Post on 06-Apr-2018
8/2/2019 Delta Squadron - Dec 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/delta-squadron-dec-2009 1/11
THE DELTA COMPOSITE SQUADRON QUARTERLY FOURTH QUARTER 2009
PAGE 1
The Flight LineCHANGE OF CADET COMMANDERS
On Aug. 3, 2009, the cadets of Delta Composite Squadronheld a change of command ceremony and a new cadetcommander was appointed to lead the cadet squadron.Capt. Joyce Kassai, deputy commander for cadets,officiated as C/Lt. Col. Collin Carstens passed the baton of leadership to C/Capt. Jamie Douglas, who will now serve asthe new cadet commander.
C/Lt. Col. Carstens has served Delta as cadet commander since January 2008. On the night of the change of command, cadet Carstens was promoted to the grade of C/Lt. Col. by Squadron Commander Capt. Risher Lewis.
Carstens will now focus on achieving the Spaatz award and attaining the grade of C/Col.
C/Capt. Jamie Douglas takes over as cadet commander after serving thepast year and a half as cadet deputy commander under Carstens.Douglas has been a cadet at Delta since 2005 and has served in manyleadership positions during the past 4 years. In addition to her experienceat Delta, she has served numerous times on staff at Texas WingEncampments and has completed the leadership classes at CTEP.
Douglas is also a graduate of RCLS, a Regional leadership school heldonly once annually. She has served on staff for several Group 4 AirmanLeadership Schools, and has experience in training young cadets.Douglas has many plans in store for the Delta cadets over the comingyear. Her goal is to Aim High and to help the cadets grow and mature,while accomplishing objectives in the areas of leadership, aerospaceeducation and emergency services training. Douglas has selected C/Capt.Stephen Roquemore to serve as her deputy commander, and to assist her in carrying out the
plans for the Delta Cadet Squadron.
Following the change of command ceremony, areception and open house was held for all cadetsand their families. There was a white cake
provided in honor of the outgoing cadetcommander, and a chocolate cake was in honor of the incoming cadet commander. Thereception planning and refreshments wereprovided by Mrs. Dawn Douglas and Mrs. Tina
Roquemore. The reception and open house provided everyone with a time to make newacquaintances and allowed the cadet programs staff to visit with the parents of cadets. It was agreat time of celebration and fellowship as the Delta Cadet Squadron enters a new and excitingchapter of it’s tradition of producing outstanding Civil Air Patrol cadets.
8/2/2019 Delta Squadron - Dec 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/delta-squadron-dec-2009 2/11
THE DELTA COMPOSITE SQUADRON QUARTERLY FOURTH QUARTER 2009
PAGE 2
‘Who’ is Delta Composite Squadron? -- Maj. Brian Callahan
If someone were to ask us, “What is Delta
Squadron?” we would all readily have an answer. Butif someone were to ask us, “Who is Delta Squadron?”
the answer would become a little more difficult.
I don’t know of another organization that has as
focused a purpose for the utilization of volunteers
with an interest in aviation, development of youth or teaching people about the importance of aerospace
superiority as the CAP. I believe that its strength is
the spirit of its members to serve the threefoldmission and how those members learn to serve the
organization.
However, while most members become excited andfocused about training and participating in mission
oriented activities, few members become concernedabout the emphasis and focus that must be directedtoward securing the facilities and funding required to
stabilize the squadron’s ability to facilitate training
and maintain operations.
As with many organizations, the burden of the
planning and work required to address the problems
due to underfunding is usually left to a fewindividuals. This is an organizational weakness that
threatens the morale, cohesiveness and operationaleffectiveness of any squadron where leaders and
members allow those conditions to remain
unchanged.
Many of us have had discussions about the fact that
our squadron is not a “flying club” because we have a
threefold mission for which we train and prepare toperform when required. Although we are expected to
operate to Air Force standards, we are continually
reminded that we are a volunteer civilianorganization, not a military organization.
