Can we talk Civil Air Patrol

[johnandtinagilbert]

My son has an opportunity to join CAP. We were planning on ROTC in college, so I thought, why not?

 

I'd love to hear your pros and cons. How much parent involvement?

 

What should I expect?

 

Any warnings? Praises?

 

I have no clue about it (as you can see by my ??), can we chat?

[Grace is Sufficient]

It has been a fantastic learning, maturing, and character-building experience for my now 17 year old son.

 

As far as parental involvement, in our squadron very little, if any, is actually required, but it seems reasonable to give back a little to these people who have given so much to my son and the other young people involved.

 

I can say that different squadrons have very different 'personalities' but frankly, ours isn't one of the best in some ways, and it's still been great.

 

Debbie

[1bassoon]

I have friends in CT who are very involved. . . . it's not quite as big in AL, I think b/c there are very good Boy Scout troops here.

 

Fun Fact: my paternal grandfather was one of the founders of CAP in Indiana ;)

[johnandtinagilbert]

I have friends in CT who are very involved. . . . it's not quite as big in AL, I think b/c there are very good Boy Scout troops here.

 

Fun Fact: my paternal grandfather was one of the founders of CAP in Indiana ;)

That is a fun fact. Do you think BSA and CAP would be too much?

[Jean in Wisc]

Squadrons vary, but the cadet protection program is in place with lots of good rules to keep the children safe. Their #1 rule is safety first--and they mean it.

 

That said, I could not have given my son what he has gotten through CAP. He has flown planes, become a cadet commander and learned leadership skills beyond my imagining. He works to be able to pay for summer encampments--just got back from working the experimental air show in Oshkosh, WI, for 2 weeks, earning his Blue Beret, where he was allowed to marshall 5 jets along with numerous other activities. He has grown, matured, and gained poise. He is qualified to go out on search and rescue calls--he received the same training as the adults--no watering down the requirements for the kids. I am SO PROUD of this child!!!!

 

So....when I dropped my son off each week, the squadron commander asked if I'd help with the testing and paperwork of the squadron. Asked and asked and asked...and I finally said O.K.

 

So now I'm a 2nd Lieutenant in the CAP doing admin and personnel and training for search and rescue/emergency services. It's been a wonderful mother/son activity.

 

It isn't for everyone, but it certainly is a wonderful program!

 

Jean

[Guest Barb B]

All positive here. Colleges also look highly if your child earns the Billy Mitchell Award (some say they like it better the the eagle scout). My son has used his civil air patrol experience in 2 of his college essays so far! It has been amazing for maturity, confidence, skills . . . !

 

Barb

[JenneinCA]

Can I ask a few questions too?

 

My daughter is turning 12 in October. She has done girl scouts and is bored by it. Too much talking and not enough doing. She is interested in airplanes and thinks Civil Air Patrol might be a good idea.

 

Can you tell me if GIRLS are welcomed in Civil Air Patrol? Is there anything I should know before going ahead with with this?

 

Thank you.

[In The Great White North]

Do you think BSA and CAP would be too much?

 

Ds did both. And swam on the club and high school teams. CAP only took one evening a week and the occasional Saturday. DS did not spend time studying the stuff til after he earned Mitchell. Apparently the officer tests are harder. After he became Cadet Squadron Commander, he did spend time online planning meetings and events. BSA was similar. Both have week-long opportunities in the summer.

 

Girls are allowed in CAP, but our squadron only has two.

[johnandtinagilbert]

Can I ask a few questions too?

 

My daughter is turning 12 in October. She has done girl scouts and is bored by it. Too much talking and not enough doing. She is interested in airplanes and thinks Civil Air Patrol might be a good idea.

 

Can you tell me if GIRLS are welcomed in Civil Air Patrol? Is there anything I should know before going ahead with with this?

 

Thank you.

I can tell you they're allowed. I don't know anything else! :lurk5: They're also allowed in Venture Scouts, fwiw. :lurk5:

[Jean in Wisc]

Can I ask a few questions too?

 

My daughter is turning 12 in October. She has done girl scouts and is bored by it. Too much talking and not enough doing. She is interested in airplanes and thinks Civil Air Patrol might be a good idea.

 

Can you tell me if GIRLS are welcomed in Civil Air Patrol? Is there anything I should know before going ahead with with this?

 

Thank you.

 

Girls are definitely welcome. It costs something (>$40 for dues each year if I remember right). You do need to buy a uniform--the squadron might have some freebies, but maybe not--camo BDU (battle dress uniform), black t-shirt, black socks, black boots, cap. Second hand is fine if you can find it. If she stays in it and promotes, she'll get a Blues uniform for free. I have heard that some squadrons get expensive because they charge for things they do. All I know is that ours is concerned with those who cannot afford it, and we try to keep all costs very low or nothing at all.

