Advanced National Guard Cadet Course

Introduction

The Advanced National Guard Cadet Course is designed to provide you with information on one subject related to the National Guard, one subject related to the Air Force, and one subject related to both the Air Force and Army, since the National Guard is a reserve force to both the Army and Air Force, as well as one subject related to the ROTTWEILER Corps to give you the information you need to be successful as a ROTTWEILER National Guard Cadet. The information provided on this page will prepare you for your course test.

Each lesson below will cover one of the 4 subjects and there will be questions on the test which reflect on each lesson, so make sure to pay close attention. 

Once you are ready, click on the TAKE THE TEST link, and you will be directed to the Advanced National Guard Cadet Course Test. When you have completed the course test, you will be notified by email of your results on the test and whether or not you have passed. In order to pass the test you must get a minimum of 7 out of the 10 questions correct.

In order to be promoted to Airman-Trooper (NG), you must pass this course, complete one level 2 Trade, 1 Silver Qualification and have completed 2 weeks time in rank as a Private. 

Lesson One: Roles of a National Guardsman - Emergency Response and Combat

Life Saving Procedures & CPR

As a National Guardsman, you may be mobilized at any time during a national emergency to assist with search and rescue, triage and first aid. As such, you must learn lifesaving/first aid drills until they become second nature just as much as you do section battle drills.

The following are the priorities and basic procedures that every first aider and emergency responder must know. You may memorize them by using the acronym DR ABC.

As a first aider the priorities when dealing with a casualty are always the same:

• Danger

• Response

• Airway

• Breathing

• Circulation.

A primary survey of a casualty will establish your priorities. When dealing with an unconscious casualty you should open and maintain their airway as your first priority. If the airway should become obstructed, possibly by the tongue falling to the back of the throat, then the casualty will be unable to breathe and this will lead to death if untreated.

If the casualty is breathing, the simple procedure of placing the casualty in to the Recovery Position should ensure that the airway will remain clear of obstructions.

If the casualty has stopped breathing you can assist them by performing a combination of chest compressions and rescue breaths. The ratio for chest compressions and rescue breaths in the UK is 30 Chest Compressions and 2 rescue breaths. You should be hoping to get at least 100 compressions a minute. You breathe out enough oxygen to potentially keep the casualty alive until the emergency services arrive, the oxygen you breathe into the casualty will need to then be pumped around the body using chest compressions.

It is important to remember that in any life threatening situation the emergency services should be called as soon as breathing or absence of breathing has been identified.

An unconscious casualty who is breathing but has no other life- threatening conditions should be placed in the recovery position.

• Turn casualty onto their side.

• Lift chin forward in open airway position and adjust hand under the cheek as necessary.

• Check casualty cannot roll forwards or backwards.

• Monitor breathing and pulse continuously.

• If injuries allow, turn the casualty to the other side after 30 minutes.

Note:

If you suspect spinal injury, use the jaw thrust technique. Place your hands on either side of their face. With your fingertips gently lift the jaw to open the airway. Take care not to tilt the casualty's neck. There is virtually no difference between an adult and a child

The only time you EVER Move a casualty is when there life or condition could worsen or in danger.

Section Battle Drills

First Aid Drills allow the steps of saving lives to become second nature, while Section Battle Drills allow the steps of defending your section and your country in combat become second nature also. As the saying goes, "Practice makes perfect".

The six aspects of Section Battle Drills can be condensed into the word "PREWAR"

P : Prep for Battle

R : Reaction to Effective Enemy Fire

E : Enemy Location (Locate the Enemy)

W : Winning the Fire Fight

A : Attack

R : Re-organise 

Preparation to Battle:

Can be remembered as PAWPERS or PAWPERSO

P - Protection (Put out a sentry or get section/ fireteam in "all round defence")

A - Ammunition (make sure your section have enough servicable ammo and that it is distributed properly) 

W - Weapons (Make sure that weapons are cleaned, servicable, and sights are set at 300)

P - Personal Camoflauge (cam up yourself, and your section; buddy buddy system)

E - Equipment (make sure you have all your equipment, it is prepared and fully packed i.e. CEFO/ CEMO)

R - Rations and water (make sure your section has full water bottles and rations i.e. Midday meal)

S - Specialist equipment (distribute LAWs, Guns, Radios etc.)

O - Orders (give a set of orders to brief troops on task)  

Reaction to Effective Enemy Fire:

Effective Enemy Fire is: "Enemy small arms fire which would cause heavy casualties should the section continue on its course" . Sections must be trained to continue the advance in spite of the noise of fire directed at someone else regardless of stray rounds amongst them.

It is very important that at the first sign of effective enemy fire your section does not instantaneously drop to the ground in fright as would be a natural reaction. To combat this there are a few simple drills that should be followed upon reciept of the words of command: 

• "Take Cover!"

