California Wing Flies with Air Force and Homeland Security for Super Bowl 50
By Col. Jon Stokes
As the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers prepared to do battle on the gridiron, members of the California Wing were assisting the Air Force and other local, state and federal agencies in protecting the thou- sands of fans who would be descending on Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Super Bowl Sunday.
Within 60 days of the big game, members of the California Wing began working with the Air Force and the Department of Homeland Security to simulate intrusions into Temporary Flight Restrictions over the stadium. The Federal Aviation Administration’s TFRs, placed over large public events like the Super Bowl since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, require general aviation aircraft to stay clear of these events for the safety of those on the ground. Aircraft violating the TFR are intercepted by local Air Force and Air National Guard aircraft and escorted away from the protected area.
Two intercept training missions were held less than two weeks before the Super Bowl. For each, two CAP aircraft were intercepted by F-15 Eagles from the 144th Fighter Squadron of the California Air National Guard and a Citation jet and Black Hawk helicopter from the Department of Homeland Security. One CAP aircraft served as a “high-bird” communications relay aircraft, maintaining constant communications between CAP’s mission base and the two planes being intercepted.
The CAP aircraft were successfully intercepted and directed to exit the restricted airspace, just as they would be in an actual TFR violation.
Aircraft routinely used for these missions are high-performance military fighters designed to fly, cruise and intercept aircraft at speeds well in excess of 250 knots. “F-16 Falcons and F-15 Eagles sometimes struggle to intercept the standard propeller- driven aircraft that routinely violate the TFRs at 100–125 knots,” said Civil Air Patrol’s director of operations, John Desmarais.
“The Cessna platforms used by CAP are perfect to simulate the average general aviation aircraft the military interceptors would routinely encounter,” Desmarais said. “In wings all over the country, CAP is involved in helping train interceptor pilots how to approach, fly and communicate with offending aircraft so when the real thing occurs, they are prepared.”
“Flying one of these missions may seem simple, but it takes our best air- crews to participate,” said Lt. Col. Joe Brickman, the California Wing’s director of operations. “Fortunately, we have a large cadre of mission pilots and observers in our wing, and we choose only the best for these missions.”
Before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Civil Air Patrol supported some intercept training but typically flew only a few dozen sorties a year, primarily in the Washington, D.C., area. Today, CAP annually supports more than 200 intercept training sorties across America. And in recent years, CAP wings where the Super Bowl has been played have worked with the North American Aerospace Defense Command and local fighter wings in advance of the game to help prepare the pilots who will be tasked with patrolling the skies.
In order to minimize the number of TFR intrusions and the need for costly intercepts, each year CAP wings play a leadership role in implementing the FAA’s TFR Awareness Program, which has proven effective in reducing the number of intrusions.
“The California Wing does several VIP Awareness missions every year due to frequent official visits by the president and other dignitaries, and our aircrews have become very well-versed in the program,” said Col. Alan Ferguson, California Wing commander. In anticipation of the Super Bowl, over 50 general aviation air- ports were visited by CAP aircrews. They flew from airport to airport, passing out the TFR literature and talking to pilots at fixed base operators (FBOs), pilot lounges and even in some airport coffee shops.
As a result of the size and scope of the Super Bowl, the local and national news took a great interest in the Air Force and Civil Air Patrol’s role in keeping the skies over Levi’s Stadium safe. Three major networks sent reporters to cover a media flight, and the actual training mission and television reports on CAP’s activities were broadcast on the nightly news, placing emphasis on CAP’s role in the exercise. “We were very happy we were able to get the word out about what CAP was doing in this mission,” Ferguson said.
In all, more than 175 media stories mentioned CAP and its Super Bowl mission. Those stories, included on CNN Online, AF.mil, the Homeland Security News Wire, KNBC-TV in Los Angeles, and Bay Area network affiliates as well as national aviation websites like the Aero-News Network, AOPA Pilot Online and General Aviation News, reached a potential audience of 317 million.
A comment from CAP National Commander Maj. Gen. Joe Vazquez, included in one of the CAP news releases, was selected as the Aero-News Network’s Quote of the Day on Jan. 27.
The Air Force was quick to praise CAP’s hard work on this vital mission: “Civil Air Patrol’s addition to the Total Force family is truly remarkable. They are an outstanding Total Force partner, reliably assisting in our annual Super Bowl training. Throughout the year, CAP provides similar assistance, and we could not complete our mission training with-out them,” said Lt. Gen. William Etter, commander 1st Air Force and commander Continental North American Aerospace Defense Command Region.
“We could not complete our mission training without them.” — Lt. Gen. William Etter, commander 1st Air Force (AFNORTH) and commander Continental North American Aerospace Defense Command Region (NORAD)
While CAP may not have been on the field for the big game, its aircrews were there helping as a member of the Air Force Total Force to ensure the safety and security of players, fans and the citizens of California. On reflecting on the mission’s success, Ferguson said, “It was truly a team effort, and we are honored to be part of the team.”
Originally published in April-June 2016 Civil Air Patrol Volunteer magazine.
