Originally published at: Civil Air Patrol Expands Cessna Fleet with 15 New Aircraft
Aircraft to support nationwide training, rescue, and community service operations.
20 years ago i was in the civil air patrol briefly. They had aging old aircraft back then. I wasn’t in it long enough to see if they also had the glider program, but i knew right off that i wasn’t going to be a good fit for that organization. Too much beauracracy and baby sitting for my tastes. As well as the time commitment.
The CAP C-182 at my airport and many I see has peeling paint and just looks neglected. Maybe some paint would be cheaper than new airplanes.
Karrpilot: Given what he said here, I wonder why you bothered to comment.
Gee Bee: New paint doesn’t expand the aircraft fleet.
From what I have seen locally it’s a glorified flying club for guys to fly new airplanes for free. The 182 based here looks like hell, it has a glass panel so its newer. How about wiping down the airplane after collecting bugs during the flight? I bet less than 10% of the flights actually have a cadet onboard to gain aeronautical experience. 100,000 hours and how many actual real world search and rescue’s with only 200 finds? Youth Glider program has been curtailed and what sort of flight training is actually given to the cadets in the left seat and a CFI instructing? Maybe other CAP wings are more involved with the youth.
Your experience is same as mine. I was once told by a CAP employee that CAP had for years been nothing but a publicly funded flying club for “Buffalos” (Big Ugly Fat Fellows Acting Like Offices") and that the CAP glider program was set up to finally give cadets some flying experience. After all, if gliders are good enough for the AF Academy, they should be good enough for CAP. Well, the glider program is dead and we’ll see if the new Cessnas will be used for anything more than joy rides for the Buffalos.
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