arizona wing - nov 2009

8/8/2019 Arizona Wing - Nov 2009

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Progress through Leadership Volume 7, Issue 11 November2009

Office of Public Affairs1Lt Rob Davidson Maj J. Brandon Masangcay

Wing PAO Assistant Wing PAOWingTips Editor-in-Chief

WingTips is published monthly by the Arizona Wing Civil Air Patrol, a private, charitable, benevolent corporation andAuxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of CAP or the U.S. Air Force.WingTips welcomes manuscripts and photographs; however, the Arizona Wing Civil Air Patrol reserves the right to edit orcondense materials submitted and to publish articles as content warrants and space permits. Please send allcorrespondence to WingTips Editor-in-Chief, Maj J. Brandon Masangcay, e-mail: [email protected]

In This Issue

Lt Col William Turner

2

Cell Phone Hero 3 Chief of Staff Comments

4

Chaplains Corner 5

Safety Tip 6

Cadet News - Apache Junction Veterans Day Parade

7

Historian Article 8- 10

AZWG Promotions 11Upcoming Events 12

Final Farewell toFormer Arizona Wing

Director of Aerospace EducationLt Col William H. Turner

Story on page 2

AZWG cell phone expert helps find missingNorth Dakota students - Story on page 3


2/12

Volume 5, Issue 11Page 2

Farewell, BillArt icle b y Lt Col A. Pete Feltz, AZWG DAE

Photos by Maj Rick Yang

Lt Col Bill Tur ner passed away on October 4th and the fu-neral was October 10th at his church, Central ChristianChurch at 933 N. Lindsay Rd.., Mesa, AZ. His funeral waswell attended by Civil Air Patrol members as evidenced bythe attached photos.

Lt Col Turner was the Director of Aerospace Education forArizona for over ten years His accomplishments were wellknown not only in Arizona but at Southwest region and na-tionally. He built and assembled the Arizona Aerospace Edu-cation Museum which has been displayed at many air showsin Arizona and even at the Southwest Region conference inAlbuquerque several years ago. Under his direction the Ari-zona AE program has been number one in the Southwest

region a number of times and reached second place nation-ally. He has received many awards with one of the mostprestigious being the National Frank G. Brewer CAP Memo-rial Aerospace Education Award in 1997. He was also wellknown for his work at the National Congress for AerospaceEducation as a photographer for many years. I have teamedwith him as his assistant for at least ten years and havelearned much from him and enjoyed working with him. Wewere known as the Frick and Frack AE team from Ari-zona. An outstanding, dedicated, and really good man whowill be missed by many. May God bless him.

Lt Col Turners daughter, Martha Dunn,receives the American flag

AZWG cadet s pose next photo collage memorial

Members of the Arizona Wing gather in front of church prior to Services


3/12

Page 3Volume 7, Issue 11

CAP cell phone expert helps find missing North Dakota students

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala . Though there was a tragic outcome to the searchfor three missing Dickinson State University students in North Dakota this week, the casepoints out how a cell phone can be used to locate missing people, many times with hap-

pier results. One of the pioneers in cell phone forensics is Justin Ogden, a captain in theCivil Air Patrols Arizona Wing, whose expertise pinpointed the North Dakota studentscrash site within 730 feet based on information he gleaned from their last cell phone hit.

In a phone conversation with Lt. Col. William E. Kay, director of operations for CAPs North DakotaWing, the emergency manager for Stark County where the ground search was conducted, BrentPringle, stated the students vehicle would not have been found without CAPs assistance. AlthoughCAP had aircrews from Dickinson and Bismarck on the scene with a ground team standing by, it wasOgdens work conducted from a distance that yielded results. Ogden helped search and rescue con-trollers from the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) refine the search area down signifi-cantly from a mile-and-a-half radius to within 730 feet from where the students were finally located.

Under federal law, cell phone companies can voluntarily divulge the cell phone data to federal agen-cies such as the AFRCC when it is being used for lifesaving purposes involving the owner.

Ogden, 28, collects and analyzes data to determine approximate coordinates. Even if a cell phone isnot being used but is still powered up, and within coverage of the network, we can often receiveenough information to allow us to concentrate the search in the right area, he said.