The truth is that the requirements for membership
and the operation of a squadron in the CAP include
certain elements that are exactly the same as flyingclubs or civilian veterans’ organizations. The CAP is
like a flying club because it requires that those whouse the aircraft provided pay for its use when flying to
increase or maintain proficiency. Most CAP members
readily agree that the CAP is an economical way tofly and supplies a great outlet for those who desire to
serve their community through their interest in
aviation. It is not like a flying club in that there is “free
flying” when we are engaged in missions or approvedtraining exercises.
The other way we are similar to flying clubs is that weare expected to have a facility to secure our aircraft
and hold meetings. We had such a facility, but we
were so sure that no one else would rent it in theconditions that existed, that we didn’t take the steps
to raise the funds required to secure it permanently.
Recently, I have become a member of the VFW inTomball, and after spending many hours discussing
their operation with their commander, I have come to
understand that the views and priorities for their organization’s leadership truly reflects the reality of
securing the funding and facilities to perform their mission. Even though they are all veterans, like manyof us, their organization receives no government
funds for their post to operate or for many of their
scholarship or veteran’s assistance programs.
The VFW knows that their facility is the lifeblood that
supports their organization. Fundraising to have and
maintain a home post is their first priority in creatingthe foundation for its social, organizational,
educational and local veteran assistance programs.Their dues remain low because they know that dues
cannot possibly support the cost of their home post.
Their leadership knows that they have a responsibilityto continually plan and execute fundraising activities
to maintain their facility and support their mission.
Unfortunately, Delta Squadron’s approach to facilitieshas never reached the realistic approach required to
make a secure, permanent facility a reality. We have
relied upon whatever free facilities we could find andhave been at the mercy of gaining and losing the free
facilities that have been offered to us. We have not
placed a high priority on putting a fundraisingprogram in place that will get us past the formative
stage of development regarding the securing of apermanent facility.
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
8/2/2019 Delta Squadron - Dec 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/delta-squadron-dec-2009 3/11
THE DELTA COMPOSITE SQUADRON QUARTERLY FOURTH QUARTER 2009
PAGE 3
‘Who’ is Delta...? (continued)
One of my concerns is the obvious inability
of the CAP, as an organization, to realisticallymake fundraising for permanent facilities the
first priority of a squadron in the stepsrequired to support the training and
operational needs to accomplish the CAP
threefold mission. It is one thing to want asquadron locally, it is another for its
members to step up to participate in the
planning and execution of a financial supportand fundraising program that realistically
meets the financial obligations that makes
mission accomplishment possible. Freespace is a good thing if you are in the
formative stages of building a squadron.
Free space should never be a permanentsolution to a squadron’s need for facilities.
For a fully operational squadron that is far
beyond the formative stage of development,like Delta, the thought that our whole
program can be jeopardized by the decisions
of the owner of a facility that is giving us freespace is unacceptable. We have just gone
through that with both our hangar space andour headquarters facility during the past two
years.
Similarly, our inaction to plan and execute afundraising program, knowing that dues
alone won’t support our requirements, is
unacceptable if we know that our stability as
a squadron depends on our ability to pay for
a permanently secured facility.
The idea that dues alone are the solution to
the problem is unrealistic. When a squadronis forming, they are a temporary solution that
must be put in place for a short period to get
an organization formed. For any organizationin its formative stage, dues are the initial
step that secures a rented facility and
stabilizes the organization’s operation. Thesecond step is to create a fundraising activity
that will maintain the rent for a facility and
produce an income that will offset theoperational expenses and lower the dues
required of the members. The third step is to
create a fundraising activity that will providea permanent facility that has a potential,
through rent and activities, to pay for the cost
of the facility, training and operationalreadiness of the squadron.
So when I consider the question “Who is
Delta Squadron?” my answer is, ”Thosemembers who can be relied upon to achieve
all of the tasks that will make our squadronfinancially stable, who are trained for
operational readiness and will help to
provide a permanent facility that ensures thesecurity of our squadron for generations to
come.”
