Are you a CAP member over 18 years of age?
	Are you not a pilot?  Or, are you a pilot with less than 175 hours pilot-in-command time?
	Do you like to go flying?
	Would you like to help with CAP's Emergency Services mission, particularly by helping to find missing aircraft and ELTs?

	It will give you the chance to fly with experienced pilots, and if you are a low-time pilot, soak up some of their skills.
	It will improve your pilotage (navigation by outside visual reference).
	It will give you the satisfaction of setting a very complex and long-term goal and (eventually) achieving that goal through hard work and perseverance.

The steps to become an observer are:

Note: These instructions were written several years ago. Inaccuracies may occur as CAP 
regulations and procedures change. If you find any such errors, please let me know. 

	If you have not yet completed Civil Air Patrol "Level 1" training (introduction to CAP and cadet protection training), do so.
	Read CAPR 50-17 chapter 8. It describes the Air Force Institute for Advanced Distance Learning (AFIADL). Note: prior to 2000, AFIADL was known as the Extension Course Institute (ECI). Some CAP regulations may not have been revised to reflect this change.
	Enroll in the AFIADL "Mission Scanner" course. To do this: Make a copy of CAPR 50-17 attachment A10B Fill in your name, address Fill in the code representing your grade (see CAPR 50-17,page A10A-2) Fill in your wing's "shred number" (see CAPR 50-17,page A10A-2) Now make several copies of the page - you'll need one each time you enroll for a course. Take one of those copies and fill in course number 02130A. Have your unit commander sign it Fax it to AFIADL at 334-416-4679.
	Download Gerry Baumgartner's CAP Emergency Services Qualification Checklists and print out the ones for general ES, scanner, and observer.
	Download training syllabuses for ES specialties from the Georgia Wing web site. Print out the ones for scanner and observer.
	When you receive a postcard from AFIADL that says "materials on the way," immediately request the Scanner Course course exam (CE). To do this: Make a copy of CAPR 50-17 attachment A10E-1,  Fill in your name, grade, SSN, and phone number Fill in your address in block 6 Fill in your wing's "shred number" in block 10 (see CAPR 50-17,page A10A-2) Make several copies (you'll need one for each course you take) Fill in the course number and course enrollment date (get these from the "materials on the way" postcard),  Put an "X" through box number 5 ("send course exam.") Sign the form and fax it to 334-416-4679.
	If your unit, group, or wing, offers a "General Emergency Services course," attend it. [optional]
	Take part 1 of the Emergency Services Questionnaire, a.k.a. "ES Part 1 test", a.k.a. "CAPF 116 part 1". It is a multiple-choice, open-book test and to pass it you will need to have the following materials in front of you: CAPR 60-3 other materials needed? (help - need to revise here)
	When you have passed the ES part 1 test, complete a CAP Form 100 to apply for a yellow "101 card" for "General ES". Read the back of the form carefully and attach all necessary documentation. Give this card to your unit's ES Officer.
	Take part 2 of the Emergency Services Questionnaire, a.k.a. "ES Part 2 test", a.k.a. "CAPF 116 part 2". It is a multiple-choice, open-book test and to pass it you will need to have the following materials in front of you: CAPR 60-3 CAPR 60-1 CAPP 2 (that's Pamphlet 2, "ELT/EPIRB search) other materials needed? (help - need to revise here)
	Contact a qualified observer and arrange for them to give you "classroom training" for observer per CAPR 60-3, para. ______.  A mission pilot can also give you this training if they have been trained as observer.
	Complete a Form 100 to become a scanner trainee. Read the back of form 100 carefully and attach copies of all necessary documentation, including the results of your ES Part 2 test. Submit this form to your unit's ES officer. NOTE: you don't need to have finished the ECI Scanner Course to be a scanner trainee!
	Once your unit commander signs a form 101T and gives it to you, you are a scanner trainee. NOW you can ride in airplanes during SAREXs and actual missions.  Contact your squadron and/or group ES officer and let them know that you are trained an available.  Keep your CAP ID card, your 101 card, and your 101T card together and bring them with you any time you are called - you'll need to show all three before you can get in an airplane during a mission.
