Civil Air Patrol

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I decided to join the Civil Air Patrol just 2 weeks ago and so far I don't regret it one bit. The unit is stationed at Pompano Beach Airpark in a hangar. So the first meeting I got there I was already around airplanes which was awesome. There are about 12 UH-1 Hueys of the Army sitting on the next hangar. They all have wholes on parts of the windshield and don't have rotors and some parts. It was awesome to see them from up close and be able to touch them. I am getting my aeronautical material in 2 weeks so I'll be able to study aviation. If you have any questions on joining please ask me or go to www.cap.af.mil. I don't regret it at all. I never got to hang out at the airport before. Now I can as I get there like 1 hour before we are actually supposed to be there.
 
Sounds awesome Brian! I've thought about joining recently too, I've been reading Born To Fly(---have to get back to you on the author, Im blanking on his name right now!) and it has made me seriously consider the CAP!
 
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Sounds awesome Brian! I've thought about joining recently too, I've been reading Born To Fly(---have to get back to you on the author, Im blanking on his name right now!) and it has made me seriously consider the CAP!

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I hope you join. It not only teaches you about flying. But it also teaches you leadership, respect and many other traits. There are also campings and things you can do. Why don't you visit the local unit and try it out. You can be a guest and see if it right for you. Check out the website and they give you the email and all the information of the unit. Email the commander and talk to him. Im sure he will welcome you.
 
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I have heard some memebers on this board not recommend the CAP. Out of curiosity, why is this?

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I was in it (still am) for about 2 years now....I myself thought that the individual squadrans were run by "know it all" type people, I never got to fly also..
 
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I have heard some memebers on this board not recommend the CAP. Out of curiosity, why is this?

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All the paper work you have to do to fly. Of course it's great for kids, but if you're looking for a cheap plane to rent be prepared to do a lot of work, plus too many rules. Only members in the planes, only trainign missions, no personal use of the aircraft, ect.
 
Procede with caution. I spent three and a half years in CAP in high school and overall I had a good experience. However, many squadrons are run by know-it-alls and people that think they are god's gift to aviation and/or the military. They took the whole USAF aux. way too seriously.
As far as flying is concerned, some squadrons fly a lot, some fly a little. Some even have their own planes. I was able to get about 4 or so rides during my time there. Don't expect a lot of flying or you will be dissappointed.
The thing that will make or break your CAP experience will be the people that you are around. Make sure you are in good company
 
I met this guy who has a son that is 16. He is in CAP and enjoys it very much. The story I am going to tell you I think is a lie. The son said when he was 13, they went up in a 172 for 2 hours. They stopped at an airport and talked about the flight. He said that on their way back, he got to sit in the front(right seat). He goes on about how he got to control the plane when they were cruising, "helped" land the plane, and did most taxiing at the airport. He has had no experience on a plane ever before. Do you believe at the age of 13 and with no previous experience, he did all of that? I don't think so.
 
I was in CAP for about 2 years while I was in highschool, and overall I found it a rewarding experience. I met some great people with great goals, and learned a lot about myself.

In regards to flyhigh's question, yes, I somewhat believe it. CAP gives orientation flights ("O-Rides") to cadets every so often. When I was about 15, I got to sit in the right seat and do a few level turns and other basic maneuvers. I even got to fly down to about 1000 AGL on the approach with the pilot's help (which was a big thrill back then). Of course I never got to "help" with the landing, which I doubt is authorized, but you know 13 year olds. They love to tell stories.
 
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Most of these o-rides are given by CFI's so we were even able to log it as dual given.

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(Sean Connery accent)

Dual given? Surely you mean dual received, ol' boy.
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talking about O-Rides,he also said that he flew in a C-5,C-130, Blackhawks, and in Huey hellicopters. Would that go under the O-Ride category? Do you believe that he flew in them?
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talking about O-Rides,he also said that he flew in a C-5,C-130, Blackhawks, and in Huey hellicopters. Would that go under the O-Ride category? Do you believe that he flew in them?
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I've flown in a Chinook, C5, Bell 407, C182 and 172, and some goverment 727 through CAP.
 
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I met this guy who has a son that is 16. He is in CAP and enjoys it very much. The story I am going to tell you I think is a lie. The son said when he was 13, they went up in a 172 for 2 hours. They stopped at an airport and talked about the flight. He said that on their way back, he got to sit in the front(right seat). He goes on about how he got to control the plane when they were cruising, "helped" land the plane, and did most taxiing at the airport. He has had no experience on a plane ever before. Do you believe at the age of 13 and with no previous experience, he did all of that? I don't think so.

