Bangor Squadron - Jan 2012

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ME035 January 2012 Bangor/Brewer

There have been adjustments to the

cadet staff. C/ Bortell and C/ Croft are

leaving soon and hard working cadets

have already filled their positions, so

effective on the first meeting of Febru-

ary the changes will take place:

First Sergeant: Cadet Oplinus

Alpha Flight Commander: Cadet Sovis

Alpha Flight Sergeant: Cadet Stevenson

ES and PAO: Cadet Littlejohn

The squadron is also working on form-ing a competition color guard. Any ca-

det who shows leadership, knowledge

of CAP, military bearing, and a talent in

drill may be asked to train for the color

guard. There will be different color

guards for local parades and the com-

petitions.

Thank you,

- C/SMSgt. Poland

Cadet Commander

Rarely have I felt the need to have a negative tone to my arti-

cle for the Squadron newsletter, however this time I do. We

need to remember that we are guests of the 101st Air Refuel-

ing Wing and need to show appreciation and respect for the

facilities that they allow us to use. Please take a few min-

utes at the end of each meeting to make sure that the

squadron is left neat and that all trash has been removed.

Also, we are all old enough to know how to properly use the

bathroom facilities--please make sure that you are doing so.

It is a privilege for us to be here; let’s not jeopardize it!!

As most of you know by now the Bangor Squadron will be

hosting the SLS 28-29 January and the CLC 25-26 February.

If you are in need of these courses, now would be the time to

take them while they are offered right here at our squadron.

If interested in attending either of these courses please sub-

mit a CAPF 17 to me as soon as possible.

The Bangor Squadron will also be hosting the Maine Wing

Conference this year on 24 March at the Four Points Shera-

ton. This will be a one day event with something planned foreveryone to enjoy. Seniors and cadets please go to the

Maine Wing Website and register early. There may be schol-

arships available for those in need so please don’t let money

be the reason that you don’t attend.

We need your help!! The squadron newsletter is a great way

for us to document all the wonderful things that we do at the

squadron as well as a way to educate ourselves and possibly

the general public about Civil Air Patrol. Please take some

ownership of this newsletter and help Maj. Hall by providing

articles, pictures, and links to information that maybe helpfulto her. This newsletter is about all of us and therefore we

should all contribute to it.

Congratulations to all who have promoted this past quarter.

Your commitment and dedication is inspiring. Keep up the

great work!!!

Maj. Cathie Spaulding

Commander, ME035



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MAJOR CATHIE SPAULDING

Major Cathie Spaulding has been a member of CAP,

ME035, since May of 2004. She started as PAO of this

squadron but did not like it very much. At that time,

she also worked under (then) Maj. Murray in Wing Public Affairs,

and slowly grew to like the position more as time passed. She then

became the squadron Finance Officer, and from there moved to her

current position as Squadron Commander in September of 2009.Her specialty tracks (areas of focus on which Senior Members focus

as part of promotions) are Cadet Programs, Aerospace Education,

Finance, Character Development, and Public Affairs.

Major Spaulding holds several Wing positions in addition to her

squadron duties. These include: Director of Finance, Assistant In-

spector General, and Assistant CISM Director. In the future, she

plans to remain as squadron commander and Wing Director of Fi-

nance, and would love to be Wing Director of Cadet Programs. Af-

ter her term of squadron commander ends, she would like to be

squadron Professional Development Officer.

The Major has had two of her children join CAP: Anthony Griffin,

who is now in the Army Reserve, and Cassandra Bortell, who is

currently Squadron First Sergeant and will become a Senior Mem- ber in March. She has also transported other cadets who live near

her, and loves to watch the positive changes in all of them engen-

dered by CAP. When asked for a quote, Maj. Spaulding said, "It is

an honor to serve as squadron commander."

~~Lt Alex Hall~~



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December 3, 2011

Wreaths Across America kicked off their

annual pilgrimage to Arlington National

Cemetery by first paying respect to the

brave men and women of Canada whogave their lives when fighting in various

wars alongside Americans. For the third

consecutive year, on the Ferry Point

Bridge, which is divided by the border

between Calais and St Stephen, New

Brunswick, a WAA wreath was pre-

sented to the Canadian Siler Star moth-ers—the counterpart to the American

Gold Star Mothers—to honor their sons

and daughters, and as a reminder that

their children will never be forgotten.

Seven members of ME35 travelled to

Calais to take part in this very special

and very moving event. Thank you Capt.Cathie Spaulding; Capt Rick Gammon;

Lt Mark Spaulding; Lt Adam Nessler; Ca-

det Chris Slininger; Cadet Cassandra

Bortell; Cadet Everett Stevenson.

