JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
Twenty youth and senior Civil Air Patrol members from Randolph Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol, took to the skies during a recent visit to the 12 Flying Training Wing. As part of their Aerospace Education Program, the youth cadets, ranging from ages 12-17, visited the 559th Flying Training Squadron, where they learned how to take off, land and perform aerobatic maneuvers around the JBSA-Randolph pattern in T-6A Simulators.
Many of the cadets had flown in a Cessna 172 as part of the Cadet Orientation Ride program, where they sit at the controls for 45 minutes with a CAP Senior Member pilot, but only one cadet had ever flown in a T-6A simulator.
The CAP aerospace education program implements the aerospace education mission's goals and objectives. These aerospace education programs provide an understanding and appreciation of aviation and space exploration in our world. Aerospace education communicates knowledge, skills, and attitudes relating to aerospace activities and the total impact of air and space technology upon society.
During their visit, some of the cadets chose to perform flybys in downtown San Antonio. Others wanted to fly loops and aileron rolls, becoming dizzy as they spun around. Within a few minutes, the cadets went from nervous to thrilled, when the discovered how easy it was to fly the newest USAF trainer. Equipped with a modern all glass cockpit, the cadets were familiar with the instrumentation as many had already flown flight simulator games. One motivated cadet, C/MSgt Steven Clark, downloaded and flew the T-6A on his home computer X-Plane game. He stated that this was much better, of course, not just because it was in a real cockpit, but that it also had the 270 degree view in "Hi Definition".
Instructing the cadets were upgrade instructors going through Pilot Instructor Training. These pilots have already completed their qualification phase of their training and in a few more weeks, will graduate and proceed to their next assignment where they will be instructing future USAir Force pilots.
Many cadets join Civil Air Patrol for the flying opportunities, leadership development and preparation for military service. About 12 percent of each entering class at the US Air Force Academy are prior CAP cadets.
Adults, age 18 and up, can also join CAP to learn specialty skills that support CAP missions, from flying aircraft during search and rescue missions, to teaching safety courses for the cadets. One of the senior members on the visit, Lt. Col. (CAP) Leslie Jackson, a USAF retired chief master sergeant, joined to continue to wear the uniform, guide cadets and find a way to serve his community. He currently serves as the Deputy Commander for seniors at Randolph Composite Squadron, and enjoys working with them every Tuesday night.
CAP, the official Auxiliary of the USAF, was founded on 1 December 1941, and performed their first missions of flying coastal patrol during World War II, sinking two German submarines and driving the U-boats off our coasts. After the war, CAP took on a non-combatant role with three specific missions: Emergency Services, Aerospace Education, and the Cadet Program.
To learn more about Civil Air Patrol, go to
http://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/