South Dakota Wing, Civil Air Patrol, joined in a multi-agency search and rescue exercise (August 22) coordinated by Ellsworth Air Force Base. The exercise simulated searching for B-1 aircrew members who had ejected after an inflight emergency.
South Dakota Wing, CAP, has been assigned the newest Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS or drone) by CAP’s National Headquarters. The X10D is the latest military-grade UAS produced by Skydio, a US based company. It has the most advanced IR camera on the market today and the company boasts that the color camera will zoom to 160 times a normal image.
Members of South Dakota Wing, CAP were honored to present a Congressional Gold Medal to the family of Dorothy Lu Johnston, who served in the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Corp during World War II.
Congress, in 2014, approved the Congressional Gold Medal to the wartime members of Civil Air Patrol in honor of their roles in carrying out other vital wartime domestic missions.
Cessna 172 N98776 has completed its service to South Dakota Wing, Civil Air Patrol, with capstone flights that included a high-profile flood photography mission and orientation flights for members of CAP’s “Cadet” youth program. The Cessna 172 will soon be for sale.
South Dakota Wing, Civil Air Patrol hosted South Dakota’s adjutant general, Major General Mark Morrell, for a training flight on June 25. The flight allowed the adjutant general to witness first-hand the role CAP has played in recently conducted flood damage assessment photography and other CAP communications and search and rescue capabilities.
Cadet CMSgt Dominic Clement soloed on June 19. His instructor, Lt. Col. Craig Goodrich made the announcement of the solo and presented a certificate.
SD Wing members gathered in Pierre and Sioux Falls this weekend to hone emergency services skills, both refreshing existing skills and accomplishing tasks need for additional ES specialties.
Close to 30 Civil Air Patrol members from across South Dakota assisted the organizers of the Let Freedom Fly International airshow in Pierre May 25-26. CAP’s Pierre Composite Squadron and SD Wing staff assisted the air show organizers by helping with parking, traffic, and food and beverage sales. CAP also had a static display of a Pierre-based CAP Cessna 182 as well as a recruiting booth.
FEMA praised SD Wing for the quality of its drone photography after responding to a call for aerial imaging after deadly tornados in Iowa in May. Iowa Wing requested support from the South Dakota drone (UAS) team. A FEMA official said the Wingtra results were the best UAS imagery they've ever seen from Civil Air Patrol, yielding a resolution of less than two inches per photo pixel.
Members of South Dakota Wing, Civil Air Patrol, recently assisted in a multi-agency search for a Lakota teenager who has been missing for over 50 years.
