aloft
New Member
Re: Civil Air Patrol to fly "Surrogate Predator" for Militar
Others have corrected your misperception, and I won't belabor that point, other than to offer something I heard once: CAP is the Air Force's version of the volunteer fire department. All our "Air Force-assigned missions" are noncombat tasks the USAF would have to otherwise do itself, and in most instances it is far more practical/economical to accomplish these tasks with a volunteer aircrew in a Cessna than in an HH-60 or C-130.
And just like most volunteer fire departments, CAP inherits much from its parent--uniforms, culture, etc. (Which isn't to say that they're identical, by any means.) Many of you find great humor in mocking CAP members for their wear of flight suits; do you similarly mock volunteer firefighters for wearing turn-out gear? Flight suits aren't worn because we think they're stylish. They're either too hot or not warm enough, and not nearly as comfortable as some of the other options available to us. But the thing is, flight suits are not just a garment; they're protective gear, same as the turn-out gear mentioned above.
Now, it's true that there isn't a huge risk of a flash fire in a general aviation aircraft, but it has happened. Truth told, occupants of general aviation aircraft are at far greater risk of death or injury due to blunt force trauma, particularly to the head. So while you might mock the dude in the picture, he's got a better chance of surviving an accident than you do.
Others have corrected your misperception, and I won't belabor that point, other than to offer something I heard once: CAP is the Air Force's version of the volunteer fire department. All our "Air Force-assigned missions" are noncombat tasks the USAF would have to otherwise do itself, and in most instances it is far more practical/economical to accomplish these tasks with a volunteer aircrew in a Cessna than in an HH-60 or C-130.
And just like most volunteer fire departments, CAP inherits much from its parent--uniforms, culture, etc. (Which isn't to say that they're identical, by any means.) Many of you find great humor in mocking CAP members for their wear of flight suits; do you similarly mock volunteer firefighters for wearing turn-out gear? Flight suits aren't worn because we think they're stylish. They're either too hot or not warm enough, and not nearly as comfortable as some of the other options available to us. But the thing is, flight suits are not just a garment; they're protective gear, same as the turn-out gear mentioned above.
Now, it's true that there isn't a huge risk of a flash fire in a general aviation aircraft, but it has happened. Truth told, occupants of general aviation aircraft are at far greater risk of death or injury due to blunt force trauma, particularly to the head. So while you might mock the dude in the picture, he's got a better chance of surviving an accident than you do.
, it wasn't aimed directly at you anyway. More at those who seem to think that CAP is full of a bunch of yahoo's that want to play dress up. 