8/2/2019 Delta Squadron - Dec 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/delta-squadron-dec-2009 4/11
THE DELTA COMPOSITE SQUADRON QUARTERLY FOURTH QUARTER 2009
PAGE 4
With Honor and Pride -- C/2nd Lt. Carter Post
This summer, I had the great opportunity to attend one of CAP’s most renowned national activities, the Civil Air Patrol Honor Guard Academy. It was one of the most beneficial things I have ever done, giving me the skills I needed to start an honor guard at my home unit and improving myself as an individual. The experience there is unlike any other activity found in CAP.
The CAP Honor Guard was inspired by LtCol. Jett Mayhew of the Maryland Wing after her observation that Civil Air Patrol
had no one to give late members the final honors they deserved. Her idea evolved into awing activity which led to the creation of the renowned Maryland Wing honor guard.Later, the Middle East Region took notice of this activity and instituted it as a region-level program and, finally, in 2002, the Honor Guard Academy became a nationalactivity held at McDaniel College in Westminster, Md.
The Honor Guard Academy is a 3-year program. First-year cadets, known as “whitehats”, are the lower classmen for the activity. They learn basic honor guard riflemaneuvers and basic colors elements and are given classes that pertain thefundamentals of Honor Guard history and knowledge. The “blue hats” are the middleclassmen who have already completed a year at the Academy. They are giveninstruction in the Bearers element of Honor Guard and are introduced to intermediatehonor guard rifle maneuvers. The graduating class of the Honor Guard Academy,
known as “red hats,” are completing the final stage in the CAP Honor Guard Program.They are taught the most difficult honor guard rifle spins and tosses and are expected toset the example for the other cadets. After their graduation they have the option tocome back as cadet staff, or “black hats”, at the following year’s academy.
Wanting to be a part of this great program, I applied to the Honor Guard Academy backin January of 2009 and was notified in March by Lt.Col Mayhew that I had been accepted. Arriving in Maryland, I was placedin Mercury Flight, under the command of black hats Captain Ray Hicks from the Texas Wing and C/Major Jenna McCord fromthe Florida Wing. During the first two days of the academy, our flight of 15 cadets learned what would be expected of usduring our two week stay and some of the basic honor guard maneuvers that we would be required to know.
On the third day, the USAF Presidential Honor Guard from Bowling Air Force Base arrived to instruct at the Academy. Anairman from the guard taught each flight for four days, instructing in basic rifle maneuvers, colors element and the proper procedures for a cordon. The Honor Guardsmen were great teachers and had great senses of humor. Their jokes eased thetension in the flight in a matter of minutes. It was a great honor to be trained by these men and women. They performceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery on a daily basis and gave up their time to train the cadets.
About mid-way through the second week, the Academy was paid a visit by one of CAP’s most distinguished members, Col.Mary Fiek. She spoke to the white hat class about her love for aviation and her days in aircraft maintenance. She presentedall C/SrAmn or higher with an autographed copy of the CAP award that bears her name. It was a great privilege to be able tolisten to this woman speak about her passion for flying and to be presented with the award associated with that passion.
When Sunday finally arrived, a sense of urgency hung in the air. The cadetswere dressed in the Honor Guard Ceremonial Uniform, a uniform thatrequires assistance from three other individuals to assemble. The flights wereformed up to march to the chapel in time for the graduation. Everyone wasnervous. We quickly discovered that practicing in front of our fellow cadets
was completely different from performing in front of distinguished CAPofficials from national headquarters. Nevertheless, all of the flightperformances went smoothly and we were able to show those watching theskills we had learned.
The experience I had while at the Honor Guard Academy was a unique andwonderful thing. Learning how to honor CAP and military members was amonumental experience in my cadet career. I would recommend this activityto anyone who wishes to take pride in the way they carry themselves as
cadets and give up some of their time to honor the services and sacrifices of the members of the Civil Air Patrol and the Armed Forces.
