[Wing HQ] – On 18 March, after coordinating with Civil Air Patrol’s Iowa Wing the South Dakota Wing (SDWG) dispatched an aircraft to conduct an aerial photographic mission of the extent of flooding along the Missouri River. The SDWG aircraft surveyed the northern half of the Missouri River from Sioux City, IA to Omaha, NE.
A specially equipped Civil Air Patrol Cessna-182/G1000 from the Big Sioux Composite Squadron in Brookings was selected for the mission. The aircraft departed Brookings for the Sioux Falls Regional Airport where SDWG’s Sioux Falls Composite Squadron provided support, assistance and an additional flight crew member.
The photographs of the extent of the flooding were provided to the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for their assessment.
The South Dakota Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, with squadrons in Sioux Falls, Brookings, Rapid City, Pierre, Custer and Spearfish has approximately 300 members, seven light aircraft and 17 multi-purpose vehicles. These assets are available to federal, state and county governments, emergency responders and law enforcement agencies to perform search and rescue, homeland security, disaster relief, humanitarian assistance and counter-drug missions. For information: Wing website at http://sdcap.us, Wing Facebook page www.facebook.com/SDWingCAP,Wing Twitter @SDWingCAP, Wing photos Flickr https://twiter.com/photos/102270464@N02/sets.
Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force. In this role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 aircraft, performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 80 lives annually. CAP’s 60,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. In addition, CAP plays a leading role in aerospace/STEM education, and its members serve as mentors to over 25,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs. Visit www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com or www.CAP.news for more information.
