CAP veterans... sound off..

[Sleek-Jet]

Since Ted Stryker has sounded off a couple times about the CAP, I figured it would be good to figure out who else spent a little time in the Cilly Air Patrol...

I started out in the Cadet program, earned my rating in a T41B, and went on to become a mission pilot.  I was a First Louey when I finally hung up my flight suit after I figured out that the hours were bad and the pay sucked.    In the end I was a member of the Colorado wing for more than 10 years.  My dad is still active. 

I figured out that I had enough when I was returning from a search mission and the right seat observer was about to have a heart attack since we were landing in a 15 knot quarting cross-wind... the kicker was that I was originally supposed to be the observer and nervous nelly was going to be the pilot... luckily he was out of currency.  I've never seen anyone compute a cross-wind component so many times, or at such great speed.  Finally I told him that I was going to get down to the runway, and if I ran out of rudder peddle, I'd go around and we'd go somewhere else to land...

In all honesty, the CAP is a good orginization, just some of the weekend warrior types make it a little tough to handle at times. 

[vinced]

Along with being AD AF, I am also a current CAP member of the Col Berta Edge Composite Squadron at Keesler AFB, MS.
I held the positions of Scanner, Emergency Services Training Officer, Skills Evaluator and Advance Radio Operator.
I will hopefully be able to pursue my PPL in a few years.
As soon as I get stateside again, I will be moving my membership to Langley Composite Squadron.


Vince D

[chuckar101]

I'm currently a cadet at the amazing age of 20 and plan on becoming a senior member when I turn 21.  I reached the cadet rank of Cadet Captain and the Cadet Squadron Commander.  I'm currently not that active.  The whole school thng gets in the way.  I hope on becoming a mission pilot when I become a senior member to build up those precious hours.  Oh yeah I'm part the amazing White Pine Composite Squadron in beautiful Ely, Nevada.  Which obviously part of the Nevada wing.

[Ted_Stryker]

Hmm... I just realized I never posted specifically to this topic... until now anyway.

I started out in CAP in 1985 after getting my PPL.  Started out with River City Composite Squadron, Missouri Wing.  Over the 9 years I was active, I was a Ground Team Leader, Mission Scanner, Mission Observer, Mission Communications Officer, Transport Pilot, Mission Pilot, Ground Team Instructor, Assistant Group II Communications Officer, Commandant of Cadets, Deputy Squadron Commander, and was offered a unit command not too long before I had way too many things outside CAP interfering and ended up dropping out.  In that time I had also served with Gateway Squadron, and Creve Coeur Squadron as well.  I also served two years running in CAP Special Forces - Blue Beret, the first year as a Ground Team Leader, the second time as the Mission Communications Officer.

Definitely considering re-upping sometime in the near future... though I've heard it's changed radically in terms of how things work internally.

I do agree that there were many "weekend warrior" types when I was in.  Some of them that seemed to be on the power trip the uniform could instil in some, but most people were there to help out, and have fun, and be of service to those in need.  I guess in any organization that size you're going to have an element of some jerks and the like that get into positions they either didn't deserve by temperment and/or training, or due to politics and the like were promoted due to the "Peter Principal".  But, I've seen that happen even in small companies I've worked at too.

[Art]

I joined CAP in Evansville, Indiana, in 1999. I became a transport pilot, mission observer, then mission pilot. I was squadron deputy commander for a year, then squadron commander for two years, then deputy commander for another year. I also was ES qualified as an Air Operations Branch Director. The last year in Indiana, I became CD aircrew qualified and had a great time flying low, slow and bumpy over Indiana vegetation. When I moved to Maryland in 2003, I became deputy commander of Group I (Western Maryland). I have also served as curriculum coordinator of the Middle East Region Staff College, and am now deputy director. I completed my senior member professional development last year with the earning of the Gill Robb Wilson award and was also promoted to Lt. Col. (Love the extra money in my paycheck.) The highlight of my CAP experience thus far is the training at Maxwell AFB (completely paid for by CAP) leading to my certification as an ARCHER operator. This technology is amazing and will help CAP perform some very interesting missions in the years to come.

[SkyKing]

  I was a First Louey when I finally hung up my flight suit after I figured out that the hours were bad and the pay sucked. 
 

Show me anywhere else that your pay DOUBLES every time you get a promotion!

Senior:  $0.00
2LT: $00.00
1LT: $0000.00
CAPT: $00000000.00
MAJ: $0000000000000000.00
LCOL: $00000000000000000000000000000000.00

[SkyKing]

 I guess in any organization that size you're going to have an element of some jerks and the like that get into positions they either didn't deserve by temperment and/or training, or due to politics and the like were promoted due to the "Peter Principal"

One of these folks is the reason that I'm currently not active in CAP.  When that person is moved to a different slot, or when I move to a different state, then I'll get myself back moving with it, but for the time being it's not worth putting up with this person and the "My way or the highway" attitude presented when I first moved here.

I keep my membership up-to-date, but that's all.

[Gulfstream Driver]

I suppose it's about time I put in my 2 cents.  I've been in CAP since September and enjoy it a lot.  I originally joined to build up my dual given, but that hasn't happened yet.   

Regarding jerks, I haven't run into any personally, but I have heard stories.  Mostly about uniform patches being incorrect.  In my opinion, these uberstrict types need to chill out.  Bear in mind that this is a VOLUNTEER organization and members are just looking to have fun and help out when needed. 

[Frank N. O.]