Sometimes cell phone data is merged with other information, such as radar if the search is for a miss-ing aircraft.

According to Ogden, nearly all cell phones and networks have some sort of location sensing methods,whether through GPS (global position system) hardware in the cell phone or through the phone net-

work and towers. With the technology already in place, it is important, he said, to get a cell phone fo-rensic specialist involved early in a search. Once the cell phone battery dies, theres no hope of get-ting GPS type coordinates from that phone, he said.

Ogden, employed by General Dynamics and recently assigned to a new project to develop a nation-wide communications system for the Department of Justice, became interested in radio signals andcomputer programming when he joined CAP at the age of 12 as a cadet. Now as a senior member inCAP, he is routinely called in by the AFRCC to help with searches. Last year he participated in 27search and rescue missions, resulting in the rescue of 19 survivors.As the United States' inland search and rescue coordinator, the AFRCC serves as the single agencyresponsible for coordinating federal search and rescue activities in the 48 contiguous United States.The AFRCC, a unit under Air Forces Northern, operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The cen-

ter directly ties in to the FAA's alerting system and the U.S. Mission Control Center. In addition toSearch and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking information, the AFRCC computer system contains re-source files that list federal and state organizations which can conduct or assist in SAR effortsthroughout North America.

(Source: NHQ Immediate Release, 4 Nov 09)

Capt Ogden


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Chief of Staff CommentsLt Col Br ian Ready

Ar izona Wing

Bureaucracy Wikipedia defines bureaucracy as the collective organ- izational structure, procedures, protocols, and set of regulations in place to manage activity, usually in large organizations and govern- ment . Websters is slightly different a system of administration marked by officialism, red tape and proliferation. No matter which definition youchose, the word is one we all love to hate. Without bureaucracy, manywould argue, life would be easier and simpler. However as your newChief of Bureaucracy, it is my opinion that it doesnt have to be thatbad. National has set the structure with our regulations and pamphlets,but it becomes our job, as members, to figure out how to make themwork for us.

There is a fine balance which we must tread these days. We want to be

customer orientated and responsive, yet we live in a very complex anddemanding world which requires structure and documentation. We aregoing to make every attempt to streamline the CAP and Wing bureaucra-cies, cut through the red tape and make our paperwork less compli-cated. These might be lofty goals in this age of increased oversight andaccountability, but we are going to give it our best shot. I am going tostrive to make the amount of paperwork required to perform our missionsweigh less than the vans we drive and aircraft we fly.

I am looking forward to working with the membership of Arizona Wing as

the new Chief of Staff; and, please remember, we are all volunteers whodidnt make the rules and are doing our best to work within the system.Most of all, though, dont forget to Feed The Staffers.


5/12

Volume 5, Issue 11 Page 5

Thanksgiving Means Religious Freedom

November always brings thoughts of Thanksgiving or Turkey day and Veterans Day which began as acelebration of the end of World War I (the 11 th hour of the 11th day of the 11 th month). In Novemberthere are 17 religious events by 6 different faith groups (Christian, Orthodox, Islam, Sikh, Bahai andWiccan). So November and Turkey Day is really a celebration of the religious freedom we have in thisfree democracy we live in. That also means our personal freedom to pretty much come and go as weplease within our means and the laws we live under.

The Puritans, a religious sect of Christians who were the Pilgrims that landed at Plymouth Rock, cele-brated thankfully in a reverence to God who they credited for their blessings and their hardships. ThePuritans strived to live a godly life, one that would closely resemble Christ, and the Puritans held theirbeliefs from their interpretations of the Bible. The Pilgrims that survived the first harsh winter on Ameri-can soil had much to be thankful for, even in the suffering that they had experienced.

Thankfulness in God's Word was a major theme in the Thanksgiving we celebrate, but, the actual first

official ceremony of Thanksgiving in the Bible is listed in Leviticus 7:11-15. "And this is the law of thesacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the Lord. If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then heshall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafersanointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried." God's design for mankind is that givingthanks means receiving peace.

November is also the signal of approaching winter, many animals hibernate until spring, some humansalso semi-hibernate until hot weather returns, but in any event the next two months will be filled withholiday and travel planning, buying gifts, and in general celebrating the major holidays.

