Interviewee Background

5.01 is Chief Pilot at the USCG’s San Francisco Air Station. 5.02 is also a commander at the Air Station overseeing flight asset assignments and schedules. Experience flying out of Ecuador and El Salvador on law enforcement missions.

[1] All fixed wing assets rely on visual range (6–8mi radius) — will not be missionized for another several years. Lowest altitude is 500’ (50 stories tall) making specific ID’ing hard. Sent out anywhere from 3x / wk to 1x / mo for law enforcement.

[2] Top law enforcement challenges: narrowing down search area called to cover (want matching intel sources) and weather visibility (should use helos more, but currently reserved for SAR)

[3] Frequent military training ops on weekdays limits + commercial air traffic right above head greatly limits coverage.

[4] Deep frustrations and “demoralizing” when sent on off hour patrol just to check a box, and not in response to any intel ⇒ performance inhibitor

[5] Frustration when don’t adapt schedules when weather conditions change, and possible vessel routes change. “Wasted energy”

Related posts:

Today is Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Day of Awareness — a day to call attention to the epidemic of violence against Native women and re-commit ourselves to ending it. The statistics are…

Waste hauling can be a complex and time-consuming process for any business. Keeping track of waste collection, disposal, and reporting can eat up resources that would be better spent on other aspects…

It was crisp and clear autumn Saturday in my home town. I was just starting my senior year in high-school. The foliage was vibrant, the fragrance was earthy, and a thrill infused the air as…