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Sounds pretty reasonable. When I was about that age I spent a day at a grass strip airshow hanging around an older guy giving rides in a tripacer. I cleaned the belly of the airplane and ran any errands he wanted. By noon he was letting me ride right seat. Told all the paying passengers there was just room for two of them. By late afternoon I was flying the pattern all the way down to flare. Found out later from many other people what a great instructor and genereous person he was. Needless to say I was hopelessly hooked after that.
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I've flown in a Chinook, C5, Bell 407, C182 and 172, and some goverment 727 through CAP.

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"Flown?" Man, I only got to fly a C172 in CAP, not just sit right seat. Not sure what you're saying here.
 
I was a cadet in CAP for 5 years and I completed the entire program except for the Spaatz award, equivalent to Eagle Scout. I was in a composite squadron, both cadets and senior members(adults), that was professionally run by former Air Force/Army soldiers/pilots and enjoyed it immensely. The initial quality of the program is almost entirely dependant on the leadership of both adult and cadet leaders, which is why some people have very negative experiences with CAP unfortunately. If you are in CAP I highly highly highly encourage you to take advantage of the summer programs that are offered. Through CAP I attended an encampment (training camp) at the Air Force Academy twice, glider camp in New Mexico by the Soaring Society HQ, and an incredible 3 week adventure in Austria with the International Air Cadet Exchange program, which cost me only $250. I also took advantage of their scholarship program and was awarded a nice sum of cash that helped out for my books at Tech.
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If you have any questions about CAP and want it answered by a person who went through the entire program then PM me or ask in this thread directly.
 
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I met this guy who has a son that is 16. He is in CAP and enjoys it very much. The story I am going to tell you I think is a lie.

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Nope, 100% plausible. As a cadet, I flew on C-182s many times, KC-135s several times, C-130s a few times, and an HH-53 once. Friends of mine had opportunities to ride in T-37s, F-16s, and even the venerable F-105, back when it was still in service with the AF Reserve. I even got a free trip to Europe out of CAP as a cadet. Oh, and they paid for my flight training through my first solo back in '86, too. Not a bad deal any way you slice it.

Most of the griping you hear about CAP from the aviation community (and even from the Air Force) pertains to the adult (operations) side of the program, not the cadet side. Many will suggest that it's due to the number of military "wanna-bees" that CAP attracts, but the truth is that bona fide military veterans have been a bigger source of problems for CAP than the wanna-bees. The rest of the organization's problems stem from its volunteer nature: you simply can't make a volunteer do something they don't want to do--whether it's wearing the uniform properly, filling out paperwork correctly, even flying airplanes correctly. In the end, the only power we really have over our volunteer members is to invite them to leave--which is often problematic in and of itself.

CAP's a great organization--I wouldn't have stuck with it for over 20 years if it weren't--but it's one whose potential often goes unmet due to the nature of the beast. As much as some would like it to be, it's not the Air Force Reserve or Air National Guard, we don't have dollars with which to lure members, so we take what we can get--and the quality of people thusly varies widely. One thing that's fairly constant is the desire to serve country and community, and doing so on your own time, at sometimes great personal out of pocket expense, causes one to overlook individual eccentricities. Your mileage may vary.

p.s, I completed the entire cadet program too--and proudly hold Spaatz Award #901.
 
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I've flown in a Chinook, C5, Bell 407, C182 and 172, and some goverment 727 through CAP.

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"Flown?" Man, I only got to fly a C172 in CAP, not just sit right seat. Not sure what you're saying here.

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Flown in not flown, as in the airplane/helicopter went up in the air with me in it.
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talking about O-Rides,he also said that he flew in a C-5,C-130, Blackhawks, and in Huey hellicopters. Would that go under the O-Ride category? Do you believe that he flew in them?
confused.gif


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I've ridden in H53s, H46s, UH1s, H60s, C130s, C141s, C5s, C17s, and C2As....Alot!!!!
 
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I have heard some memebers on this board not recommend the CAP. Out of curiosity, why is this?

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All the paper work you have to do to fly. Of course it's great for kids, but if you're looking for a cheap plane to rent be prepared to do a lot of work, plus too many rules. Only members in the planes, only trainign missions, no personal use of the aircraft, ect.

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Alex, it is like the military. Doesn't flying missions and being strict make sense in the military?
 
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