AUXAIR District 7 A DAY IN AUXAIR HURRICANES HARVEY IRMA MARIA. Operations and Flight Safety Newsletter DECEMBER 2017 NEWSLETTER SPECIAL SERIES PART 3

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1 AUXAIR District 7 Operations and Flight Safety Newsletter DECEMBER 2017 Coast Guard Auxiliary photo by Doug Armstrong Below: Graph screen shot courtesy MapBox and the Weather Channel A DAY IN AUXAIR HURRICANES HARVEY IRMA MARIA NEWSLETTER SPECIAL SERIES PART 3 Official Publication U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Seventh District Aviation

2 AUXAIR D7 Operations and Flight Safety Newsletter - December Hurricane Harvey 11 A Day In AUXAIR Special Series part 3 includes Hurricanes Harvey, Irma & Maria 14 Dateline POTUS Ft. Myers Hurricane Irma - BQN 19 Safety Topic 21 ADSO-AV-M Message Category 5 - USVI 20 DVC-RA Message 21 White House Videos 23 Ice Flights 25 Awards Savannah Seventh District Auxiliary Aviation District Commodore - Judith Hudson District Chief of Staff - Gary Barth Chief, Response Directorate - Jonathan Nicholls District Staff Officer Aviation - Tom Powers District Flight Safety Officer - Peter Hecht Standardization Officer - Wilson Riggan Program Manager - COMO David Elliot Publications Officer - Robert A. Fabich, Sr. Training Officer - Lee Bertman Technology Officer - Mark Cannon Personnel Officer - Ben Ostrovsky Property Officer - Robert Hastie Medical Officer - Robert Miller, MD AUX Operations Officer: -Borinquen - Carlos Matos AUX Operations Officer - Clearwater - Gregory Bacon AUX Operations Officer - Miami - Thomas Powers AUX Operations Officer - Savannah - Kenneth Plesser Sector Charleston MOM Bomb Cyclone Safety Stand Down Interactive newsletter - Click on a page number to go directly to that page.

3 AUXAIR D7 Operations and Flight Safety Newsletter - December 2017 On the Cover On the Cover Top: An Auxiliary aircraft and Coast Guard One are positioned on the tarmac at Ellington Field Houston, TX. In the background, Air Force One departs after President Trump met with rescue personnel in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Bottom left: A screen shot of Hurricane Irma s path as it travels through Florida and the potential path of approaching Hurricane Maria. During the 2017 hurricane season, the entire Seventh District was affected by the category 4 and 5 storms. AUXAIR D7 Operations and Flight Safety Newsletter past issues. Click on a cover photo to read. Editor - Robert A. Fabich, Sr. AuxBob@Robich.com Winning Coast Guard Auxiliary photo by Robert A. Fabich, Sr. AUXAIR takes 1st Place in the 2017 National Photography Awards Fellowship - Coast Guard Active Duty and Auxiliary aviators share laughter and stories during the second annual Auxiliary Aviation Dining Out. The Fellowship social was attended by Coast Guard and Auxiliary aviators from across District 7 during DTRAIN. As a cornerstone of the Auxiliary, fellowship among our members is critical to mission s success. Though our missions are not focused about the social aspect of being together, finding the time after the fact to build friendships are key, many which will last a lifetime.

4 Auxiliary Aviators Support Coast Guard efforts for hurricane harvey by robert a. fabich, sr. adso-av-p On the morning of August 26, 2017 Coast Guard Air Station (CGAS) Savannah launched a MH-65D helicopter and a full crew to CGAS Houston to support Hurricane Harvey rescue efforts. Concurrently, Auxiliary Aviation (AUXAIR) in District 7 was activated. Auxiliary aircraft support lasted nine days and included 20 missions totaling 25.8 flight hours. The Scramble On Saturday, August 26, an Air Station Savannah call from CDR Drew Behnke, Operations Officer, for transport missions to Aviation Training Center Mobile, found Aircraft Commander Doug Armstrong in Augusta, GA, with his flight gear in Asheville, NC, and his aircraft in Morganton, NC. A series of prepositioning flights in Aircraft Commander Ken Plesser s facility along with additional road miles resulted in Armstrong s Citation Mustang twin-turbojet facility, Armstrong as pilot-in-command, and Plesser second-in-command, all in Columbia, SC by nightfall for an early morning launch. (3.5 flight hours) First Transport success leads to more requests On Sunday, August 27, Armstrong and Plesser flew to Savannah- Hilton Head Airport to meet two USCG pilots, LT Sam Pemberton and LT Nate Brock and (Continued on page 5) Coast Guard Auxiliary photo by Doug Armstrong 4