To quote the virtual Talmud; After Passover and Hanukkah , Thanksgiving is perhaps the holiday mostobserved by American Jews. It makes sense for a number of reasons, and not only because we Jewscan't pass up an excuse for a good meal. Thanksgiving, as in giving thanks, is a very Jewish thing todo. According to tradition, Jews are to give thanks 100 times each day. We are to give thanks before weeat, for having food, and after we eat, for having been able to have food. Each morning the traditionalliturgy includes thank-yous for such simple acts as standing up and having the strength to get throughthe day.

You will be busier and busier as the Christmas season approaches. Please stop and take time to saythanks once in awhile!


6/12


Safety Tipby

Lt Col Daniel F. MyersAZWG Safety Officer

BIRDS! BIRDS! BIRDS!

Its that time of year again. Our feathered friends are migrating which posses unique oppor-tunities for bird watchers ..and hazards. for general aviation.

We are all aware of the damage and danger caused by bird strikes to aircraft.

According to the Air Force Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard Team (BASH) and the FAA, the fol-lowing guidance is offered for avoiding bird strikes:

1. Avoid low altitude flight as much as possible to reduce the risk of a strike.

2. Strikes are most likely in August, September, October and November particularly in mi-gratory flyways. These tend to be the larger birds. Keep a lookout, just as you would forother flying objects.

3. Dawn and dusk are the times with the highest probability of a bird encounter.

4. Turn on landing or recognition lights. This helps birds see oncoming aircraft.

5. Plan to climb. Birds almost invariably dive away, but there are exceptions.

6. Slow down. This will allow birds more time to get out of your way and will lessen the im-pact force if you do hit one.

7. If a collision seems likely, duck below the glare shield to avoid being hit by the bird and fly-ing Plexiglas. Advise passengers to do the same. Protect your eyes and head.

8. If a collisions occurs, fly the aircraft first. Assess the damage and decide whether you can

make it to an airport or you should make an off-airport landing. Declare an emergency.

9. Even if no damage is visible, divert to the nearest airport and have a mechanic look at theairplane.

It is the obligation of everyone flying in a CAP aircraft, whether they be pilot, observer, scan-ner, cadet O flight participant or other passenger to keep a look out for birds just like anyother flying object.


7/12


East Valley CadetsRepresent CAP in

Apache Junc tion Veterans

Day ParadeArtic le / Photos submitted by Lt Col Bob K ing / Capt Roger Ringer

AZWG Professional Develop ment

Representatives from The Arizona Wing, Squadrons 304 and 305 participated in the annual ApacheJunction Veterans Day Parade. Lt Col King provided escort for the parade Grand Marshals and theinvocation at the parade. After the parade Lt Col King was the lead speaker at the Eks Club in ApacheJunction. Squadron 304 provided a contingent of Seniors and Cadets to march in the parade andCapt. Roger Ringer represented Squadron 305 by photographing the parade events.

Margie Kropelnicki (Legion Post 27); Lt Col Robert King (AZ Wing); COL Desanti (USA-Ret); and Capt Roger Ringer (Sqdn 305)

Lt Col King escorts the Parade Grand Marshals

Officers and Cadets from Willie Composite Sq. 304 march along the parade route.


8/12


An area of scorched Arizona desert and a two-mile trail of small, twisted metal bear mute testimony tothe violent death of a B-29 bomber and six of its crew in 1945. The accident was just one of hundreds that oc-curred in Arizona during the Second World War. Remnants of many of these accidents still make a trace onthe landscape.

With consistently clear weather and thousands of miles of relatively flat, unpopulated land, Arizonawas an ideal aviation training ground. More than sixty airfields were built or expanded to train the tens of thou-sands of pilots, gunners and bombardiers needed for the war effort. Millions of flight hours and thousands ofmiles were expended in this training. Because of the increased number of aircraft in the skies, the number oftraining accidents increased as well. By the end of the war in September 1945, some 14,902 service personnelhad been killed in military aviation accidents in the continental United States. Pilot error, weather and mechani-

cal failure were the chief causes. In Arizona alone, five hundred people, including several civilians on theground, lost their lives.Davis-Monthan Army Air Field was typical of the large training bases in Arizona. Located south of Tuc-

son, it began the war as a training site for B-24 bomber crews. By the end of the war, the base had beguntraining crews of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, the largest bomber in the world at the time. The four-engineB-29 was used in the Pacific war in attacks primarily against Japanese cities. The plane would also gain fameas the aircraft that would drop the two atomic bombs in August 1945 that would help force the Japanese sur-render.

