Photo By Sgt. Danielle Rodrigues | A California National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter sits on the runway in Stockton,...... read more read more
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STOCKTON, Calif. - What’s cooler than flying over California’s Central Valley in a dual-rotor CH-47 Chinook helicopter with the ramp down?
Not a whole lot, according to members of the Civil Air Patrol's Diablo Composite Squadron 44, based in Concord, Calif.
On April 24, Soldiers from Stockton's B Company, 1st Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, gave cadets and senior members from Squadron 44 a tour of the California National Guard hangar at Stockton’s Army Aviation Support Facility before taking them up in a Chinook for a spin.
"It was great!” Cadet Tyler Beal said of the flight. “I mean, how many 14-year-olds do you know that have gone up in a military Chinook and had the opportunity to fly and do maneuvers for an hour?"
The Civil Air Patrol is an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force that was formed in 1941 by more than 150,000 aviation enthusiasts who were concerned about the defense of America’s coastline. The nonprofit organization’s mission is to support America’s communities with emergency response, aviation and ground services, youth development, and promotion of air, space and cyber power. Its members participate in search-and-rescue and disaster relief missions across the nation.
The Civil Air Patrol’s Squadron 44 is a composite squadron that consists of cadets age 12 to 20 and senior members older than 18.
Squadron 44’s orientation flight with the California National Guard’s 1-126th was coordinated by Col. Raymond Watts, a Chinook pilot and former commander at the Stockton Army Aviation Support Facility who now serves as the part-time strategic plans and policies director at the California Military Department’s Joint Force Headquarters in Sacramento, Calif.
“This is the second orientation flight that I've coordinated,” Watts said. The first took place a few years ago after Watts had reached out to a cadet at Squadron 44 who is the son of a former colleague. The young man had a deep interest in aviation and a sense of community service as a youth and Watts was able to make a connection with him through a shared passion for flying.
“I thought there may be other young people who I could share my experience and blessing with to show them in real life there are alternatives out there. You just need to apply yourself,” Watts said.
The young man is now a cadet officer and cadet squadron commander with Squadron 44 and heading to a university on the East Coast in the fall of 2014, Watts said.
The first orientation flight went so well that Squadron 44 requested another this year.
“The cadets obviously already have an interest in aviation so they really appreciate every moment,” said Maj. John Allen, commander of the Stockton Army Aviation Support Facility. “There is also a positive impact on our full-time employees giving the tour. Seeing the cadets’ motivation and interest is humbling and reinvigorating.”
Squadron 44 senior member Eric Roman said the orientation flight fulfilled the Civil Air Patrol’s goals of promoting leadership, character development and educating youth and adults on the importance of aerospace.
“For me, I think the thing that stuck with me the most was how something that looks like it should never leave the ground can be so graceful and powerful in the air. The Chinook is a rare mix of nimbleness and strength,” Roman said.
“In addition to the flight and tour of the facility, I am sure that the cadets will remember the soldiers that they had an opportunity to interact with,” he said. “Overall, the few hours that the cadets had with Stockton's 1st Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, made impressions that will last the rest of their lives.”
| Date Taken: | 06.06.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 06.06.2014 14:14 |
| Story ID: | 132311 |
| Location: | STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 412 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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