TRARON

The Mission of TRARON (Training Squadron One) is to be the sole authorized provider of formation training and certification for members of the Commemorative Air Force.  Such activities will be in accordance with the National FAST protocol and CAFRs.  TRARON will also serve as the liaison and signatory representative to the National FAST Board.

Brief the Plan, Fly as Briefed....For those that missed it, this article was in the last issue of Warbird Digest.  It demonstrates that formation flying, particularly photo shoots, aren't something that just happen.  Discipline and doing it right and proficiency are what matter.  And no matter how "sierra hotel" you think you are, the pictures will prove it.  You will enjoy the article "It's Like Herding Cats".  Go to ARTICLES to read.

TRARON dues for 2009 are now due.  Select FORMS and TRARON DUES FORM.  Please complete the renewal form and mail to Mark Novak with $25.00 fee.  CAF annual dues are payable to CAF Headquarters.

Good Afternoon Everyone

We have made a policy change to allow pilots to bring their aircraft to TRARON clinics, without joining the CAF; but following FAST requirements they must be members of one of the signatories.

The pilots must provide a copy of their insurance policy naming the CAF as an additional insured for $1,000,000 bodily injury and property damage with $100,000 per passenger. Additionally, they must have their insurance company provide a waiver of subrogation.  These documents and negotiations for exceptions must be approved by Air Capital Insurance, LLC before the flying takes place. This can be done by sending me an email with the documents, or faxing them to 432-567-3058. Faxes will take a day longer as they will have to be scanned and emailed to me. The whole process should only take two days; one if I get email instead of fax.

Please reply with your comments.

Cheers

Bob

Robert A. Stenevik

     I recently attended the CAF Winter Staff Conference in Midland and had an opportunity to have some very interesting and useful conversations with Bob Stenevik concerning a couple issues important to TRARON and formation flying in the CAF.  Bob has been instrumental in trying to streamline the rules by which CAF pilots flying CAF aircraft can practice formation flying away from official formation clinics.  These new changes will be instrumental in helping the new and aspiring formation pilots to get some instruction before they arrive at a sponsored clinic and that will give the new pilots a better chance of acquiring their card in a more efficient manner.  TRARON will work with Bob to identify formation pilots that are qualified to act as instructor pilots at the squadron or wing level.  More outside training should them be available so the new guys will have a step up when they attend their first organized clinic.

     The second issue is even a more important and far reaching change to TRARON policy.  In the past 8 years, TRARON clinics have had to be strictly confined to CAF members only, and that has kept our attendance at many clinics way down from what they might be.  Pilots from other organizations could not attend TRARON clinics without joining the CAF and many people found that requirement to be unacceptable.  Being forced to spend an additional $225.00 along with the registration fee and the hotel and gas bill was just more than many people were willing to do.  In an attempt to try to address this problem, Jim Munn and I met with Bob Stenevik and Greg Hizer of Air Capitol Insurance to discuss the aformentioned policy.  They were very receptive to the discussion, and in turn, discussed the situation with Steve Brown.  Together, they made the decision that we could finally open our clinic registrations up to members of other FAST signatories.  There are a few requirements that the non-members must meet but they are really no different than what CAF members bringing their own aircraft must meet.  I will enclose a copy of Bob's letter confirming the change in policy so that you will have the requirements in hand before you talk to you friends about coming to one of our clinics.

     One thing you must keep in mind when talking to non-CAF members, if they desire to get a formation card from TRARON, they will have to join the CAF and TRARON.  If they don't want a card from TRARON, we will be able to forward any Formation Proficiency Reports or Check Ride Forms to the FAST signatory of their choice in order to get a card from that signatory.  They do need to be a member of at least one FAST signatory and they will need to get the endorsements to their insurance policy that Bob outlines in his letter.  The endorsements are usually free to the policy holder, but they must be requested enough in advance to allow the insurance agent to request the endorsements from the insurance company and get a written response.  It is best to give at least a couple weeks to get everything taken care of.  These endorsements are usually only good for a length of time that corresponds to the weekend of the clinic rather than a year long, permanent endorsement.  As always, prior planning is important since no endorsement-no participation.