Training at Davis-Monthan often consisted of gunnery practice using gun cameras on attacking USfighter aircraft. July 24, 1945 began as another day of routine training. Eleven crewmen climbed aboard B-29number 44-86288. Six were located in the forward pressurized compartment while the remaining five were inthe rear compartment. The aircrafts commander, 1st Lt. Forrest R. Nichols, was a decorated Pacific combatveteran recently returned to the United States. The B-29 lifted off from Davis-Monthan at 4:40 p.m. and circled

the airfield for thirty minutes while engaging a fighter plane in mock attack exercises. The bomber then beganto climb and took a course for a cross-country training flight with stops in Phoenix, Blythe, Los Angeles, andthen a return flight to Tucson.

While still climbing northeast of Tucson, a small orange flame was seen coming from number threeengine. As this was being reported to the pilot, the fire began blazing from the cowl-flaps and quickly becameuncontrollable. Both fire extinguishers were pulled but had no effect on the growing fire. The prepare to bail-out alarm was sounded and the pilot attempted to lower the front landing gear, the wheel well being the es-cape route for crewman in the front section of the B-29. Suddenly, number three engine fell loose from thewing of the aircraft and plunged to earth. A gunner in the rear compartment flipped the open switch for thebomb bay as the bail-out order was given. The five men in the rear compartment jumped, two going outthrough the rear bomb bay and three out of the rear entrance door. One of those who escaped, Cpl. GeorgeMiller, described what happened next:

I was the first man to bail-out, delayed my jump, and fell about 1,500 to 2,000 feet when my chute opened.Fifteen to twenty seconds after we cleared the plane, I saw the airplane explode, the wing collapsed, the whole thing being covered with fire. Smoke was trailing behind the plane and I saw little else after that. I did see the plane crash behind the mountains.

(continued on page 9)

Remnants of Ar izonas Wartime Past:Legacy of an Aviation Disaster

Artic le and Photos by 1Lt Seven Hoza, AZWG Histor ian


9/12


(continued from page 8)

The survivors estimated the elapsed time between the detection of the engine fire to the time of the explosionto be from sixty to ninety seconds. The big ship spun into the ground from an altitude of 15,500 feet, breakingapart as it fell. The remaining six crewmen were unable to escape and were killed upon impact. The casualtieswere 1 st Lt. Forrest R. Nicols, 2 nd Lt. Leven L. Dorsey, 2 nd Lt. Walter C. Kenney, Flight Officer Peter Chando,

1st

Lt. Arthur E. Skeats, and Sgt. John C. Alspaugh. Smoke from the crash could be seen at Marana Army AirField, located twenty miles north of Tucson. Marana sent out emergency vehicles, as did Davis-Monthan.Crews were on the scene less than an hour after the crash. The aircraft had broken up over a vast expanse ofopen range land near Oracle Junction, some 45 miles north of Tucson. The five crewmen who parachuted alllanded safely some two miles from the main wreck.

Witnesses on the ground said that the explosion could be heard for ten miles in all directions. Localrancher Dick Bunyan stated, There were so many pieces that it looked like two planes were coming downinstead of just one. The largest pieces of wreckage were taken back to Davis-Monthan and examined in anattempt to learn the cause of the engine fire and why on-board electrical systems did not work. Because of thecondition of number three engine, the army investigation team could only speculate as to the cause of thecrash. They reached the conclusion that it was probably a gasoline fire accompanied by an electrical failurethat prevented the fuel shut-off valves from operating. It is also believed that the electrical failure prevented theopening of the front landing gear doors, thus preventing more of the crew from escaping.

