Last Update: May 2007 Events Calendar

Provincial Training Officer’s page  CASARA TRAINING OFFICER REPORT -2006-2007 CASARA SASK. AGM - SASKATOON  Apr.13-14/07 This year has shown some improvement in some areas and the norm in others.  We have very good and consistent participation in several of our zones and some have even more activity.  With one exception, everything is going pretty well.  The exception is Zone 1which is non-operational.  More about that a little later.  Gail Neilsen is the assistant Training Officer and does help out where needed.   Following is a brief summary of my provincial and national activities through the year: April: Was our AGM last year May: 435 Sarex in Red Deer, 2 planes went from Zone 8, one got weathered out from Zone 4 June: July:  Slow months for the Provincial Training Officer but the Western Canada Sarex was held June 30-July 1 in The Pas Herc Spotting in Regina and Yorkton  Aug: Sarex planning meeting in Prince Albert Sept: Prince Albert and La Ronge Evals, National Military Sarex for a week in North Bay, ON Oct: Yorkton Eval Nov: Saskatoon Eval, Gail attended on behalf of the Training Officers We had the 1st ever Training Officers Conference for Sask. here in Saskatoon Dec: Herc Spotter Training: Stony Rapids and Saskatoon Jan: CASARA National Training Officer's Conference in Winnipeg, MB, I will have a separate report for that conference Feb: Herc Spotter Training:  Swift Current and North Battleford (may have been wx out) Mar: Local Training only Coming up this year includes: May:435 Squadron Sarex in Yellowknife, dates?? Aug:Western Canada Sarex, Prince Albert, Aug. 10-12, I will be unable to attend due to work commitments,  we have 16 air cadets training in Regina then and I will be flight testing them all about that time Aug. 23-29 National Military Sarex in Goose Bay, NL Jan, 2007:National Training Officers Conference, not sure where My biggest priority this Spring is to try and get Zone 1, Stony Rapids, trained up and pass an eval making them operational again.  Several trips by Zone 4 airplanes were planned but all got weathered out.  I am going to go up by airline to make sure I make it.  Navigators are the first thing that needs to be made current.  Without them we don't have full crews.  Commercial pilots are used so they don't receive CASARA training.  Also, the spotters need some refreshing.  Just this week, I received a return email from Arlen and he is going to look at potential training dates.   In addition, I managed to keep most of my own zone, Zone 8, current and active.  Regina is quite strong with lots of participation.     One new thing last year was the ability to map a CSAD with the appropriate search pattern on it.  This is through the use of Oziexplorer and Search HQ.  The advantage of these two programs is the ability to do the mapping for the navigator ahead of time and hence get everyone out the door and on the search sooner.  Several of the zones are using this now.  Hopefully, all the navigators are keeping their skills up.  We still need the paper record of our flight track.  Remember the map is first, GPS is a backup.  A good nav can use both but we need the landmark recognition that only comes with looking outside the aircraft.  On behalf of Gail Neilson and myself, thank you for this past year in CASARA.  With one exception, things are getting better and I hope Gail and I will be able to visit every zone as much as possible this year.  We would like to come to your zone and not just for evals.  If you would like Gail or myself to join you on a training day, give us a call or email. Thank you for the past year.   Tom Ray   Currency Requirements for All Positions LAST UPDATE: 2004/09/10 ELECTRONIC SEARCH SPECIALIST: 3 hours Academic Training in the last 12 months 3 Ground Homings in the last 12 months  SPOTTERS: 3 hours academic training in the last 12 months 3 currency flights of not less than 1 hour each in the last 12 months 1 currency flight of not less than 1 hour within the past 120 days NAVIGATORS: 4 hours academic training in the last 12 months 4 currency flights in the last 12 months 3 ELT homing (at least one must be an aural null) in the last 12 months 4 different search patterns appropriate to your area of operation in the last 12 months 1 currency flight of not less than 1 hour within the past 120 days PILOTS: 4 hours academic training in the last 12 months 6 hours as PIC in the last 90 days to provide a minimum of 24 hours flying time within the last 12 months, the minimum of 24 hours flying as PIC, made up of: a) 6 flights of not less than 1 hour each that must be CASARA SAR flying, (training or actual), and b) the remainder can be actual SAR operations, CASARA SAR training, or "other" flying 3 ELT homing (at least one must be an aural null) in the last 12 months 4 different search patterns appropriate to your area of operation in the last 12 months 1 CASARA currency flight within the past 120 days and any other pilot currency requirements as per Transport Canada publications   Excell Spreadsheet for local training status summary: Click image to download...