Safe, Fun, Educational… Civil Air Patrol Cadets Aim High!

August 2016. Middle River, Md. Civil Air Patrol (CAP) cadets soar to new heights! Group II of the Maryland Wing (MDWG), CAP, hosted a “Cadet Orientation-Flight (o-flight) Day at Glenn L. Martin State Airport, Middle River, Maryland, on Aug. 27, 2016. Staffed by CAP MDWG volunteer pilots Lt. Col. Tomas Curran, Lt. Col. James Schmidt and Maj. James Holcomb, cadets took the opportunity to experience the excitement of flying while leaning an important part of the CAP aerospace education program. Although excited about their experience, some of the cadets approached their flights with feelings of reserved anticipation and masked nervousness while others were anxious to take off and claim the sky as their own. Once airborne and reaching their comfort zone, each had the opportunity to ‘take the controls’ and soar to claim the sky! This exciting program of instruction, discovery, and flight provides cadets opportunities to share their flight experience with parents and friends and to increase their aerospace interest and knowledge.

Orientation Flights are truly an exciting part of the CAP cadet program, and is one of the unique opportunities offered only to Civil Air Patrol cadets. Twelve cadets participated in the Group II daylong flying activity:

from Fort McHenry squadron: C/Amn Christian Brown, C/Amn Bernard Thomas-Crawford, C/A1C Mervyn Thomas-Crawford, C/A1C Emma Hollis and C/2nd Lt. Timothy Seidell;

from Harford squadron: C/A1C Darmen Lee and C/Chief Master Sgt. Benjamin Mullen;

from Towson squadron: C/Amn William Joseph;

from Osprey squadron: C/Amn Zamir Ashley, C/Amn Naomi Wilson, C/Amn Meer Odolla and C/B Noah Tucker.

You might call them the best-kept secret when it comes to public service, the thousands of men, women and teens who volunteer at the Civil Air Patrol. Nationally, CAP operates one of the largest fleets of single-engine piston aircraft in the world, with 550 currently in the fleet. CAP pilots annually fly more than 100,000 hours. Across the county, CAP volunteer pilots share their skills piloting cadet orientation flights. The o-flight program’s motto describes what cadet flying is all about: “Safe, Fun, Educational.” Through o-flights in powered aircraft and gliders, cadets experience flight firsthand. While aloft, cadets handle the controls during the noncritical stages of the flight. CAP's pilots are licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration, follow a syllabus for each flight, and ensure the flight is conducted safely.

Sally Ride, the first woman U. S. Astronaut, when asked about flying said, “The thing I'll remember most about the flight is that it was fun. In fact, I'm sure it was the most fun that I'll ever have in my life.” If you are looking for a place to develop your pas­sion for aviation, joining Civil Air Patrol may be for you. Teens between the ages 12 to 20 have a great opportunity to learn to fly and trained pilots have a unique opportunity to enhance their skills and fly to support our communities and our country. CAP serves America’s communities with emergency response, aviation and ground services, youth development and promotion of air, space and cyber power.

You can be part of our Mission for America and become involved in the aviation world on many levels. CAP has a proud history. Seventy-five years ago, volunteers flew the skies to protect our coastline and were the pioneers of our organization. They, by their example of patriotism and sacrifice, established the foundation for today’s CAP. We honor our past patriots and their commitment to service for America and we look forward to our future. The Civil Air Patrol, serving as the U. S. Air Force Auxiliary, will soar to new heights with the commitment of our members to serve their communities as volunteer patriots.

Group II is one of three subordinate groups of the Maryland Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the United States Air Force. Group II is comprised of eight (8) Maryland squadrons located in Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Talbot and Wicomico counties. Follow Group II on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mdgroup2 or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mdgroup2_cap and visit the Group II website at www.mdgroup2cap.org,

Nearly 1,600 CAP members serve in Maryland. Last year wing members flew 13 search and rescue missions. The wing was credited with four finds. Maryland Wing flew 32 missions for the State of Maryland. Members flew 2,245 hours in all mission categories. Volunteers contributed services estimated at 4.6 million dollars. For more information, contact the Maryland Wing at www.mdcap.org, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MarylandWingCivilAirPatrol and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MDWGCAP.

Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force, which consists of regular Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, along with Air Force retired military and civilian employees. CAP, in its Total Force role, operates a fleet of 550 aircraft and performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 78 lives annually. Civil Air Patrol’s 56,000 members nationwide also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Its members additionally play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 24,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet program. Performing missions for America for the past 75 years, CAP received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014 in honor of the heroic efforts of its World War II veterans. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. Visit www.capvolunteernow.com for more information.

Article by: Capt. Alice Raatjes, Public Affairs Officer, Group II, MDWG, CAP.

Photo credit to: Maj. Don Ells, Commander Group II, MDWG, CAP and the families of cadets Brown, Hollis and Wilson.

Photo bylines:

Photo 1: C/Amn Christian Brown, with headphones in hand, awaits takeoff.

Photo 2: C/A1C Emma Hollis gives a thumbs up before as she prepares for flight.

Photo 3: C/Amn Naomi Wilson enjoys this part of CAP … flying!

Photo 4: C/A1C Emma Hollis after flight smile of appreciation!

Photo 5: Pilot Maj. James Holcomb explains to cadets Hollis and Wilson the pre-flight equipment safety check.

Photo 6: Pilot Lt. Col. Tomas Curran briefs cadets Brown and Seidell before takeoff.