8/2/2019 Delta Squadron - Dec 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/delta-squadron-dec-2009 5/11
THE DELTA COMPOSITE SQUADRON QUARTERLY FOURTH QUARTER 2009
PAGE 5
From the Safety Officer, Capt. Ray Watson....
Hello Delta! Just a few words from your “safety guru”.
The weather has finally started to change in Houston. Now
is the time to start preparing yourself for the cooler temperatures and rainy conditions. Remember to reduceyour speed and extend your following distance whiledriving. Give yourself plenty of time to get where you’regoing without having to rush. The roads are verydangerous when they get wet especially when it’s the mistydrizzle that we get in the mornings.
A word to the aircrews: Awareness! Be aware of what isgoing on outside the aircraft as well as inside. The college football season is in fullswing and if you’re flying up around the Bryan-College Station area, keep your head
outside the cockpit. Remember College Station doesnot allow touch and go’s on football Saturdays. Theramp is extremely crowded and there are quite a few“fast movers” that come to roost there. Follow your checklists and double check yourself. CRM is key.
Everyone needs to be at the October safety meeting.There is a mandatory slide show from the New MexicoWing that I am required to show everyone ASAP. MarkOctober 6 on your calendar.
KEEP THE BLUE SIDE UP AND THE GREEN SIDE DOWN, BE SAFE!
2008 Citation Crash Attributed to Birdstrike Damage
A Cessna Citation I that crashed on takeoff on March 4, 2008 was brought down by largebirds, according to findings by the National Transportation Safety Board. Birdstrikes wereapparently suspected when the preliminary report was written days after the accident, whichkilled both pilots and three passengers on departure from Wiley Post Airport in Oklahoma City.The report noted that a witness "observed pieces of a bird falling from the sky to the water
near his location. He described the pieces as white in color." The report further includedreference to "residue" from the wreckage being sent for examination by an ornithologist. In itsprobable cause ruling, the board said the Citation sustained structural damage to a wingcaused by impact by one or more large birds—subsequently identified as American whitepelicans.
8/2/2019 Delta Squadron - Dec 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/delta-squadron-dec-2009 6/11
THE DELTA COMPOSITE SQUADRON QUARTERLY FOURTH QUARTER 2009
PAGE 6
As of Oct. 1, the electronic flight release program in WMIRS will go "live" and ALL flight
releases in TXWG will be required to use this system as of that date. This is really a verygood system, and will help us better track the flying time in the Wing. But, each pilot must usesome prior planning. Also, as usual, there are some "quirks".
First, the sortie must be entered into WMIRS BEFORE the flight. It can be entered up to 24hours prior. Either the PIC or the FRO can perform this entry. If the pilot does the initial entry,multiple FROs can be designated by holding the Ctrl key down and clicking on each FRO. Ane-mail will then be sent to each designated FRO that a sortie is awaiting his/her release.
The PIC must then talk with the FRO by phone or in person within 4 hrs of the flight to
complete the release. The FRO must have access to the internet and WMIRS at the time of the release, ask the appropriate questions and check off the required check lists. The FROwill then complete the release. After the flight, the PIC will again call the FRO and give him/her the Hobbs time and starting and ending tach readings. The FRO will enter these itemsand complete the WMIRS entry.
If the flight is a C mission symbol the entry page can be accessed directly from the yellowsection of the initial WMIRS Menu, labeled “Add Sortie.”
If the flight is an A or B mission symbol it is a little more complicated to access the entry page,because there is already a mission number established, the monthly A or B mission number.To use an A or B mission symbol the PIC must be on the WgCC and WgSD approved list(Letter of Xs) found on the TXWG Ops Web site.
To access the entry page for A or B missions, on the left side menu in WMIRS, click on“Current Missions/Sorties.” Then find the TXWG Monthly A or B Mission and click on the“NUMBER OF AIR SORTIES” for that mission (fourth column from the right). This will bring upa list of all previous sorties for the month. Go to the bottom of the list and click on “Add.” Thiswill give you the entry page. Fill out that page as indicated above and complete the releaseand flight as indicated above.
