When Did We Start Replacing Member-Owned With AF-Procured Aircraft?

Started by ProdigalJim, January 02, 2020, 01:05:37 AM

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ProdigalJim

Hi Gang,

Yeah, yeah, been awhile...

I've been searching through the Thomas database of all congressional actions to try to find the first bill when CAP started acquiring the Cessna 182/172 fleet that we have today. When I was a cadet, we were mostly member-owned (1979-1983). By the time I came back in in 2011, we were mostly CAP-owned. There was a policy shift between when I left and when I returned, and so what I'm trying to find is the legislative history of that policy shift.

I'm pretty well-grounded in the current process and I understand how the flow of appropriated dollars goes from USAF to CAP for aircraft and so on.

I have plenty of database access, but so far it's been needle in a haystack. If anyone can give me a year when it all started to happen, that would help me narrow down my legislative search. And if anyone remembers a key sponsor or co-sponsor, that would be even better.

Thanks in advance,
Jim Mathews, Lt. Col., CAP
VAWG/XP
My Mitchell Has Four Digits...

PHall

We had lots of CAP owned aircraft when I first joined CAP in 1969. Matter of fact, at least in California Wing, at least 80% of the aircraft were CAP owned.
Even back then it was just a few aircraft that were member owned.  Most of the CAP aircraft weren't brand new Cessnas back then, they were DOD surplus aircraft like O-1's, T-34A's, L-5's and stuff like that.

NIN

Was that the so called "CAP Supply Bill" that kicked off the corp aircraft purchases? Start there, Speedy
Darin Ninness, Col, CAP
I have no responsibilities whatsoever
I like to have Difficult Adult Conversations™
The contents of this post are Copyright © 2007-2024 by NIN. All rights are reserved. Specific permission is given to quote this post here on CAP-Talk only.

ProdigalJim

Jim Mathews, Lt. Col., CAP
VAWG/XP
My Mitchell Has Four Digits...

NIN

May not be as good a steer as I hoped.

The Supply Bill is PL 557, which is also the law that made CAP the auxiliary of the Air Force. In 1948.

I swear (and I could be completely wrong about this) that there was some legislation in the late 1970s/early 1980s that was like "The New CAP Supply Bill" or something.  As a cadet in the 80s, the "CAP Supply Bill" was thrown around quite a bit, almost like there was a contemporaneous or recent update to it.

Since 2000, PL 398 clarified our auxiliary status, funding, the board of governors, etc. From this the Statement of Work and Cooperative Agreements laid out a much more structured framework for CAP funding, payments, etc.

Of course, for a period of time, Cessna was not manufacturing new piston singles in the mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s, so anything we were getting "new to us" was going to be "used."



Darin Ninness, Col, CAP
I have no responsibilities whatsoever
I like to have Difficult Adult Conversations™
The contents of this post are Copyright © 2007-2024 by NIN. All rights are reserved. Specific permission is given to quote this post here on CAP-Talk only.

sardak

The background section of the "Joint Report,  Air Force-Civil Air Patrol Funding Policies, Procedures and Relationship," paragraph (c) includes this:

c. Appropriated funding to CAP for procurement began in 1985 and led to a build-up of communications assets, aircraft and vehicle fleets.  This corresponded with the dwindling supply of usable excess military aircraft and related equipment available to CAP via the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office process.

That was probably another "CAP Supply Bill" in 1985.

Mike


NIN

As usual, a casual reading of annual defense authorization acts from back then reveals interesting language.

Example, PL 98-525 from October 1984:


Or PL 99-661 from 1985:
Darin Ninness, Col, CAP
I have no responsibilities whatsoever
I like to have Difficult Adult Conversations™
The contents of this post are Copyright © 2007-2024 by NIN. All rights are reserved. Specific permission is given to quote this post here on CAP-Talk only.

Spaceman3750

Cornell has a good, searchable index of US Code. Maybe try punching Civil Air Patrol into that if you haven't already?

Spam

Quote from: NIN on January 02, 2020, 12:12:32 PM
...  As a cadet in the 80s, the "CAP Supply Bill" was thrown around quite a bit, almost like there was a contemporaneous or recent update to it.

You know how these things went... they probably were referring to a guy named Bill who ran Supply at the Bookstore or the old CAP Depot!

:o




NIN

Speaking of member owned aircraft



After seeing this one on one of the Facebook pages, I'm more led to believe that this is a member-owned airplane.
Darin Ninness, Col, CAP
I have no responsibilities whatsoever
I like to have Difficult Adult Conversations™
The contents of this post are Copyright © 2007-2024 by NIN. All rights are reserved. Specific permission is given to quote this post here on CAP-Talk only.

PHall

Quote from: NIN on January 02, 2020, 08:25:04 PM
Speaking of member owned aircraft



After seeing this one on one of the Facebook pages, I'm more led to believe that this is a member-owned airplane.

Registered to Jet Tech Holdings in Littleton, CO.

Looking at the top of the vertical stabilizer I see an "old school" Spaatz ribbon and what appears to be a Air Force Academy seal.
Has the CAP seal on the side of the fuselage which last time I looked was a no-no.

