Civil Air Patrol

[Foxer55]

How many of you are familiar with the Civil Air Patrol (CAP)?

I hated high school and I hated the school I was going to. Thanks to the Civil Air Patrol in the 1950s, I had some good teenage years. The Civil Air Patrol for our non-U.S. members is an official civilian U.S. Air Force auxiliary organization that was conceived and activated in 1941. It had a fairly illustrious career in WWII, patrolling the eastern U.S. coast for submarines in private aircraft and actually sank two of the boats.

Here is the wiki for CAP…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Air_Patrol

In my time in the CAP I was a member of a very well-known drill team, The Keystone Flight of Squadron 102 of the Pennsylvania Wing. I had so many good friends in CAP, guys and girls, and had so many wonderful experiences throughout the years I was a member. I learned military culture in detail, was treated as a military cadet everywhere, was flown about in U.S. Air Force aircraft, civilian aircraft, learned all the principles of flight in class and on the flight line, and was tempered in military discipline and order. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and I recall that time with great fondness.

Pictured below is the drill team. The first two fellows in the first picture on the front row left both died in aircraft accidents, the second from the left was one of my best friends ever who died in a catapult accident on the USS Independence. Yours truly is fourth from the left.







CAP today performs a lot of air rescue operations when someone is lost in the wilderness and they are also involved in a lot of communications enabling rescue efforts. I don’t hear a lot about them anymore and I don’t believe they are as popular as in the ‘50s during the cold war.

I thought I would post this thread to see if there are other CAP expatriates out there and to highlight one of the things we had all those years ago that was a wonderful growing experience for young men and women.

 

[Stearmen]

My favorite CAP airplane, the Grumman Widgeon! We did not have a CAP cadet program at my High School. I might not have skipped classes so much, if I was flying!

 

[kampkatz]

As a senior CAP member in the 1980's I had the pleasure of working with cadets. As deputy commander of cadets I got to know some fine young people and see potential future leaders in the making. I also took on the job of aerospace education officer( I had been a student naval aviator in the early 70's) after our fine leader prematurely died(age 46) of a heart attack. I enjoyed those few years with the Cumberland Composite Squadron in south New Jersey. It is located at Millville Airport, which was built in 1940 as a P-47 training base. There is some fascinating history there.

 

[Enrico]

I'm a current cadet member, at a Composite Squadron in Maryland. I just went on a SAREX two weeks ago. It is awesome to see the old khakis in those photos, they look a lot sharper than the current BDUs!

 

[Monsoon]

I was at the Fort Indiantown Gap Battle of the Bulge event several years ago. The CAP participates with the mess hall (I think), car parking, stuff like that. They, for the most part, wear woodland BDUs with orange caps.

Well, I was walking down the company street behind two young ladies dressed in period clothing. Yes, they were very attractive. Just then, over this rise, came about five or six CAP guys.

First woman: "Hey look, orange caps."

Second woman: "Oh, that's hot!"

I busted a gut laughing. The two women turned around and saw me and joined in.

 

[Stearmen]

I remember, at an airshow in New Mexico, we had the PV-2D Harpoon, I was in the right seat cranking the engine. A young Civil Air Patrol female cadet was stationed on the starboard engine, suddenly she frantically starts crossing her right hand over her throat, the cut engine signal. I start looking at the starboard engine and can't see any thing wrong, my boss ask me, whats going on? I finally figured out, she saw the big plume of smoke coming out of the engine on start up, not knowing all radial engines belch the leftover oil out in a big blue cloud. We got a good laugh that day.

 

[Treetopflyer]

I was not a member of CAP, but as a military aviator I have worked with them a bit. Specifically at Blackstone Army Air Field at Fort Picket, VA. They are a very motivated group. The CAP has a building that they let the Navy use at Blackstone AAF whenever we conduct exercises out there. They are always more than willing to help and are always interested in what we do in Naval Aviation. They are a group that is unrecognized for what they do.

 

[Monsoon]

They are a group that is unrecognized for what they do.

Got that right. Since Big Blue AF decided that Air Rescue wasn't a real big priority years ago (until they're on the ground being chased by 10000 well armed and pissed off bad guys), they seem to pick up a lot of the "domestic" rescue missions. Stuff my dad would do in the 1950s-60s are being handled by CAP.

My first and last air show was the Dayton Show in 2012. The day we left was my final day in the PA ANG. We had an aircraft on display and we had rock star parking right by a gate, so we had about a jillion people going thru it. It was about 100+ degrees on the ramp, too.

CAP was there with radios for emergency use. Well, some young girl of about 14 had a heat injury as she was walking down the ramp leaving our aircraft. I was standing next to our pilot when she started to faint. Ace grabbed her and carried her off and I stepped off and saw the CAP kid.

