Re: Air Scouts -Anyone know anything????? please!!!
Settummanque, the blackeagle (waltoml@WKUVX1.WKU.EDU)
Tue, 8 Mar 1994 11:25:38 EST
Air Scouting in the BSA started with the then-new Exploring programs in the
early 20s. The emphasis was to prepare men to fly (eventually) military
aircraft and many Army Air Corps installations chartered Air Exploring
Squadrons (as they were called). This evolved over the years into Air
Posts chartered by airfields.
It was not until Spurgeon's time (the late 50s, early 60s) that Exploring
took the Air part important. It could be because there was no national
Exploring events geared toward the flying part of their young adult program.
In 1966, the first Exploring Fly-in occured in Pascalooga (sp), Mississippi
under the auspices of the United States Air Force and the Grumman Company.
Grumman withdrew their support eventually, and the Air Force was going it
along until 1973. In that year, the Cessna (sp)...hey, its a terrible day
here, okay!) Aircraft company *gave* the Exploring Division over two
million dollars and committed themselves to running the Aviation Exploring
program. They even paid for the first national Exploring Speciality
Assocation patches and along with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association,
sponsered regional Fly-ins between 1973 and 1978.
In 1978, after several crashes which, because of insurance reasons, the
BSA had to "bite the bullet" and pay out on (and in two cases, still paying
out for), the BSA halted their aviation Exploring program and told the field
that they will IMMEDIATELY STOP chartering or rechartering Aviation posts of
ANY kind. Some local Councils did an end run around National and thought that
it did not apply to Exploring programs chartered to the Air Force auxillary
program, the Civil Air Patrol or CAP. The Air Force and Exploring was working
strongly together in the 60s and 70s in getting these special types of units
going and in the air as opposed to on the ground (the CAP provides to this
day essential search and rescue services for the Air Force, at a fraction of
the cost of active duty o reserve flyers!). In 1979, the BSA told the Air
Force that they could no longer tie the CAP into Exploring. In 1983, the
Air Force told the BSA that they could no longer provide military assistance
or orientation flights. That was no big problem, since the BSA forbid the
members or leaders from taking such flights in 1979 as part of the closeout
of the aviation program.
Today, there ARE Aviation Explorer posts....there are 16 of them nationally.
NONE of them do anything more than ground school as part of their program.
They are all chartered to local airports or flight schools and CANNOT include
flight training other than ground school as part of their program. This
is a BIG disappointment considering that at the division's high point in
1977, there were well over 265 Aviation-related Exploring units in the nation
and the Aviation Exploring speciality group was the second richest (as far
as program monies) and the fourth largest (in membership, only Law Enforcement,
Health Careers and Outdoor exceeded their numbers) in the Exploring program.
We in the USA now have a VERY TONED DOWN Air Exploring program, and because
folks got sue-happy, we don't have any Explorers flying all over the nation
like we used to.
Oh well...hope that's what you were looking for!
Settummanque!
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