What exactly is the CAP, it sounds a bit like a flying version of what we have here in Denmark. It's made from civilian who volounteer and get special training that is like a mild version of the military. It started after WWII in case of an invasion to help defend the country but their main task now is to help with large accidents and other situations were special training and extra manpower can help the police and other authorities, like crowd-control at large events, help cleaning up after oil-spills on our beaches from tankers, also with some large fires we've had etc.
From what I can tell CAP is a group with similar tasks except flying-oriented? Btw that pay doubling joke was great

Frank

[Ted_Stryker]

What exactly is the CAP, it sounds a bit like a flying version of what we have here in Denmark. It's made from civilian who volounteer and get special training that is like a mild version of the military. It started after WWII in case of an invasion to help defend the country but their main task now is to help with large accidents and other situations were special training and extra manpower can help the police and other authorities, like crowd-control at large events, help cleaning up after oil-spills on our beaches from tankers, also with some large fires we've had etc.
From what I can tell CAP is a group with similar tasks except flying-oriented? Btw that pay doubling joke was great

Frank

CAP = Civil Air Patrol.  It is an all-volunteer organization under the 14th Air Force Command, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.  CAP is actually a congressionally chartered auxilliary of the United States Air Force, but was formed prior to the actual inception of the United States Air Force as a separate entity.  CAP was orginally formed as an auxilliary to the Unites States Army Air Corps during WWII.  It was involved with many wartime efforts back then, including coastal patrol (actually a CAP aircraft sank a sub off the coast with hand-dropped bombs from a bi-plane), target towing, surveillance, damage assessment, and even aircraft ferry duties during WWII.  It also has a long history of aerospace education, and served then, and now, as a precursor to entry into the military and Air Force Academy.

Today the mission of CAP is one of disaster relief, damage assessment and surveillance, aerospace education, search and rescue, and other education programs. 

Below is a hyperlink to the CAP website in case you want more info    

http://www.cap.gov/

[Frank N. O.]

Thanks for the link. Funny I actually stumbled over FS-repaints for CAP planes including the new Rockwell 112A payware plane and a 182T. It seems they've had a lot of different planes (the 182T file had photos of the real one included confirming it was a real plane and not a fictional repaint).

Sounds like the people are doing a lot of good work 

Frank

[Ted_Stryker]

Thanks for the link. Funny I actually stumbled over FS-repaints for CAP planes including the new Rockwell 112A payware plane and a 182T. It seems they've had a lot of different planes (the 182T file had photos of the real one included confirming it was a real plane and not a fictional repaint).

Sounds like the people are doing a lot of good work 

Frank

My pleasure, Frank   Yes, lots of good work, and as one person noted on here before.... when you get promoted, all they do is add another zero to your "salary"   It's a great organization indeed  

[cj5_pilot]

Though not a current member (closest squadron is a long drive from my place) I'm a former CAP Cadet.  Was involved from '86-'90 roughly.  Was cadet commander of the Kenai Composite Squadron for last couple months despite never making it above Cadet Mst Sgt.   I kept in touch with the senior members after I got my license and helped with a few SAR's.  I distinctly remember doing a grid pattern in a 152 over Moose river with a CAP Beaver in attendance.  We finally determined the ELT going off was in one of the Cub's parked on the iced over river.  The Beaver landed and talked to the owner who shut off the ELT 

While a cadet I was witness to two accidents.  The first was when we (half a dozen cadets and a senior member) were camped on the Chakachamna river as the target for a practice SAR.  The beaver came in to get us (N31522) and they were checking a new member out on the plane.  The runway was a stretch of old logging road right alongside the river.  He caught some sort of turbulence and the right wing lifted.  The aircraft went off the left side of the runway and clipped it's left wing on the berm.  He stomped on the right rudder and ALMOST got it back up on the runway.  Would have too except for the log in the way.  Stood that old DHC-2 on it's nose.  We rushed over, but everybody was alright.  Was a while before we got our ride out though   If memory serves they swapped the prop out and brought it in to anchorage under reduced power.  They ended up replacing a wingtip, spar, landing gear leg, prop and rebuilding the engine.  522 was due for an overall and upgrade anyhow

The second was at a CAP Picnic on Kenai Lake.  A instructor (CAP member) was teaching a guy in a rented Citabria on Floats how to do a step turn right in front of the picnic (re: showing off).  He told the guy to "get on the throttle" and the guy got OFF the throttle--he didn't make the turn and the Citabria went right between two trees.  I was first on the scene, but again the guys were OK and already out of the aircraft--through the top plexi as the door was wedged against the trees.  The plane belonged to Alaska Flying Network (where I learned to fly years later) which was then owned by Dean Eicholtz (the pilot that gave me my checkride years later ).  At a saftey meeting not too many years ago Dean was speaking and was talking about good decision making.  He mentioned that particular accident and said "And the CAP got a save without having to put down their coffee cups!"

Yep, CAP is a good outfit and a lot of fun.  I'd love to get back in to it.

[Baradium]

I was in the Scouts and didn't have any extra time for the CAP, but I've thought about it now that I'm up here... going to give myself time to get settled a little bit first though (I'll have a lot more time when i'm not traveling every time I have a  break).

Regarding the step taxiing accident, an unfortunate thing about terminology.  Might've been Everts (but might not've been) that lost a DC-6 on an approach.  Flying pilot shouted "takeoff power!" and the other took off the power.  That's exactly what happened with the step taxiing.  The guy wasn't familiar with step taxiing and thought "get on the throttle" meant he wasn't paying enough attention and had too much throttle in.  It's one of the reasons for standard callouts, reduces the chances of mistakes there.

Anyway, enough of my dragging this thread off topic.   Kudos to everyone that's been involved.  I've known a few folks that were involved and they all seemed to have a good time.

[chuckar101]

Yeah I would definately reccomend you guys get involved.  I personally prefer the cadet program because I like helping the younger cadets.  That's mostly because I have more experience there, but I also see that there's more to do then in the senior side.