After 62 Years, ‘new’ Civil Air Patrol Is Changing With The Times

The Civil Air Patrol says that it's alive and well and protecting the home skies -- just as its members did on Dec. 1, 1941, when the organization first was formed. The all-volunteer organization, which celebrates its 62nd anniversary this week, was founded during World War II to protect the U.S. coastline from enemy submarine attacks. Ironically, since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, CAP members are finding themselves performing homeland security missions once again.

During its early days, CAP’s civilian pilots also served as couriers for U.S. defense plants and the U.S. Army, towed targets for anti-aircraft, patrolled for spies and saboteurs, and rushed medicines and supplies by air to disaster areas.

CAP also performed search and rescue missions, flew sentry over Mexican borders and spotted forest fires, work for which the organization is still known today. In 1948, CAP became the official civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force.

“Many baby boomers remember Civil Air Patrol from the 1950s and 60s, when America was concerned about nuclear weapons, the Cold War and the Space Race,” said Maj. General Richard Bowling, CAP national commander. “Back then we did a lot of reconnaissance flying, trained a lot of cadets who were interested in military service, and helped satisfy the public’s insatiable fascination with aerospace. What people may not realize is that CAP has continued to thrive as an organization. On any given day, throughout this nation, there are CAP members quietly doing volunteer work in their local communities.”

Today’s “new” Civil Air Patrol boasts some 64,000 members nationwide, including about 27,000 cadets ages 12 to 21. These volunteers give of their time and resources to perform traditional CAP missions, including search and rescue, aerial reconnaissance and air transport.  Only a fraction of CAP members are pilots, however. Many other members serve in less visible ways. Some train and mentor cadets in moral leadership, military customs and technical education. Others serve as chaplains and can stand in for military chaplains who are deployed in times of war or serve communities in critical incident stress management. Still others work in public schools, leading classroom projects that illustrate key principles in science and math.

And perhaps most important in today’s Civil Air Patrol is the increased emphasis on homeland security missions. Now under the oversight of the U.S. Air Force Homeland Security Directorate, CAP members just in the past year have participated in bioterror training exercises such as Determined Promise and Falcon Virgo, flown reconnaissance over key U.S. locations such as the 2002 Winter Olympics and the launch site for the space shuttle Columbia and assisted in airborne intercept training for the U.S. Air Force.

“We foresee even greater emphasis on homeland security missions in future months,” Bowling said, “as CAP develops its capabilities in this arena.” CAP is already purchasing additional aircraft and equipment for homeland security missions. Included among those purchases are roomier Cessna Skylanes and Gippsland GA-8 Airvans, equipment for digital imaging with satellite transmission, and hyperspectral imaging systems.

“This is an exciting time for CAP,” Bowling said. “We bring to the table not only 62 years of experience and service to America, but also the vision and energy of a new generation of volunteers.”

CAP is a nonprofit organization. Its members perform 95% of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and during fiscal year 2003 saved more than 140 lives. Volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies.

FMI: www.cap.gov