Auxiliary Aviation is doing well. We had the first two Aircrew persons "Winged" at Orlando recently. From what I've discovered there are quite a number of Auxiliarist's in-training for the Aircrew Program.

The Auxiliary aviation community is planning a fly-in at the next NACON in September at Kansas City. It is hoped that this central location will bring us a wide cross section of aviation Auxiliarists. Although plans are not complete at this writing, it is expected that we will present a complete workshop agenda. It's been a couple of years since the aviators got together in Dallas so we'll have another chance to, if you'll excuse the pun, "air our differences".

The active duty Coast Guard Air Station C.O.'s met recently outside of Washington, D.C. The Auxiliary Aviation was well represented by Captain John Currier of 9th Coast Guard District (an aviator) who spoke in our behalf at this meeting. Captain Currier has been a strong supporter of Aux Aviation and carried our message to this meeting. Our thanks to Captain Currier for his support. Of course our mentor LT John O'Leary from HQ (G-OCX) was there also.

We hope to see a big turnout of Aux Aviation folks in September.

Jim Jacobsen, DVC-OA

This is a true sea story repeated here to show the importance of carrying an EPIRB and the diligence of the United States Coast Guard in protecting those who venture out on the high seas no matter how far away. It begins with a small deck freighter on route from Louisiana to Nicaragua. At the time of the incident the freighter was running South through the Yucatan Straits. As is customary , the bridge watch was monitoring channel 16 on the VHF radio in the wheelhouse . Just before noon a call came over the VHF radio, "Attention all vessels this is Coast Guard flight 4041; all vessels hearing this call please respond." The Mate on watch responded to the call immediately, "This is the motor vessel Morning Star calling Coast Guard flight 4041, over." The Coast Guard aircraft came back on the radio, "Morning Star what is your position?" The Mate quickly got the vessel’s position from the LORAN set and communicated it to the Coast Guard aircraft . The Coast Guard aircraft radioed back, "Morning Star we have an ELT ( Emergency Location Transmitter ) signal near your position; please stand by to render assistance as soon as we locate the vessel in distress." The Mate responded that the Morning Star was standing by and would render assistance. The Captain came into the wheelhouse and wanted to know what was going on with the Coast Guard . The Mate explained what the radio communications were all about, and the Captain hurriedly left the wheelhouse. He returned a few minutes later and said to the Mate, "Call that Coast Guard aircraft and tell them they are searching for us!" One of the crew, an ordinary seaman, had been painting the lifeboat davit. He had unwittingly removed the EPIRB from its rack on the davit and placed it upright on the deck earlier that morning, thereby activating it. With great embarrassment, the Mate radioed to the Coast Guard aircraft and with profuse apologies informed them that they were searching for his vessel. The pilots were very gracious and said it was a nice day for a flight as they circled around the M V Morning Star in their twin engine Vulcan aircraft. They had flown six hundred miles from southern Florida in response to what the Coast Guard thought was a vessel in distress. What you should give serious consideration to from this story is, if ever you decide to leave the relatively sheltered waters of the Chesapeake Bay or the Delaware Bay and venture out on to the open ocean, be sure your vessel is equipped with an EPIRB. If you are so equipped and your vessel comes to grief, is severely damaged or sinks , and the EPIRB is activated, the Coast Guard will initiate a search and rescue operation even though you may be far off shore.

Note : EPIRB is an acronym for Emergency Position Indicating Radio beacon. This is an electronic device that is carried in a rack where it can float free if the vessel sinks. When it floats free it begins to transmit a radio signal which is picked up by a satellite which in turn alerts the Coast Guard and gives the position of the EPIRB.

Allow me to introduce myself.  I am your new editor of the National Operations Department Newsletter.  My name is Janet Gaynor, I live in Richardson Texas, outside of Dallas.  We do our boating on Lake Texoma on the Texas Oklahoma border.  I have been active in the Auxiliary for over ten years and currently serve as my Division's Publication Officer.  I have done so for five or six years now.  While I am not a coxswain, I have been a crew member for many years, I am also an AUXOP.  I have been hanging around the Operations department for many years following my husband, George, while he filled various positions in the National Operations department.  (He now serves as our District Operations officer, among other things).  So I am familiar with the Department.

If you have any ideas about what you would like to see in the newsletter, let us know. We want to provide you with information that you can use.

Janet Gaynor, BC-OSE

J_V_Gaynor@email.msn.com

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