Seven Texas Wing members from four squadrons completed the first in a planned series of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Technician training sessions, working alongside a pair of U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary members and two U.S. Navy reservists.
The program centers on increasing the number of trained sUAS technicians through training events in different locations each month for three months, with a goal of developing more recreational and mission pilots.
The event featured training in tasks such as plotting points on a sectional map, evaluating flight risk, and using Federal Emergency Management Agency Incident Command System forms for record-keeping, practicing safe flight operations, and developing crew coordination skills.
The Coast Guard Auxiliary participated because of its principles — shared with Civil Air Patrol — of volunteerism and service to communities. While CAP has been developing its drone program since 2017, with a focus on inland search and rescue and disaster imagery, the Coast Guard Auxiliary’s AUXAIR program began integrating drones into operations only in 2023, primarily supporting search and rescue over water.
“We want to develop interagency coordination and teamwork at the local level by showing them what we can do,” said 2nd Lt. Samuel Caspers of the Alamo Composite Squadron, activity director.
One of the auxiliary participants, Steve Ducharme, brought additional expertise to the training as both an auxiliarist and a chief warrant officer 5 in the U.S. Navy Reserve serving in information systems.
“We need to instill an aviation culture within the Civil Air Patrol sUAS program,” Caspers said. “Drones are not toys. Crew Resource Management is just as relevant within a sUAS team as it is aboard a Cessna aircrew.
“We want to develop this to serve our communities and be capable of providing imagery products when requested. These are baby steps, but we aren’t in a rush and want to do this the right way. Anyone can train to be an sUAS technician.”
All seven CAP participants earned qualification as sUAS technicians through the training event at the Lackland Cadet Squadron in San Antonio:
Bell County Composite SquadronKeenan Swain Cadet Staff Sgt. Pommer Swain
Corpus Christi Composite SquadronCapt. Cynthia Peacock
David Lee (Tex) Hill Composite Squadron1st Lt. Shan Murphy2nd Lt. John O’Conner
Lackland Cadet SquadronCapt. Sean MinnickCadet Chief Master Sgt. Adrien Dandridge
Serving with Caspers as staff were:
Alamo Composite SquadronLt. Col. Corey Hermesch, primary safety officer Lt. Col. Jan Wagner, sUAS technician skills evaluator trainer, instructor, and FAA Part 107 pilotMaj. Valerie Moczygemba, assistant safety officer2nd Lt. Timothy Barlow, sUAS pilot and FAA Part 107 pilot
Kerrville Composite Squadron1st Lt. Sarah Crusan, health services officer
Lackland Cadet SquadronCapt. Jacob Moore, mission staff assistant skills evaluator trainer
Along with Ducharme, Lt. Cdr. Pete Castro of the Navy Reserve and Nicholas Louviere of the Coast Guard Auxiliary audited the training.
