, that by-product of fear - stemming as it does not from some positive agenda, but from the desire to escape our own terrors and superstitions by imposing them on others - must surely be resisted. ~Jonathon Green, "Did You Say 'Offensive?'," as posted on wordwizard.com
Just once in a while let us exalt the importance of ideas and information.
Edward R. Murrow
Enough blogging already, grab those binoculars, lets go find a U Boat:
Two National Commanders, Amy Courter and Chuck Carr:
We are the C.A.P. we're on the go.
We're always, always, always on the go.
We are ready in peace, ready in war,
Ready for what we're needed for,
THE C.A.P. IS ON THE GO.
Down on the ground, up in the blue,
Set to protect the living likes of you,
From training cadets to flying patrol,
With air supremacy our goal,
We of the C.A.P. want you to know,
We're always, always, always on the go.
In this land of the free,
We'll protect our liberty,
So feel secure to know,
That the Civil Air Patrol is on the go.
Written by Miss Dorothy Robinson, CAP & WAC Officer (wrote Words & Lyrics)
Premiered the second week of May 1942
Yakima Squadron
Washington Wing
"First Official National Song of the CAP" - Earle Johnson, Lt Col, NHQ (13 May 1942)
* Song was Lost by National Headquarters during WWII; Found in Jan 2011
"The Civil Air Patrol" Song
When drummers beat to marching feet
With patriotic cheer,
And soldiers join the rhythm of the band,
In the army of our country's volunteers
Are the pilots of our land.
We're off to join the army of our country's home defense,
We're off to wear the uniform of patriotic gents,
We've pledged to do our share,
We're masters of the air,
The Civil Air Patrol
We've learned to use the courtesies of military set,
Our discipline's the same as that of Uncle Sam's Cadets,
We all have had our day,
We've passed our C.A.A,
The Civil Air Patrol.
We're volunteers for Uncle Sam,
We're training to defend our land,
We're the wings of home defense,
We're pilots,
We're observers,
In the army of the sky.
We're fighting for the right to keep our flag forever high,
We've pledged to do our share,
We're masters of the air,
The Civil Air Patrol.
Pat Tillman - An American Hero - Killed in Afghanistan - We Salute Veterans and 911 First Responders - Thank You For Your Service! Please America, Never Forget our POWs. May They All Be Accounted For.
"During my senior year I joined Skull and Bones, a secret society, so secret I can’t say anything more." President George W. Bush, in his autobiography, A Charge to Keep.
Our Exceeded Expectations Award (We Think He Was Number One) Goes to Senator Chris Dodd - One of the Eight Democratic Candidates in the February 21, 2007 Carson City Forum - Jean Dixon Photo
Islam Friendly Websites (thanks to Aba-Alharith, Paltalk's "Islam Answers Back" in Social Issues)
Thank you to all the veterans for their service to our country and happy birthday to the Marines who celebrate their 232 anniversary.
Obituary:
A memorial observance in Southern California for NASA research pilot and long-time Civil Air Patrol Pacific Region official Edwin W. Lewis Jr. is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 30, at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base. The observance will begin at 1 p.m. in Hangar 4802 and is expected to last about one hour. 
Obituary:
Memorial Service/Celebration of Life for Col. Dion E. DeCamp will begin at 1:00 pm, December 10, 2007 at the Wilbur D. May Museum Center in Rancho San Rafael Park, 1595 North Sierra, Reno, NV. There will be a pot-luck with refreshments directly after the services.
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. – Two nationally recognized and highly regarded members of the Civil Air Patrol – Col. Edwin W. Lewis Jr., director of operations for CAP’s Pacific Region, and Col. Dion E. DeCamp, commander of CAP’s Nevada Wing – died Thursday evening when their CAP plane crashed south of Las Vegas.
