Master Observer Rating

[jeders]

CAPR 35-6 requires that a senior observer complete 20 actual SAR/DR missions, in addition to 200 hrs total flying time, to become a Master Observer. In my 6 or 7 years of being an aircrew member I've been on 0 SAR missions and 2 DR missions. It seems to me as if it would be next to impossible to ever become a Master Observer in the next 20 years at this rate. For those that have become Master Observers or that are in the approval chain, are you seeing acceptance of non SAR/DR actual missions to count? Examples being CD/HLS missions or missions in direct support of the Air Force. I plan on bringing this up with the wing director of ops next month at the wing conference, but I wanted to see what the current state is on this matter in CAP.

[SarDragon]

Back in the day, when missions were more plentiful, it wasn't that difficult to achieve those numbers.

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

In almost 19 years of CAP, I have personally known one Master Observer.

[Eclipse]

It's luck of the draw.  My wing has a fair amount of real missions, so it's not really an issue, though Master MO's are fairly rare as mentioned.

By design, I'd guess, same as the DR or Find.  Some people has two ribbons full of attachments, and some people retire and never get either.

[SarDragon]

I know a couple of people who might qualify, but haven't bothered to keep track of the numbers.

[ColonelJack]

It took for-fracking-ever to get my Senior Observer wings ... I doubt I'll ever earn Master Observer.

Jack

[FlyTiger77]

CAPR 35-6 requires that a senior observer complete 20 actual SAR/DR missions...

The regulation states "...flown 20 sorties as a senior mission observer on SAR/DR missions." (para 1(j)(4))

The word "actual" is not in the regulation.

Pardon my ignorance, but can a mission sortie flown on a SAREx or DR exercise under a mission number not count toward that requirement?

I would be interested in interpretations and I would be very interested in interpretations citing authoritative guidance. 

[Eclipse]

Practice missions don't count towards any other decoration, why would they count towards this?

[FlyTiger77]

Practice missions don't count towards any other decoration, why would they count towards this?

Is there a differentiation between a decoration and a qualification rating?

I can lose my aviator wings, jump wings, etc, but not a medal (assuming it was properly awarded by competent authority, of course).

[SarDragon]

The definition of "mission" seems to be a little obscure, too. IMHO, "mission" is the real thing, and "exercise" is the practice stuff, but that distinction is not made in the regs (60-1 and 35-6).

YMMV.

[SarDragon]

Practice missions don't count towards any other decoration, why would they count towards this?

Is there a differentiation between a decoration and a qualification?

I can lose my aviator wings, jump wings, etc, but not a medal (assuming it was properly awarded by competent authority, of course).

Wings (an awarded badge) are permanent, unless revoked for cause (unlikely in the CAP arena), but the qualifications behind them can expire.

[jeders]

CAPR 35-6 requires that a senior observer complete 20 actual SAR/DR missions...

The regulation states "...flown 20 sorties as a senior mission observer on SAR/DR missions." (para 1(j)(4))

The word "actual" is not in the regulation.

Pardon my ignorance, but can a mission flown on a SAREx or DR exercise under a mission number not count toward that requirement?

I would be interested in interpretations and I would be very interested in interpretations citing authoritative guidance. 

The way I've always thought about it is that you have to fly SAR/DR missions, whereas what you propose are merely exercises. It would be nice, but I'm fairly certain that that would never fly, as it were.

I understand the requirement for the actual missions, I just think that it should be broadened, if it's not already being broadened in practical application, to allow for other real missions. That and maybe making it 20 real missions total instead of 20 as a Senior Observer.

[spacecommand]

It is 20 sorties not 20 missions.  One mission can have multiple sorties in one day or a series of days. 

[Pylon]

Many training exercises have mission numbers from Wing.  Does that make them "missions"?  (Honest question)

[Spaceman3750]

Many training exercises have mission numbers from Wing.  Does that make them "missions"?  (Honest question)

More than wing - most training missions I have participated in or coordinated were AF assigned missions. The only real difference was "T" instead of "M" in the number and A5 symbols on the sorties.

