1. Civil Air Patrol – California Wing Search Planning and Coverage Mission Scanner Course
Chapter 9
Version 1.2 (1 March 2014)

2. Objectives Define the following search terms: Ground and Search Track
Maximum Area of Possibility
Meteorological and Search Visibility
Probability Area
Probability of Detection (POD)
Scanning Range
Search Altitude
Track spacing (S)

3. Objectives Discuss how a disaster can effect CAP operations
Discuss the types of questions relevant during damage assessment missions
List typical things you are looking for during a damage assessment mission
List the information you should obtain when over a damage assessment site
Discuss the limitations of an air search for a missing person

4. Aircrew Task P-2025 Discuss Common Search Terms

5. Search Terms
Ground track is an imaginary line on the ground that is made by an aircraft’s flight path over the ground
Maximum Area of Possibility is normally a circular area centered at the search objective’s last know position (LKP), with certain corrections
Meteorological visibility is the maximum distance at which large objects (e.g., a mountain) can be seen
Probability Area is a smaller area, within the maximum area of possibility, where there is an increased likelihood of locating the search objective
Probability of Detection (POD) is the likelihood, expressed as a percentage, that a search aircraft will locate the objective
Objective 9.1 – Define the following search terms: maximum area of possibility; probability area; POD; search altitude; track spacing; meteorological and search visibility; and ground and search track.

6. Search Terms
Scanning range is the lateral distance from a scanner’s aircraft to an imaginary line on the ground, parallel to the ground track, that a scanner is expected to have a good chance at spotting the search objective
Search Altitude is the distance above the ground the at which the aircraft will consistently operate.
Search track is an imaginary swath across the surface formed by the scanning range and the length of the aircraft’s ground track
Search visibility is the distance at which an object on the ground can be seen and recognized from a particular height. CAP typically uses a car as an example.
Track Spacing (S) is the distance between adjacent visual or electronic search legs
9.1
Objective 9.1 – Define the following search terms: maximum area of possibility; probability area; POD; search altitude; track spacing; meteorological and search visibility; and ground and search track.

7. Aircrew Task P-2026 Identify What To Look For and Record During Damage Assessment Missions

8. Disaster Assessment Natural and man-made
Examples of CAP Flight Missions:
Air and ground SAR services
Air and ground visual and/or video imaging
Flood boundary determination
Air and ground transportation
Courier flights
Blood Transport
Rescue Dogs
Forestry Service Observations
Counter Drug Operations
Surrogate Predator Crew Training (Green Flag Operations)
Radio communications support- HIGH BIRD Radio Relay
Aerospace Range Clearing for Launches

9. How Disasters Can Effect CAP Operations
Effects of extreme weather
Physical landscape may be so altered as to make maps obsolete or make navigation difficult
Damage or destruction of area infrastructure
Limited fuel / supplies and reduced airfield availability
Effects of biological, chemical or radiological terrorism (or accidental release)
9.4.1
Objective 9.5 – Discuss how a disaster can effect CAP operations.

10. Assessment
Flying damage assessment sorties is not much different from our SAR search patterns
The big difference is what you look for
Should be asking questions such as:
What is the geographical extent and severity of the damage?
Is the damage spreading? If so, how far and how fast?
How has access/egress been affected?
What are the primary and secondary hazards?
Is the disaster threatening critical structures or areas?
Have utilities been affected or are they threatened?
Can you see alternatives to problems?
9.4.5
Objective 9.6 – Discuss the types of questions you must always be asking yourself during damage assessment missions.

11. Assessment Some specific things to be looking for are:
Breaks in pavement, railways, bridges, dams, levees, pipelines, runways and structures
Roads/streets blocked by water, debris or landslide
Downed power lines
Ruptured water lines
Motorists in distress or major accidents
People stranded on top of buildings
Alternate routes for emergency vehicles or evacuation
Distress signals from survivors
9.4.5
Objective 9.7 – List typical things you are looking for during a damage assessment mission.

12. Assessment
At each site, besides sketching or highlighting the extent of the damage and identifying access and egress routes, you should record:
Latitude and longitude / GPS
Description
Type and extent of damage
Photo number, or time reference for video
Status and trends
9.4.5
Objective 9.8 – List the information you should obtain when over a damage assessment mission.

13. Aerial survey of WTC
Several of these pictures were taken by a MAS graduate.

14. Flooding over Levee

15. Seeping behind Levee

16. 2010 Gulf Oil Spill Response
Total Mission Stats
Days of operation
118 days
Total man-hours
20,000+
Personnel involved
150 members
Aircraft Deployed
54 aircraft
No. of sorties
1,007 (air) 267 (ground)
Flight hours
2,379.4

17. Play You-Tube Video: http://youtu.be/M2RKIj7Zsys
Gulf Oil response
Play You-Tube Video:

18. October 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake
Earthquake Damage
October 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake
Magnitude 6.9

19. October 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake
Earthquake Damage
October 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake
Magnitude 6.9

20. Tornado

21. Tornado

22. Close-up of Tornado Damage

23. Hurricane Katrina

24. Refinery Damage

25. Sortie from Golden Gate to Monterey
2011 Tsunami
California Coast
2011
Sortie from Golden Gate to Monterey

26. QUESTIONS?