CAP stands for Civil Air
Patrol. Civil Air Patrol was conceived in
the late 1930s by legendary New Jersey aviation advocate Gill Robb
Wilson, who foresaw aviation's role in war and general aviation's
potential to supplement America's military operations. With the help
of New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, the new Civil Air Patrol was
established on December 1, 1941, just days before the Japanese
attacked Pearl Harbor.
CAP is the official Auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and is a
nonprofit, 501(c)(3) corporation
CAP has more than 58,000 members, including 27,000 cadets ages 12-
2. CAP is made up of eight geographic regions, 52 wings, 1,700
units. CAP's National Headquarters is located at Maxwell Air
Force Base, Ala., which contains 160 support staff. The CAP
boasts the world’s largest fleet (550) of single-engine, piston
aircraft and the Nation’s most extensive communications network and
1,000 emergency services vehicles. To see the CAP National website
click here.
We recommend that you talk to someone first before making a
decision, but after that initial talk, should you decide to join, we
are confident you will enjoy the experience while learning in a
whole different environment. Connecticut Wing of the Civil Air
Patrol has 12 places where you can participate. The
Connecticut Wing Headquarters is located in Middletown with 11
squadrons located around the state. You may opt to stay at Wing and
serve in any one of several departments or may opt to stay local to
your home or work at a squadron and perform the valuable work of
executing the missions of CAP. Click
here to send
an email for further information and get a contact to speak to.
There are two levels of membership with CAP; Senior or Cadet.
If joining CAP for the first time and you are over 18 years old, you
will be considered an Senior member. If you are under 18 upon
entering CAP you will enter as a Cadet, however, once you are a
member of CAP as a cadet, you can stay a cadet until 21.
Civil Air Patrol (CAP) offers a wealth of professional education
and training for our adults so those members can effectively
accomplish CAP's missions. Senior Members come from a variety
of backgrounds and experiences. As a result, their professional
development takes them from a strong foundation of education and
training for new members, while allowing more experienced members to
become experts in their chosen fields.
Senior members who engage in CAP professional development become
eligible to receive special awards signifying their achievements, as
well as satisfy requirements for promotion within the CAP
organization..
Cadets participate in leadership, aerospace
education, physical fitness and moral leadership portions of the
cadet program. Cadets advance in rank after milestones in all
these facets are completed. As gain experience and confidence
and as they advance in rank, they can assume positions within Cadet
leadership, even becoming Cadet Commander for your squadron.
Parents of cadets (or cadets-to-be) please
click
here to view more information on the CAP National Website
regarding the Cadet program.
There are 11 squadrons around the state - some located directly
at airports and some are off airport. Click on the
CAP UNIT LOCATOR to link
to the CAP National Website to plug in your search criteria to find
the best location for you. Back to Top
The following is a direct quote from the CAP National Website:
-
AEROSPACE EDUCATION
100 aerospace education workshops each year
Aerospace classroom materials, grades K through college
Nation’s premier annual aerospace education conference
-
CADET PROGRAMS
Multi-step leadership
training
Cadet glider and powered orientation flights, flight training
scholarships
International Air Cadet Exchange program
-
OPERATIONS
95% of nation’s inland search and rescue
100 lives saved per year
Aerial reconnaissance for homeland security
Disaster-relief and damage assessment
Transport for time-sensitive medical materials
Counterdrug missions
These are the three areas that were included in the Congressional
charter for CAP and are the backbone of CAP efforts.
Even though CAP is the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force,
there is no contractual or term commitment to membership with in
CAP. You serve for as long as want or can.
Being a military oriented and professional entity, CAP does
expect their members to adhere to the CAP Regulations. For
more information on the Rules and Regulations, click
here.
Yes and no....CAP is the official Auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force
and does have its rules, regulations, rank structure based on the
Air Force. Also, CAP uniforms closely resemble, or are exact,
to that Air Force personnel wear. The CAP is not held to the
Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), but strictly enforces the
published Rules and Regulations. CAP can be used by the Air
Force for its non-combatant missions. CA
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