HEADQUARTERS
CALIFORNIA WING - CIVIL AIR PATROL
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AUXILIARY
Post Office Box 7688
Van Nuys, CA 91409-7688

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
22 August 2002

(Van Nuys, California) -- During the second quarter of FY 2002, California 
Wing responded to more than 80 emergencies including 3 missing aircraft 
searches. The overwhelming majority of the missions were jointly tasked by 
the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES) and the Air 
Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC).

Preliminary Emergency Services Mission Results for Q2 of FY2002:
83 Total Emergency Services mission callouts
77 Total search & rescue missions
1 Total OES transport missions
0 Total disaster relief missions
3 Missing aircraft missions
75 Emergency signal missions
0 ELT led to distress aircraft
37 ELT located at airport as false alarm
19 ELT located off airport as false alarm
4 EPRIB located at harbor as false alarm
1 EPRIB located off harbor as false alarm
1 Nonbeacon source located
19 Signal ceased before location
1 Turned over to FCC

On 11 February, Northern Californa search crews had the pleasure of 
locating the only nonbeacon signal source found during the quarter, a DVD 
player broadcasting on an emergency frequency in San Juan Bautista. Other 
crews located nondistress beacons in places ranging from a parachute hanger 
at NAS LeMoore, a UPS distributing center in Claremont, a UPS terminal in 
Laguna Hills, and a Los Angeles Police yard. An unusally high number of 
the signals found this quarter were located off airports.

Southern California Wing personnel dealt with a complicated signal search 
mission in February covering two counties. The seach started on 8 February 
for a signal in Orange County and continued with another signal in the Palm 
Springs area. Wing Incident Commander LtCol Pat Robinson with Maj Greg 
Frazier of Sq 68 and Maj David Boehm of California Wing helped a USCG 
helicopter to locate the first signal in a trash container at a trailer 
park from a nondistress MiniB EPRIB. Wing Incident Commander Maj Robert Van 
Horn tasked Maj Roy Hofheinz of Sq11, 1Lt Dennis Joyce of Sq59 and C/1Lt 
Jeremy Joyce of Sq59 to locate a second signal located in a parked 
aircraft's ELT at Palm Springs Airport.

Incident Commander Maj Carol Schaubschlager dealt with a signal search that 
ended up at a previously located downed aircraft near Tehachapi Airport on 
12 January. The ELT was located by CAP personnel and secured by Kern 
County Sheriff personnel.

On 31 January, the Wing assisted with a search for an aircraft with one 
aboard missing between Chico and Marysville. The Wing utilized six planes 
and searched for over 20 hours. The aircraft was located near Clear Lake 
with no survivor.

On 13 February, Incident Commander LtCol Bill Hadley tasked one Wing 
aircraft on a route search in the Californian Sierras for an aircraft with 
two aboard missing from Minden, Nevada. The aircraft was located in Nevada 
with no survivors.

The final missing aircraft search for the quarter was a false-alarm. On 28 
March, tasking one aircraft on one sortie, LtCol Bob Keilhotz of Southern 
California quickly located the overdue aircraft safe on the ground at Salinas.

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