My interest in the particular wartime accident began some fifteen years ago. It was at this time that myuncle, Bill Manifold, presented me with a collection of 900 photographs and negatives that he had rescuedfrom Marana Army Air Field. When the base ceased operations in 1945, he was ordered to destroy all imagesand negatives from the photography lab where he worked. Several photographs of a B-29 crash scene wereamong the images in this collection, although no information, not even the date, was provided. It was not until Ishowed these three photographs to a local aviation archaeologist that I learned more about the accident. Thecrash expert provided me with a copy of the official crash report that showed these photographs as part of theinvestigation document.

The report gave very vague directions from Tucson to the location of the crash. The narrative con-tained a sketch, evidently made from a circling aircraft, of the area where the wreckage was strewn. Armedwith this information, my brother Mike and I made several unsuccessful hikes into the area where we believedthe wreckage could still be found. Although I did not voice my opinion at the time, I was not confident that we

would ever come across the wreckage sites, due to the miles of range land that it could cover. If there everwere the proverbial needle in the haystack search, this was it. It was not until we flew over the area in Mikessmall Cessna aircraft that we began to recognize some of the landforms in the crash report sketch.

A subsequent trip back to the area in January 2000 brought Mike, our sister Mary and I to the vicinityof a cattle watering hole a few miles from Highway 79 near Oracle Junction. The terrain was not difficult, butan abundance of flat, glittering quartz crystals on the ground made looking for metal fragments frustrating. Theroute we travelled was covered with a variety of desert plants such as creosote bushes and cholla and pricklypear cacti. Wildlife tracks were everywhere. We had been walking for nearly an hour when Mike stopped topick up a small object. He turned around, handed it to me, and remarked that it was just another piece of rock.I looked at the flat, twisted rock and proceeded to bend it into a shallow curve. It was a piece of aircraft alumi-num about the size of a half-dollar. It had the color and texture of aircraft metal that we had found at a half-dozen other aircraft crash sites. Another twenty yards further yielded a much larger fragment, a bent andtwisted piece of flap. Small metal fragments were scattered everywhere. Although we did not know it at thetime, we were standing amid the first debris that fell to earth after the right wing of the B-29 exploded. Mikewould soon find the largest piece of wreckage that still remained: a batteredengine access panel measuring approximately two by three feet.


10/12


(continued from page 9)

The debris trail followed a southeast to northwest line, which was the direction the aircraft had been flying. Asecond hike into the area uncovered numerous pieces of still-shiny pieces of aircraft aluminum and rustingsteel engine components. Several pieces were stamped BOEING, while others still bore the manufacturersstamps and serial numbers. This second debris field was a mile from the previous one. All of the debris thatwould be found was partially concealed under a variety of scrub brush and bushes. When army personnelwere cleaning up the site in July 1945, they evidently had picked up only those pieces that were lying in theopen. We still had not come across the main impact site.

In each visit to the crash scene, we had been careful to return each piece that was examined back tothe spot on the ground where it was found. Out of respect for those who perished, no piece of the aircraft wasremoved. Only video footage and photographs were taken from the sites.

On our third venture to the crash scene, we were accompanied by the aviation archaeologist who hadprovided us with the crash report. He had made transparencies from the original photos of the main wreck siteand we were able to line up the mountains in the photographs with those on the horizon. After one hour wepicked up a new debris trail that led us to the main wreck site, a debris field approximately forty yards in cir-cumference. Incredibly, the soil was still charred black in the middle of this area. Hundreds of pieces of aircraftcanopy glass and cockpit instruments were scattered around the burn area. Numerous pieces of melted alumi-num, looking like shapeless silver blobs, were evidence of the intense fire. We concluded that the debris fieldwas spread over an area two miles long and one hundred yards wide, although several pieces of molten metalwere found very close to Highway 79, less than a thousand yards from nearby ranches. These pieces had evi-dently been thrown from the burning aircraft as it spun nearly three miles to the ground.

After having seen numerous surviving examples of the B-29, and even having been inside one, it isremarkable how such a large aircraft could be reduced to such shattered wreckage. Such was the intensity ofdestruction of that July day more than 60 years ago. On the way home after our last visit to the s ite, my brothersaid something to me that brought the whole incident into perspective: How does it feel to have just been to asite where six men died? It was then that the underlying meaning of what we had been looking for struckhome. The initial excitement of having found a site that had remained undisturbed for over half a century hadovershadowed the reality. This was a place of violent death for men who had wives, children, parents and sib-lings. This experience at the B-29 crash site made the statistic of the 14, 902 men and women who died in

such accidents more tangible.Much has been written about the Allied battlefield sacrifices during World War Two. Let us not forgetthe thousands who fell on the Home Front for a cause in which they were willing to risk their lives.


