Nevada pilots to fly spotting missions along Mexican border

The Associated Press

RENO, Nev. - Volunteer pilots and crews from Nevada are heading south to fly over the Arizona-Mexico border as part of the federal government's increased security effort, according to the head of the state's Civil Air Patrol unit.

Three single-engine Cessna 182 Skylanes will operate out of Yuma, Ariz., starting next month, Col. Dion DeCamp of Reno, commander of the patrol's Nevada Wing, told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Initially, the three-person planes will be flown by Las Vegas-based crews, but those pilots and observers will be replaced by patrol members from northern Nevada after the first couple of weeks, DeCamp said.