WADS Training

[Smokey]

CAP units have been involved in providing training for AF fighter squadrons in performing intercepts for some time.  These missions are referred to as WADS (Western Air Defense Sector) on the west coast, NEADS (Northeast Air Defense Sector) on the east coast , etc.   

CAP aircrews fly training sorties, acting as targets,  to allow the fighters to track and intercept small aircraft. This provides them with the skill to locate and confront small aircraft that may have less than honorable intentions.

CAWG helps train the Air Natl Guard 144FW/194FS located in Fresno California.

CAWG has performed these training sorties for years and the results have paid off......the following is a story from the Air Force Times....

F-16s force small plane to land


Posted : Thursday Jul 5, 2007 8:35:29 EDT
   
OCEANSIDE, Calif. — A small plane experiencing engine trouble was forced to land after federal officials became concerned when it turned around in Mexican airspace and began heading north and the pilot did not respond to radio calls.

The Cessna was spotted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection radar operators on Wednesday afternoon about 15 miles across the U.S.-Mexico border. Operators at the Air and Marine Operations center in Riverside watched as the plane turned around and began heading north, prompting the scrambling of two Air Force F-16 fighters.

"Once it crossed the border, it became a national security incident," said Juan Munoz Torres, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The military pilots, unable to communicate with the Cessna, flew beside the small craft and used hand gestures to order the pilot to land. The plane was met at a municipal airport by Oceanside police, San Diego County sheriff's deputies, border and customs agents and a drug-sniffing dog.

The plane's three male occupants were U.S. citizens, who said they were heading from the U.S. to La Paz in Baja California on a surfing trip when the Cessna developed engine and communication problems, Torres said.

By early evening, the three were released.

[wingnut]

Wow
What a great job Your doing for Home Land Security, We are proud of CAP

Did you notice the story a few days ago of the light plane hiting a power transformer and almost taking out the Power Grid for Southern California?

We underestimate the power of a light Plane hitting a high profile or sensitive utility station.

Always vigilent