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Asheville Composite Squadron conducts Mountain Fury training exercise

At the conclusion of the Mountain Fury training conducted by Asheville Composite Squadron during the weekend of January 9-11, 2015.
At the conclusion of the Mountain Fury training conducted by Asheville Composite Squadron during the weekend of January 9-11, 2015. From left to right:Maj Arnie Andresen (NC019), Maj Pete Loewenheim (MD001), Capt Marty Sacks (MD042), Lt Col Tony Vallillo (MD001), Lt Col Wally Courtney (NC019). Photo Credit: Lt Col Ray Davis, Asheville Composite Squadron. (click image to view full size)
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Three Maryland Wing Check Pilots Certified Mountain Qualified Pilots

By Lt Scott E. Stevens
Information Technology Officer, Asheville Composite Squadron

1/15/2015–Asheville, NC–The Asheville Composite Squadron conducted a Mountain Fury flying clinic during the weekend of January 9-11, 2015. This mission was conducted as Mission 15-T-5128 for the Maryland Wing.

Prior to this weekend, Maryland Wing had only one Mountain Qualified Mission Pilot, and his certification had recently lapsed.  Having no qualified trainers in the area, contact was made with the NCWG under the MER/CC "no limits, no boundaries" philosophy to conduct training to bring three Check Pilots current as Mountain Qualified Pilots as well as Trainers for the Mountain Flight Certification.  These officers would then be charged with returning to Maryland to pass their training along to others. 

Asheville’s Lt Col Wally Courtney and Lt Col Rich Augur provided 3.5 hours of ground training on mountain flying, with an emphasis on CAP search procedures.  After that, the pilots took to the sky themselves.  Lt Col Courtney and Maj Arnie Andresen provided one-on-one flight training with each pilot on routes throughout the mountains of Western North Carolina.  The flights included takeoffs and landings at two of the region’s more challenging airports: Jackson County (24A) and Macon County (1A5).  In addition, the pilots practiced contour searches, grid searches, ridge crossings, canyon escape maneuvers, and mountain wind and weather exposure.  

In addition to the instructors mentioned above, the exercise was supported by Lt Col Ray Davis (Project Officer), Lt Col Joe Weinflash (Incident Commander), Capt Linda Reid (Logistics), and 1Lt Ted Sutton (Communications).  

Mountain Fury has become an annual event, hosted by the Asheville Composite Squadron each of the last eight years, and is planned to continue for many more.  Pilots from around the region come to gain first-hand experience flying for CAP in the complex terrain that only the Appalachians can provide.