I'm Invisible ... Sort of ....

[etodd]

So I passed the last step today and here is where I stand in the sUAS Program. My Qualifications as given by Hdqs:

• sUAS Technician
• sUAS Mission Pilot
• Skills Evaluator for both (SET)
• sUAS Instructor Pilot
• sUAS Check Airman

So I can train and sign people off and send the paperwork straight to Hdqtrs where the files are kept.

Yep, you guessed it,  my CAP 101 card has NONE of this on it.   

But at an event ..... at Mission Base, the lists will be there, so I and others can be properly tasked.


I'll give you another reason for the rush.  To be a full sUAS Mission Pilot, one needs 15 hours of verified stick time.  With batteries only giving us about 20 minutes each ... this could take months for some folks if they just fly once or twice a month, or at a SAREX. IOW ... we are already behind the game. The sooner people can start flying, the better.

[THRAWN]

IOW ... we are already behind the game. The sooner people can start flying, the better.

Been saying this for a loooong time. We've been spitballing here for a decade about the potential uses of remote aircraft for ES. Meanwhile, everybody trained up, developed a mission and CAP is still planning to have meetings to talk about it.

[PHall]

IOW ... we are already behind the game. The sooner people can start flying, the better.

Been saying this for a loooong time. We've been spitballing here for a decade about the potential uses of remote aircraft for ES. Meanwhile, everybody trained up, developed a mission and CAP is still planning to have meetings to talk about it.

Sure, you have any actual missions that you can train for yet?
Or even better, something that might actually be looked at during your next Air Force Eval?

Here in California I don't foresee CAP getting much UAS business. Many of the County Sheriff Search Teams have their own stuff and the California Air National Guard has a MQ-9 unit that has been used a number of times already.
CalOES knows what they can do, they don't have a clue about what we can do.

[THRAWN]

IOW ... we are already behind the game. The sooner people can start flying, the better.

Been saying this for a loooong time. We've been spitballing here for a decade about the potential uses of remote aircraft for ES. Meanwhile, everybody trained up, developed a mission and CAP is still planning to have meetings to talk about it.

Sure, you have any actual missions that you can train for yet?
Or even better, something that might actually be looked at during your next Air Force Eval?

Here in California I don't foresee CAP getting much UAS business. Many of the County Sheriff Search Teams have their own stuff and the California Air National Guard has a MQ-9 unit that has been used a number of times already.
CalOES knows what they can do, they don't have a clue about what we can do.

Yeah, exactly my point.

[etodd]

Sure, you have any actual missions that you can train for yet?
Or even better, something that might actually be looked at during your next Air Force Eval?

Well for starters, this whole program is being funded by the Air Force for specific missions that will be beginning very soon. Hence the rush. And the Air Force happens to be that first customer, so its all good on both of your counts.

Here in California I don't foresee CAP getting much UAS business.

Very well could be.  But thats the deal. The sUAS Program is no different than other CAP Programs in this way:

Some Wings stay very busy chasing ELTs ... some Wings never get the call.

Some Wings stay very busy taking flood photos ... some Wings never get the call.

Some Wings stay very busy with hurricane photos and relief ... some Wings never get a call.

Some Wings stay very busy doing XYZ ... some Wings never get a call.

sUAS will be the same way.

So regional all of us are, in what we do .... Yet all Wings train for it all.  Its the CAP way.