The Civil Air Patrol National Radar Analysis Team on Saturday helped locate a Colorado Springs couple after their Cirrus SR22 crashed in a remote area about 32 miles east of Meeker, Colo. Lt. Col. Mark Young, incident commander for the mission, said the CAP radar team located the downed plane within five to 10 minutes of receiving the search and rescue mission from the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and the couple was at the hospital receiving treatment less than two hours later. With temperatures reported to be 18 below zero and two to four feet of snow on the ground, timing was key. “The radar team has participated in seven missions this year, successfully tracking its target each time,” states the release. CAP has served as the Air Force’s auxiliary since it was created in 1941, until USAF updated its doctrine in August 2015 making CAP part of the Total Force. The Civil Air Patrol operates a fleet of 550 aircraft and is credited with saving 78 lives each year, according to the release.
The 301st Fighter Wing in Fort Worth, Texas, became the first standalone Reserve unit in the Air Force to get its own F-35s, welcoming the first fighter Nov. 5.