[CAP_truth]

Back in the day, when missions were more plentiful, it wasn't that difficult to achieve those numbers.

Back in the day only the number of flight hours counted and not missions. I have my master rating from many years ago.

[lordmonar]

A "T" mission is a training mission....even if you did SAR/DR work....it is just a training mission.

I too am comming up on my 200 hour mark and will not have my 20 sorties.

Interesing.....it is harder to get your Master Observer wings....then it is to get your Command Pilot wings.

Things that make you go HMMMM.

[sardak]

Many training exercises have mission numbers from Wing.  Does that make them "missions"?  (Honest question)

Short answer, yes.
CAPR 60-3 (17 Aug 2009, current)
1-3(a) Air Force Assigned Mission (AFAM) – Any CAP activity authorized by the Air Force to use an "A" or "B" mission symbol.
1-3 (b) CAP Corporate Mission – All authorized mission activities that are not AFAMs.
2-3(c) states that missions for training credit do not have to be AFAMs.

In addition to those terms, 60-3 also uses the terms missions, actual missions, training missions and operational missions - but fails to define them. The 2001 and 2004 versions of 60-3 defined an operational mission as "Any mission where CAP provides a service or activity for another agency. These missions require the specialty ratings delineated in this regulation." but still failed to include definitions of the other terms.

The 50/55 series of ES regs and manuals, superseded by CAPR 60-3 (2001), defined operational mission as: "Any activity, including search and rescue, disaster relief, counterdrug, Red Cross support, low-level survey, state/local survey, transport, cadet orientation, training and evaluation, etc. which uses CAP resources and is conducted in accordance with applicable CAP directives."

One has to go back to CAPM 50-15 "Emergency Services" (15 Apr 1983) to find the general definition of mission. "Unless otherwise stated, 'missions' in this manual include SAR activities coordinated by the Air Force Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service (ARRS); DR activities in support of local, state, and national DR organizations, authorized by the Air Force Reserve, numbered Air Force; and ES evaluation/training missions approved by National Headquarters CAP."

Here are the requirements from CAPM 50-5, "Observer Training" (8 Aug 1975). "The observer training program is organized in two phases. Completion of Phase I qualifies the trainee as a scanner. Completion of Phase II qualifies the trainee as an observer and earns the aeronautical rating." Phase I was ground training plus 1 flight. Phase II was additional ground training, obtain a radio operator permit, complete the Radiological Monitor Home Study Course and Aerial Radiological Monitor training, take parts I and II of CAP test 116 and take four more flights, with a total estimated flight time of 4 to 6 hours.

IMHO, training sorties count towards the 20 sorties. There are still 200 hours as an observer required for the Master rating, which is going to take more than 20 sorties.

Mike

[flyboy53]

Another short answer. Get a logbook and start tracking your hours. In the end it may be up to your wing DO people to decide what missions will or will not count.

I asked this same question a year or so ago through the Knowledgebase because I was concerned about the same issue. I hold a senior observer rating and I'm working toward master. At the time, I was compiling more CD missions than anything else. My tally also includes one HLS mission,  a couple of SAR, a bunch of training missions, and I have one find to my credit. The answer that came back was that NHQ was going to change the mission criteria to allow other missions toward the master obsever tally and update that criteria in a future reg.

In my wing, I have known only one other senior observer, who happened to be the wing commander at the time. I know of only two master observers. Both of whom are no longer flying. One those individuals wears an aerial radiological monitoring patch if and when he wears a flight suit. The other actually took his wings off until he was prompted by other wing staff members.

I get the sense from a lot of observers that they don't care; that a lot of them only did enough of the training just to earn their wings, so there isn't a real effort to keep track of hours or missions. At some point they drop off flight status and move on to other things.

[RiverAux]

The hour requirements are so crazy high that I bet we have more qualified ICs than Senior or Master Observers.  Now, if you were in a wing back in the days of many ELT missions it might not have been too hard.  However, I suspect that in most of the country obtaining the hour requirement would be the issue.  If you can meet the hour requirement the sortie requirements would almost certainly have been met.