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2012 Civil Air Patrol National Conference

2012 National Conference in Baltimore
The Baltimore Marriott Waterfront is the headquarters hotel for the 2012 CAP National Conference.

Pre-Conference Sessions

By Col Kay Joslin Walling, CAP
Maryland Wing Public Affairs

4/29/2012–Baltimore, MD–Members of the Maryland Wing have a unique opportunity this summer. The 2012 Civil Air Patrol National Conference is in Baltimore. Members can take advantage of the learning labs conducted Saturday, Aug. 25. Members will also be able to take advantage of a number of pre-conference activities.

On Tuesday, Aug. 21 and Wednesday, Aug. 22, Civil Air Patrol will sponsor position specific training courses. The two-day courses are provided at a cost of $40.00 per participant. One-day courses are $20.00 per participant. Members can attend the pre-conference courses without registering for the conference.

The two-day courses include:
• IG Senior Level Training Course: In-depth lecture and scenario-based training on CAP complaint and inspection programs. This is mandatory academic training for Wing IGs and assistant wing IGs. It is also encouraged for wing/region commanders, vice-commanders, and chiefs of staff. This course is a prerequisite for the CAP Inspector General College.
• PAO Academy III: Back by popular demand, this training class will cover topics critical to CAP PAO/PIOs’ success, including how to use social media to enhance nationwide visibility, how to build and maintain an effective website, hands-on instructions on PA and crisis planning, AF AUX media relations rules of engagement, the Congressional Gold Medal and you, planning now for CAP’s milestone 75th anniversary, things you need know about the newest version of CAPR 190-1 and more.
• Training Leaders of Cadets: Training Leaders of Cadets is the premiere venue for Cadet Programs Officers to learn how to become better mentors of cadets and more effective managers of cadet squadrons. The 2-day course is a component of the Cadet Programs Officer Specialty Track in the Senior Member Professional Development Program.
• Unit Commanders Course: Being a squadron commander is one of the most important and enriching experiences a CAP member can have. It requires preparation, patience, integrity and ingenuity. The Unit Commanders Course provides current and aspiring commanders with insight into this challenging and rewarding position as well as an opportunity to network and learn from the experiences of others.
• CISM Grief Following Trauma Course: It is inevitable that some CAP volunteer professionals will encounter traumatic death and loss issues in the course of their duties responding to disasters, search and rescue incidents, and other emergencies. Personnel often feel ill prepared to provide effective care throughout the grief process. This course will cover key grief and loss concepts relating to trauma and traumatic death. Participants will increase their knowledge of how trauma impacts the grief process and will gain skills for evaluating and supporting persons who have experienced traumatic death and loss. This course is designed for anyone who works with people who experience grief and loss following a traumatic event, not just CISM Officers.

The one-day courses include:
• Safety Officer Advanced Course: This course will be the first available training session for those seeking advanced safety education related to their duty position as a safety officer. As Civil Air Patrol strives to provide more professional education for members choosing the safety officer track, this course will certainly provide depth and insight to safety that is often overlooked. Discussions on safety culture, human factors, evidence preservation and documentation, report writing, strategic and time critical risk management, recent mishap trends with a look to the future are all included. This class will improve any members' depth of what a safety program should be with a humorous twist taken from real-world events.
• CAP Property Management/ORMS: This course is a must for the new and long time logistics, supply and communications officers eager to learn about CAPR 174-1 the Operational Resource Management System. Commanders at every level are strongly encouraged to attend this day-long course due to the increased accountability the new system provides. This session will address upcoming changes to ORMS, lessons learned and best practices. Participants will have an opportunity to address issues and concerns and make recommendations for improvement.
• Do You Want to be a Wing Commander?: This fast-paced 1-day educational class will give members who one day might like to apply for the job of wing commander a little insight into the necessary skills and areas of emphasis for the job. Seminar members will learn about the scope of the wing commander’s position, learn about what to start thinking about and what management and leadership areas to learn more about, and finally what CAP expects of a wing commander. Members will hear from subject matter experts in a variety of areas as well as from a panel of current and/or former wing commanders who will provide a personal perspective. Members in the grade of Major or above will be given priority for attendance.
• GIIEP: This course will provide both knowledge and hands orientation training for basic users of the new Geospatial Information Interoperability Exploitation - Portable (GIIEP) systems. GIIEP is the latest imagery collection tool being rolled out for CAP use across the country. This course will be great for personnel that have not had an opportunity to use these systems yet or as a refresher for those with limited experience. Note: This course will not qualify personnel as GIIEP operators as extensive air and ground sorties are not planned, but personnel should complete knowledge based requirements to qualify on site.
• Cessna G-1000 Ground School: Cessna instructors will provide the ground training portion of the Cessna FITS Accepted Training Program for the Cessna/Garmin G1000 Integrated Cockpit System.
1. The training will include:
2. A discussion of the components that make up the G1000 Integrated Cockpit System
3. An overview of the flight instruments as displayed on the Primary Flight Display
4. An overview of the additional information available on the Multi Function Display
5. Practical techniques and principles for entering data into and navigating your way through the G1000 system
6. An introduction to the GFC700 Flight Director / Auto Pilot
7. An introduction to WAAS and its application to GPS approaches
8. A discussion of specific G1000 component failures and how they affect the operation of the system
Participants who successfully complete the training will receive a Cessna certificate and credit for the ground school portion of the G-1000 checkout.

Early bird registration is open through June 10, 2012. To register for he conference or any of the pre-conference training sessions visit the 2012 Annual Conference website at https://events.capnhq.gov/OnlineStore/2012AnnualConferenceandNationalBoard.aspx

Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with more than 61,000 members nationwide, operating a fleet of 550 aircraft. CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and was credited by the AFRCC with saving 54 lives in fiscal year 2011. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to nearly 27,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet program. CAP received the World Peace Prize in 2011 and has been performing missions for America for 70 years. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. Visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com or www.capvolunteernow.com for more information.

More than 1,500 members of CAP serve in Maryland. Last fiscal year wing members flew 42 search and rescue missions and were credited with 31 finds. For more information contact The Maryland Wing at www.mdcap.org.