Squadron 302 Cadets Welcome WWII Veterans Home From Honor Flight

Read the full story at the Airzona Wing's Web Site

The Northern Arizona hub of Honor Flight rasies money to fly World War II veterans to the Washington, D.C. area so that they can visit the memorials dedicated to them and to other veterans. The last flight of 2010 returned to the Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix on Veterans Day and the cadets of Squadron 302 were invited to assist in welcoming the Honor Flight Veterans home.

After spending several hours on their feet participating in the City of Phoenix Veterans Day Parade, twenty-five cadets walked off the end of the parade route and made their way to Terminal 4 of the Sky Harbor airport and joined ten more Squadron 302 cadets waiting for them. Together, thirty-five cadets formed an "honor line" at the security checkpoint exit for the WWII veterans and Honor Flight Guardians walk through after exiting their plane. The cadets rendered and crisp salute to each veteran as they made their way through the honor line.

For more information about the Northern Arizona hub of Honor Flight, visit their website at http://www.honorflightnaz.org/.

C/1Lt Lt Alexander Patocs (left) was awarded a Commander's Commendation for his work as a Chaplain's Assistant during the Arizona Wing's summer encampment. The award was issued by Col John Eggen, Arizona Wing Commander and presented by Capt Todd Eickelmann, USAF Reserve.

Two Squadron 302 pilots, Maj Tim Beckwith (pictured) and Capt Michael Rich participated in the Teacher Orientation Program by providing educational flights to several teachers from the Anthem school district. The teachers were provided a safety briefing about the aircraft, participated in the pre-flight checking of the plane they would be flying in and then during the flight had the opportunity to man the controls (under the watchful eye of the pilot-in-command). Overal all, five AZ Wing aircraft participated in the flight, using the Squadron 302 headquarters as the base of operations.

Squadron 302 Names New Cadet Commander

Squadron 302 Commander Capt Les Manser and Deputy Commander for Cadets 2d Lt Lee Fala announced that C/1st Lt Alexander Patocs has been named the new Cadet Commander. C/1st Lt Patocs is replacing C/Capt William Mead who served as Cadet Commander for the past year.

In conjunction with the change of command ceremony, the cadets hosted an open house for their family, friends, along with prospective cadets. Cadet staff and senior members provided presentations on the model rocketry program, cadet orientation flights, along with the promotion of several cadets.

The event was wrapped up by burgers and hot dogs being served for all!

Aircrews from Squadron 302 planned on taking to the skies to locate a practice Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT). While gearing up for the first air sortie, the crew was informed of an actual ELT signal being picked up and the crew went in search of the real thing instead. The beacon was located at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, which involved some expert piloting through one of the busiest airspaces in the nation. Although not an emergency, by silencing the beacon the aircrew ensured the transmitter would not interfere with any actual ELT activations.

Cadets interested in PTX (Physical Training eXercise) can now attend a PTX session every Thursday @ 1900.  Held at the Squadron building and led by Squadron Cadets C/2Lt. Patocs and C/SMSgt. Matheny, PTX is a great way of keeping "mission strong" for Cadets who are currently achieving the PT standards.  For Cadets working on making the grade, PTX is a "must do" for learning the correct way to achieve high PT results. No registration is required - just show up in your PT gear!

If you have questions over PTX, please do not hesitate to contact C/2Lt. Patocs, C/SMSgt. Matheny or 2Lt. Matthew Costabile. 

Squadron 302 places 2nd overall in color guard competition
The color guard team consisting of cadets Babcock, Rossi, Matteson, and Costabile took second place at the AZ Wing 2010 Color Guard Competition. The event consisted of indoor and outdoor practical drills, written and oral exams, and a one mile run.

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Cadets Visit Capitol, Visit with Governor Brewer On Wednesday, January 20, eleven cadets from the Deer Valley Composite Squadron participated in the 5th annual Aviation Day at the State Capitol. The cadets had the opportunity to vist with Arizona Governor Jan Brewer.

Cadets Conquer South Mountain
On Saturday, December 5th, over 23 cadets and 6 seniors from Squadron 302 completed a day-long hiking challenge to the top of South Mountain Regional Park, located in Southern Phoenix. Organized by Squadron Cadet Staff, the exercise pitted two teams against each other in a 3.8 mile race to the summit.

2Lt Fala named new Deputy Commander for Cadets 2Lt Lee Fala, on the left in the photo, has accepted the position of Deputy Commander for Cadets for Squadron 302. Capt Richard Shortridge elected to step down from position after serving as the head of the squadron's cadet program for the past year and will continue to work with the cadet program.

• Cadet Meetings: Monday nights from 7:00PM to 9:30PM
• Senior Meetings: The 2nd & 4th Wednesday each month at 7:30PM
• Staff Meetings: The 3rd Wednesday each month at 7:30PM