5 A Day In AUXAIR (Continued from page 4) two maintainers, AET2 Brett Eisenberger and AMT3 Melanie Carter. The mission was to transport these four personnel to ATC Mobile, AL for further transport downrange, before returning to Columbia. Upon landing, the Air Station requested Armstrong and Plesser for two more flights the next day. The AUXAIR pilots, determining that doing so would exceed limitations of the duty-day if begun in Columbia, flew back to Savannah to remain overnight (RON). (5.0 flight hours) More missions catch attention of the media On Monday, August 28, Armstrong and Plesser met one rescue swimmer, AST2 Wesley Price, and three flight mechanics, AMT2 Robert Reddit, AET3 Taylor Wolf, and AMT3 Lorenzo Leon in Savannah and transported them to ATC Mobile. After a quick fuel turnaround, they returned to Air Station Savannah (Hunter Army Airfield) to pick up more USCG crew for transport. WTOC-TV, Channel 11, was on the ramp for their arrival and the relaunch. Video about the mission, AUXAIR, and an interview with Captain Marshall Branch, Commanding Officer was aired on the evening news in Savannah. Captain Branch personally expressed his appreciation to AUXAIR. Ken, can t thank you and Doug enough for your support of getting our aircrew and support personnel to the fight in D8. They ve been incredibly busy since arriving and there is much more work to be done. AUXAIR providing personnel lift capability point-to-point is a real game changer. Armstrong and Plesser were next asked to transport USCG MH-65 pilots, LT Tim Mosher and LT Nate Rhodes to CGAS Houston. This request was declined by AUXAIR because of the length of the duty day and an uncertain fuel situation on-scene. Therefore, Armstrong and Plesser transported the two pilots to ATC Mobile, as originally planned then returned to Columbia to disembark Plesser, then to Morganton, NC. (7.8 flight hours) (Continued on page 6) 5

6 Coast Guard Air Station Houston, Ellington Field: Air Force One shares the tarmac with all the military branches. Coast Guard Auxiliary photo by Doug Armstrong. Left to right: Doug Armstrong, Auxiliary Aircraft Commander, AMT2 Brent Ellis, LT Eric Barnett, LCDR Jim Mazel and Ken Plesser, Auxiliary Aircraft Commander Left: AUXAIR standby while USCG Savannah flight crew conducts a pre-flight departure procedure prior to departure. Coast Guard Auxiliary photo by Doug Armstrong. (Continued from page 5) Air support is not over yet EFFORTS FOR HURRICANE HARVEY Four days later, on Friday, September 1, Air Station Savannah called for additional downrange transport missions in support of Hurricane Harvey crew swaps. Armstrong flew from Morganton, NC to Columbia, SC in the afternoon to pick up Plesser. Both flew to Savannah, GA to RON for an early morning launch. (1.8 flight hours) AUXAIR shares tarmac with the President and garners more media attention Since incident de-mobilizing had begun, the mission on Saturday, September 2, was to take one flight mechanic, AMT2 Alan Smith, to CGAS Houston, and meet four personnel there for the return to Savannah: one pilot, LT Jon Magin, two rescue swimmers, AST2 Wesley Price and AST2 Jason Flynt, and one flight mechanic, AMT2 Josue Valentin. Armstrong and Plesser arrived at 10:30AM local time, just prior to the closing of Ellington Field for the arrival of President Trump. The President s meeting with survivors and greeting of responders at CGAS Houston took longer than expected, and the field was under a Temporary Flight Restriction closure the entire time. Finally, with active duty loaded, AUXAIR launched at 5:00PM, returning to CGAS Savannah at 7:30PM. There they were met by media from three Savannah area TV stations: WTOC, WSAV-TV, Channel 3 (NBC), and WJCL-TV, Channel 22 (ABC). WTOC reported that some of the crews were delayed due to the President s visit in Houston. WSAV interviewed active duty, showing Armstrong and Plesser in the coverage. WJCL focused on the rescues performed by active duty returned by AUXAIR. (5.6 flight hours) (continued on page 7) 6

7 Click the above pictures to view Air Station Savannah Hurricane Harvey local TV news broadcast. (Continued from page 6) An MH-65D makes precautionary landing and receives help from AUXAIR The day-before s de-mobilization activity included the return of Savannah s deployed MH-65D and a full crew. That helicopter travelled as far as Vidalia, GA when a report of possible contaminated fuel demanded a precautionary landing; the crew completed their return to the Air Station by rental car. On Sunday, September 3, Armstrong and Plesser were tasked to bring a fresh crew consisting of LCDR Jim Masel, LT Eric Barnett and AMT2 Brent Ellis from the Air Station to the Vidalia airport to recover the aircraft. Having completed this assignment, AUXAIR returned to Columbia, SC, thence to Morganton, NC. (2.1 flight hours) Gold side appreciation Air Station Savannah had much to say about the activities of AUXAIR. Captain Marshall Branch, Commanding Officer of Air Station Savannah was grateful: You guys were AMAZING and we are in your debt for your incredible support. Thank you both for your professionalism and dedication to the mission! CDR Tim Eason, Executive Officer, Air Station Savannah wrote: Great job Ken and Doug! Thanks for the tremendous support that expedited getting our folks directly into and out of theatre! LT Crystal A. Barnett, Administration officer, Savannah Air Station said, Awesome Guys. Throughout the 9-day period, the coordination provided by Auxiliary Liaison Officer (AUXLO) LTJG Rob Mineo was essential to the success of District 7. This period of intense flight activity demonstrates the seamless response that AUXAIR can offer when there is a strong bond of respect and trust, coupled with demonstrated superior airmanship, between the AUXAIR cadre and the parent Air Station. This is the operational model that the Seventh District has implemented and which it continues to nurture. 7

