MART Vol. II MO/MP - NESA - Civil Air Patrol

available). [Note: Tie-down chains shall not be used directly from aircraft mooringpoints to an anchor point because of excessive impact loads on wing spars. Ifchains are used they shall be attached to wire rope anchors -- refer to Attachment3 of CAPR 66-1.]Check that the Master Switch and Parking Brake is OFF (leaving the parkingbrake on for more than one hour may cause damage to the braking system; it alsomakes it impossible to tow the aircraft) and that the Fuel Selector Switch is in the'Right' or 'Left' position for refueling. Remove any trash and personal or specialequipment from the aircraft (be sure to check any borrowed equipment in withlogistics). Lock the aircraft windows, doors and baggage compartment.Check the general condition of the aircraft, check the oil, and refuel. Cleanthe leading edges and the windshield and windows and replenish cleaningsupplies, if necessary.Sign off any tasks that were completed on the crew's SQTRs.9.6 The Mission Pilot and PODWe discussed in Chapter 6 how the mission staff estimates the Probability ofDetection (POD). Let’s look at some factors affecting POD that you can control:• Ask questions during briefings to ensure you really understand yourassignment.• Take the time to plan the flight thoroughly and make sure you areprepared to fly it before leaving mission base. This knowledge enablesyou to concentrate on the mission and "stay ahead of the aircraft," thusincreasing search effectiveness.• Maintain optimum altitude and airspeed. If you have to decrease poweron a southbound leg and increase power when you turn northbound inorder to maintain a constant 90 knots, then do it.• Accuracy of navigation: Use the GPS! However, you should be ready tocomplete the search using other navigational methods should the GPSfail.• Avoid turbulence whenever possible, avoid steep or abrupt turns, andensure the mission commander is scheduling breaks and monitoring thescanners (and yourself) for fatigue or dehydration.• Give a thorough debriefing and be brutally honest about youreffectiveness.• Stay proficient in your flying skills. Flying the aircraft and operating itsequipment should be second nature, leaving you free to concentrate onaccomplishing mission objectives safely.9.7 Flying the MissionBefore missions are launched, the briefing officer provides you withinformation designating the routes to and from the search area, and the types ofsearch patterns to be used upon entering the search area. Your planning shouldinvolve the observer, as they are familiar with each type of search pattern and canassist you in planning and navigation. While the observer should be scanning179