11/12

Page 11 Volume 7, Issue 11

Arizona Wing Promot ions


Gary Williams, Sq. 304

William J. Guitar, Sq. 501

Laurance Bernosky, Sq. 104

Michael Barry, Sq. 31460Daniel Branson, Sq. 304Armano Faustini, Sq. 314Stephen Fowler, Sq. 304Marcy Krause-Wilberscheid, Sq. 302

Leila Demaree, Sq. 316Ruhil Dhawan, Sq. 314

Clifford W. Branch, III, Sq. 302Kyle A. Morales, Sq. 302

Chase Brant, Sq. 301

Joshua M Burton , Sq. 304Noah D. Burton, Sq. 304Ferdane Mercanli, Sq. 101Alexa Solorio, Sq. 101

Ciaran L. Babcock, Sq. 302Jairus Nero, Sq. 301

Jared Floyd, Sq. 301Edgar Magana, Sq. 101Victor Muoz, Sq. 101David Robeldo, Sq. 101

Zachary J. Rossi, Sq. 302Daniel Scholz, Sq. 304

Stephanie Duron, Sq. 101Anthony J. Costable, Sq. 302

Randy T. Bierley, Sq. 304

David A. Fowler, Sq. 304Colin K. Skoog, Sq. 302

Preston R. Beckstead, Sq. 302Sean T. Bordelon, Sq. 302Breyer Spears, Sq. 302Benjamin S. Wasley, Sq. 302

Lt Col Vern Parsons, Sq. 314Gill Robb

Wilson Award


12/12

Sunday 2Monday

AZWG HQ

SQn 206 SUI Work-sheet Due

3Tuesday

Sq 305

[18:30-21:30]Meeting

4Wednesday

5Thursday

Sq 304

[06:30 PM-09:30PM] Squadron 304Meeting

6Friday

7Saturday

AZWG HQ

AZ Wing NCPSC- CANCELLED!!!

AZWG HQ[07:00 AM-07:00

PM] 2009 AZWing Survey

Audit

Sq 305[07:00] Williams

Gateway OpenHouse

AZWG HQ[08:00 AM-04:00

PM] AZ WingStaff Meeting

AZWG HQ[08:00 AM-05:00PM] Sqn 206 SUI

8Sunday

AZWG HQ[07:00 AM-07:00

PM] 2009 AZWing Survey Au-

9Monday

10Tuesday

Sq 305[18:30-21:30]

Meeting

11Wednesday

Sq 305[18:30] GroundTeam Training

12Thursday

Sq 304[06:30 PM-09:30

PM] Squadron 304Meeting

13Friday

AZWG HQAZ Wing Evalu-

ated OPEX

14Saturday


ated OPEX

15

Sunday


ated OPEX

16

Monday

AZWG HQSqn 508 SUI Work-

sheet Due

17

Tuesday

Sq 305[18:30-21:30]

Meeting

18

Wednesday

19

Thursday

Sq 304[06:30 PM-09:30

PM] Squadron 304Meeting

20

Friday

Sq 305[18:00] Cadet

Academy

21

Saturday

AZWG HQAZ Wing OPEX

Sq 305[07:00-23:59]

Cadet Academy

AZWG HQ[08:00 AM-05:00PM] Sqn 508 SUI

22Sunday

Sq 305

[00:00-16:00]Cadet Academy

23Monday

24Tuesday

Sq 305

[18:30-21:30]Meeting

Sq 305[18:30-21:00]

United Food BankVolunteer Night

25Wednesday

26Thursday

Sq 304

[06:30 PM-09:30PM] Squadron 304

Meeting

27Friday

28Saturday

Sq 305

TLC Course

29Sunday

Sq 305TLC Course

30Monday

AZWG HQSqn 305 SUI Work-

sheet Due

Page 12Volume 7, Issue 11

Upcoming Events

arizona wing - nov 2009

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