The Civil Air Patrol: Performing Vital Missions

A Cessna 172 of the Civil Air Patrol flies over Mount Rushmore. The Civil Air Patrol has a fleet of more than 530 single-engine piston aircraft. Credit: United States Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol

A Civil Air Patrol senior member and cadet pore over maps during a search and rescue (SAR) operation. SAR operations form one of the Civil Air Patrol's most vital functions and have been much in the news recently in the aftermath of Hurriocane Ike and during the search for missing adventurer Steve Fossett. Credit: United States Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol

A Civil Air Patrol cadet uses an emergency locator transmitter detector during a search and rescue operation. Credit: United States Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol

For the past week, Texas Wing pilots of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) have been flying missions after Hurricane Ike made landfall and caused an estimated $5 billion in damage. A major part of CAP flight operations has involved shooting digital video and taking thousands of photographs of areas battered by Ike’s Class 3 fury.

“CAP’s aerial damage assessment photographs are vital to state and federal emergency managers’ ability to readily assess the extent of damage to the state’s infrastructure, including roads, bridges and power lines, as well as selected buildings,” said Col. Joe Smith, commander of the Texas Wing.

“The state of Texas really appreciates our photo capabilities. Local, state and federal officials appreciate our efforts. They can go to a University of Texas Web site where we upload our photos, select their county and see pictures of damage in their hometowns,” added Col. Smith.

CAP has conducted some 200 flights since September 15 to gather digital imagery, sometimes transporting National Weather System meteorologists over damaged areas. More than 40 flights have been flown in CAP aircraft equipped with an airborne real-time cueing hyper-spectral enhanced reconnaissance system called ARCHER that geo-locates water contaminants.

As many as 300 CAP volunteers have helped in communities across Texas after Ike came ashore, distributing ice and water to residents, providing first aid and performing other disaster relief tasks.

“These young people have been tremendous,” said Delores Martin, Mayor of Manvel, TX, a community of 7,000 south of Houston that was hit by Ike. “They didn’t ask for anything but ‘Give me a job.’ They did everything, they picked up, they carried, they offered help to people.”

Thousands of volunteers

The Civil Air Patrol is the civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force and has more than 56,000 members in some 1,600 units nationwide. CAP has eight regional commands and 52 wings, one in each state plus one in Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.

CAP cadets cannot be younger than 12 and senior members are 18 and older. The cadet program develops leadership, emergency services (ES), flying and other skills in young people, and older members serve as instructors and supervisors.

One cadet involved in disaster relief operations in Texas is 16-year-old Michael Moody. He joined CAP on his 12th birthday and is a part of Apollo Squadron.

Cadet Moody has been volunteering as a flight line supervisor at West Houston Airport (IWS), where CAP airplanes have been based. At IWS, he has been responsible for ensuring that the ramp environment is safe for airplanes, aircrew and other personnel and that aircraft are secured.

Cadet Moody, who has put in 17-hour days working on CAP operations in Texas, has received four years of leadership training in the cadet program as well as ES training. 

“I absolute love doing ES and teaching cadets,” he said. “It’s an awesome program! I used to be a shy kid but I’m not now.”

CAP Missions

CAP performs three main missions: emergency services, including search and rescue by air and ground and disaster recovery operations; aerospace education for youth and the general public; and cadet programs for youth.

CAP operates under the Air Force Homeland Security Directorate and can deploy airplanes over any major U.S. city or strategic resource in less than two hours.

While CAP Texas Wing members were recording damage from the air and conducting disaster relief operations, CAP members from the Fort McHenry Squadron of the Maryland Wing acted as terrorist victims during Operation Purple Haze. A simulated nuclear dirty bomb was ‘detonated’ in the Baltimore Ravens’ stadium, resulting in mock ‘casualties’ and ‘contaminating’ many fans with deadly radioactive material.

Some 70 CAP members and their families participated in the simulated attack. Each ‘victim’ wore a card detailing the injuries suffered, from sprained ankles to fatal wounds.

The CAP Fleet

CAP operates one of the largest fleets of single-engine piston airplanes in the world, its fleet totaling 530 aircraft. Types include the Cessna 172 Skyhawk, 182 Skylane, A185F Skywagon and 206 Stationair; the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver; the Gippsland GA8 Airvan; and the Maule MT-235.

Sixteen of the 18 CAP Airvans are equipped with the ARCHER system, which is used to locate downed aircraft that cannot be easily spotted from the air, detect oil spills and other missions.
 
Cadet orientation flights are conducted in L-23 Super-Blanik, Schleicher ASK 21 and Schweizer SGS 2-33 gliders.

CAP pilots fly nearly 110,000 hours each year. The organization also maintains a fleet of approximately 1,000 emergency service vehicles for training and mission support.

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