For now, there is an alternate procedure to be used for manual flight releases on a Form 99.However, this should be the EXCEPTION, not the rule, and should only be used when noFRO is available who has access to his/her computer. The FRO must still go back and enter the sortie, the release, and the final numbers, just as soon as he has access to a computer,according to the instructions.
Contact Lt. Col. Rand Woodward with any questions or concerns.
New Flight Release System goes “Live”
8/2/2019 Delta Squadron - Dec 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/delta-squadron-dec-2009 7/11
THE DELTA COMPOSITE SQUADRON QUARTERLY FOURTH QUARTER 2009
PAGE 7
Aerospace Education -- Lt. Col. Steven Mathews
WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, READ THE INSTRUCTIONS
The Air Force publishes a safety document thatdiscusses the significant accidents for that
reporting period. Significant accidents areequipment that has been severely damaged or destroyed and people who have been severelyinjured or killed. The common theme behind themajority of the accidents is that an individual didnot follow the standard procedures/instructionsrelated to that activity.
I recall reading about a jet engine that wasseverely damaged during the Vietnam War. Themaintainer had left a small scr ewdriver inside theair intake. The maintainer did not followstandard instructions to make a close inspectionto assure that no tools were left behind. Thepilot normally does a walk-around the aircraft toverify that there are no obvious conditions thatwould prevent the aircraft from starting itsmission. The pilot did not see the screwdriver.The jet engine start was initiated and very sooningested the screwdriver. The jet engine couldnot start because many of the compressor blades were damaged and the mission wasaborted.
It cost about $300,000 in today’s money for that
jet engine to be removed, shipped to a depot in America to be repaired and tested, then returnedto service. Unreported was the impact to the
Army ground forces that were relying on thataircraft for air support. Because two people did
not follow standard procedures/instructions, alarge, unexpected financial cost was incurred,
and the lives of many people were put atunnecessary risk.
Often when there is difficulty assembling a newaerospace device, or a test program is not goingas expected, the resolution is usually going backto the instructions and following them exactly.
You can probably recall situations when youwere assembling something, and some of thepieces were not going together well. If youcontinued your activity, you probably broke or
damaged a part, and/or you injured yourself.When you returned to the instruction sheet, youvery likely noticed that you were doingsomething inappropriate to complete theassembly.
A class of 8th graders was organized into teamsto assemble an educational robot. Several of the students went to the instructor to complainthat they could not assemble some portion of therobot. The instructor simply told them to go backand read the instructions. Within a fewmoments, the students would say, “Oh, yeah,right.”
The message is: if you’re not getting the resultsthat you expect, then stop and go back and readthe instructions.
Seeking Photos of Those Listed on The Wall:
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund has teamed with FedEx Office to collect and provide photos of the more than 58,000 service members whose names are listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial inWashington, D.C. The photos will become a centerpiece in The Education Center at The Wall, a newfacility to be built underground near the Vietnam and Lincoln memorials. FedEx Office centers aroundthe country will collect and scan the photos. Jan Scruggs, founder and president of the memorial fund,said in a statement announcing the National Call for Photos, "It is vital we remember the individuals whomade the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam. … The education center will allow us to put faces with thenames on The Wall and learn some of their stories."
8/2/2019 Delta Squadron - Dec 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/delta-squadron-dec-2009 8/11
THE DELTA COMPOSITE SQUADRON QUARTERLY FOURTH QUARTER 2009
PAGE 8
It’s not unusual for teenagers to go to summer camp. What is unusual is for that camp to be all aboutlearning how to fly gliders. Even more unusual is to have your dad be part of that experience by
serving on the camp staff. Unless you happen to be a CAP cadet with a dream of flying and your dadis a CAP officer who shares your dream and, along with other senior members, works to give thosedreams flight.