8 Background photo: Sandy Ground, St. Maarten, N.A., French side of the island. Hard hit by the storm. A Day In AUXAIR Auxair Borinquen HURRICANE IRMA RESPONSE US VIRGIN ISLANDS AND BEYOND By Robert A. Fabich, Sr., ADSO-AV-P Small aircraft tossed and destroyed on St. Thomas during Hurricane IRMA September Coast Guard Auxiliary photos by Carlos Matos, AAC Borinquen. Marine V-22 Ospreys from the USS Wasp hot loading Urban Search and Rescue Teams from Fairfax County VA. A Coast Guard C-27 from Elizabeth City loaded several pallets of the USAR Team s gear, water and MREs. Center: Juan H Vázquez, Auxiliary Aircraft Commander flew Sector Left to right : Jonathan Lally, District Public Affairs Officer, Congresswomen San Juan Chaplain and Sector Command Master Chief to St. Thomas Stacey Plaskett, US Virgin Islands Delegate, CAPT to inspect first hand living conditions and evaluate needs for the Eric King, Commander Sector San Juan, and Charlie Santana, Coast Guard members stationed at St. Thomas. Returning to San Auxiliary Aircraft Commander. The mission provided an overflight Juan the Auxiliary aviators transported a Virginia based FEMA Urban of the Virgin Islands assessing damage and returning an evacuating 2017 FAA employee to San Juan. Search & Rescue Operations team leader and and FBI Flight SWAT Safety team back Newsletter to St. Thomas. December 8

9 Looking Ahead in Puerto Rico Puerto Rico has only about 50% of the population with electric power. In the metro area things are getting back to normal, but around the island, there still is a lot of recovery ahead. Flotilla meetings are on hold for now. The 5 Flotillas from the metro area are meeting once a month on a Saturday morning at Sector San Juan, but only about 20 members can make it. AUXAIR had a couple flights in December, but maintenance on the aircraft are lowering us down a bit. Hopefully in January, we can get back to normal. For a lot of Auxiliarists, family and work are taking priority over volunteering. A lot of folks suffered damage to their homes and/or places of work. Many workplaces have had to shut down, so there is many people that are out of work and many of them are choosing to move stateside. Still, we are very confident that Puerto Rico will rise again, and soon we will be back to normal. Juan Vázquez, Auxiliary Aircraft Commander, Air Station Borinquen and Flotilla Commander,1-10 Final approach into Princess Julianna Airport Saint Maarten, N.A. This famous beach where folks stand behind departing jumbo jets and are blown into the water has now disappeared. Personnel from the Royal (Dutch) Navy and Royal Marshals man the only way off Saint Maarten. Commercial air flights were cancelled. Several Department of Health and Human Services Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT) were dispatched from around the nation to respond. As seen above, DMAT consulting with a Navy Swimmer about patient transport. The DMAT team was supervising the closing of the main hospital on St. Thomas, private medivac flights were running Coast Guard Auxiliary photos by Carlos Matos, AAC Borinquen. Operations patients and Flight to Puerto Safety Rico Newsletter and St. Croix. December

10 category 5 hurricanes, Irma & Maria During Hurricane Irma, the islands of St. Thomas, St. John, Water Island and British Virgin Islands were extremely damaged. Hurricane Maria struck those islands as well as St. Croix and Puerto Rico, severely disrupting the response and relief efforts for the first storm. Background photo: Team Blue inspecting and documenting sunken vessels. A Day In AUXAIR Coast Guard Auxiliary photos by J.R. Kreglo 10

