DailyDrum Issue 3

Orientation Flights

Today cadets from Bravo and Charlie flights went to Wheeler-Sack Army Air Field (the airport at Fort Drum) to go on orientation flights. When they got to the air field, they entered the Rapid Deployment Facility (RDF), the last stop for Army personnel on their way overseas. Bravo Flight went out on the flight line first. When they walked out of the building, they found eight Cessna 172s waiting on the tarmac. (New York Wing has 16 aircraft, so this was half of the wing’s fleet!) Six of these aircraft were used today.

Arriving on the ramp around the time when Bravo Flight was finishing up its flights was a Northwest Airlines 747, which had been chartered to take Army personnel to Kosovo.

The Flight-Ops staff assigned three passengers to each aircraft. Some seniors were able to ride along in the extra seats. The pilots arrived and introduced themselves, and then helped the cadets get seated in the Cessnas. After taxiing out to the runway, the pilots received takeoff clearance from “Sack Tower.”

Three aircraft flew in a counter-clockwise circle, and the other three flew clockwise. All of the aircraft stopped at Watertown International Airport so the cadets could switch seats. Some planes got fuel while they were at Watertown.

Encampment site from the air

After taking off from Watertown, they continued the circle and arrived back at Wheeler-Sack. The aircraft landed one by one and taxied back to “Mountain Ramp.” Then the Bravo cadets walked back into the RDF and Charlie Flight went for their o-flights.

It was a clear day with just a few clouds and excellent visibility. It was pretty smooth, although occasionally there was some light turbulence. Most of the cadets got to fly in the front seat for about 0.6 hours. No cadets had to use their barf bags!

For some cadets this was their first time ever taking an orientation flight. Some were nervous and others were excited.

Four flights got orientation flights today, and the other five flights will get theirs over the next two days. If the weather cooperates, all in-flight cadets will have a chance to take an orientation flight this week.

Training Contest!

If you can guess the source of the following quotation, the good folks over at Training Staff will provide you with a special treat.

“Come with me and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination.”

All you have to do is send a the answer in a letter to the Training OIC (C/Maj Dave Collins) with your full name, grade, and flight (sorry, in-flight cadets only, staff need not apply). Hand all entries to your flight staff no later than lights-out tomorrow, 31 July. Make sure that your flight staff knows that your entry must to be sent directly to Training (not through the Encampment Mail Service). (

Copier Fixed

The copier in Admin has been fixed. Look for your newsletter each day at closing formation from now on!

Daily Poll

Yesterday DailyDrum reporters went to you, the cadets (50 of you), to determine the answer to the following question: Is encampment food good or bad? The results:

GOOD – 80% BAD – 20%

Squadrons Compete!

The Squadron One Crimson Wolves and the Squadron Two Terminators are really hitting it off in terms of competition. When asked her opinions on encampment, C/Capt Lee, the SQ1 CC said “coming together is the beginning, graduation is the end, but the challenge is the process that lies between which is made by the cadets on their own, The cadet who stands when others fall, and the cadet who strives for perfection when they think nobody’s looking.”. When asked what he expected from the cadets, C/Maj Cucchiara stated that “the only thing we expect from you is that you meet the minimum standard – and here, the minimum standard is perfection!” (

Cadets Get to Shop at PX

Several flights went to the PX. The PX is a store where you can find all sorts of stuff - military things and civilian things. Their prices are very cheap and there is no tax. The new cadets were very excited to go to the PX because they heard so much about it. When they went, they bought all the things that they needed to buy. C/MSgt Salino said “the PX is outstanding,” and C/A1C Horrocks commented that “it’s good, because you can get anything you forgot.”

C/2Lt Beiniks, from Training, said “It’s fun. It’s a great opportunity for the in-flight cadets. It’s great seeing all the cool stuff you can buy.” When asked why she liked the trip, C/SrA Aquino said “it was pretty cool because they had a very wide variety.” Flights that did not go to the PX today will get an opportunity later in the week. (

Good Morning Cadets!
by Group 1st Sergeant Elizabeth Arie

Every morning the cadets will do physical fitness (PT). At 0530 you are awakened and expected to put your shoes on, use the restrooms, and fall into flight. It is your responsibility to be ready; it is your flight staff’s responsibility to get you out to the PT field at 0540. No matter what, the 1^st sergeants will greet the cadets at 0540 and start PT at that time. Everyday PT will consist of warm-ups, stretching, calisthenics, an activity and a cool-down.

The 1^st sergeants’ goal at the encampment is to help you with your physical fitness. At the beginning and end of encampment, the 1^st sergeants will administer the cadet physical fitness test (CPFT). Everyone is expected to do a few points better at the end of encampment. The squadron 1^st sergeants and the group 1^st sergeants want everyone to give their all and try their hardest. Every morning, get pumped up, and get ready to get physical!

SET Announces yesterday’s honor flight!

Honor flight – Foxtrot

2^nd Place – India

3^rd Place – Delta

Congratulations to all flight on a job well done!!!

Word Puzzle (from the Admin section)

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⁷

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¹⁰

¹¹

¹²

¹³

¹⁴

¹⁵

¹⁶

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Across

1 Sq. 2/CC

3 Airplane inventor

4 A topic we learn about in CAP

7 First to fly solo across the Atlantic

10 "High point" of cadet program

11 Achievement for C/SSgt

12 Achievement for C/MSgt

13 Achievement for C/CMSgt

14 You must study it to earn each stripe

16 Father of modern rocketry

17 C/XO

18 Achievement for C/2d Lt

19 Achievement for C/Amn

20 C/CC

21 Achievement for C/A1C

Down

2 The Air Force Auxiliary

5 Admin OIC

6 Responsible person (abbr.)

8 Chaplain Staff (abbr.)

9 C/DCC

15 COC

First flight to turn in a correctly completed puzzle gets bragging rights - and their name in tomorrow’s DailyDrum! (

The DailyDrum is brought to you by your Public Affairs Office:

C/2d Lt Jacob Uriel, OIC
C/MSgt Jenniffer Frye, Reporter
C/SSgt Daniel Cocozzelli, Reporter
C/SSgt Danielle Ayala, Reporter/Photographer
Maj Malcolm Dickinson, Mentor

All cadets are encouraged to win honor and acclaim for their flight by submitting articles for publication in the Daily Drum in accordance with these article submission guidelines:

· Submissions must contain the writer’s full name, grade, and flight/staff position clearly written on the top.

· Submissions must be clearly legible and must be written in black ink.

· Submissions should be given to your flight staff.

· Submissions that are submitted before lights out will be considered for the next day’s issue.

· Submissions may be edited for space and clarity.

· Submit long or short; serious or amusing; true or tall tales!