UPDRAFTS


IN THE SPOTLIGHT


Senior Master Sgt. Rob Dimel, Civil Air Patrol, Texas Wing Command


Longtime pilot spearheaded first vertical aviation–focused cadet program.


By Christine Knauer


IN JUNE, THE TEXAS WING Command of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), a US Air Force civilian auxiliary, held its first-ever Rotary Education School (RES). During the weeklong summer


special activity, 20 cadets took ground- school classes taught by FAA CFIs, worked the controls of a Bell 505 simulator, and toured Bell’s mainte- nance training hangar at the Bell flight


facility in Fort Worth. They also had the opportunity to talk with various aviation professionals and enjoy a helicopter flight over downtown Fort Worth. POWER UP spoke with Texas Wing


Command Senior Master Sgt. Rob Dimel, who served as both RES direc- tor and an instructor. An active air ambulance pilot, CFI, and retired law enforcement officer, Dimel drew on his 17 years of flying experience to create an engaging and unforgettable learning adventure for the cadets.


POWER UP: How did the Rotary Education School come to be? Dimel: As part of their capstone project, a group of cadets presented the idea of a cadet special activity and training event focused on helicopters. The cadets pointed out that they learn


Civil Air Patrol cadets pose in front of a Bell


407 on the flight line at Helicopter Institute in Fort Worth. (Staff Sgt. Deyton Talley Photo)


22 POWER UP SEP 2024


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