Such was the case the week of July 13, as C/Capt. Stephen Roquemore and his father, Capt. DarrellRoquemore, attended the Texas Wing Glider Academy, held at the Soaring Club of Houston (SCOH)near Waller, Texas. The Roquemores joined 14 other cadets, five tow plane pilots, six instructor pilotsand four support staff for the week-long campthat offered cadets the opportunity to learn tofly a glider and possibly earn the right to goon a solo flight. This was not your typicalsummer camp nor were these your typical
summer campers.
This was a record-setting event. BetweenMonday and early Saturday, there were morethan 330 tows of gliders into the skies over SCOH. The long-standing club record of 62tows in a single day was replaced by theacademy’s 73 on Tuesday. That record fellby the wayside on Thursday, when there wasan incredible 90 tows.
But the academy was not about the records, it was all about the cadets, who ranged in age from 14 to18. A few came with some flying experience, most did not. Some were fearful in the cockpit duringtheir initial flights and a few got airsick. They were not to be deterred, however. Each and every oneof them overcame their obstacles and became fully confident pilots-in-training by the end of the week.What a transformation! One of the parents later said in an E-mail, “We gave you a kid to look after;we’re getting back a young adult.”
And what about the Roquemores? What was their experience?
In the words of Cadet Roquemore, “The Texas Wing Glider Academy was an experience not to beforgotten. We spent six days of exciting, non-stop flying that made the time spent well worth it. I tookpart in what every cadet agreed was one of the best experiences of our lives.”
As for dad? “I had the priviledge of serving on the staff the entire week, with a cadet in the program.”
The academy had at its disposal two Schweitzer 2-33 gliders, one Schwetzer 2-22 glider and twoBlanik L-23 gliders, and a reserve Grob G103 glider. While some cadets were receiving their flights,others were instructed on ground operations for launching and recovering gliders.
continued on next page...
Father and Son Soar at Glider Academy
8/2/2019 Delta Squadron - Dec 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/delta-squadron-dec-2009 9/11
THE DELTA COMPOSITE SQUADRON QUARTERLY FOURTH QUARTER 2009
PAGE 9
Each cadet stayed in the same type of glider the entire week, in order to keep the experience constant.Several instructors rotated through the different gliders to give their special brand of teaching. At the
same time, different cadets rotated through several jobs on the ground.
Each morning, the Flight Operations Officer would give the cadets their order of flying. This was basedupon the total number of instruction flights each cadet had accumulated throughout the previous day.For example, a cadet who had flown only six times would be given priority until they were caught up tothose cadets who already had more flights.
A break for lunch briefly interrupted operations and then everyone returned to their jobs until aroundseven o’clock, when enough time was needed to put up the aircraft in order to be on time for dinner.
One of the 2-33s and both of the Blaniks were placed in Quonset-style hangers several yards from theclubhouse. The 2-22 was tied down outside on the other side of these hangers. The remaining 2-33
was placed its own special hanger near the end of the field. Once all gliders were put away, everyonewent to dinner at the clubhouse.
After dinner and a final round of logbook filling, everyone retired to a nearby camp with comfortable, air-conditioned log cabins. Most evenings, though, there was little time for relaxation as studies continuedthere, at least until exhaustion set in. Lights out, enforced by the advanced cadets, was normallyaround eleven o’clock. At quarter to six each morning, everyone rolled out of their bunks, spentendless minutes waiting on each other to get out the shower, and finally piled into the 15-passenger CAP vans to return to the glider port for another day of flight. Such was a typical day at the academy.
“Tuesday, was especially exciting,” said theyounger Roquemore. “We were told that the
ABC television affiliate from Houston wascoming out to do a story on the academy.”
“There was no overt sign that the cadets paidany attention to them,” said the elder Roquemore, “but somehow the tempo of operations inreased.”
“About eleven o’clock, the Channel 13 Newstruck showed up and the basic cadets weretold not to be going out of their way to get infront of the camera,” said Cadet Roquemore.
“Everyone stayed focused on their jobs,regardless of the news crew. However, therewas an increase in energy and operationssped up noticeably.”
continued on next page ...
