FORT MEADE, Md – On Saturday, June 19, 2010, three cadets from the Fort McHenry Composite Squadron took to the skies and completed one of their five powered cadet orientation rides. Cadet/Airman First Class Sennsa Imhotep, Cadet/Airman Bronte Goldsmith and Cadet/Airman Brian Warsaw all braved the 90 degree heat to complete a significant milestone in their aerospace education. The three flights, organized by Second Lieutenant Dorian Sampson, were piloted by Captain Larry Moore while Captain Cajetan von der Linden acted as ground safety officer for the duration of the event.

The aircraft, a Cessna 172 (9845L), was ferried from Carroll County Regional Airport in Westminster, Maryland to Tipton Airport in Fort Meade, Maryland. C/A1C Imhotep handled the aircraft on a one hour flight from Tipton Airport to Cambridge-Dorchester Airport in Cambridge on Maryland’s Eastern Shore as C/Amn Goldsmith rode in the back seat.

As a part of his powered flight syllabus #5, C/A1C Imhotep learned how weather affects aircraft flight. The weather on that day served as an excellent example of how temperature affects density altitude. Likewise, he learned how convective activity forms cumulus clouds as the turbulent updrafts of moist air cool to the relative dew point. Flying the aircraft above the clouds, C/A1C Imhotep then witnessed how the convective turbulence ceases once the aircraft climbs above the cloud level and how an altitude change of just a few thousand feet significantly lowers the temperature.

After returning to Tipton Airport, C/Amn Warsaw then took to the skies for his very first cadet orientation ride. C/Amn Warsaw, a flier of remote-controlled aircraft, learned about the pre-flight inspection, ground handling, and the take-off characteristics of a Cessna 172. After a brief flight to the Eastern Shore, C/Amn Warsaw then took the aircraft controls and received a basic introduction to aircraft handling. Upon returning to Tipton, he then learned the proper techniques used to enter the traffic pattern of an uncontrolled airport and how the aircraft handles during the landing phase of flight.

Congratulations Cadets Sennsa Imhotep, Bronte Goldsmith and Brian Warsaw on the completion of one of your five powered orientation rides! And a special thanks for 2Lt Dorian Sampson and Capt von der Linden for making the enjoyable and educational event possible for the cadets.

Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 58,000 members nationwide. 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 72 lives in fiscal year 2009. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counter-drug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 23,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for 68 years.

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, visit www.mdcap.org.

The Fort McHenry Composite Squadron meets weekly on Tuesday evenings at the Catonsville Armory, 130 Mellor Avenue in Catonsville, Md. Prospective members are always welcome. For more information or directions, visit the squadron website at www.ftmchenrycap.org.