Civil Air Patrol: History, Missions, and Cadet Programs

Introduction: The Civil Air Patrol's Core Mission

The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) has performed remarkably well in the United States, particularly given that it is an all-volunteer organization made up of pilots and other young citizens who care enough about their country to invest their time in a worthy cause. The CAP served a valuable purpose in World War II, has assisted in thousands of search-and-rescue missions, and most recently played a significant role in rescue and support operations when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. The CAP was subsequently placed under the Department of Homeland Security and continues not only to provide valuable services, but also to help train young people to be leaders in aerospace and Air Force-related activities.

The mission of the Civil Air Patrol is broken down into three functions: "emergency services, aerospace education, and cadet training," according to the U.S. Air Force Fact Sheet titled "Civil Air Patrol."

Hurricane Katrina and Rita Relief Operations

If there were ever proof that the CAP provides a vital service to America, it was delivered during the disastrous Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast in 2005. The volunteers of the CAP "sprung into action" during that terrible catastrophe and provided relief assistance "wherever possible," according to a story in Air Force Print News (AFPN), September 20, 2006.

The first thing the CAP did was establish a "round-the-clock command post" in order to coordinate flight crews and search-and-rescue teams. There were requests from local, state, and federal authorities for the CAP to provide "aerial reconnaissance and rescue." In Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, 1,734 members of the CAP were on hand to "prep and deploy aircraft, communications equipment and supplies," according to the AFPN article titled "Civil Air Patrol Honored for Hurricane Relief Contributions."

CAP volunteers — from as far away as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — rushed to the command post and used their "intensive training to quickly provide digital photos of the damage." The imagery they provided helped in the safe recovery of storm victims. In some cases, volunteers flying over the devastated areas were witnessing the catastrophe's effect on their own homes.

The CAP's contribution was not limited to aerial support. Volunteer CAP teams went "door-to-door through demolished neighborhoods to find trapped victims," the AFPN report explained. When the initial search-and-recovery efforts were complete, CAP volunteers had surveyed 4,266 homes and made 8,524 contacts with people affected by the hurricane. Volunteers had flown 1,848 hours over the affected area and contributed more than 35,495 hours of hands-on assistance to the overall effort.

For their service, CAP members received the prestigious Summit Award for their efforts during both Katrina and Rita. The Summit Award is sponsored by the American Society of Association Executives and the Center for Association Leadership's Associations Advance America Committee.

A separate AFPN article titled "CAP Proves Worth During Katrina Relief" (Duff, 2006) credits the efforts of CAP members from 17 states for the work done after the storm. "Volunteer aircrew members from all corners of the country, leaving behind their families, careers, and even paychecks, flew more than 2,000 hours of flight time" in support of aerial missions, Tech Sgt. Phyllis Duff wrote.

The CAP has been serving in non-combat programs and missions in support of the Air Force for 65 years, Duff reports. The work performed during Katrina was "the first operational use of CAP by joint and Air Force commanders" under new guidelines for the deployment of the Civil Air Patrol. Those new strategies meant that, for the first time in CAP's history, its units were fully integrated into the joint task force structure during "a real-world contingency, serving as a vital component of both JTF-Katrina and JTF-Rita," according to James Tynan, public affairs manager at CAP national headquarters, as quoted by Duff.

The CAP operates the "largest Cessna fleet in the world," the article notes, with the vast majority of aircraft being Cessna 172s or 182s. More than 200 volunteers from 17 "wings" — the term for a CAP unit — pitched in and went house to house delivering food, water, and medical supplies to devastated families along the Gulf Coast.

Following the CAP's successful support effort during Katrina, the Department of Defense (DOD) asked the CAP to join the rescue and support effort for Hurricane Rita, which struck south Texas. In response, the CAP provided nine aircraft for DOD use in transportation and aerial imagery missions. After Rita made landfall and passed through the Houston area, the CAP provided 150 air missions with more than 350 hours of flight time in support of the broader relief effort.

Lt. General Carrol H. Chandler, the deputy chief of staff for air, space, and information operations in Washington, D.C., said the "Air Force auxiliary continues to stand above the rest in its dedication and compassion for others." He added, "We fly and fight as a team, and in this case, the fight at hand was to save lives."

Drug Interdiction, Search and Rescue, and Everyday Missions

CAP members fly "more than 95% of the inland search-and-rescue missions" that are managed overall by the Air Force Rescue and Coordination Center at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. In 2005 alone, the CAP flew more than 3,000 search-and-rescue missions and "was credited with saving 73 lives," according to the Air Force Fact Sheet.

The CAP also works alongside the U.S. Customs Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Forest Service in the fight against illegal drugs. In 2005, CAP volunteers flew "more than 12,000 hours in support of the nation's war on drugs," and those efforts resulted in more than $400 million worth of illegal drugs being confiscated.

Volunteer members of the CAP do not carry firearms, do not make arrests, and do not pursue suspected drug traffickers — activities for which they are not trained. Their role is aerial surveillance and support, which has proven highly effective in coordinating with law enforcement agencies on the ground.

The CAP planes — even older Cessna 172s and 182s — can take digital photographs and transmit them via VHF to a receiver on the ground, where they appear on a video monitor. Some of the first aerial photographs of the World Trade Center following the September 11, 2001 attacks were taken by CAP aircraft.

Works Cited

About.com. (2005). Air Force Fact Sheets: Civil Air Patrol. Retrieved 2 Dec. 2006, from

Air Force Print News Today. (2005). Air Force Search and Rescue Crews Combing Coast, Civil Air Patrol Assessing Damage. Retrieved 2 Dec. 2006, from http://www.af.mil/pressreleases/story_print.asp?storyID=123011923.

Air Force Print News Today. (2006). Civil Air Patrol honored for hurricane relief contributions. Retrieved 2 Dec. 2006, from http://www.af.mil/news/story_print.asp?storyID=123027420.

Duff, Phyllis. (2006). CAP proves worth during Katrina relief. Air Force Link. Retrieved 2 Dec. 2006, from http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123026197.

Jacobellis, Nick. (2003). Flying Minutemen of the Civil Air Patrol. World War II, 17(7), 62–66.

Phillips, Edward H. (2005). New wings for CAP. Aviation Week & Space Technology, 163(11).