Louisiana Wing Supplied Aircraft And An Aircrew For Production Effort

Three New Orleans area members of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) played important roles in the U.S. Navy Recruiting Command’s current, multi-million dollar, national advertising campaign. CAP’s Louisiana Wing supplied an aircraft and an aircrew to assist in the production of a multi-day series of TV commercials depicting the diversity of Navy careers. The CAP members were photographed and filmed as they performed pre-flight inspections and flew their aircraft from New Orleans Lake Front Airport to the Naval Air Station, Joint Reserve Base, New Orleans which is located in Belle Chase, LA.

CAP Captain Arthur Castro is the star of the Navy’s commercial. He is a member of CAP’s Alvin Callender Composite Squadron, which is located at the Navy base.  Fellow CAP members Lieutenant Colonel Steve Knapper and Captain Mark Warriner, as well as the aircraft they flew, are from the Billy Mitchell Senior Squadron which is based at Lake Front Airport.

Castro, who is an Active Duty Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, is currently assigned as Maintenance Material Control Officer and Assistant Maintenance Officer to Fleet Readiness Center Mid-Atlantic New Orleans.  The Navy’s commercial will highlight his Navy career achievements from his beginning as an enlisted sailor and will show how he advanced to his current duty assignment and position as an O-4 or Lieutenant Commander Selectee. Castro has served our nation honorably for fourteen years and plans to continue with both his Naval and CAP careers for many more years.

In addition to Castro’s Navy job, the commercial focuses on his personal life, his family time, and his community service activities.  This brought his relationship with CAP into the picture. Although CAP is an auxiliary of the US Air Force, the Navy wanted to incorporate Castro’s CAP career into the commercial. Castro is the Alvin Callender Composite Squadron’s Assistant Public Affairs Officer. As such, he has made several notable contributions to the local community and the Naval Air Station.  Castro considers this commercial to be the pinnacle of his CAP career.

Castro coordinated the CAP recruiting effort during the Naval Air Station’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Blitz Day in July 2012. This event was designed for the children and parents that live on base.  Its objective was to demonstrate how abstract principles are applied to real world situations.  This was accomplished through conducted tours and lectures on the use of STEM in different settings and careers. The children experienced real life applications of math and science principles through hands-on practical learning offered by highly skilled volunteer mentors.

Alvin Callender Composite Squadron, located on the Navy base, and CAP’s Pontchartrain Composite Squadron, located in Harahan, LA, supported the Summer Blitz Day.  They provided exhibits and presentations on aerospace education, cadet programs, drug demand reduction strategies, emergency services, search and rescue operations, and the new CAP robotics programs. Castro, himself, has also been instrumental in coordinating CAP cadet orientation flights with other squadrons that have both aircraft and qualified cadet orientation pilots.

(Pictured: CAP Captain Arthur Castro performs a pre-flight inspection with fellow LA Wing  members. Image credit: MCC (retired) Chris Desmond)

FMI: www.gocivilairpatrol.com, www.capvolunteernow.com