Professional Documents
Culture Documents
West Virginia Wing - Oct 2009
West Virginia Wing - Oct 2009
Mountain Flyer
Major Jeffery Schrock —Wing Public Affairs Officer/Editor
Photos taken by
members of the
encampment
staff
Martinsburg unit holds aerospace
National CAP Headquarters PAO Update education meeting in new hanger
Civil Air Patrol’s brand new search and rescue and News Journal,” which will By 1st Lt Dirk Stansbury
online initiative, Volunteer- humanitarian missions include stories and photos Martinsburg Squadron Aerospace Education
Now, is now live, accessi- and U.S. homeland secu- from each of CAP’s eight Officer
ble to all through CAP’s rity, as well as the impor- regions. One final note in
Martinsburg Composite Squadron’s August
national website, tance of aerospace educa- lieu of PAO updates we 18 meeting featured Aerospace, which was
www.gocivilairpatrol.com tion and cadet programs. now encourage you go to held for the first time at the new unit hanger.
or directly at Keep in mind it’s a work in “PA Essentials,” the offi- The presentation was by Donald Siler, Jr., vice
capvolunteernow.com progress with more en- cial NHQ/PA blog for much president and chief pilot of Air Photographics
Its goal is simple: to be an hancements over the next quicker access to every- Inc. All members were given a tour of the
company’s Piper PA 31-310 Navajo twin en-
online source for the latest few months. One future thing related to Public
gine aircraft used for aerial photography. Siler
news and information feature will be “Region Affairs. who has been a mapping pilot over 14 years,
about CAP and its citizen explained the nature of aerial photography.
volunteers. Siler went on to explain that air photos are
Volunteer Now used by government planners, and planning
will be chock full commissions for growth studies and develop-
of stories and ment characteristics and to check on who has
built a structure without a building permit.
photos about
Topographic mapping is also used by engi-
America’s pre- neers for site development design and devel-
mier volunteer opment of USGS maps. Some photos are just
organization. promotional to give a birds eye view of a nota-
They will tell of ble place or structure.
CAP’s noteworthy Siler explained the difficulty in keeping a
contributions to plane on course so that the overlapping pho-
tos make the correct coverage. He further
compared the old “fly the target” method to
the present GPS directional control that is
now used.
Siler started his flying career as a CAP cadet
Boone Composite Squadron in the Martinsburg Squadron many years ago.
He finished his presentation by emphasizing
hosts Wing wide SAREX the importance of education.