 

We are working on getting emergency packs for our squadron so that the cadets who want to qualify for emergency services don't have to buy it all themselves. This gets more expensive if they do--a good backpack with water, food, 1st aid materials, paracord, light sticks, compass, mirror, rain poncho....goes on and on. Usually they don't need this right away, and it depends on whether the cadet wants to train for this or not.

 

Cadets get to fly free 4 times before they turn 18 if the squadron can arrange it--ours includes the plane and the glider each time. They take tests in leadership and aerospace, test for physical training, and attend moral leadership classes in order to promote in rank--my son is a cadet 2nd lieutenant and hopes to be a cadet colonel before he turns 21. He's aiming for the Spaatz Award. :) A percentage of cadets make it into air force academy.

 

Attend as many weeks as you'd like to watch and participate in the activities. Go with her and watch what they do. Ask questions. If you like it, give it a try. :)

[Quiver0f10]

My kids have been involved in CAP for a few years and it has been good for our family. We haven't had any bad experiences and I feel CAP has helped build confidence and independence in my kids.

[swimmermom3]

Squadrons vary, but the cadet protection program is in place with lots of good rules to keep the children safe. Their #1 rule is safety first--and they mean it.

 

That said, I could not have given my son what he has gotten through CAP. He has flown planes, become a cadet commander and learned leadership skills beyond my imagining. He works to be able to pay for summer encampments--just got back from working the experimental air show in Oshkosh, WI, for 2 weeks, earning his Blue Beret, where he was allowed to marshall 5 jets along with numerous other activities. He has grown, matured, and gained poise. He is qualified to go out on search and rescue calls--he received the same training as the adults--no watering down the requirements for the kids. I am SO PROUD of this child!!!!

 

So....when I dropped my son off each week, the squadron commander asked if I'd help with the testing and paperwork of the squadron. Asked and asked and asked...and I finally said O.K.

 

So now I'm a 2nd Lieutenant in the CAP doing admin and personnel and training for search and rescue/emergency services. It's been a wonderful mother/son activity.

 

It isn't for everyone, but it certainly is a wonderful program!

 

Jean

 

How valuable is the CAP experience? We are definitely not a military family so when my son decided to join CAP, I was very uncomfortable with the idea. Fast-forward two years later and I will tell you that it is one of the best parenting decisions we have made ranking right up there with home schooling and swimming. My fast-moving, volatile, excitable, and often irresponsible boy has grown and matured in ways we never expected. Participating in Color Guard pushed him to new levels of self-discipline and effort. Like Jean said, my son has been able to participate in experiences we would never have been able to give him on our own. His goal is to be a pilot in the Air Force or in the Coast Guard. Squadron mates have been accepted to the Air Force Academy and West Point.

 

Can I ask a few questions too?

 

My daughter is turning 12 in October. She has done girl scouts and is bored by it. Too much talking and not enough doing. She is interested in airplanes and thinks Civil Air Patrol might be a good idea.

 

Can you tell me if GIRLS are welcomed in Civil Air Patrol? Is there anything I should know before going ahead with with this?

 

Thank you.

 

It was a neighbor girl who talked my son into joining CAP. She is a senior in high school now and is the highest ranking officer among the cadets. Both of our top-ranked females do not intend to have military careers but are serious academics who wanted leadership positions for their transcripts. Our neighbor says that sexism in our particular squadron is virtually non-existent.

 

FYI, our total costs for CAP last year were around $300. This included dues, uniform parts, encampment, activities, and travel. It's a tremendous value for your money.

[Gwen in VA]

I can't say enough good about CAP.

 

Ds1 joined the moment he was old enough. He earned his Spaatz, the highest CAP award. As cadet commander, as a Blue Beret at the Osh Kosh Airshow, as communications officer at numerous encampments, as a junior high kid attending leadership trip, as a high school junior attending the Washington, D.C. program, my son has grown and grown though CAP. He soloed through CAP (no cost for us) and won a scholarship that would have paid for his pilot's license, though due to complications he couldn't take advantage of it. Maturity, leadership, community.....

 

Ds2 joined the moment he could. He will take his Spaatz exam in a few weeks. He has been less involved than ds1, but he still has had amazing leadership experiences -- as cadet commander he literally ran the meetings for over a year! Like his older brother, he soloed through CAP and has attended numerous leadership activities.

 

CAP has been one of the defining experiences for both my boys' teen years. I can't say enough good about it.

 

Adult involvement -- my husband has ended up being the head of the cadet program for the past five years. He hasn't been crazy about the time involvement, but he has appreciated what CAP has done for our boys. Most parents do very little to help with the program.

 

Girls -- dd2 joined CAP for two years. She loved it and left only because she ran out of hours in her day.

