Greeley-Weld County Airport and Northern Colorado Regional Airport will help stage a statewide joint exercise Friday-Sunday between the Civil Air Patrol and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
People may see red, white and blue-painted reconnaissance aircraft operating in the area as CAP pilots perform FEMA-led aerial photography drills, CAP public information officer Mike Fassi said.
The CAP is a volunteer organization associated with the United States Air Force. Its activities include cadet programs and aerospace education as well as search and rescue operations.
Greeley-Weld County Airport and Northern Colorado Regional Airport currently house two of the 14 aircraft operated by the patrol’s Colorado wing.
This weekend, CAP pilots will be directed to take pictures of dams and spillways. During a disaster, they may be called on by FEMA to take pictures of an affected area to help with relief efforts.
The exercise will involve pilots from Colorado, New Mexico and Kansas, and Fassi said coordinating communications between multiple CAP wings and FEMA will be a major focus of the weekend.
Drills are scheduled to start Friday and last through Sunday afternoon.
