Md.’s Mt. Airy squadron meets MSP helicopter pilot

1st Lt. Stacey Bowen, CAP

Public Affairs Officer, Mt. Airy Composite Squadron

Photos courtesy of Stacey Bowen, 1st Lt., CAP

01/08/2009 – Mt. Airy, MD – Helicopter pilot David C. Delisio, of the Maryland State Police (MSP), visited Mt. Airy Composite Squadron, Maryland Wing Civil Air Patrol, during their weekly squadron meeting held on January 8th.  

Delisio, who has been flying helicopters for 30 years, has been with the MSP since 1993.  He is currently the pilot of Trooper 3, one of the MSP’s Dauphine fleet, tasked with medical evacuations, search and rescue (SAR), and police operations.  His career leading up to this position has included a diverse series of aviation experience. 

He had always wanted to fly jets. 

After completing his bachelor’s degree in Biology, Delisio took the Air Force Officer Qualification Test and entered the U.S. Air Force (USAF) through Officer Training School.  Delisio’s recruiter gave him 15 minutes to decide if he wanted to take a pilot’s training spot, in helicopters.  Since the U.S. Air Force did not have training facilities for rotary wing, he would receive training at the U.S. Army’s helicopter flight school in Ft. Rucker, Alabama.  It wasn’t jets, but it was an opportunity to fly, and he took it.  In seven months he received 210 hours of flight training, and soloed after 12 hours.   

Delisio has supported a number of programs including:  Pararescue Jumpers (PJ’s) at Kirkland AFB, NM, SAR operations for the Stealth training program in NV – before the general public had ever heard of “Stealth,” and SAR operations for NASA’s shuttle program.  While in the Air Force, Delisio also flew with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) as an exchange pilot, where he learned how to fly the HH-55 Dolphin (Dauphine), and flew many instrument hours in all weather.  He said USCG helicopters’ computer flight systems could fly themselves to any location, auto hover, and auto takeoff.  He joked about the USCG’s unofficial mission motto, to which he did not subscribe: “You have to go out, but you don’t have to come back.” Delisio left active duty with the USAF in 1993 and retired in the USAF reserves.   

All in all, Delisio has accumulated 8600 hours as a pilot.  In addition to the Dauphine, he has flown the UH-1 Huey, the Blackhawk, and the H-53 Pave Low.  He has flown over 4500 missions with the MSP, a list which includes flying Trooper 3 in conjunction with the DC Sniper capture in 2002. 

Speaking of his career as a pilot, Delisio said “It’s a challenge to me everyday to be as good as I can be.  It’s a constant learning process.”  He also emphasized safety to those in the audience who fly, “Don’t ever think it’s routine.  The minute you move the aircraft, it’s not routine.  The biggest worry for any pilot is complacency.” 

A cadet asked Delisio for advice on how to prepare, now, for a career like his.  He said to “work hard in school, get good grades, and (gesturing toward the group) keep doing what you are doing here in Civil Air Patrol.”   

When asked how he felt about flying helicopters rather than jets, he said, “You know, I just like to fly.  I get grumpy when I don’t fly.” 

As a follow-up to Delisio’s visit, Mt. Airy Squadron has been invited to tour Trooper 3 in the spring.   

The Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U. S. Air Force, was founded on Dec. 1, 1941, less than a week before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the U. S. into World War II. CAP is a nonprofit organization with more than 56,000 members nationwide. The organization’s members perform 95 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, and were credited by the AFRCC with saving 103 lives in fiscal year 2007. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. 

Members take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the almost 25,000 young people currently participating in the CAP Cadet Program. CAP’s cadet programs provide young men and women with a safe and motivating environment in which to grow and explore opportunities in the military and aviation industries. CAP has been performing mission for American for more than 63 years.  There are approximately 1,300 members of CAP in Maryland. Last fiscal year wing members flew 42 search and rescue missions and were credited with 31 finds. For more information, visit www.mdcap.org . 

The Mount Airy Composite Squadron meets at 7p.m. Thursdays at the Mount Airy Senior and Community Center, 703 Ridge Ave., Mount Airy.  Prospective cadets, ages 12 to 18, and their parents are always welcome.  Adults seeking mentoring opportunities are invited as well.  For more information, e-mail contactus@mtairy-cap.org , call 301-829-9057, or visit www.mtairy-cap.org .

Any comments and/or suggestions: webmaster@mtairy-cap.org.