• "Dash"

• "Down"

• "Crawl"

• "Observe"

• "Sights"

• "Return Fire"

Dash: Sprint Forwards in Zig-Zag Patterns

Down: Dive or Fall to the ground (Preferably near some cover)

Crawl: Crawl in Zig-Zag shapes to nearest cover

Observe: Observe the enemy through your sights to gain an

Sights: Ensure your sights are set to the correct distance

Return Fire: Fire at targets/enemy whilst the section commander forms a plan of attack.

Location of the Enemy:

Location of the enemy is ussually very difficult. Failure to locate the enemy may prevent the section moving without suffering heavy casualties. It may lead rapidly to loss of initiative by the section and the halting of the platoon advance.

Ways to locate the enemy are:

• Observation

• Fire Aggregative shots

• Movement

• Target Indication

Winning the Fire Fight:

 As soon as the section commander knows the location of the enemy, he must give a fire order to direct his fire onto the enemy to neutralise them. If one of the section has seen the enemy and is firing at them before the order is given, the section commander must regain control by shouting "Stop". While winning the firefight, the section commander must make his battle appreciation. Having won the firefight he must continue to bring down fire on the enemy while his section closes for the assault. 

Attack:

Once the firefight is won, the section will close down on the enemy and perform an assault to fight through the enemy positon and eliminate all enemy forces. The section will use fire and movement to move towards the enemy position. The section will the use one of two assault methods to close-with and kill the enemy.

Reorganize:

When the objective has been cleared of the enemy, the section commander must regain control over his cadets and postion them ready to beat off any enemy counter attack. He must also check the state of his section and prepare them for their next objective, or prepare them for defence. The drill for reorganisation must be swift and efficient. If it is not all ground gained will be quickly lost. 

Lesson Two: Navigation

Air Force Navigation

There are several different methods of navigation used by pilots to find their way from one place to another. They are as follows:

Pilotage: Pilotage is navigation by reference to landmarks such as mountains, cities and rivers.

Dead Reckoning: Navigation by use of predetermined vectors of wind and true airspeed and pre-calculated heading, ground speed and estimated time of arrival.

Radio Navigation: Navigation by use of radio aids, that is, navigation signals broadcast by radio stations on the ground or from satellites.

Celestial Navigation: Navigation by measuring angles to the heavens (sun, moon and stars) to determine your position on the earth.

Inertial Navigation: Navigation by self-contained airborne gyroscopic equipment or electronic computers that provide a continuous display of position. For example, GPS systems.

Most of the time a pilot will use several of the above methods of navigation in combination, in order to get the best results. For instance pilotage is limited to what you can see but by combining this type of navigation with dead reckoning it will be far more effective than using one or the other on its own.

Field Navigation

Navigation is a very important skill in the field, without being able to navigate you will become lost and operationally useless so this lesson is very important for your operational effectiveness! Navigation in the field is also important also for finding the most efficient route for your resources so that you can get to your destination as healthy and in as quick time as reasonably possible.

The two most important items in ones inventory when navigating the great outdoors is the handheld compass and a map of the area, both of which when combined allow for great accuracy and great navigating.

The Map:

A map is a picture of the ground. It can be based on air photos or satellite imagery. Most maps are produced in order to illustrate certain information, or to serve a purpose for clients in urban planning, travel, education etc...

Some examples of different types of maps are:

1. Political maps show countries, provinces or other political borders : e.g. globes and atlases;

2. Street and road maps are designed to assist commuters and tourists;

3. Statistical map shows statistical information like the production levels of crops or minerals across a country;

4. Digital maps, often used with Global Positioning Systems (GPS);

5. Relief maps are built to show a three dimensional view of the mapped area;

Modern maps share one thing in common, they are all drawn to scale = meaning they are an exact representations of the area which they illustrate. The scale of a map is an expression of the ratio between one unit on the map and the distance it covers, in the same units, on the real ground. For example, a 1:50 000 scale map illustrates an area where one cm on the map represents 50 000 cm (500m) on the ground. The 1:50 000 map covers an area of about 1000 square kilometres. This makes it an excellent size for expeditions. A 1:250 000 scale map covers the same area of land as sixteen 1:50 000 maps.

Symbols are shown on maps to indicate classes of ground and types of terrain as well as special features such as Churches, Wells and other landmarks such as Public Houses and Campsites. The height of ground is marked with something called a "contour line" (shown below) which has a number in it to indicate its level above Sea Level. Colour Intervals are also used to show distances in height (For example the distance between two shades of green may be 275 Metres above Sea level).

Map Symbols are always to be found on the legend of a map and vary from country to country, for example Ordinance Survey in the United Kingdom uses the following Map Symbols.

