A conversation with pilots of Fallbrook's Civil Air Patrol Squadron 87

The following is a personal interview with Major James Redmon and Captain Dale Hetrick regarding their flying activity of recent on behalf of the Civil Air Patrol, Fallbrook Squadron 87.

James Pedersen: I believe that you both have just completed flying a Search Mission in the Banning Pass.

Redmon: That’s correct. We were tasked to fly the area South of I-10 in the Banning Pass, in particular the Santa Rosa mountain area. Since the flight of the missing aircraft departed Bermuda Dunes and was destined for Chino, that would be a logical route of flight.

JP: Could you tell me a little about the search?

Hetrick: Well, if you are familiar with the Banning Pass you know that it is a relatively narrow opening with high mountains on both sides. This makes for a very narrow space for the winds to get through. Hence you can expect high winds and a lot of turbulence.

Redmon: After searching the lowest elevations we concentrated our search on the mountain. Because of its high and steep terrain, we started at the top searching west to east at a fixed elevation. Then dropped down 500’ and searched east to west. We continued this search pattern until we were, once again, at the lower elevations.

JP: As I understand it, Jim was the designated pilot and Dale the observer, is this correct?

Hetrick: Yes that is correct, but Jim and I have flown together so much that we are very confident in each other’s abilities and we reverse roles when it makes sense to do so. For example, when flying the pass from west to east, I’m on the right side of the plane with an obstructed view of the terrain. However, when flying east to west, it’s practically impossible to do any meaningful searching because of the necessity of looking across the plane. In those situations I usually fly to permit Jim to do the looking.

JP: Have the two you ever had any really bad experiences in your flying with CAP?

Redmon: Yes, we had one experience that wasn’t really a bad experience but it did get our undivided attention.

JP: What was that?

Redmon: We were searching for an aircraft that departed Arizona enroute to San Diego and had not arrived. During the search, the weather began to deteriorate and we had to terminate the search. We contacted Los Angeles Center and requested an instrument clearance to Carlsbad/Palomar. We received the clearance and climbed to 9,000 ft. When we reached Vulcan Mountain, an area that has had numerous aircraft crashes; we suddenly began rapidly accumulating a heavy load of ice on the aircraft. This was somewhat of a surprise since our weather briefing did not forecast icing for our route of flight. Anyway, we beat a hasty retreat back the way we had come. After ensuring we were clear of the mountains, we requested a lower altitude from center and the ice melted. We re-filed our flight plan for a route further south and at a lower elevation, making it back to Fallbrook without any further incidents.

JP: How about you Dale, was this one the worst?

Hetrick: Well, an unexpected a load of ice- which was getting heavier by the minute- does become a major concern. However if danger is your criteria, I believe our search for Steve Fossett ranks right up there.

JP: Why is that?

Hetrick: Because of our qualifications- primarily Jim’s- we were assigned to search the top of the highest mountain in the search area. In order to do this we had to fly at 14,000’ while searching a relatively large area. We soon learned that even at 15,000 feet we were frequently barely able to achieve the required height above the ground. Fortunately, the weather was good so visibility was great. However, after completing our mission, we both breathed a big sigh of relief that we hadn’t had any engine problems because the alternate landing sites were non-existent.

JP: How about memorable missions?

Redmon: The one that comes immediately to mind is one where we were conducting a search in a desert area and spotted two people who appeared to be in distress. We immediately radioed ground personnel who picked them up and transported them to the hospital, possibly saving their lives. For this, CAP National Headquarters gave us recognition for “Outstanding Humanitarian Service”