Abraham Louisiana

CAP casts airborne eye
on boaters in distress
CAP aircraft patrol Elephant Butte Lake in New Mexico on holidays
as an “eye in the sky” for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.
By Maj. Steven Solomon
Photo by Capt. Glenn Mauger, New Mexico Wing
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The season typically runs from Memorial Day until Labor Day,
though it’s a yearlong initiative in some areas. Often called “sundown
patrols,” these CAP missions require aircrews to scan various bodies of
water, including lakes and coastal waters, looking for emergencies such
as boaters in trouble.
The flights got their nickname because they were flown late on
Saturday and Sunday afternoons, said Capt. Donald S. Penven, the
North Carolina Wing’s public affairs officer. Patrols in Penven’s state
focus on large reservoirs — Jordan and Falls lakes plus Harris Lake, site
of a nuclear power plant.
The activity’s name was changed last year to “lake patrol” when the
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary joined the team.