11 DATELINE BY ROBERT A. FABICH, ADSO-AV-P Hurricane IRMA September 6-7, 2017 Pre Hurricane State Liaison Officer (SLO) received request from Sector San Juan to notify boaters to remove and secure their EPIRBS ashore. Auxiliary members visited marinas, docks, and marine stores to inform the boating public. SLO contacted Flotilla Commanders requesting they review their Hurricane Plans and confirm the location of Auxiliary members. Surface and air facilities were secured. Surface & radio facility orders were requested from Sector San Juan. Boat Forces secure their boats on land and one Auxiliary facility was secured in the water, in a Hurricane Hole, for immediate deployment after a storm. Photo Captions - Previous Page Top left: Division 16 Auxiliary distributes MREs & water to live aboard boaters. Top center: Coast Guard Marine Inspector and Auxiliary inspecting the Coral Bay dock area. In the background, a CG tender transports crew ashore from a CG cutter. Top right: Team Blue assembles at the National Park dock. This team is represented by a Strike Team, Force Protection, Auxiliary Boat Crew, Communications, and Marine Inspection. Team Blue is a term to describe Auxiliary and active duty members working together. Bottom left: Live aboard boater reviews Coast Guard documents to decide on choices for her severely damaged home. Bottom center: Residents pick up emergency supplies that were donated by active duty and Division 16 Auxiliary members. Bottom right: Boaters choosing needed supplies that were donated by stateside Auxiliary members and other organizations. Post Hurricane-Initial Response Immediately after the storm, Auxiliary conducted Port Assessment from shore. Once the in-water facility was determined operational, efforts continued by water. The SLO secured communications at the National Guard Armory Red Hook, St. Thomas, reporting directly to Sector San Juan. Auxiliary transports medical personnel to St. John and Jost Van Dyke for evacuation of patients. SLO met with Coast Guard, National Park Service and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) personnel. The Officer in Charge requested a search of all damaged and sunken vessels for survivors and bodies facility & crew complied with this request. The EOC was located in the National Park Service building in St. John. SLO met with the ICE supervisor in St. John and was briefed on their situation. Permission was received to base the 16-3 surface facility at the St. John Customs dock. Auxiliary received a request from the Virgin Islands Emergency Medical Service to transport medical personnel. Auxiliary leadership began accounting for members, including 16-2 live aboards. Post Hurricane-Intermediate Response (Continued on page 12) 11

12 (Continued from page 11) DATELINE SLO coordinated with the before marina in the St. Thomas Hurricane Hole to set up fresh water distribution for the public. The marina was able to operate their desalination unit daily to provide drinking water. Auxiliary members were requested to inform the public wherever and whenever possible. One Auxiliary member donated a chest freezer so that boaters could make ice. SLO met with the Boat US representative who offered to transport boaters to the closest distribution center to receive MREs, water, & tarps. Coast Guard personnel were deployed to the Virgin Islands for critical missions. The Auxiliary coordinated with them to provide transportation and local knowledge. Active duty and Auxiliary worked together to collect and transmit regular weather reports on channel 16 to keep the public informed. Most all media sources were down. Only one AM radio station was functioning on St. Thomas. Division 16 surface facilities provided a working platform for Coast Guard missions. Active duty were transported from St. Thomas to St. John for various missions including port vessel assessments, pollution response, communications, and equipment deployment. A Vessel Safety Information booth was established on the East End of St. Thomas to provide Coast Guard, FEMA, and SBA information for boaters. Hurricane Maria September 19-20, 2017 Unfortunately, the relief efforts were cut short by the approach of Hurricane Maria. All federal & military personnel were ordered to evacuate, including Coast Guard. Division 16 members suspended operations and secured assets. The in-water Auxiliary facility survived the storm and was operational immediately afterwards, conducting Port Assessment and checking on boaters in the area. Auxiliary facilities transported communications personnel to St. John to repair cell towers and signals. Upon completing this mission, the 16-3 facility was directed by Sector San Juan to proceed to Water Island to complete a Port Assessment and check the damaged vessels around the island. During this assessment, the crew located the vessel of a live aboard member of However, after many inquiries, she was not located members in St. Croix and a member from Air Station Savannah worked with others to raise a downed internet relay tower and successfully restore broadband service. Auxiliary members worked with a local captain who set up a food, clothing, and before home furnishings distribution center at a local marina. SLO met with Strike Team members to inform boaters that a Coast Guard sponsored program was now established to recover their damaged/ sunken vessels without expense to the owner. The Vessel Safety Booth was reestablished and included information on the vessel recover program. Donations began to arrive from stateside Auxiliary members, Captains, and concerned groups. These donations were distributed at the Vessel Safety Booth and delivered to live aboards who could not easily leave their vessels. Popular items included MREs, batteries, solar lights, AM/FM radios, personal health kits, bug spray, mosquito coils, and battery fans. Aviation Efforts Division 1 Aviation members flew in medication for a Division 16 member. In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, a 16-1 Aircraft Commander and 12-3 Co-pilot (AUXAIR) flew a Coast Guard member of the Incident Management Advance Team from Air Station Miami to St. Croix via Air Station Borinquen with relief materials and supplies (water purification equipment, generator regulator, satellite phones, and generator oil filters) to benefit the headquarters for FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers in addition to local schools. On September 27, AUXAIR flew the Honorable Stacey Plaskett from St. Croix to San Juan. The Director of the Federal Air Marshall Service and Acting Deputy Administrator of the (Continued on page 13) 12