Scale Bars are used to help measure distance on the map (find them under the map scale, bottom centre). Notice how the left ends of the scale bars shown below are divided into tenths for measuring accurate distances. 

The Compass:

The compass is an important tool used in wilderness navigation. It is not a replacement for good map techniques, but it is a trustworthy tool to compliment and complete navigation skills. A compass user must take care to be precise in their measurements with the compass. A small error in calculation or measurement can equal a significant error in the field. A magnetic compass is still viable as a navigation aid, even with the advent of Global Positioning System devices, because it requires no batteries, and remains reliable year after year. Handheld Compasses have a needle which is attracted to Magnetic North, however be careful because Deviation can occur when metal objects are around the compass causing an error in your bearings and potentially leading to a large mistake in your navigation!

Bearings:

Early mapmakers used to draw a small 16 pointed circle on their maps, and place an "N" to point to North. These were the 16 Cardinal Points from which the winds were thought to blow. The four main cardinal points are North (N), East (E), South (S), and West (W). Each of these is divided in half into north-east (N.E), south-east (S.E.), south-west (S.W.) and north-west (N.W.). The circle is then again subdivided as shown below.

Map users would then use these points to describe their direction of travel. In the 1920's, it became an accepted world wide practice to indicate direction, called "bearing" by a single number (0-360) representing degrees of a circle as measured clockwise from True North. Many forces have adopted a metric system of measuring bearings called "mils". Mils are to found between degrees for greater accuracy, the Imperial equivalent are Minutes and both allow for more accurate bearings to be taken.

More than one North!

True North: the earth spins on an axis, which passes through the North and South Poles. The geographic North Pole or True North is located at the top of the earth where the lines of longitude converge.

Grid North: is the North indicated by grid lines on a topographical map. Because Eastings are exactly parallel to each other, they will never converge at the North Pole, therefore they are pointing slightly off true North.

Magnetic North: is where a magnetic compass needle points.

The distance between Magnetic and True North is called "Variation". It can also be called Magnetic Declination.

Section Three: Aircraft Structures and Types

When building an aircraft, the structures used in its construction are very important. Even civilian aircraft that are built today are designed for a lifespan of 20-25 years with more than 90,000 hours of flight. That is a lot of time up in the air, and as a result they need to be built to last so the materials used to build them are very important as is how they are put together.

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

An aircraft must be constructed of materials that are both light and strong. Early aircraft were made of wood. Lightweight metal alloys with strength greater than wood were developed and used on later aircraft. Materials currently used in aircraft construction are classified as either metallic materials or non-metallic materials.

Metallic Materials 

The most common metals used in aircraft construction are aluminum, magnesium, titanium, steel, and their alloys.

1. Alloys: An alloy is composed of two or more metals. The metal present in the alloy in the largest amount is called the base metal. All other metals added to the base metal are called alloying elements. Adding the alloying elements may result in a change in the properties of the base metal. For example, pure aluminum is relatively soft and weak. However, adding small amounts or copper, manganese, and magnesium will increase aluminum's strength many times. Heat treatment can increase or decrease an alloy's strength and hardness. Alloys are important to the aircraft industry. They provide materials with properties that pure metals do not possess.

2. Aluminum: Aluminum alloys are widely used in modern aircraft construction. Aluminum alloys are valuable because they have a high strength-to-weight ratio. Aluminum alloys are corrosion resistant and comparatively easy to fabricate. The outstanding characteristic of aluminum is its lightweight.

3. Magnesium: Magnesium is the world's lightest structural metal. It is a silvery-white material that weighs two-thirds as much as aluminum. Magnesium is used to make helicopters. Magnesium's low resistance to corrosion has limited its use in conventional aircraft.

4. Titanium: Titanium is a lightweight, strong, corrosionresistant metal. Recent developments make titanium ideal for applications where aluminum alloys are too weak and stainless steel is too heavy. Additionally, titanium is unaffected by long exposure to seawater and marine atmosphere.

5. Steel Alloys: Alloy steels used in aircraft construction have great strength, more so than other fields of engineering would require. These materials must withstand the forces that occur on today's modern aircraft. These steels contain small percentages of carbon, nickel, chromium, vanadium, and molybdenum. High-tensile steels will stand stress of 50 to 150 tons per square inch without failing. Such steels are made into tubes, rods, and wires.

Non-Metallic Materials

In addition to metals, various types of plastic materials are found in aircraft construction. Some of these plastics include transparent plastic, reinforced plastic, composite, and carbon-fibre materials.

1. Transparent Plastic: Transparent plastic is used in canopies, windshields, and other transparent enclosures. You need to handle transparent plastic surfaces carefully because they are relatively soft and scratch easily. At approximately 225°F, transparent plastic becomes soft and pliable.

