8/4/2019 2011 IACE- By C/Capt. Victor Santos, CAP

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  2011 IACE Netherlands Written By C/Capt. Victor Santos, CAP 

Nothing puts everything in perspective more than traveling to a different country and

experiencing the culture and lifestyle of the people that live there. This past summer I was given a uniqueopportunity to serve as a cadet ambassador to the Netherlands as part of the 2011 International Air Cadet Exchange

(IACE). If there was ever an activity worth waiting to be eligible for, then this would be that activity. To

summarize my IACE experience is difficult to do in a short article, however I hope you enjoy hearing about the

many fun and interesting things I was able to do.

The IACE program can be broken up into two separate parts. The first being the “DC phase” where

cadets and escorts gather in Washington D.C. Here is the first time that I met my escort face to face due to the fact

that cadets and escorts are chosen from wings throughout the entire United States. After meeting my escort,

Captain Scott Johnson from Minnesota Wing, we were able to meet other CAP members going to other countries

around the world. One of the highlights of the DC Phase is the day touring D.C. where I, along with my escort and

the Belgium IACE Delegation, spent the day visiting a number of memorials, the Old Post Office, the Washington

Monument and the White House. That evening we dressed up in our formal uniform and had a “Miss Manners”

dinner where we were taught the basics we would later use at the formal dinners overseas. Once dinner was over 

we readied our bags for travel day. My flight to the Netherlands took me from Washington D.C. through

Baltimore to Schipol Airport located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. My escort and I were immediately greeted by

our Dutch Escorts who had been waiting at the airport as cadets from all over were flying in. After waiting a few

hours for the rest of the cadets to fly in, we made our way by bus to an Army Base located in Harskamp,

 Netherlands. Before the base each of us was issued an ID that would give us access to the various army and air 

force bases we would be visiting throughout our stay. The barracks we stayed in held four to a room and I chose a

room with a cadet from Germany, the United Kingdom and France. By the end of the day our group consisted of 

twenty-nine cadets coming from Australia, Hong Kong, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Belgium, the United

Kingdom, Israel, South Korea, France, Turkey and the United States.

The next few days brought us all over the northern part of the Netherlands. We visited the European

Space Agency which was very interesting due to the fact that I had never really heard the European side of the

space program and all of the work they have been putting in. Our tour guide brought us through the many different

facilities which included a giant shaker, were equipment going into space is tested for its ability to withstand the

vibrations and shaking it will experience on its way to space. The shakers could shake equipment and satellites

that weighed up to 22,000 lbs. We were able to visit an exhibit for the International Space Station where our guidehighlighted the various European contributions and their functions. After spending the day looking around at the

different exhibits and facilities we ended the day with a 3D virtual tour of the space station which was a really cool

experience. The following day we were brought to visit Delft

University, the oldest and largest public university in the

 Netherlands. There we visited a number of research facilities

where graduate students studying aerospace engineering were

conducting test in all kinds of different wind tunnels. Here is

where we also got to enter and look at a full motion flight

simulator that aerospace engineering students use to familiarize

themselves with different aircraft systems. Following lunch at

the university we made our way to the city itself where we got

to shop and look around until it was time to head back to the

 base. The highlight of the next few days was getting theopportunity to go gliding with a local gliding club. We spent

the entire afternoon gliding, but what made it different than

other gliding experiences was the fact that the gliders were

winched launched where you hit over 1,000 feet in altitude is

 just a matter of seconds and the fact that the gliders had the

ability to do aerobatics. The first few days of my stay were

 busy, but getting to know the other cadets made it so much better.

Towards the middle of stay we visited Volkel Airbase where we spent the entire day looking and learning

about the F-16. The F-16 comprises much of the Dutch military’s air power. During the tour we spent time

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Document Titlein simulators in which we ran through startup, takeoff and landing as well as a few different scenarios where we

got dogfight against other fighters. I was able to suit up in full flight gear and sit in an actual F-16 while the flight

instructors familiarized us with the cockpit and the different missions their F-16s fly. The highlight of the day is

when we got to witness an F-16 start up, taxi and

takeoff. What made this different was the fact

that we got so close to the fighter as it started up

and taxied away. During takeoff we were only

about 20 feet from the runway when we see the F

-16 rolling towards us. It then lifts off and kicksover so that it comes directly over us at about 60

feet. It was definitely a remarkable experience.

The following day after looking at helicopters we

were led in physical training by our Dutch Air 

Force escorts. We did log PT which included

sprints, pushups, situps, log lifts and an obstacle

course where we had to take the log with us

through each obstacle. Although very tiring, it

was a lot of fun getting a little dirty in the grass,

sand and mud. After a good night’s sleep we

made our way across the border into Belgium

were we met up with the Belgium IACE Group

and played a game of soccer, where unfortunately our team lost. It was nice to get to have some fun with the

Belgium group that also had a few Civil Air Patrol members.The last few days of the trip was spent with the host families. Families whose children have gone on IACE

volunteered to take 2-3 cadets back to their homes for two days. Fortunately enough for me I went to stay with a

family that lived only thirty minutes from the army base. The couple I stayed with was a family that had been to

more states within the United States than I had. The reason was that the husband worked as an Aerospace

Engineer and worked in the states for a number of years before moving back the Netherlands. I really enjoyed my

time with them; we went on bike rides around the area to different museums including the military police, World

War II and Dutch Air Force museum. The World War II Museum was in fact a private museum that showcased

items found in the ground that had been left by World War II. The most interesting part of the day was talking to

my hosts and hearing their stories from World War II and how the war laid waste to the area. The second day of 

my stay with the family we went on a thirty minute bike

ride to the Dutch Princess’s Palace. The palace was

enormous! We spent a few hours just walking through

the hundreds of rooms. Behind the palace was a beautiful garden. After the two days were over I said

my goodbyes and headed back to the army base for the

last day of my stay.

IACE is a different kind of activity. It really

opens your eyes to the different programs similar to that

of Civil Air Patrol’s. After finally getting back to the

United States I realized that what made the trip so

amazing was not the many different bases, museums and

cities we visited, but the people who I met along the

way. I made some very good friendships with cadets

from around the world that I still keep in touch with

today. This activity had been one of my favorite and

most memorable activities I have gone on in my time asa cadet in CAP. I encourage you all to earn your Earhart

Award so you too can experience IACE.

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