13 Boaters from St. Croix travelled to St. John providing meals they had prepared. In the background, residents are departing from the National Park dock on vessels evacuating them to Puerto Rico. Coast Guard Auxiliary photo by J. R. Kreglo. (Continued from page 12) Transportation Security Agency returned to St. Croix by the AUXAIR crew for the purposes of determining the capacity for the opening of the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport. As a result, the decision was made to re-open the airport on St. Croix. Following, AUXAIR flew US Coast Guard dependents out of Air Station Borinquen to Air Station Miami. Surface Facility Efforts The Division 16 operational facility and crew were able to respond immediately after both storms for Port Assessment & other missions. The crew of Team Blue completed their missions and went beyond. They assisted boaters with securing their damaged vessels in situations where the boaters could never have accomplished this alone. Team Blue inspected vessels & learned lessons why some survived and others did not. All learned from each other and from the boaters. Zika and Mosquito-Borne Illness Program Fortunately, this program was started by Division 16 a few years ago. The boating public has been well informed about what measures they can take to reduce the chances of contracting these illnesses. Division 16 members created a campaign educating the public of the immediate need to prevent and help reduce the number of these illnesses following the storms. 13

14 PRESIDENT TRUMP White House assesses hurricane damage and recognizes team coast guard response Article Header Ft. Myers, Florida Click here to watch the President Trump video Center: Acting DHS Sectretary Elaine Duke and (right) VADM Karl Schultz pose for a team photo prior to the landing of Air Force One, September 13, The mission was to transport three members of a USCG Flood Punt Rescue Team: BOSN2 Bryan Hoffman, BM1 Jesse Sullivan and BM3 Carl Kraynak to Ft. Myers, Fla to meet with President Trump and other dignitaries for a thank you ceremony. The Flood Punt Team had been on the road for three weeks, rescuing hundreds in Houston (Harvey) and hundreds more in Jacksonville (Irma). Pictured bottom right next page,15: Hoffman, Sullivan, Aircraft Commander Doug Armstrong, Schultz, Aircraft Commander Ken Plesser and Kraynak. White House staff photos. 14

15 Article Header A Day In AUXAIR 15

16 Maritime Observation Mission Savannah to Myrtle Beach Hurricane Irma Assessment by Robert A. Fabich, Sr., adso-av-p 16

17 A DAY IN AUXAIR Special series part 3 Auxiliary Aircraft Commander David Lincoln pilots a 2015 Mooney aircraft at approximately 1,100 feet above ground level following Hurricane Irma, September 20, The four hour Maritime Observation Mission (MOM) from Savannah to Myrtle Beach and return provided valuable information to Sector Charleston on wrecked boats and vessels leaking fuel blocking safe navigation on the waterways. Coast Guard Auxiliary photo by Walter Runck. (Continued on page 18) 17

18 Above left: Displaced shrimper and sailboat in marsh near Folly Beach. Above top right: A house washed up on the south side of Skull Inlet. Above bottom right: An old lifeboat that broke loose in Nowell Creek off the Wando River. There is an abandoned boat yard on this creek. Wreck was up in the marsh and didn t appear to have any propulsion equipment installed or fuel leaking from it. Coast Guard Auxiliary photos by Walter Runck. A Day in AUXAIR Special series part 3 (continued from page 17) The MOM patrol included assessing areas of the Maritime Administration ships berthed near Sector Charleston offices on the Cooper River, the new South Carolina State Ports Authority facility under construction, Peninsular Charleston, USS Yorktown, and the Arthur Ravenel Bridge near Morris Island. Left: Industrial activity on the Cooper River near the Don Holt Bridge including the MeadWestvaco paper mill and container operations at the North Charleston Terminal. Vessel in foreground is mooring prior to off loading scrap metal for transport to Nucor Steel farther upriver. 18

