Just another typical ELT mission...

[ctrossen]

Just another "typical" ELT mission...

Got the phone call to be IC at 0648 this morning. No big deal, right? Oh, there were some storms last night that rolled across Wisconsin, so there are a couple of ELT Merge "sites" that are open. AFRCC isn't really sure what to make of it, so they pass it off to us.

For those of you that know what the attached map means... ;-)

For those that don't, well, usually you get a cluster of ELT "hits" within, oh, call it 15nm or so of each other (sometimes more, sometimes less) that the SARSAT system determines from the satellite passes (trying not to be overly technical here).

Instead, today I get this. Every Blue dot on the map is another "hit".



The mission is still ongoing, and the aircrew is up and listening right now. But my money is on a lightning strike at Volk Field ANGB... they have a system that likes to put out a carrier-only signal on 121.5 every once in a while...

[Becks]

Hahah glad to see things are still keeping you on your toes at MESS/TCS sir    I wouldnt doubt if it was a strike at Volk, the weather up there can get pretty nasty in the summer if I recall.  Nice to see you on CAPTalk.

[ctrossen]

Status Update: after nearly 10 hours of prosecuting this fun little mission, it's the ACMI (Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation) towers at Volk Field ANGB. How do we know? Well, the aircrew was flying over the base, talking to the base tower, as the base techs were turning the ACMI tower in question "off" and "on" and watching the carrier-only signal go away and come back.

Not the first time we've "found" a Volk Field tower, and certainly not the last! (Plus, it was a good exercise for a newish aircrew who'd never DFed a carrier-only signal.)


Drew: good to hear from you! 


Enjoy!

[CLB]

Holy crap!   

Something similar happened to me (however not to that degree) several months ago.   Carrier only on 243, with a strange "Independence Day"
"whirrrr whirrrrrrrrr booop booopp whiirrrrrr" type sound. 

Turned out to be a phone patch from Tyndal tripped the thing. 

Yeah....couldn't get a find ribbon for it because I was only MRO qualified at the time.  Nevermind the IC called me personally to check it out at 0230, and I was there alone for 3 hours with 3 sheriff deputies before the FAA and other sq members showed up. 

[ctrossen]

It doesn't matter if you've got a UDF/GT rating or not. If you were a part of the mission (and the IC should have signed you in) and you made the find (or were part of the team that made the find), you should get credit.

CAPR 39-3 lays it out pretty good (emphasis mine):

Awarded by the wing commander (or a subordinate commander if authority is delegated by the wing commander) to any CAP member of the wing making a find (distress or nondistress) on a search and rescue mission. A "distress find" is defined as one involving downed aircraft or persons in distress. Normally, a definite search objective must have been assigned, located, and positively identified. All other finds will be classified as "nondistress," e.g., location of nondistress emergency locator transmitters (ELTs).

You were on a Search and Rescue mission, and you did make the find. And looking at SCWG's supplements, your unit commander has the authority to award the ribbon. Based on what you have here, I don't see a reason you shouldn't get credit (though if this isn't your first find, this is one of 20 non-distress finds you need to accumulate to get a clasp). *I* wouldn't have a problem giving you credit.

Take FWIW...

[♠SARKID♠]

Was this the night of the 3 ELT's from h***?

[Matt]

That wasn't... too bad.