N6RVT

Quote from: NIN on January 02, 2020, 08:25:04 PM
Speaking of member owned aircraft
After seeing this one on one of the Facebook pages, I'm more led to believe that this is a member-owned airplane.

Owned by a current or retired Seabee, I'm guessing.

ZigZag911

I can only speak for NJ wing.

When I  became a cadet in 1970, most aircraft were member owned.

That remained the case well into the 80s, as I  recall serving as aircrew on member owned AC  as late as 1985, and hearing about their use in ES until at least 1988.

I  had little involvement in ES for nearly 10 years...when I had the time to get actively engaged again around 1998, all the CAP aircraft  were Corporate owned, and use of member aircraft  was practically unheard of.

Based on this, I'd estimate the changeover became widespread between 1990 and 1995.


Eclipse

Similar in the MidWest where I've been told that at major military bases we lost during BRAC,
there had at times been 15 aircraft assigned at one alone, of course that's much easier to say
when they are MOAs.

By 99 when I joined MOAs were no longer a thing, and while still allowed for under some circumstances
I've never seen one used, nor justified, since I joined.

"That Others May Zoom"

etodd

1985 Annual Report to Congress.   First paragraph of page 24, shows the 1984 Supply Bill was the first time we could purchase light aircraft, outside of previously just procuring excess DOD equipment.

https://presspage-production-content.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/1913/1985report.pdf?10000

By 1994 the budget for aircraft acquisition was $3.6 million.
"Don't try to explain it, just bow your head
Breathe in, breathe out, move on ..."

docsteve

For what it's worth, when I joined as a cadet in 1970, New York Wing's Long Island Group had, at AYZ, a PA-18, a T-34, and a couple of 172s, all with tail numbers NxxxNY; all aircraft were corporate,   On the other side of the field was Northeast Region's T-34.   There was also a T-29 at ISP, but it used an AF call sign.  By 1973 there was a NYW Beaver  (which crashed on the frozen Black River,  no serious injuries), and by the late 70s there was an Otter assigned to Region, the latter two obviously surplus, along with the T-34s, but the 172s were not former T-41s as at least one was a flat back.
Steve Sconfienza, Ph.D.
former captain

ZigZag911

As the previous poster said, this fits with my recollection - in the  70s and 80s, the corporate aircraft were military surplus, and generally  assigned to wing HQ....and there weren't many of them,

PHall

The fleet back then wasn't anywhere near the 550+ we have today.

NIN

Quote from: PHall on January 02, 2020, 10:34:17 PM
Looking at the top of the vertical stabilizer I see an "old school" Spaatz ribbon and what appears to be a Air Force Academy seal.
Has the CAP seal on the side of the fuselage which last time I looked was a no-no.

I'm kind of guessing that back when that photo was taken, things were a bit more loosey-goosey as far as markings on member-owned airplanes.

I am reminded of a line from the late Pat McCormick, that I'll paraphrase here: "Any man that'd paint his airplane like that would go to a minister's funeral dressed in feathers."

You know how this conversation went. 

J. Rando Captain flies into a mission base in his thusly marked and very spiffy Rockwell International Commander 112TC.

Mission Coordinator: "Hey, you know buddy, you can't have all those markings on your plane like that.. Its not a CAP plane."
J. Rando Captain: "I spent big bucks having that paint job done!"
MC: "Alright, I'm just saying."





Darin Ninness, Col, CAP
I have no responsibilities whatsoever
I like to have Difficult Adult Conversations™
The contents of this post are Copyright © 2007-2024 by NIN. All rights are reserved. Specific permission is given to quote this post here on CAP-Talk only.

PHall

Quote from: NIN on January 03, 2020, 09:38:24 PM
Quote from: PHall on January 02, 2020, 10:34:17 PM
Looking at the top of the vertical stabilizer I see an "old school" Spaatz ribbon and what appears to be a Air Force Academy seal.
Has the CAP seal on the side of the fuselage which last time I looked was a no-no.

I'm kind of guessing that back when that photo was taken, things were a bit more loosey-goosey as far as markings on member-owned airplanes.

I am reminded of a line from the late Pat McCormick, that I'll paraphrase here: "Any man that'd paint his airplane like that would go to a minister's funeral dressed in feathers."

You know how this conversation went. 

J. Rando Captain flies into a mission base in his thusly marked and very spiffy Rockwell International Commander 112TC.

Mission Coordinator: "Hey, you know buddy, you can't have all those markings on your plane like that.. Its not a CAP plane."
J. Rando Captain: "I spent big bucks having that paint job done!"
MC: "Alright, I'm just saying."

Actually there were some quite specific rules on what "CAP" markings could be on a member owned aircraft if they wanted to use it and get paid on a CAP mission.
About the only CAP marking allowed was the CAP logo with the red triblade prop inside of the white pyramid on the blue disk with Civil Air Patrol in the red arc on top.
No USAFAux, no CAP seals. About the only other marking allowed was a Find Ribbon sticker if the aircraft had a find credited to it.

It was a big deal when someone restored a WWII era CAP aircraft and put the Wartime markings on it.