19 Qualities of an Aircraft Commander By David Lincoln, ADFSO Savannah Set the tone: Ensure that your briefings are timely and relevant. Too short indicates you don t care. Too long and you will lose your audience. Invite your crew to speak up: Listen and acknowledge your crew s questions and/or concerns. It s not your mission, it s not my mission, it s OUR mission really does help trap errors. It s not a mistake until BOTH the pilot and crew make the same error. Leave nothing unresolved: If one of you is unsure of an ATC clearance, or Sector s instructions, ask for clarification. It s free! Healthy skepticism: When making a decision, consider both the consequences of being right and the added risk of being wrong. Ask your crew, Have we overlooked anything? Time is your friend or enemy, your choice: Never let the aircraft arrive before you. If you lose situational awareness, slow down and make time. Don t assume that if you re ready, so is your crew. It s ok to ask, Are you ready? Don t rush your preflight: How many of us realized we forgot to accomplish a task or forgot a required item during preparations? A quick glance is not a check: Verification requires discipline. Avoid expectation bias by pointing at or touching a gauge, switch or panel. When activating a switch, don t take your hand away until the expected action is verified. Manage the workload: We can t control everything (although some of us try), but we can manage the workload. Similar to rushing, multitasking and distractions also cause errors. Learn to say no or unable : You are the Pilot-in- Command. If ATC clears you for an immediate takeoff and you are not ready, decline the clearance. There is no such thing as an emergency takeoff. If ATC clears you for something you didn t expect, don t be afraid to ask for vectors until you sort it out. Go-around Plan: Don t assume you will land out of every approach. Pilots who anticipate the unexpected are less susceptible to surprises. Brief the go-around maneuver and what you really plan to do. The first priority of any go-around is to aviate (pitch and power). If ATC calls at an inopportune time, standby may be an acceptable response. Debrief: Your willingness to debrief each other after the mission is essential for maintaining the highest level of safety. The Aging Pilot FAA Safety Team sponsored Seminar Normal Aging Processes, Strategies for Slowing Them and How They Impact Pilots and Flying DATE: Saturday, January 20, 2018 TIME: 10:00 Eastern Standard Time LOCATION: Sebring Regional Airport 128 Authority Lane FBO Sebring, FL SELECT NUMBER: SO This safety seminar on the Aging Pilot is a must for all of us getting up there as the bottom line is we all want to be safe. This will feature what we need to look for in ourselves, or our flying partner. To view further details and registration information for this seminar, click here. Credit(s) are available for the WINGS/AMT Programs: Basic Knowledge 3 1 Credit Click here to view the WINGS help page. Auxiliary Aviation Annual Workshops Air Station Savannah - April 13-14, 2018 Air Station Borinquen - April 27-28,

20 Message from Commodore David Starr National Division Chief-Aviation (DVC-RA) District Staff Officers-Aviation (DSO-AV) and District Flight Safety Officers (DFSO), as you are the appointed Auxiliary Aviation (AUXAIR) Leadership in your respective District/Region, I have a favor to ask. This favor would not be too much of a lift, is not something new or exotic, and I can guarantee it will be a win for our flight crews, a win for your District/Region, and a win for our National Auxiliary Leadership and Coast Guard. As Auxiliary aviators, we know AUXAIR is a great asset in the Operational Tool Box available to our customers. We also know we operate in an unforgiving environment. Our flight crews (pilots, aircrew and observers) must always be safety aware, knowledgeable, and proficient as we execute our missions. To maintain this safety awareness, knowledge base and proficiency, we need FOCUS, we need a GOAL, and we need TRAINING. Using the 26th Joseph P. Nall Report: media/files/aopa/home/ training-and-safety/nallreport/26thnallreport2017.pdf as our guide to identifying continuing accident causes and trends, we see that roughly 75% of aviation mishaps are pilot related, 15% caused by mechanical issues, and the remaining 10% is other or unknown. The numbers above direct our FOCUS to pilot related issues. That was easy, but wait, general aviation has hovered around that 75% mark for years. What are we not doing to decrease that number? This brings us to the GOAL. The GOAL is 100% voluntary participation of all of your pilots in the FAA Wings Program: Pilot_Proficiency_Award_ Program and faasafety.gov This updated and revamped program has two aspects: KNOWLEDGE and FLIGHT. The KNOWLEDGE Training curriculum is based around the major contributing causes of aircraft accidents. This training is either web based or can be obtained by attendance at meetings or seminars. The courses are at a quality level found in college and air carrier or military education presentations. A great majority of the training is free. The FLIGHT Training portion provides an opportunity to practice and perform selected maneuvers to the standards found in the FAA Flight Test Guide for the certificate level you hold or choose to exercise. That addressed the TRAIN- ING question. I would suspect that a fair number of pilots are already enrolled and active in the Wings program, but it is imperative to strive for 100% participation. We need all pilots on board to get the greatest benefit and visibility from this effort. For the pilots who previously participated in the old Legacy program, they need to know this is a new FAA Wings program ( ) having been revamped and geared to three skill levels-basic, Advanced and Master. There is something for everyone, be they private, commercial, CFI, or ATP, with some good quality online training and focused air work. How about the Win-Win-Win? Activity creates interest and interest creates activity The Win for your flight crews? Participation in the program will improve the knowledge and proficiency skill sets of the pilot. Improved pilots will lead to improved flight crew performance and improved mission execution. The Win for your District/Region? An aviation program that voluntarily chooses to focus on safety, knowledge and proficiency through your individual pilot s participation in the FAA Wings program will serve you and your District Commodore well. (Continued on page 21) 20

