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Solo Champ
Calls for HelpA New Excuse for a False Alarm Elt Signal |
HEADQUARTERS
CALIFORNIA WING - CIVIL AIR PATROL
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AUXILIARY
Post Office Box 7688
Van Nuys, CA 91409-7688
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
14 January 2002
The California Wing of the Civil Air Patrol is out nearly every day
tracking down false alarm emergency beacons earning the privilege of
hearing every excuse in the book for why someone's emergency beacon went
off accidently including the new one of, "I can't tell you!"
On 13 January 2002, Wing Incident Commander Capt. Bob Keilholtz tasked a
CAP ground team to locate an emergency beacon signal in eastern San Diego
County detected by U.S. and Russian search and rescue satellites. Such
searches typically start with a sweep of local airports and air strips
since most false alarm signals are there.
Capt. Keilhotz and his team knew about a "secret" multi-agency border
interdiction base in the search area which often had a rescue helicopter
based there. The helicopter crew was so short of rescue business it had
asked CAP more than once to please call if anyone even stubbed their
toes. Unfortunately, no one in the regular federal and state search and
rescue world had their phone number to see if their emergency beacon was
activated.
Finally a number was found and Capt. Keilhotz was told there was no
helicopter there anymore. It had departed six months ago for lack of
business. Meanwhile, the ground team using standard CAP radio direction
finding gear determined the signal must be coming from that base. Maybe
there was a real distress!
The ground team pulled up to the base and the armed guard says, "No,
helicopters here!" "But, the Russian satellites say a signal is coming
from here," the team responds. Off in a jeep the guard and CAP go to the
helispot where there is ... a Bell Jet Ranger. The ground team asked whose
it is to get access to turn off the activated beacon which definately was
inside. "I can't tell you whose it is!" All the guard could say is the
helicopter arrived a day or so beforehand. Thanks to the persistance of
the CAP ground team, the beacon was deactivated.
Non-distress find awards were authorized for Capt. Mark Criswell and Lt.
Christopher Conyers of Group 7, and Senior Member Matthew Jones of El Cajon
Composite Squadron 55.
For more information about the activities of California Wing see
<http://cawg.cap.gov>.
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