In the aftermath of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, volunteers from several local airports organized an ad hoc airlift operation that ultimately transported over 300,000 pounds of emergency cargo and emergency officials to Watsonville and surrounding areas.
The legacy of this effort lives today as the CalPilots DART (Disaster Airlift Response Team) Program. Currently, four pilot groups are approved “DART Operators.” They have developed comprehensive procedures, procured support equipment, and conducted member training in order to be prepared to respond quickly and effectively in the event of a future regional disaster. The San Martin pilot group (SCAPA) has the honor of being the first DART Operator.
CAAPSO is interested in ultimately becoming a DART Operator. On April 7 2018, seven members of our DART leadership team participated in San Martin’s annual DART exercise. This exposure gave us an in-depth understanding of DART operations and how we could successfully create something similar at RHV. Our team will be meeting within the next couple of weeks to discuss lessons learned and develop a tentative strategy and timeline for submission to the CAAPSO Board and membership. The DART Operator process typically takes six months to a year.
If you are interested in participating in CAAPSO DART, please contact Walt Gyger or David Goodin using the Contact US page here.