"CAP! I need medevac here NOW!" I used what my wife calls, "My Sergeants voice". Heck, I might have even gave him the dreaded "knife hands", too.

Ace (the pilot) was wetting her face with a wet towel and I was getting her to take sips of water. CAP came over and said medical help was on the way. I thanked him.

Ace leans over and whispers to me, "Dude, you had that kid shaking!" I sort of felt bad about that. That being said, those kids moved with a purpose, that's for sure. They had their act together and they sure do work hard at events like that.

 

[ChiTownScion]

I was a cadet in the late 1960's. I suppose it all depended upon which squadron you belonged to as far as your experiences.

One of my classmates worked his way up to cadet colonel rank, then, after four years at the USAF Academy, ended up flying some pretty hot aircraft, including the SR-71 Blackbird. His squadron offered a lot of flying opportunities.

Mine, on the other hand, offered a lot of talk about flying, but few actual opportunities to fly. Did meet some nice people, however, and mastered close order drill at the age of thirteen.

 

[George Monaghan]

Foxer55 I know of Flight Keystone.. In fact. Flight keystone has a Page on Facebook. Contact me Georgesmonaghan@aol.com Cadet Commander 1962 Flight Keystone

 

[Young fogey]

I would have LOVED this as a kid. Sounds pretty good now. Almost went to a high school that had NJROTC but we moved away before I could start.

I've been to Millville Airport and its Army Air Field museum. Wonderful stuff.

 

[SIGGY]

Anyone wanting Leather Civil Air Patrol unit patches of the WW2 era I have some images of quite a few and could make them for you , if you have a 'specific" one in mind post your image and I 'll let you know ................

 

[Keystone 62]

Foxer55 I know of Flight Keystone.. In fact. Flight keystone has a Page on Facebook. Contact me Georgesmonaghan@aol.com Cadet Commander 1962 Flight Keystone

Foxer 55 !! Never heard back from you. We have some great photos from your time., on Flight Keystone ( Facebook ) ??

 

[Tiki Tom]

My older brother was a CAP cadet in the 60s. After graduation he flew UH-1 helicopters in Vietnam.
I followed my brothers example and joined CAP. I remember a lot of parade ground drilling and history of aviation classes. I remember that I loved those khakis. Went up in a member's Cessna 172 exactly once.
After High School I joined the Army, but did not pursue the aviation route although I was flight crew in a U-21 for awhile.

 

[Stearmen]

My older brother was a CAP cadet in the 60s. After graduation he flew UH-1 helicopters in Vietnam.
I followed my brothers example and joined CAP. I remember a lot of parade ground drilling and history of aviation classes. I remember that I loved those khakis. Went up in a member's Cessna 172 exactly once.
After High School I joined the Army, but did not pursue the aviation route although I was flight crew in a U-21 for awhile.

U-21 one of the all time great airplanes! I have time in the civilian Kingair.

 

[SIGGY]

Thanks TPD166

 

[Gray Ghost]

I am a Captain with the Tar River Composite Squadron, NC-057 in North Carolina. I am a past Squadron Commander, Mission Observer, and Ground Team Leader. Currently, I am the Professional Development Officer, Emergency Services Officer, and Historian. I am in the process of forming a WWII CAP unit for airshows, reenactments, and fly-ins. We are a Composite Squadron made up of a Senior Side and a Cadet side. I was very active in the 90s and made Captain and then left and came back in 2012. I was reinstated to Captain a year later and will make Major by the summer of 2017. If I had stayed in, I would be a LtCol. by now. I actually enjoy the rating of Captain. Captain and 10 bucks might buy you a cup of coffee.

 

[WW2WaltUSMC]

I was a CAP cadet from late 2000 through 2006, when I joined the Marines. Had a lot of great experiences including doing Katrina relief shelter ops on Camp Edwards in 05 and lots of ES training. Did an OFlight in October of 2001 when the majority of general aviation was still grounded post 9/11. Went to Encampment in 2003 and was eventually the C/1stSgt of my squadron. CAP was a huge part of my formative years and left me with life long impacts of both what I do and do not want to be as a leader.
Fast forward 10 years, and I run into the members of my old squadron at a Collings Foundation fly in at my local airport. One thing leads to another, and I am now back in the CAP on the Senior (dark) side! Feels like I never left, my Sq/CC has thrown me right back into the mix on the Cadet side as a Leadership Officer and I'm getting my ES qualifications back up to speed to serve as the new Squadron Emergency Services Officer. Level 1 complete, on track to pin on 2ndLt in April, and training complete for my Technician ratings in Cadet Programs, Safety and ES. CAP has been and continues to be very, very good to me.
Gray Ghost, I think we may both be members over at the CAPtalk forums as well!