Staff Sergeant Insignia

Civil Air Patrol is the Air Force Auxillary

The CAP is the official Air Force Auxillary. The USAF uses us for homeland defense in times of extreme need (Like in WWII) and Civil Services. The CAP is dedicated to 3 things, the cadet program, emergency services, and aerospace education. the Cadet Program teaches leadership and independance like nothing else can. As a cadet you will learn to take charge of a situation and make strong decisions, though you are young. If there is an emergency the CAP is called upon because of our extensive Emergency Services training. We can rescue downed pilots or lost outdoorsmen, find missing children or help out in an industrial accident. O-flights are regular occurences in CAP. Cadets will be taken up in small aircraft and taught how to fly the aircraft and navigate. Cadets can even earn a flight scholorship and learn to fly aircraft on their own.

Cadets can also receive Rank and participate, and even lead, a flight(group of Cadets). Military discipline is excercised in the CAP and is shown in every meeting. Cadets have their uniforms (Either BDU's or Blues) inspected at every meeting, and pass or fail at the Commander's discretion. By passing leadership tests and Aerospace tests cadets can receive rank from Airman to Chief Master Sergeant, and later LT. and Colonel. There are 15 ranks overall, and new leadership positions with each.

 

- Staff Sergeant Bossi

History

 The Civil Air Patrol was authorized on December 1, 1941, when former mayor of New York City, Fiorello LaGuardia, and the director of the Office of Civilian Defense, signed an order creating the CAP as the civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force. CAP began operations to patrol the coasts of the United States shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor five days later. CAP pilots, flying modified civilian aircraft, were credited with saving lives at sea, radioing the position of German submarines to the U.S. Army and Navy, and attacking several submarines, sinking two. In April 1943 the CAP was placed under the jurisdiction of the Army Air Forces.

At the end of the war, the United States Congress enacted CAP's status as a public corporation. The United States Congress passed Public Law 557 on May 26, 1948 which permanently established the Civil Air Patrol as the auxiliary of the United States Air Force.

CAP's relationship with the Air National Guard, as it is with all other components of the US military, comes only through CAP-USAF headquarters. CAP does not have a combatant role, and is not authorized to be used in law enforcement except for reconniasance and transportation roles. The parent unit of CAP is the Air University of the Air Education and Training Command.

Funding

The Civil Air Patrol is actually a non-profit corporation established by public law 476 in 1947. It receives funding from several sources:

• USAF funding, usually for liaison officers and for reimbursement of fuel, oil, capital expenses for aircraft and vans and communications costs
• Member dues
• Grants and payments from state governments for patrolling and other tasks as agreed by Memorandums of Understanding

One of the grim jokes in the organization is CAP stands for "Come and Pay". Meaning that CAP volunteer members pay for dues, uniforms, travel expenses, etc. This joke is becoming obsolete as more effort is being made to help fund activities and make reimbursement procedures less burdensome.

There are very few paid positions in Civil Air Patrol. Most are located at National Headquarters, but a few wings have paid administrators or accountants.

Equipment

 Civil Air Patrol owns the largest fleet of single engine piston engine aviation aircraft in the world. It is composed primarily of Cessna 172 and Cessna 182 aircraft, and recently has added the Gippsland GA-8 Airvan to the fleet. Some members use their own airplanes. CAP also has several dozen gliders primarily for cadet flying.

In addition, CAP owns and assigns several hundred vans to local units for use in the cadet program and by CAP's ground teams. Members may use their own vehicles and be reimbursed for fuel, oil, and communications costs during a USAF-authorized mission. Most CAP members are unpaid part-time volunteers.

One issue facing the CAP has been the requirement to retire most of the organization's HF and VHF Radios to be replaced by digital radios compliant with NTIA specifications. CAP's radio network of thousands of Amateur Radio equipped stations are being replaced with equipment meeting the new specifications. A portion of the conversion has been funded by the USAF, but the task has been monumental, with final deadlines between 2006 and 2008 for conversion, it appears that the task may only be partly completed in time.

Missions and Duties

 Emergency Services

The Civil Air Patrol carries out the search-and-rescue tasks of the USAF in the Continental United States, through the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center in Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.

Civil Air Patrol Disaster Relief work is authorized by the USAF AFNSEP Emergency Preparednes Office and under an Memorandum of Understanding with FEMA.

CAP aircraft and its extensive radio network have been used not only by the USAF, but by other Federal, state, and agencies in a variety of civil emergencies. The state of Maryland, for example, uses CAP aircraft to regularly patrol the waters of Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries for boats in distress and to detect water pollution. Floods of the Mississippi River in 1995 led to the greatest deployment of CAP assets since the Second World War.

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, CAP aircraft were used for homeland defense by several states, such as New York and Maryland. A CAP aircraft was the first to overfly the wreckage of the World Trade Center. CAP aircraft also carried blood supplies to the sites of the disaster.

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Cadet Programs

Civil Air Patrol's cadet program (http://level2.cap.gov/index.cfm?nodeID=5177) develops America's youth into leaders. The program is executed at the local unit (squadron) level with weekly meetings and weekend activities, along with national and wing sponsored week long and multi week long summer activities.

The Cadet program consists of:

• Aerospace Education
• Leadership Training
• Physical Training
• Moral Leadership

A cadet will progress through the cadet ranks upon completion of formal testing and minimum participation as well as taking on greater responsibility in actually running the local cadet program. One of the features of the Cadet program is that the cadets actually learn to function in a military structured cadet organization. As the cadets progress they are responsible for scheduling, teaching, guiding and commanding the cadets in their unit.

As part of the program cadets are eligible for five powered orientation flights in CAP aircraft, and five glider flights in CAP sailplanes. Some CAP wings have flight academies for cadets to learn to fly.

The USAF also frequently schedules orientation flights for CAP Cadets in aircraft such as the KC-10, C-130, C-17, etc. (Sorry not many F-15 flights!)

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Aerospace Education

Civil Air Patrol's Aerospace Education program obviously serves the CAP Cadet and adult member population. The program includes formal graded courses for members to become very knowledgable about all phases of aviation - military, business, and general; about the history and direction of aviation and the importance of air power. The course work includes all aspects of the space program and new technologies that make advances in aviation and space exploration possible.

Civil Air Patrol shows kindergarten through twelfth grade teachers how to integrate aviation and aerospace into their classes to enrich the learning experience and improve the preparation of students for careers in the aerospace industry. This outreach program includes seminars, course material and sponsoring the National Congress on Aerospace Education.

Civil Air Patrol members also help municipalities better understand the needs and benefits of airports and other aviation related facilities to their communinities, and how to better manage them.

Ther are also many programs for CAP pilots to improve their flying skills and FAA ratings so that the CAP flying program safety can be enhanced.