     Let your friends in other signatories know of this change and encourage them to join us at a clinic in the future.  We encourage anyone flying an aircraft that fits our charter of low wing, bubble canopy, military type aircraft to join us.  The aircraft needs dual controls, including dual throttles.  We will include the older military type craft such as the PTs and BTs that are open cockpit to attend and we will do our best to offer qualified instructors to these aircraft types as well.  We do not encourage people flying aircraft not meeting these specifications to attend a TRARON clinic.  There are other FAST signatories and formation organizations that will give instruction in non-qualifying type aircraft that have instructors more qualified to train in these type planes. 

     The second attachment is the language that is required to be added to your insurance policy by your insurance underwriter in order to qualify you to attend the clinics as a non-member of the CAF or as a CAF member flying your own airplane. 

     I hope you will all be as excited about this policy change as I am.  I think that this will allow us to serve a much bigger segment of the warbird community as well as encourage  some new members to join our great organization by showing them what we are all about.  In my opinion, we will get a lot more new members by including others than we would ever get by trying to force them to join in order to attend.

Keep 'em flying

Rick

TRARON Lead 

Commemorative Air Force

Traron

               Dear Bob,

                       I enjoyed having the opportunity to talk with you and Greg Hiser about our insurance issues while attending the winter staff conference a week ago.  As per our discussion, I told you I would write a letter about the problems we have been having with the insurance issues involved with holding a Traron Formation Clinic.  Several years ago, I had a meeting with Greg and then president of the CAF, Bob Rice, and was informed that we could only offer training to current CAF members due to the liability issues facing the CAF.  Ever since then, we have limited our participation to CAF members only and that has kept our attendance at most of the clinics down to a relatively small group each time.  In several instances, clinics have not been held in areas where there were several warbird owners since many of the owners were not CAF members.  Those pilots would not attend because they did not want to incur the extra expense of joining the CAF.  We have a great organization but many of our fellow pilots, being the Type A go-getters that they are, don't like to be forced to do things.  They would rather join an organization because they support it, not just because they have to.  I feel that we could get more new conscripts just by showing folks what we are and what we do, then by forcing the issue in order to participate in an event.  The other warbird organizations, such as NATA, allow participation by anyone wishing to seek a formation card as long as they belong to a signatory of FAST and bring an appropriate aircraft to the event.  This policy allows a much broader participation and would allow us to hold more clinics in areas that we now can't due to the small numbers of CAF members involved.  This keeps the members that we have from getting the training they need. 

                     In the last month, Traron has lost the chance to sponsor two clinics due to this past insurance policy.  A clinic was planned for the end of March in Ramona, CA that was to be a Traron event until the decision was made to open it up to any interested pilot in the hope of increasing the attendance.  Now it is being sponsored by a fighter group.  A second clinic was suggested in the Memphis area until I informed the organizer about the requirement to be all CAF members.  He decided that he could get more people if he made the attendance open to all interested parties. 

                      If we could change this rule imposed by Headquarters, I feel that we would be able to hold more clinics in areas that we have been unable to have them in the past due to the numbers of available pilots.  Traron is always willing and able to send the needed instructors and check pilots to help run these smaller clinics but we can't get the units to sponsor them due to the numbers of CAF pilots involved.  Consequently, many of our pilots are not getting the training they need.  When they do come to the one event they can make, they go home disappointed since they are unable to progress far enough in one weekend to earn their card.  Being able to hold more clinics would help to address the problem of getting more training for the pilots in the field that you have been so concerned about of late.  Your two ship program for the grass roots areas will be a help but more official clinics will insure a higher level of training due to our ability to bring in our best instructors for sponsored clinics.  I welcome your comments and input.

               Sincerely,

                Rick Hosking, Traron Lead