Hello Daniel,  I am a senior member (I have refused to become an officer) of 
CAP.  I can't afford to be a pilot, but have a great time as a 
scanner/observer (one find/save a year ago and a find last weekend.  Because 
of New Mexicos SAR plan structure we have been able to expand our SAREXes a 
time or two to include visual, ELT and human targets supplied by area ground 
teams and included a ground search scenario so the ground teams (non CAP) 
could search for, find, and "rescue" the "subjects".  Some would be "found" 
by CAP with a parachute or ELT target and have to be rescued.  These 
excercised were super for working out some of the problems we've had in the 
past on real searchs.
These included things like ground teams keeping radios on, which frequencies, 
radio protocols, aircraft and ground team capabilities. Learning to 
communicate and understand each others dialects and knowing about such aids 
as charts/maps and how their differences can cause much confusion can help 
the air and ground teams communicate and become  
more of a partnership.  That is  a plus/plus situation for the poor schmuck 
in a broken airplane or walking circles around some tree as well as possibly 
making our jobs easier, shorter and more successful.
A live find has no comparison to a find that was not a find in time.
--- Maximus 2.02
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