	Optional: Buy a used flight suit (click here to see a list of sources). Buy three patches for it: a CAP embroidered seal, an American flag, and a black leather name patch (all available from Vanguard, www.civilairpatrolstore.com , or The Hock Shop, www.thehock.com ) Note: the flight suit can be either dark blue or sage green. The dark blue flight suit is suggested for those who don't meet CAP grooming standards (see attachment 2 of the uniform manual, CAPM 39-1, for details).  The blue flight suit became an approved uniform on 1 January 2002, and is therefore not yet mentioned in the Uniform Manual. Note: a flight suit is optional. You can serve as a scanner and observer and wear BDUs, the golf shirt or aviator shirt, or the blazer uniform. Anyone who tells you otherwise is just being persnickety.  But it is kinda nice to fit in with the rest of the aircrew.
	Take scanner course exam. It will be mailed to your wing and will eventually arrive at your unit. Typically it arrives about a month after you order it.  Your unit's testing officer will administer it to you.  It is a closed-book multiple-choice exam. When you finish, the testing officer will mail your answer sheet to ECI for processing.
	A few weeks later, when you receive postcard containing your grade, immediately enroll in AFIADL "mission observer" course no. 02130B. Procedure to enroll is the same as described above for the scanner course.
	If your unit, group, or wing holds communication training, a.k.a. "Basic ROA course," a.k.a. "A-CUT", attend it. At the end of this course (typically a 4- to 6-hour course) you will take a multiple-choice test on what you have learned. Some days or weeks after you pass this test, you will receive a Radio Operator Authorization card ("ROA card").
	Complete a Form 100 and submit to your unit's ES officer to become an observer trainee. Read the back of the form carefully and attach copies of all necessary documentation (ES 1 and 2 results sheets, ROA card, membership card, AFIADL Scanner Course pass card, etc.) NOTE: you don't need to have taken the observer course to be an observer trainee!
	When you receive your 101T card as an observer trainee, you can begin flying in SAREXs and actual missions as an observer.
	When you receive "materials on the way" postcard, immediately request observer course exam. Procedure to request the exam is the same as described above for the scanner course.
	Take observer course exam. It will be mailed to your wing and will eventually arrive at your unit. Typically it arrives about a month after you order it.  Your unit's testing officer will administer it to you.  It is a closed-book multiple-choice exam. When you finish, the testing officer will mail your answer sheet to AFIADL for processing.
	Fly three sorties as an observer trainee. Document each sortie by getting a signature on your training checklist (the one you printed out way back in step 5) and on your 101T card.  Note: the requirement is actually that you fly in three different missions. This means if you fly two sorties in one day, the second one may be valuable training, but it doesn't count towards the three required sorties.
	Complete a form 100 to apply for a 101 card as a qualified observer.
	When you receive your 101 card, complete a form 2a to apply for your observer wings.
	Purchase observer wings from the Vanguard  (miniature metal wings are worn on the shirt; large metal wings are worn on the blue service coat; blue embroidered ones are worn on BDUs and blue jumpsuits; and black leather ones are worn on flight suits.
	Congratulations! You are an observer.

	Requirements to earn the intial 101 card ("General Emergency Services"): CAPR 60-3, para. ____
	Requirements for the scanner rating: CAPR 60-3, para. __
	Requirements for the observer rating: CAPR 60-3, para. __
	How to enroll in AFIADL (formerly ECI) courses: CAPR 50-17, chapter 8
	CAP forms: http://forms.cap.gov/

This is an admittedly complicated subject, and I'm sure experienced ES personnel out there will have differing opinions on what should be done first. I'd be happy to improve this page based on your suggestions, or include a few paragraphs expressing other opinions.  Also, as CAP regulations and procedures change, some items on this page may become inaccurate. If you find any such errors, please let me know.