As the United States' inland search and rescue (SAR) coordinator, the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) serves as the single agency responsible for coordinating on-land federal SAR activities in the United States, including Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. Some of the AFRCC's more notable missions include the search for John F. Kennedy Jr., the Payne Stewart mishap, the 11 September terrorist attacks, the Space Shuttle Columbia crash and, more recently, the search for world-record setting adventurer Steve Fossett. Location Located at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, the AFRCC operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The center directly ties into the Federal Aviation Administration's alerting system and the United States Mission Control Center. Mission In addition to the Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking information, the AFRCC computer system contains resource files that list federal and state organizations, which can conduct or assist in SAR efforts throughout North America. When a distress call is received, the center investigates the request, coordinates with federal, state, and local officials, and determines the type and scope of response necessary. Once verified as an actual distress situation, the AFRCC requests support from the appropriate federal SAR force. This may include Civil Air Patrol, United States Coast Guard, or other Department of Defense assets, as needed. State agencies can be contacted for state, local, or civil SAR resource assistance within their jurisdiction. The AFRCC chooses the rescue force based on availability and capability of forces, geographic location, terrain, weather conditions, and urgency of the situation. During ongoing SAR missions, the center serves as the communications hub and provides coordination and assistance to on-scene commanders or mission coordinators in order to recover the mission's objective in the safest and most effective manner possible. AFRCC uses state-of-the-art technology including a network of satellites for monitoring emergency locator transmitter signals. Systems such as these help reduce the critical time required to locate and recover people in distress. The AFRCC also formulates and manages SAR plans, agreements and policies throughout the continental United States. Additionally, it presents a mobile Search Management Course to Civil Air Patrol wings throughout the United States, to produce qualified incident commanders thus improving national SAR capability. The AFRCC also assigns instructors to the National SAR School at the United States Coast Guard Training Center, Yorktown, Virginia The instructors teach the Inland Search and Rescue Class throughout the United States and