21 Message from David Elliot Assistant District Staff Officer-Aviation-Manager (Continued from page 20) The Win for National Auxiliary Leadership and the Coast Guard? I would hope you realize that our National Auxiliary Leadership as well as the Coast Guard are extremely interested in the safety and well being of our flight crews. Our job is to demonstrate, by our actions, that we strive to perform our missions in a safe, proficient and professional manner by raising our own safety and proficiency bar. This voluntary involvement in the FAA Wings program is just one of the things we are doing to mitigate risk, and we need to make that known. At the end of the day, everyone needs to see AUXAIR as an asset. To accomplish that will be a big win for all concerned. Where would you be if you put together some great sessions for aviation training and nobody came? Well, you would probably be in District 7 following the three hurricanes that hit the southern US Mainland and Islands in late Aside from all the destruction and devastation and confusion of the storms themselves, Commodore Hudson had to make the difficult choice to cancel our DTRAIN for We will now work through this coming year to try to make up the lost sessions, and that will be part of our discussions among the staff for this year. We had been working on ideas for advanced training for Foreflight and SAR activities, along with some aviation and marine communications exercises and ICAO Flight Plan elements. Training is the factor that can most provide value for our members. If properly done, it enhances both safety and effective operations. It also supports our members in their civilian flying activities and in building Safety Culture. Other projects for our Aviation Management team in 2018 will be investigating simpler flight procedures and improving our process for tracking aircraft and pilot/observer qualifications and capabilities. We wish all the members of our AUXAIR team and our active duty counterparts, a safe and healthy Commodore David Elliot, ADSO-AV-M Commodore David Starr, DVC-RA C C C C White House Click on the red C to view each of the four videos. President Trump remarks while visiting at Air Stations during the hurricanes. 21

22 Bomb Cyclone Winter Hurricane Background photo: Trenton, New Jersey section of Delaware River. Coast Guard Auxiliary photos by Judy Redlawsk. C&D Canal looking west from Delaware River Benjamin Franklin Bridge Delaware River connecting New Jersey and Delaware 22 Salem River Channel, NJ

23 Ice Flights By Joseph Giannattasio, DSO-AV 5NR Winter Storm Greyson The eastern section of the Coast Guard s Fifth District experienced a triple-whammy of unique winter-weather conditions in one day. - A Blizzard accompanied by a Bomb Cyclone, followed by a prolonged Polar Vortex: Blizzard - Official criteria is 35+ mph wind gusts held visibility at or below a quarter-mile for 3+ consecutive hours. Cyclone Bomb or Bomb Cyclone - Loosely defined is an extra tropical cyclone that rapidly intensifies over a short period of time. Hurricanes are a type of cyclone, but any strong storm where winds spiral around a well-defined center fits the criteria. Polar Vortex - A persistent, large-scale, low pressure zone that rotates counter-clockwise at the North Pole that extends into North America resulting in a record-breaking freeze as relentless waves of cold air sweep down from the high latitudes. CAPT Scott Anderson, Coast Guard Sector Deleware Bay set ice condition 3, and cautions mariners to be aware of ice formation on the Delaware Bay and its tributaries. Ice condition 3 is set when weather conditions are favorable for the formation of ice in navigable waters. The status and extent of these restrictions are continuously evaluated as ice condition reports are received and assessed. Winter Storm Greyson dropped temperatures to single digits [4-6] throughout New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. Specific Coast Guard Auxiliary units and assigned Auxiliary aviation patrols reported observed ice conditions to the Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay command center. 23