2. Reinforced Plastic: Reinforced plastic is used in the construction of radomes, wingtips, stabilizer tips, antenna covers, and flight controls. Reinforced plastic has a high strength-to-weight ratio and is resistant to mildew and rot. Because it is easy to fabricate, it is equally suitable for other parts of the aircraft. Reinforced plastic is a sandwich-type material; it is made up of two outer facings and a center layer. The facings are made up of several layers of glass cloth, bonded together with a liquid resin. The core material (center layer) consists of a honeycomb structure made of glass cloth. Reinforced plastic is fabricated into a variety of cell sizes.

3. Composite and Carbon Fibre Materials: High-performance aircraft require an extra high strength-to-weight ratio material. Fabrication of composite materials satisfies this special requirement. Composite materials are constructed by using several layers of bonding materials (graphite epoxy or boron epoxy). These materials are mechanically fastened to conventional substructures. Another type of composite construction consists of thin graphite epoxy skins bonded to an aluminum honeycomb core. Carbon fibre is extremely strong, thin fibre made by heating synthetic fibres, such as rayon, until charred, and then layering in cross sections.

TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION

The fuselage is the main structure (or body) of an aircraft. It provides the space for the people to actually go inside the plane as well as the cargo, controls, and most everything else that goes inside an aircraft. The power plant, wings, stabilizers and landing gear are all attached to the fuselage. So the fuselage is the body of the aircraft, and when it comes to fixed wing aircraft there are 3 types of bodies:

1. Truss : Made out of welded steel, this was used in older small military aircraft and is still being used today in some helicopter designs.

2. True Monocoque: This design uses formers, frame assemblies and bulkheads to give shape to the fuselage, with the skin carrying the primary stresses. Since there are no bracing members present, the skin must be strong enough to keep the fuselage rigid in flight. The biggest problem with this construction type is maintaining enough strength while keeping the weight within limits.

3. Semi-Monocoque: Similar in design to Monocoque, it still uses formers, frame assemblies and bulkheads but adds longitudinal re-enforcements to the skin of the aircraft. See an example in the picture below:

There are many different types of aircraft in the world, more than we could ever cover in a single lesson, so we will be focusing on two different types of aircraft used by the US Air Force. The Air Force employs various types of different aircraft for different purposes. We will be covering the 2 most common types below.

BOMBER

The bombers came into existence alongside fighter aircraft during World War 1. The primary difference in today's world however has become the fact that a bomber is capable of long range aircraft capable of striking targets well behind enemy lines. Unfortunately the same characteristics that make it effective at dropping bombs at long range are the same things that make it ineffective in aerial combat, and vice versa. 

This type of aircraft had an interesting evolution as it went from planes carrying a 6 kilogram bomb below it to dive bombers and torpedo bombers in World War 2, to the Stealth Bombers of the present, and plans for unmanned bomber aircraft that is capable of staying in one spot for extended periods of time as early as 2018.

FIGHTER

Just like a bomber is designed specifically to drop bombs on a target, a fighter is designed for air-to-air combat. Starting off with Piston Engine fighters in WW1, fighter aircraft has evolved over the years. From turbo props to Jet Engines, fighter aircraft have not only evolved in their engine type, but beyond that there has been 5 generations of jet fighter aircraft, which is the type of fighter we will be focusing on, as they have been the primary type of fighter aircraft since the 1950's.

Whether they are taking off out of Air Force Bases or off Carrier decks, they are becoming more and more versatile. They are the best type of aircraft when engaging other aerial targets but at the same time are capable of being used to engage ground and naval targets using bombs and missiles.

The first Jet Fighter aircraft were actually introduced in World War 2 and development started to take off in the years immediately following the war. The Germans Messerschmitt had the Me 262, which combined with a good pilot created a hard target for allied aircraft. This was the signal of what would mark the end of piston fighter aircraft and the beginning of first generation fighter aircraft. In the late 1950's and early 1960s we saw another leap in the technology with the introduction of 2nd Generation Aircraft. Aerodynamics, propulsion and even the materials were better and then again in the late 60's the famous "Top Gun" aircraft like the F-14 Tomcat were developed as 3rd Generation aircraft, which were followed by the 4th Generation where consisted of planes such as the F-15 Eagle which were designed for more multi-purpose roles. 

From there fighter aircraft has evolved to include the ability for fighters to land like helicopters (like the Harrier can). Probably the pinnacle of jet fighters to date that is actually used in active service would be the F-22 Raptor, which at the moment is the only 5th Generation Jet Fighter. This aircraft is banned for export under US Federal law and is only used by the United States Air Force. It uses no analog systems whatsoever and is designed with stealth in mind, to the extent that its weapons are stored internally in a weapons bay below the aircraft which not only reduces the chance of aircraft being detected by radar but also reduces drag and thus increases maximum speed.