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Have you done quite a bit of flying with CAP? I'm not too interested in the military lifestyle, therefore I was hoping I could be involved primarily for the flying and humanitarian reasons...
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No military lifestyle in the C.A.P. I'm involved in (CA and NV Wings). A lot of our cadets seem to attend the military academies and even have some of the academies fighting over them. One cadet, is heading to the Air Force Academy because they offered her a fighter pilot slot after graduation. She didn't want the tanker or sling wing slots from the other academies.
But I digress, basic military courtesies and customs are available for the senior member to learn. For the cadets, that training is mandatory. As a check pilot I have been reminded of my duty to present a good example to the rest of the pilots in one instance where I was wearing a patch not authorized by the current Stan/Eval (check pilot) guy, but required by the previous Stan/Eval guy. I didn't participate in missions until the current Stan/Eval guy got his paperwork completed and I became authorized. I could have taken the patch off and participated, but it was easier to find something else to do on the one occasion.
Saluting is a sign of respect. Some senior members choose to salute everyone, some of us use the handshake. If we are both in Air Force STYLE uniforms, then yeah, we'll salute each other, especially if cadets are around.
On that Federal Search Warrant, it prompted CAP National HQ to take a serious look at their Wings. Each state is a Wing. California failed miserably. We've killed off 4 people and destroyed five airplanes because we were too afraid to tell those pilots with poor judgment and macho attitudes to leave. CA Wing has mostly dismantled the "good 'ol boys" network and our accidents are far down. Still there was a prop strike just a few months ago because a pilot couldn't land elsewhere when faced with a stiff crosswind at the home airport.
Because of the wake-up call, CAP National has taken a hard look at the checkride system. We have found that crosswind takeoffs and landings, basic taxiing, and poor judgment cause around 85% of our accidents. They are also the most failed items on the annual checkrides.
The benefits of CAP?
For senior members by following guidelines and regulations:
Get a glider rating
Scholarships
Training in most fields of emergency services
Almost unlimited flying opportunities
Get to fly cadets on their first or pre-solo flights
Warp young minds into aviation
Model Rockets!!!!!
Travel all over your state
A very healthy respect of your local environment (mountains)
Mountain Fury Training (worth 7 years of CAP Membership Dues)
Ability to make a difference to your fellow aviators
For CFIs, the responsibility of giving checkrides, and being able to give a unit a shot in the arm. I'm heading north soon to give a unit checkrides, over a three day period that'll be 6 rides/training flights. That unit should have 4 more pilots by the time I'm done.
Learn Crew Resource Management
Use of CAP aircraft for instrument ratings, or advanced ratings ($42-65 an hour for a well maintained Cessna 182/206!)
Saving a life/lives (Nothing can beat the feeling of knowing that because YOU were there, someone is now alive, where if you weren't there, they may not have.)
Indirectly saving lives (how many cadets are we keeping off the streets, getting good grades, and forgoing drug addictions for a flying addiction?)
Conferences and other meetings
Giving lots of money to a good cause (Come And Pay)
And many many more…
I'm going to Vegas in August to attend the National Board Meeting. I will be taking sessions in aerospace education, being a better instructor, aircraft management, and several more. I will greet friends from across the country that I met in CAP.
Do yourself a favor. Spend time with at least two units before joining CAP. You will tell the difference and be able to find a place where you fit in. In a large national organization like CAP, each unit will vary. You may be unlucky and find the worst examples of why some people dislike CAP. You may be lucky and find some of the best units that are active and do search missions.
And you may be the person that takes the worst unit to the best. There is a gentleman in Los Angeles that joined CAP four years ago. Two years ago he was commanding his unit. The unit tripled its membership in a year and took an active role in emergency services. They did hundreds of hours in support of 9/11/01. One year ago he was managing the entire state's aircraft fleet (25). Because of him, the Wing started a glider program and earned 3 new airplanes to support the gliders. Last month he stepped into commanding the group of units that cover Los Angeles. He will revitalize the entire area. I would not be surprised if he is commanding the entire wing in 5 years. Not bad for someone who's day job is a loan officer for a small bank.
Fly SAFE!
Jedi Nein
CAP Member 8 years
CAP Check Pilot 3 years