24 Left to right front row: Bob Hastie, Owen Barker, David Lincoln, Jay Byers, Peg Peterson, AUXLO LTJG Rob Mineo. Back row: OPS CDR Drew Behnke, Sam Mazza, Mark Cannon, Robert Miller, Ken Plesser, Doug Armstrong, Wilson Riggan, Walter Runck, CO CAPT Marshall Branch Coast Guard Auxiliary photo by Dr. Robert Miller Auxiliarists Honored at CGAS Savannah Safety Stand-down BY KEN PLESSER, BOB HASTIE AND WALTER RUNCK The all-hands Safety Standdown in mid-to late-december is a tradition at Air Station Savannah, as it is at many other Coast Air Stations around the country. It provides an opportunity for all active duty and Auxiliary aviators to reflect upon the year s operations, to recommit to professionalism in aviation ground and flight safety, and to recognize the inherent safety risks of the Holiday season. Since the Safety Stand-down began at 0800 on Friday December 15th, most of the Auxiliarists elected to fly in late the afternoon before. This occasioned an opportunity for 14 Auxiliarists (including some trainees), the Air Station Auxiliary Liaison Officer and the Operations Officer to have dinner at a rustic Savannah Dockside restaurant. The formal Stand-down started the following morning with a series of excellent speakers on matters of safety that included: electrical hazards, alcohol, traffic safety, diminishing the threat of mesothelioma from asbestos products, risk management as practiced in the Army s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, tag-out procedures at the Air Station, protection from blood-borne pathogens and fire safety. The associated Awards Ceremony, with CAPT Marshall Branch, Commanding Officer and CDR Tim Eason, Executive Officer presiding, saw presentations to one active duty and three AUXAIR members (all from Flotilla 12-3). Jay Byers, First Pilot and Peg Peterson, Air Observer were awarded Auxiliary Commandant s Letters of Commendation (ACLOC) in recognition of the closure of lengthy and productive careers flying for Air Station Savannah. Ken Plesser was awarded an Auxiliary Meritorious Service Medal, signed by RADM Scott Buschman, in recognition of his successful tenure as District Staff Officer-Aviation for District 7 between September 2012 and December In the evening following the Safety Stand-down, a number of Auxiliarists shared the Holiday spirit with their active duty counterparts at the Air Station s annual Holiday Party at the Riverfront Marriott in downtown Savannah. Members, friends, and families celebrated the accomplishments of the year with some excellent video tributes, dancing, and a lot of fun contests. In the words of one Auxiliarist, Air Station Savannah parties as hard as it trains and flies! And while all of this was going on, the business of the unit never missed a beat, with LTJG Rob Mineo, Auxiliary Liaison Officer departing for Air Facility Charleston to stand the forward watch. 24

25 Awards Presented by CAPT Marshall Branch - Savannah THE AUXILIARY MERITORIOUS SERVICE MEDAL Mr. Kenneth T. Plesser Mr. PLESSER is cited for meritorious service in the performance of duty as District Staff Officer for Aviation from September 2012 to December Mr. PLESSER demonstrated exceptional leadership in providing operational oversight for the execution of over 12,000 flight hours, while advancing the technical and administrative posture of the aviation program. In this pursuit of excellence, he personally contributed over 9,000 administrative hours and 450 mission hours. A gifted visionary and strategic thinker, he developed comprehensive strategic plans for , accomplishing District goals. He skillfully led the transition from four quasi-independent Air Station entities to a fully-integrated and symbiotic District program where, for the first time, Air Station units supported one another by sharing best practices and dynamically allocating air assets and missions. He managed and mentored 15 Auxiliarists, focusing their energies toward a relentless pursuit of standardization and professionalism. Among his lasting contributions are expansion of the AUXAIR mission set, operational security through tactical integration of encrypted communications, minting of the first-ever AuxAir 7 challenge coin, reduction in paperwork time lines from months to days, support of other District Officers, coordination with the national staff, and a pervasive unyielding commitment to flight safety. Kenneth T. Plesser John W. Byers Peggy S. Peterson AUXILIARY LETTER OF COMMENDATION Mr. John W. Byers AUXILIARY LETTER OF COMMENDATION Ms. Peggy S. Peterson Coast Guard Auxiliary photos by Dr. Robert Miller Mr. BYERS, served as a Coast Guard Auxiliary First Pilot from February 2013 to June During this time, Mr. Byers accumulated 347 mission hours and over 228 flight hours, providing operational support to Coast Guard Air Station Savannah in the safe and effective execution of its missions. In addition, Mr. Byers served as an unofficial Auxiliary Aviation liaison to Sector Charleston. In this capacity, Mr. Byers met with key leaders, advising them of the capabilities of Auxiliary Aviation, arranging for greater awareness of the operating schedule, and advocating for expanded usage. As a result, there was significant growth in the portfolio of missions that Savannah Auxiliary now performs for the Sector. In particular, a significant increase in support for the living marine resource mission has assisted locally deployed Coast Guard Cutters. Ms. PETERSON served as a Coast Guard Auxiliary Air Observer from October 2011 to November During this time, Ms. Peterson accumulated 242 mission hours and over 134 flight hours, not only providing operational support across all mission areas of her home Air Station in Savannah, but also serving as flight crew for the drug and migrant interdiction missions of Air Stations Miami and Borinquen. In addition, Ms. Peterson served with distinction in her home Flotilla 12-3, Lake Murray, SC, in various years, as Flotilla Staff Officer-Finance, Flotilla Staff Officer-Secretary/ Records, and Flotilla Staff Officer -Diversity. Ms. Peterson also served as Assistant District Staff Officer for Aviation Administration, an important element in developing District Seven s reputation as the nation s premier Auxiliary Aviation program. 25

26 Official Publication U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Seventh District Aviation AUXAIR District 7 Operations and Flight Safety Newsletter Discover the Ultimate Auxiliary Aviation Model For The Nation 26