~~Major Susan Hall~~



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Wreaths Across America

On December 10, 2011, members of ME035 gathered at Cole’s Land and Air Museum

to pay tribute to America’s true heroes, the American Soldier. In a noon-time ceremonycelebrated simultaneously at Arlington Cemetery and across the Nation, wreaths foreach branch of the Service—and MIA/POW--were placed on the Vietnam Memorial atCole’s.

In spite of the frigid temperatures, overcast skies, and the gusting winds sent straightfrom the Arctic, many members of Bangor/Brewer Composite Squadron participated inand supported the important ceremony. In Arlington, Cadet Dow and Cadet Kienowwere representing BBCS, having traveled with the Maine Contingent a few days prior.

Presiding: Major Cathie Spaulding.Color Guard: Cadet Poland; Cadet Tracy; Cadet Baker.Wreaths: Captain Slininger; Lt Gammon; Lt Hall; Cadet Slininger; Cadet Bortell; CadetSovis; Cadet Stevenson.Also attending: Lt M. Spaulding; Maj S. Hall; Cadet Littlejohn.




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Christmas Party/Awards Ceremony

On December 14, 2011, ME035 held their

annual Squadron Christmas party and

Awards Ceremony. This is a time for mem-

bers to be recognized for their contributionto the squadron; for parents to meet-and-

mingle with the officers who have taken

their children under their wings; and a time

for all to indulge in some of the most excel-

lent food brought in by various members

and parents.

Thanks to ALL in the incredible ME035

squadron who make this such an incredible

place in which to volunteer. Your efforts do

not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Be-

cause of the team effort, ME035 is growing

at a rapid pace, and is on-track to continue

great things.

Congratulations to the following:Cadet Alan Kienow—Outstanding 1st Year

CadetCadet Timothy Sovis—Outstanding Customs& CourtesiesCadet Bryan Poland—Cadet of the YearLt Jonathan Clapp—Outstanding Officer ofthe Year




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OCTOBER, 2011

Major Weirsma, a CFI(Certified Flight Instructor)

and a member of ME035,

conducted another enlighten-

ing Ground School class for

the cadets. The focus of Oc-

tober's class was Weight &

Balance, which is essential tothe safety of the flying of any

aircraft. After a brief Power-

Point explaining the basics of

"W&B", the cadets broke up

into five groups of four for an

exercise in figuring out how

to balance a hypothetical

load. The scenario as basedon a real W&B sheet from a

Cessna 172, the goal to deter-

mine whether or not the air-

plane was safe to fly or not.

This was done by performing

some calculations to find the

"moment" and "arm", andfrom there the center of grav-

ity, which was looked up on a

graph to see if the plane

would be balanced and there-

fore safe to fly.

~~Lt Alex Hall~~

THE SECRET LIFE OF BEACONSThe flipside to ―finds’ is tracking down signaling

beacons, of which there are three basic types:*ELTs, emergency locater transmitters, are re-quired by the Federal Aviation Administration foruse in most aircraft.*EPIRBs, emergency position indication radio bea-cons, are used on watercraft.*PLBs, personal locator beacons, are designed forindividual use, giving some peace of mind to out-doors enthusiasts, especially those traveling in re-mote areas.Civil Air Patrol must assume any transmitting bea-

con indicates an emergency, making imperative tolocate the device and determine if anyone is hurt.Many times, though, beacons provide a lighterside to finds.The National Capital Wing once traced a distresssignal to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air

and Space Museum on the National Mall. Arrivingin the middle of the night and having to explainthemselves to numerous guards and police, theCAP team members found an activated ELT inside

a Navy helicopter on display at the museum thatweek.One of the strangest EPIRB finds came in a land-locked backyard in Texas. It turned out a womanhad purchased a pair of the beacons at a flea mar-ket, thinking they’d provide just the right nautical

touch for her pool party. She tried to get theirlights to flash but instead succeeded in activatingheir signals---until a CAP team showed up to deac-tivate them.CAP’s Maine Wing was called to assist after an Air

Force law enforcement duty officer, convinced aPLB signal must be coming from kayakers on Har-raseeket River, failed to locate the source. TheCAP team quickly narrowed the search to L.L.Bean’s flagship store in Freeport, where the bea-

con was found blinking in a cabinet in the campingdepartment.~~Reprinted from The Volunteer, Winter 2012~~



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SAFETY PLEDGE

I pledge to do my part to foster a safe environment dur-ing all CAP activities, to be a responsible steward of

CAP resources, and to fully prepare myself for the chal-

lenging missions that serve America.

