Oregon Civil Air Patrol Conducts Exercises

The Oregon CAP has participated in over 28 missions so far in 2007.

Five Oregon CAP aircraft, such as these two Cessna 182's standing in que at Aurora Airport preparing for mission assignment, particpated in this weekend's Homeland Security Exercise Photo courtesy: Oregon Civil Air Patrol Photo

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Over 40 members of the Civil Air Patrol's Portland Metro area units are participating in a weekend long readiness exercise conducted from their Northern Incident Command Post located at the Aurora Airport this weekend.

Lt. Col. Thomas Traver, CAP with the Oregon CAP, says the exercise focusing on multiple scenarios. It's primary purpose was tp prepare for a much larger US Air Force monitored and graded exercise to be held in August.

He says activities are wide ranging, from aerial photo reconnaissance to searching for an activated ELT - Emergency Locater Transmitter, and investigating a reported downed aircraft.

"We pursue a constant state of training". He says that is necessary, "in order to keep current with our missions, our equipment and in order to maintain a high level of organizational readiness to quickly respond to any request for assistance".

In August, the team of USAF evaluators will monitor and grade the Oregon CAP's response to a challenging set of scenarios that will test their abilities to effectively assist local and federal missions. Travers says they are missions that they could actually be asked to perform in time of emergency.

The Oregon CAP has participated in over 28 missions so far in 2007. They were involved in a recent recovery that marks the first life saved in the year 2007. Search aircraft from the CAP located the crash site of a Klamath Falls Pilot who ran out of fuel and crashed in Eastern Oregon. CAP air search teams located the plane and remained in the air, circling the crash site until an Army National Guard helicopter could arrive and recover the injured pilot.

Each year, the CAP flies over 95% of all air search and rescue missions initiated by the AFRCC at Tyndall AFB, FL resulting in an average of 100 lives saved annually across the nation" said