Over-Water Patrols: Which Wings Do This?

[Turk]

Florida Wing is famous for their "sundown" patrols on the Gulf Coast...

Maryland Wing has their Bay Patrol and Bridge Patrol...

Connecticut Wing has their Long Island Sound Patrol...

...are any other coastal or Great Lakes wings doing this?

Message icon changed.  Why the Grin? - MIKE

[SDF_Specialist]

Doing the over water patrols would be a big help to the USCG. Not too long ago, there was a plane crash at the airport my unit meets at. A plane took off, then crashed into Lake Erie not too far from the actual airport. USCG was out there for days using sonar. Apparently they didn't want anything to do with us. We could have pinpointed the beacon, and saved them some money. As far as I know, there isn't too much over water patrols in Ohio. But I can't speak for Michigan (you did just say Great Lakes )

[MIKE]

Doing the over water patrols would be a big help to the USCG.

Thats what  USCG Aux Aviation is for.  Does CAP even train its aircrew's for feet wet ops... 'cause the Aux does.

[SDF_Specialist]

Doing the over water patrols would be a big help to the USCG.

Thats what  USCG Aux Aviation is for.  Does CAP even train its aircrew's for feet wet ops... 'cause the Aux does.

I remember some water search training from Scanner/Observer training I believe. I don't see where it would hurt.

[MIKE]

What I mean is water survival... Part of the qualification for the Aux is swim qual, and part of that is being able to board a life raft from the water.

[SDF_Specialist]

I thought I was on the right track! Still, we could have saved them a lot of man hours in that particular seach.

[SJFedor]

Doing the over water patrols would be a big help to the USCG.

Thats what  USCG Aux Aviation is for.  Does CAP even train its aircrew's for feet wet ops... 'cause the Aux does.

It'd be kinda silly if the USCG Aux didn't.....

[Pylon]

I know for a number of years (and maybe still currently) NYWG was flying daily missions of the NYC watershed area... don't know if much of that actually went out over open water, though.

[PHall]

Hawaii Wing does overwater "patrols" between the islands.
They also have a Tsunami Warning mission from their State OES too.

[JayT]

Florida Wing is famous for their "sundown" patrols on the Gulf Coast...

Maryland Wing has their Bay Patrol and Bridge Patrol...

Connecticut Wing has their Long Island Sound Patrol...

...are any other coastal or Great Lakes wings doing this?

Message icon changed.  Why the Grin? - MIKE

Connecticut Wing is clearly in violation of our AOR. We are Long Island Group!

[BlueLakes1]

MSWG flies Sundown Patrol for USCG.

[♠SARKID♠]

What's sundown patrol?

[Short Field]

A flight late in the day when most boaters would already be back at the dock to make sure no one is in distress and stranded on the water.

[RiverAux]

As far as doing electronic searches, CG Aux Air would have to do it using the aircraft radio, which would add a degree of difficulty to the process.   Since they are all privately owned aircraft, I suspect that very few have L-per or other similar equipment that could speed it up. 

However, if the plane went down in the water the chances of the beacon being heard by an aircraft (assuming it activated in the first place and kept transmitting for long after the crash) are slim (though not impossible). 

However, it is up to the CG who they would use in these situations and judging by how often they hand off probable shoreside ELT missions to CAP I doubt they would shy away from calling for CAP help if they thought it would be of use. 

[SarDragon]

When I was in MEWG (early 70s), they did a sundown patrol. Not sure about now.

[CadetProgramGuy]

Only because I know the clientele of the memership of CapTalk.....

The regulation: 60-1 Feb 2008

2-19. Over-water Operations and Reconnaissance. CAP over-water missions require extra caution. For the purpose of this regulation, over-water operations are defined as any flight event conducted outside normal power off gliding distance of land. The reconnaissance phase of the mission will be flown IAW paragraph 2-18c (4) above. The confirmation phase will be flown no lower than 500 feet above the surface of the water. Flights are limited to within 50 nm of shore except for special operational missions approved by the NOC. On over-water flights (except short duration, such as takeoff and landing) each occupant will wear a U.S. Coast Guard or Department of Defense (DoD) approved individual flotation device. The aircraft will contain inflatable rafts of sufficient number and size to accommodate all occupants and will contain at least one pyrotechnic signaling device. Constant wear anti-exposure suits will be worn by crew members on any preplanned over-water flight when the water temperature is 60F or less. The wing commander may waive the requirement to wear the anti-exposure suit after reviewing appropriate risk management considerations such as the distance from land that the aircraft is required to operate. Any time an aircraft is operating outside gliding distance of land and out of radio range of a land-based agency that can provide flight following, an airborne communications relay platform must be used. During night over-water operations, both front-seat crew members must be CAP qualified mission pilots and both will be instrument qualified and current. The right-seat pilot need not be qualified in that specific aircraft.

[Turk]

Someone from Long Island Group said that Connecticut is in violation of the AOR by patrolling the Long Island Sound.

Um, hey, check your chart, Junior - part of the Long Island Sound is in Connecticut waters.  It's academic, mind you, the LIG doesn't patrol the Sound anyway. And the boaters saved won't care what wing the spotting aircraft is from!

[RiverAux]

I think there were articles in CAP News about some patrols flown over Lake Havasu and/or the Colorado River on July 4th for a few years.  Not sure if they are still doing it.  Also, think I saw something about NC wing flying some patrols over lakes last year.

[Frenchie]

What I mean is water survival... Part of the qualification for the Aux is swim qual, and part of that is being able to board a life raft from the water.

The Texas Wing does.

[notaNCO forever]

CT flies over the long Island Sound.