[Rhea]

Like his older brother, he soloed through CAP

 

What does it mean to solo through?

 

Is this something it's important to start in middle school, or could an older student join?

 

Last year after my daughter got her ETT certification one of the adults told me dd might like CAP. I completely forgot about it until I saw this thread.

 

Thank you! :)

[Gwen in VA]

Soloing -- fliying an airplane alone, with no one else physically in the airplane.

 

Neither of my boys ended up getting their private pilot's license (and one even had a CAP scholarship that paid the expenses.....) but they both were able to get about 12 hours of flight training plus a mini-ground school so they could solo in an airplane. All the expenses for this adventure were paid for by CAP.

 

A kid can join CAP early or late. A motivated kid who can make the promotions with the minimum time-in-grade (which is doable) can go from entering the CAP program to earning his/her Spaatz in something like three years. My older son earned his Spaatz in slightly under four years.

 

The moment a cadet earns his/her Mitchell he can have major leadership roles, and earning a Mitchell can be done in something like 18 - 24 months.

Edited August 6, 2010 by Gwen in VA

[In The Great White North]

DS soloed through CAP before he got his driver's license (why ride when you can fly?) and is now at the Air Force Academy. He wants to be a pilot too.

[Cinder]

Can you tell me if GIRLS are welcomed in Civil Air Patrol? Is there anything I should know before going ahead with with this?

 

Thank you.

 

YES! But I do know a woman whose dd's were interested so they visited their local squadron. They were told in no uncertain terms that girls were not welcome in their unit. This woman knew she could have reported this and made them allow her dd's to attend but she did not want to have anything to do with those people and did not want her dd's in a hostile environment.

 

 

Cinder

[JenneinCA]

Thank you for the information. I will send email to the local squadrons when her birthday gets closer. I assume we would need to wait until after her birthday to go check them out? Or is their a recruitment time that would make more sense to go check them out during?

 

Her birthday is in October if that makes a difference.

[Jean in Wisc]

Thank you for the information. I will send email to the local squadrons when her birthday gets closer. I assume we would need to wait until after her birthday to go check them out? Or is their a recruitment time that would make more sense to go check them out during?

 

Her birthday is in October if that makes a difference.

 

We have several 11yos visit us...

[johnandtinagilbert]

Thank you all so much. :lurk5:

[JenneinCA]

Thank you. Maybe I will send those emails sooner rather than later! Thank you for all your help.

[Gwen in VA]

But I do know a woman whose dd's were interested so they visited their local squadron. They were told in no uncertain terms that girls were not welcome in their unit. This woman knew she could have reported this and made them allow her dd's to attend but she did not want to have anything to do with those people and did not want her dd's in a hostile environment.

 

That is strictly in violation of CAP rules. If word of this leaks out, there WILL be serious restructuring of that squadron.

 

I understand why the woman wouldn't want her dd to be in an unfriendly environment, but I think she should have spoken up so steps could be taken to make the squadron compliant with national rules and so other girls in that area can enjoy the CAP experience.

[LoriM]

I'm glad to see you've gotten nothing but praise for CAP. DH was asked to speak at the CAP encampment in VA a couple of years ago before he retired, and I went with him to Ft. Pickett for the event. It's an outstanding program, and as a former Chief of Recruiting for USAF ROTC, he is a huge fan. It demystifies aviation for a lot of young people who might not have aviation opportunities without CAP, and it definitely is a leading contender for USAF recruits-in-training. :)

 

I wish I'd been in CAP during high school (although how I'd have squeezed it in, I have no idea!). I think it's a great activity, and has taken up the slack where the Girl Scouts have fallen into political correctness. Leadership, responsibility, opportunity to serve...many, many kudos to CAP here in our house!

[Heather in WI]

I'm researching Civil Air Patrol (again!) for my oldest son and found this thread helpful. Thank you!

 

We have a very busy summer ahead of us and the plan is to contact the squadron nearest to us in August.

[CyndiLJ]

Our son has been a member of CAP for a year and a half now, and I can only second the comments here. We tried Scouts when he was younger, but he has always been interested in the military and aviation, so this was the perfect fit for him as he was uninterested in camping and those sorts of activities. He has thrived in CAP, we have not participated as parents at all, and find it nice that as homeschoolers we can have our son in something with strong adult leadership that is NOT directed by mom and dad :-) He plans on going all the way to Spaatz as well. Our son is more the quiet type, but this has put him in situations to practice public speaking, approaching people, etc. that were perfect to help him develop and mature. We honestly saw a difference in about 3 months of participation, even in the way he carried himself. I wish we could find an equivalent for our other coulds, who have no interest at all in anything military or camping, but would like a program that was similar but had a different focus.