The April meeting will be April 19^th at 1930 at the Anchor & Shield on Base Mobile.

Born 25 May 1930 at Utica, MN.

Died 6 April 2001.

Donna was the wife of Ken MacRae our FSO-MV & FSO-VE. Donna spent many years in the Auxiliary and the American Red Cross. Memorial gifts should be sent to the American Red Cross. Donna is survived by her husband Ken, son Dr. David, son Dr. Scott and daughter Dr. Mary Gautier.

Bob Burton has asked us to be sure and keep coming back to our dealers and making sure that they are satisfied with our work and feel free to ask any questions. He also indicated if they are busy Don't Bug Them.

Mike Agapos has completed his training and is now a Vessel Examiner. If anyone else is interested it is real easy to get in the program now. Thanks to the Internet it can all be done without a lot of paperwork. Our next Ramp day will be 4/28/01 at Dauphin Island, Billy Goat Hole Ramp.

To encourage more people coming out I purchased a stand alone Gazebo Awning to help keep out of the sun. We will have chairs and if anyone wants to bring Lemonade that would be fine.

Finally, I want to thank all my Auxiliary friends who were so kind during the recent passing of my wife. It really helped.

Ken MacRae

There are two unique patrol dates in May. The first is May 6^th at the Blessing of the Fleet in Bayou La Batre. We need two vessels with crew for this one. After the blessing, there is usually a parade of boats that is site to see. The second patrol is May 12^th in Mobile Bay for "Thunder on the Bay". This is a re-enactment of the bombardment of Fort Gaines. Contact Nick Nichols as soon as possible if you would like to participate in either of these patrols.

Children and grandchildren of Auxiliary members are eligible to be on the Coast Guard Swim Team. Sign-ups will be at the ATF pool April 28^th and May 5^th (1^st practice) from 1000 to 1200. Call Mark DeVoe 342-2722 for further information.

MEDIA ADVISORY

WASHINGTON, Apr 2 -- The United States Coast Guard reports that Bombardier Motor Corporation of America has agreed to support the recall of 1999 and 2000 Evinrude FICHT 200/225 hp outboard motors that may suffer fuel leaks that can result in a fire or explosion.

Bombardier recently purchased the Evinrude and Johnson outboard engine lines from Outboard Marine Corporation {OMC} after OMC filed for bankruptcy. OMC was the second largest manufacturer of recreational boats and engines in the U.S. when it sought protection under the bankruptcy laws.

Captain Ron Weston, Chief of the Coast Guard Office of Boating Safety, stressed, "Bombardier is to be commended for quickly addressing this safety issue. They have reported to us that they intend to distribute upgrade kits to dealers that will correct this problem.

"We invite the media to join with us in alerting the boating public of the recall of these outboard engines. With the media’s assistance, we can reach more boaters with this important safety information. As the recall progresses, the Coast Guard advises any owner or operator of an Evinrude FICHT 1999 or 2000 model 200/225hp outboard motor to heed our safety warning," Weston stressed.

Weston emphasized, "Even though the bankruptcy of OMC has complicated the recall process, the Coast Guard is committed to protecting the public’s safety, and we will work diligently to assure this problem is corrected."

In the meantime, the Coast Guard recommends that owners of affected outboard engines contact their local Evinrude dealer and suspend using these model engines until the manufacturer’s upgrade kit is installed to correct the problem.

DVC-OA

We've been around a long time but only recently in 1997 did the Commandant author an Instruction which "formalizes" or structures a group that had for many years had no command and control system.

We were formalized to bring about "standardization" of our efforts and to bring us as close to a "mirror image" of Coast Guard aviation as can be achieved given the limitations of an all volunteer force.

Our sole mission is to serve the Coast Guard, not the other way around. Recently, Admiral Cross made, what most believe, a sound decision in requiring two pilots in unique mission profiles, "mirroring" if you will, active duty Coast Guard aviation.

Some of the comments we received, although well intentioned, suggest that two pilots seem more of an "inconvenience" rather than a safety procedure already used by our active duty aviation counterparts.

The Auxiliary aviation safety record when compared with the active duty Coast Guard and indeed the general aviation accident rate, is in need of help. These statistics do not lie, .0034 for active duty; 1.56 for general aviation and 4.45 for Auxiliary aviation (Obtained from the Coast Guard Office of Aviation Safety).

Loss of operational capability on our part is not a strong argument where safety is concerned.

Auxiliary aviation is growing and dynamic, we're maturing and headed in the direction of "safety" and operational accessibility. We feel we the need to be more selective in the experience level of the Auxiliary aviators we recruit and we need to continue revising our directives and policies to bring us in line with Coast Guard Aviation.

If I were to sum it all up, Auxiliary aviation is not going away. We are working very hard at revising our policies and directives and we understand our operational challenges.

We are getting better at what we do and we are dedicated to Safety, which is job one.