I admit it. It took some getting used to saying our call sign over the radio. Our crew's assigned call sign was "CAP 995" and we alternately referred to our crew as "CAP Niner-Niner Five" (which is correct), "CAP Nine-Ninety Five," and "CAPFlight 995" which was the previous version of CAP call signs.
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| Photo Courtesy: Concord Squadron, CAP |
The good news is that this was only a training exercise and we were under the watchful eye and guidance of two of the most experienced communications experts in South Coast Group 7 (of which Squadron 150 is a part of); Lt. Col. William Phinizy and Capt. John Frerichs. Both Lt. Col. Phinizy and Capt. Frerichs created the simulated mission, assigned aircrews and ground teams and monitored our communications with each other.
Soon all of the squadron members settled into a rhythm and the communications became smoother, clearer and closer to the high standards that Civil Air Patrol expects and our missions demand from us. Both aircrews practices guiding their ground teams to a possible sighting; ground teams reported their findings to mission base; and mission base kept the mission running as smoothly as possible.
At the end of the exercise one of the aircrews requested permission to "return to base" and "debrief"
at the local Red Robin restaurant and all participants concurred!
One of the great things about CAP is that members get to participate in events like these, which provide new learning opportunities, are (honestly) fun to be a part of, and which also prepare us for our mission of serving our communities in times of need.
This is Squadron 150 ... Out.
