What does it take for you to get to fly a CAP plane?

[Nomex Maximus]

Recently, due to job reasons I have been traveling around the country on business - and taking my CAP activities with me. Being a pilot, I have been looking into what it takes to be able to get to fly a CAP airplane at the places where I have been. It seems that a lot of people in CAP have a very hard time getting access to the CAP planes. What do you have to do in order to go fly your squadron's / wing's airplane?

For us here in Michigan, if I wake up Saturday morning and look out the window and see good weather, I can say to my self, "Gee, this looks like a good day to go fly the CAP plane". I then go downstairs, log onto WMU and see if the plane is available. If it is, (and it usually is) I then book a few hours, put on my funny CAP clothes and go to the airport. I open the hangar, preflight the plane, pull it out and call an FRO on the cellphone and tell him I will be flying for a while. Then, I go fly.

It seems from visits to other squadrons, that MIWG's situation is unusually easy. Other wings seem to make scheduling time in the airplane, or even getting Form 5'ed to be very difficult - darn near impossible. What are your experiences? Is it as easy for you to go fly as it is for me?

[sparks]

Each state has it's own system of CAP aircraft reservations and FRO pilot releases. WMU isn't universally used for reservations. Some problems to solve would be;

    First, where are the aircraft? There are databases that in theory identify aircraft locations. The database isn't 100% accurate. Next, how do you get onto the airport and into the hanger. Gate access codes, combinations or keys are necessary. Next, what FRO will be used and how will that person verify the qualifications of a pilot from a different wing.

    My advice would be to contact the DO and or DOS in the states you plan to be in and get advance permission or advice on what is possible.

[Nomex Maximus]

Each state has it's own system of CAP aircraft reservations and FRO pilot releases. WMU isn't universally used for reservations. Some problems to solve would be;

    First, where are the aircraft? There are databases that in theory identify aircraft locations. The database isn't 100% accurate. Next, how do you get onto the airport and into the hanger. Gate access codes, combinations or keys are necessary. Next, what FRO will be used and how will that person verify the qualifications of a pilot from a different wing.

    My advice would be to contact the DO and or DOS in the states you plan to be in and get advance permission or advice on what is possible.

Yes, but for you in your state, what do you have to do to fly? Is it a quick easy thing to do, or do you need to pre-arrange with the wing commander with region commander approval to fly? That's what it seems like in some wings...

[LtCol057]

I'm not a pilot, but from what I've been hearing for at least the last several years, you almost have to be in the GOB network in this wing to fly.  I know of several pilots that have been trying for over a year to get a F5 flight.  I know also that we've lost some pilot-type members because of the long delays.  This wing has put an asinine limit on the number of F5 checkpilots.  We had 1 in our group (approx 25 counties) and he was available maybe 2 days every 3 months.  We had 2 that went to the last Check Pilot school, but Wing won't approve them. 

We've had a plane scheduled 2 and 3 months in advance for cadet O-flights, and at the last minute, something comes up and the plane is moved.  I know sometimes a real mission or bad weather might cause the cancellation.  3 weeks ago, we had o-flights scheduled for a month, and they tried that stunt again, saying they were going to transfer the plane that morning.  I finally had to tell them (thru the chain) that if a plane wasn't at my squadron as scheduled, a formal complaint was going to be filed all the way up to the National IG if need be. 

[sparks]

In my state the WMU is used to reserve airplanes too. A pilot then calls an FRO from the list who checks his pilot currency list. Wing e-mails one of those to all FRO's monthly. If you're on the list you get the OK to fly assuming nothing else is amiss.

[Climbnsink]

I'd guess that getting permission/keys etc. while passing through would be a major PIA.  With a limited chance of success on any given attempt.  I'm not saying don't do it, I personally just don't have that tolerance for pain. 

[Eclipse]

Assuming the aircraft is available...

1) Reserve the a/c in the WMU.

2) Notify the POC I'm going to use it.

3) Obtain a flight release from an FRO.

(Somewhere between 0 & 4, for me, I'd have to attend flight training, get my PPL, and complete a Form 5, which tends to increase the ramp-up time).

Otherwise, at the basic "get the plane" level, its not a big deal, and there are generally 2-3+ a/c within 30 minutes of my AOR.  We are, however, in a populous area in relative proximity to Wing HQ.  Move downstate and the process is the same, but your distance to the A/C is probably increased.

[Spike]

What do you have to do in order to go fly your squadron's / wing's airplane?

Have some major $$

[Al Sayre]

Get a wx brief, call FRO, drive to airport.

[Spike]

Get a wx brief, call FRO, drive to airport.

......get in plane, fix sunglasses, open window, shout "clear prop", close window, call tower, taxi to runway, push throttle, pull back controls, continue to climb, make turn, climb some more, tap glass cockpit controls, set satellite radio to "90's alternative", set cruise, take a nap, and then land.  (Yes, I did leave out "do pre-flight checks", but a 2004 FAA survey found that 20 percent of experienced pilots don't do a pre-flight unless someone is watching or they are checking out)

[LittleIronPilot]

Nothing.

I am a pilot, own my own aircraft, and find flying for the CAP to be too much of a pain in the [butt] to be worth it.

So I do S/O duty and Mission Base staff, plus some ground team.