by 1st Lt. Ernest Lee
Forty-five British Air Cadets attending Sun-n-Fun 2012 Fly-In located in Lakeland, Florida were given introductory training in CAP Emergency Locator Transmitter location techniques by Capt. Joe Tomasone, Florida Wing. Introducing them to a training ELT and a �sniffer� locating receiver, Tomasone taught the basic principles of ELT and EPIRB operation, methods of using various receiving equipment to the cadets, and related stories about common and not so common places transmitters have been searched for and found.
With the basics of operation to work with, cadets put that knowledge to practice, first by a live demonstration of how the locator equipment gives audio feedback when on target or deviating from the bearing of the ELT. Then they were timed with a practical exercise by locating an active training beacon.
Although British Air Cadet leadership and aerospace training closely parallels CAP training, CAP is unique in the field of Urban Direction Finding (UDF) beacon location for a cadet organization.
ELTs and EPIRBS are the standard form of emergency signaling for the aircraft and boating industry. For more photos of the training presented, go to: http://www.facebook.com/FlwgSunNFun
Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with more than 61,000 members nationwide, operating a fleet of 550 aircraft. CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, 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 54 lives in fiscal year 2011. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to nearly 27,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet program. CAP received the World Peace Prize in 2011 and has been performing missions for America for 70 years. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. Visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com or www.capvolunteernow.com for more information.
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