Thirteen pairs of eyes in the sky have been certified to serve as search and rescue operatives.

InuvikSA国际影视传媒檚 Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA) team was evaluated on Oct. 15, with some completing three hours of classroom training and others completing evaluation flights to train as spotters.

SA国际影视传媒淓very two years we have to get certified by the military,SA国际影视传媒� said zone commander Kirsten Fleuty. SA国际影视传媒淎 CASARA liaison officer comes up and certifies that we as a group can go up in the air. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 like a training exercise, but theySA国际影视传媒檙e standing over your shoulder asking you questions. So they observe us, our navigator goes up in the air with the spotter and looks for an electronic homing device.

SA国际影视传媒淎t the same time, SAR (Search and Rescue) Tech Kevin Cochrane took three spotters in training out to fly in the 440 squadron airplane over the Delta.SA国际影视传媒�

In total, the Inuvik CASARA unit consists of 13 active volunteers, four navigators and six spotters in training SA国际影视传媒� including Fleuty.

CASARA comprises on-call volunteers ready to take to the air in a search and rescue operation. An essential part of locating someone, the spotters are trained to systematically scan the ground for signs of human activity.

Search planes are typically chartered from North-Wright Airways.

Volunteering with CASARA is a simple affair SA国际影视传媒� recruits are required to attend the aforementioned three hours of classroom time and two training flights before completing a certification flight.

After that, the group meets to practice approximately once a month, depending on volunteer availability. Volunteers can remain spotters or continue training to get certification as navigators if they want to take on more responsibility.

SA国际影视传媒淎s a navigator, ISA国际影视传媒檓 also a spotter,SA国际影视传媒� said Fleuty. SA国际影视传媒淣avigating is when youSA国际影视传媒檙e the one that tells the pilot where to fly, the patterns to fly in, the area theySA国际影视传媒檙e going to, what path theySA国际影视传媒檒l fly.SA国际影视传媒�

This batch of volunteers was recruited at the Town of InuvikSA国际影视传媒檚 annual Community Registration Night, held Sept. 14 in the Midnight Sun Complex. Fleuty said the next training intake would be around February or March, so anyone interested should reach out to her at casarainuvik@gmail.com if interested. Each training flight session is roughly a four-hour commitment.

Volunteering is open to anyone, so long as they have functional vision. Fleuty said that from March to June this year, the entire spotter and navigation crew consisted of women.

On average, the unit is called to action no more than four times a year. Fleuty noted being called to action means being on standby, not necessarily scrambling to a plane. CASARA can be dispatched by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in the event of a downed plane, or the if someone is missing.

She also noted while practising spotting, volunteers get to take in sights of nature not usually seen from the ground.

SA国际影视传媒淲e see some pretty interesting things,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚 was monitoring and the crew saw a pack of wolves last fall. We see caribou and a lot of moose. In the summertime youSA国际影视传媒檒l see a lot of animals.SA国际影视传媒