 Practice interceptions, run almost daily provided significant experience to ground officers and pilots working under simulated combat conditions.Because of its huge scope of operations on the East Coast it was able to save the lives of many young pilots by bringing speedy aid to those whose planes had crashed.A detailed account of life in an east coast observation post is offered by author Meade Minnigerode in his book, "Essex Post", of which only 175 copies were published in 1944 by the Yale University Press.