COLD FACTS: WING CONTAMINATION

During the last 10 years, there have been over 30 accidents on takeoff as aresult of wing contamination by snow, frost, and ice. A few simple stepsduring preflight could have easily prevented these accidents.Frost and snow often accumulate on wings, elevators, and other surfaces whenan aircraft is parked outside on the ramp. The disrupted airflow over the wingscan substantially alter flight characteristics. Increased stall speeds, longer takeoffrolls, or an inability to fly at all may be the result. Even a passing snow showercan foul surfaces enough to make flight inadvisable. When frost or snow is pre-

sent on the airframe, the pilot has two choices: go home or spend some extratime during preflight com pletely remo ving frost and snow from the aircraft.While no Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) specifically prohibit a light generalaviation (GA) aircraft from attempting a takeoff while covered in snow or frost,doing so may fall under careless and reckless operation (FAR 91.13). Clean it up! The best and easiest way to prevent contamination is to park theaircraft in a hangar. In the highly regulated airline world the rule is simple: An air-craft can depart only when it’s ‘clean’ – no snow, frost, or ice on any part of theaircraft. GA pilots should use the same winter operations principle. If the aircraftis snow-covered, consider using soft bristle brooms or small snowbrushes. Whileeffective, they can scratch paint, so use care. Clean towels or shop rags will alsoremove snow without scratching the paint. The bad news is that underneath thesnow there may be a layer of ice that also needs to be removed. Removing frostand ice is trickier thanloose snow, but just as critical. The best tool is a heated hangar and an hour tospare. When melting the frost and ice make sure water does not penetrate con-trol surface hinges where it might refreeze and cause problems.~The Safety Beacon, November 2011



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How to stay hydrated during the winter.Staying hydrated in the winter months should still be a concern.

Dehydration can occur just as often in the winter as in the summer, espe-cially because it is overlooked when the temperatures are low. Dehydra-tion can lead to loss of coordination, tiredness, dizziness, musclefatigue, headaches and even stroke. Dehydration can often leaveyou more susceptible to a cold or flu, which are more prevalent inthe winter months. Take these steps to keep hydrated:Drink water before, during and after exercise. You may not feel as hot

when exercising in the cold weather, but your body still needs the water.Drinking water is not as easily done in winter because you may not sweatas much when it’s cool and you may not feel thirsty.

Pay attention to the signs of dehydration. Keep water with you at alltimes. Drink water before the signs of thirst appear. Remember dehydra-tion can occur no matter what the weather.

Drink water throughout the day, especially at every meal. Whenyou feel you need a coffee or other processed drink, try to drinkwater instead. Any drinks with caffeine or sugar can cause yourbody to become more dehydrated. If you do have a coffee or hot

chocolate, pair it up with a glass of water. Drinking tepid water makes iteasier for your body to absorb the water.Monitor your urine; it should be light to clear. When taking vitamin sup-plements your urine will darken, but this should go away in a few hours.Keep water with you when exercising. When you are snow skiing, snow

shoeing or any other exercise outdoors keep a water bottle or camel packwith you. Keep it from freezing by packing it under a layer of clothing orinsulate it.*This advice should not be taken over that of a physician. Always see aphysician before started an exercise program.~~Lt Jonathan ClappAssistant Safety Officer~~



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Mars bound NASA rover adjusts course to red planet

Published January 11, 2012 | Associated Press

Firing on all engines, NASA's latest rover to Mars executed a course adjustment Wednes-day that put it on track for a landing in August.

Deep space antennas monitored the one-ton rover nicknamed Curiosity as it fired itsthrusters in a choreographed three-hour maneuver."We've completed a big step toward our encounter with Mars," Brian Portock of the NASAJet Propulsion Laboratory said in a statement.The course correction is the most important task Curiosity will perform during its 352-million-mile trip to the red planet, but it's not unprecedented. Previous robotic explorershave had to adjust their paths several times en route to landing.Meanwhile, Curiosity had racked up 80 million miles and was traveling at 10,200 mph(1,614.55 kph)relative to the Earth.