Father and Son...continued
8/2/2019 Delta Squadron - Dec 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/delta-squadron-dec-2009 10/11
THE DELTA COMPOSITE SQUADRON QUARTERLY FOURTH QUARTER 2009
PAGE 10
“The news team, consisting of a reporter and a photographer, interviewed the Project Officer, Major David Ayre, and 2 local cadets: my son and C/1st Lt. Juliana Leano from Spindletop Composite
Squadron near Beaumont,” added Captain Roquemore.
And the highlight of the week?
“On Thursday,the very last flight of the daywas my solo, the ninetieth sortie,” said CadetRoquemore. “It wasn’t that long, just a tow up
to one thousand feet, enough to get into thepattern. When I came down, everyone rushedto the cockpit with all of their cameras, eager for a picture or a video. Once I climbed out of the glider, two of the cadets dowsed me with
five gallons of ice water! After I put the glider away, I returned to the clubhouse for dinner and much congratulatory conversation witheveryone else.”
“Any parent watching their child do somethingdangerous, no matter how good the training,cannot avoid having their heart in their throat,”
said Captain Roquemore. “I know I did andit was made worse because I, too, have
been in the cockpit of a glider and know
what can go wrong. Thankfully, I was able tokeep myself distracted by being thephotographer for the event. When Stephenlanded, I was as proud of him and all that he
has accomplished.”
The academy concluded with cadetsaveraging 22 flights in their logbooks. Thosethat return to the academy next summer
should be able to solo in no time.
“Most of us traded contact information so we
could stay in touch with each other,” addedCadet Roquemore. “and we all left the
academy with a tremendous feeling of accomplishment and experience that willstay with us for the rest of our lives.”
Father and Son ...conclusion
8/2/2019 Delta Squadron - Dec 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/delta-squadron-dec-2009 11/11
THE DELTA COMPOSITE SQUADRON QUARTERLY FOURTH QUARTER 2009
PAGE 11
FROM THE COMMANDER...
It’s been four months since moving to Tomball
Jet on the west side of David Wayne Hooks
Airport. Thanks to all who have given their
time and sweat to get us moved in. I
especially want to thank those of you who
have contributed financially to help us secure
the space. If it weren’t for you, we would not
have had the chance to relocate to a proper
place where we can carry out the vitallyimportant missions for America that are sure
to come. I am beginning to feel like we are
finding a groove now that we have had three
months to get adjusted.
Our administration department was the first to
get up to speed and has done an outstanding
job of getting the cadet records up to date
and keeping the squadron administration
running efficiently in spite of the challengesthey faced. In the area of operations and
training, Major Callahan, as the new deputy
commander for seniors, has reinvigorated
that area. I am delighted that there are a
number of senior members who have
completed the Scanner/Observer preliminary
and advanced tasks. They are now ready to
fly evaluation missions to become certified
crew members ready for taskings when called
upon. I see our operations department taking
shape with critical positions being filled in
order to operate effectively. Thanks to all
who have stepped up to the plate and are
willing to do the jobs required.
The cadet program has a new cadet
commander, C/Capt Jamie Douglas. She has
had a little more than a month to appoint her
staff and transition the cadet squadron to a
new course. I understand they have made
plans for Field Training Exercises and will
participate in the Wings Over Houston Air
Show. Thanks to the dedicated senior cadet
programs officers who help guide the cadets
by administering the program and helping
them stay on track.
The area of fund-raising is finally beginning to
take shape. The ground work continues to be
laid for an annual BBQ cook off event that will
likely be hosted by a local VFW post in April.There is a car wash planned for October and
an opportunity to assist a local business by
providing manpower who will, in turn, donate
to the squadron. We must continue to identify
and approach potential donors who share our
values and educate them as to who we are
and what we do for the local community, state
and nation.
Yes, we have come a long way, but there ismore work to be done.
Semper Vigilans,
Capt. Risher Lewis