Trying to Fly

"Newps" wrote in message
...


While the CAP sounds like fun and provides a valuable service, I've
heard from people who've tried it that there's a lot of military
wannabes,
politics, and things that take away the enjoyment. Is this common, or
just the situation at some units?


That's very common. When you spend more time doing useless paperwork and
silly training classes than flying its very discouraging. The actual
flying
and SAR mission training is great.

CAP pilots as a group are the dumbest ones out there. Give me a pattern
full of first solo's rather than one CAP pilot in the units 182. They
don't know how to talk on the radio, they have no idea where they are or
where they're going, they don't do what they're told or even what they
request to do, etc. It's amazing that CAP can ever find anybody who went
down.

We had a doctor in a Bo go down near here a few years ago and they called in
CAP for the SAR. They flew for 3 days at 1000 agl searching. One of the
pipeline pilots finally decided to expanding spiral search pattern from the
last known position and found him less than an hour later about a quater
mile fom the center of the CAP grid.

"Gig 601XL Builder" wr.giacona@coxDOTnet wrote in message
news:evR7e.16600$up2.14837@okepread01...

"Newps" wrote in message
...

That's very common. When you spend more time doing useless paperwork
and
silly training classes than flying its very discouraging. The actual
flying
and SAR mission training is great.

CAP pilots as a group are the dumbest ones out there. Give me a pattern
full of first solo's rather than one CAP pilot in the units 182. They
don't know how to talk on the radio, they have no idea where they are or
where they're going, they don't do what they're told or even what they
request to do, etc. It's amazing that CAP can ever find anybody who
went
down.

We had a doctor in a Bo go down near here a few years ago and they called
in
CAP for the SAR. They flew for 3 days at 1000 agl searching. One of the
pipeline pilots finally decided to expanding spiral search pattern from
the
last known position and found him less than an hour later about a quater
mile fom the center of the CAP grid.


Seems the one's that CAP picks for flight/training are more a matter of
politics than talent.

On Fri, 15 Apr 2005 09:34:59 -0700, "Matt Barrow"
wrote in
::

Seems the one's that CAP picks for flight/training are more a matter of
politics than talent.

My experience with the CAP left the bitter taste of bureaucratic
politics in my mouth. It also raised concerns about military drug
running. Perhaps my intuition wasn't too far from the truth:


http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...jet-bust_x.htm

Posted 4/14/2005 8:50 AM

Air Force jet was used for drug run, authorities say
NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. military pilot and a sergeant were being
held on federal narcotics charges after admitting they flew an Air
Force jet from New York to Germany and returned with 290,000 pills
of Ecstasy worth millions of dollars, authorities said Wednesday.

Capt. Franklin Rodriguez, 35, and Master Sgt. John Fong, 36, were
arrested Tuesday when their cargo plane returned to Stewart Air
National Guard Base in Newburgh, about 40 miles north of New York
City.

The men were ordered held without bail at court appearances late
Wednesday. Jennifer Brown, a lawyer for Fong, declined to comment.
A lawyer for Rodriguez could not immediately be reached for
comment.

Rodriguez and Fong, members of the Air National Guard, allegedly
went to a hotel room in Germany and loaded packages of Ecstasy
into their personal luggage, the complaint alleged.

When they returned to Stewart, federal law enforcement agents
watched Fong load bags and boxes into a BMW registered to
Rodriguez, the complaint said.

Later, both men consented to interviews during which Rodriguez
admitted he had brought the drugs from Germany and had done so
before, eventually taking the drugs to his Bronx apartment for
distribution, the complaint said.

Fong admitted he brought pills on three other military flights and
that he was paid $10,000 a trip, the complaint said. ...

"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 15 Apr 2005 09:34:59 -0700, "Matt Barrow"
wrote in
::

Seems the one's that CAP picks for flight/training are more a matter of
politics than talent.

My experience with the CAP left the bitter taste of bureaucratic
politics in my mouth. It also raised concerns about military drug
running. Perhaps my intuition wasn't too far from the truth:


http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...jet-bust_x.htm

Posted 4/14/2005 8:50 AM

Air Force jet was used for drug run, authorities say
NEW YORK (AP) - A U.S. military pilot and a sergeant were being
held on federal narcotics charges after admitting they flew an Air
Force jet from New York to Germany and returned with 290,000 pills
of Ecstasy worth millions of dollars, authorities said Wednesday.

SNIP

What the hell does that have to do with CAP.

On Fri, 15 Apr 2005 15:52:10 -0500, "Gig 601XL Builder"
wr.giacona@coxDOTnet wrote in YPV7e.16623$up2.2949@okepread01::


"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 15 Apr 2005 09:34:59 -0700, "Matt Barrow"
wrote in
::

Seems the one's that CAP picks for flight/training are more a matter of
politics than talent.

My experience with the CAP left the bitter taste of bureaucratic
politics in my mouth. It also raised concerns about military drug
running. Perhaps my intuition wasn't too far from the truth:


http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...jet-bust_x.htm

Posted 4/14/2005 8:50 AM

Air Force jet was used for drug run, authorities say
NEW YORK (AP) - A U.S. military pilot and a sergeant were being
held on federal narcotics charges after admitting they flew an Air
Force jet from New York to Germany and returned with 290,000 pills
of Ecstasy worth millions of dollars, authorities said Wednesday.

SNIP

What the hell does that have to do with CAP.


On the military field where the CAP post was located, I observed some
suspicious activity among the pilots who instruct CAP cadets.