The action began Tuesday when engineers uploaded commands to Curiosity's on-boardcomputers. Though it performed the move without human interference a day later, engi-neers were on standby in the off chance of a need to abort.The team will spend the next week testing the spacecraft's communication system andother components. A second smaller path adjustment was planned for March.If Curiosity did not tweak its route, it would miss Mars altogether because it was initiallynot aimed at the planet. Engineers did this by design to prevent the upper stage of therocket that launched the spacecraft from hitting Mars.Now that Curiosity has separated and is on its way, the team has several chances to fine-tune its path before touchdown. During the interplanetary cruise, the rover is tucked in a

shell that will protect it during its plunge through the upper Martian atmosphere.Curiosity, whose formal name is the Mars Science Laboratory, is aiming for a 96-mile-widecrater near the Martian equator that boasts a towering mountain in the center. The six-wheel, nuclear-powered rover planned to drive to the lower flanks and examine the layereddeposits to determine whether the area once had conditions capable of supporting micro-bial life.Armed with a toolkit including a laser to zap into bedrock and a jackhammer, Curiosity ismore sophisticated than previous Mars surface spacecraft. Despite its capabilities, it won'tbe able to detect life. Instead, it will hunt for the chemical building blocks of life during itstwo-year, $2.5 billion mission.Since Curiosity is too heavy to use a cocoon of airbags or rely solely on its parachute tosafely reach the planet's surface, NASA will attempt a new type of landing using a so-calledsky crane system.The parachute will detach and a rocket-powered platform will fire its engines, then lowerthe rover to the ground on a tether similar to the way hovering heavy-lift helicopters lowerhuge loads at the end of a cable.Even before arrival, Curiosity has not been idle. Several weeks after launch, it turned on itsradiation detector to monitor high-energy particles streaming from the sun and explodingstars. Once at Mars, it will measure radiation levels on the surface.

http://www.foxnews.com/topics/space/nasa.htm#r_src=ramp

http://www.foxnews.com/topics/space/jet-propulsion-laboratory.htm#r_src=ramp

http://www.foxnews.com/topics/space/jet-propulsion-laboratory.htm#r_src=ramp

http://www.foxnews.com/topics/space/nasa.htm#r_src=ramp



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NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope Zooms in on Double Nucleus in Andromeda Galaxy

January 15, 2012 |Written by Tod R. Lauer

National Optical Astronomy Observatory

Tucson, AZ – A new Hubble Space Telescope image centers on the 100-million-solar-mass black hole at the hub of the neighboring spiral galaxy M31, or the Andromedagalaxy, the only galaxy outside the Milky Way visible to the naked eye and the onlyother giant galaxy in the local group.This is the sharpest visible-light image ever made of the nucleus of an external gal-axy.The event horizon, the closest region around the black hole where light can still es-cape, is too small to be seen, but it lies near the middle of a compact cluster of bluestars at the center of the image.The compact cluster of blue stars is surrounded by the larger ―double nucleus‖ of

M31, discovered with the Hubble Space Telescope in 1992. The double nucleus isactually an elliptical ring of old reddish stars in orbit around the black hole but moredistant than the blue stars. When the stars are at the farthest point in their orbitthey move slower, like cars on a crowded freeway. This gives the illusion of a secondnucleus.The blue stars surrounding the black hole are no more than 200 million years old,and therefore must have formed near the black hole in an abrupt burst of star for-mation. Massive blue stars are so short-lived that they would not have enough timeto migrate to the black hole if they were formed elsewhere.

Astronomers are trying to understand how apparently young stars were formed sodeep inside the black hole’s gravitational grip and how they survive in an extreme

environment.The fact that young stars are also closely bound to the central black hole in our MilkyWay galaxy suggests this may be a common phenomenon in spiral galaxies.

Tod R. Lauer of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory inTucson, AZ, assembled this image of the nuclear region by tak-ing several blue and ultraviolet light exposures of the nucleuswith Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys high-resolutionchannel, each time slightly moving the telescope to change

how the camera sampled the region. By combining these pic-tures, he was able to construct an ultra-sharp view of the gal-axy’s core. Lauer is presenting these Hubble observations this week at the

meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Austin, Texas.The image of the Andromeda galaxy was taken on January 13th, 2001, with theWIYN/KPNO 0.9-meter Mosaic I by T. Rector, University of Alaska in Anchorage.

http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2012/01/15/nasas-hubble-space-telescope-zooms-in-on-double-nucleus-in-andromeda-galaxy/


http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2012/01/15/nasas-hubble-space-telescope-zooms-in-on-double-nucleus-in-andromeda-galaxy/print/

http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2012/01/15/nasas-hubble-space-telescope-zooms-in-on-double-nucleus-in-andromeda-galaxy/email/


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Bangor Squadron - Jan 2012