Civil Air Patrol - Paine Field Squadron

Description

The Civil Air Patrol is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and occupations. The Civil Air Patrol is a congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force. We perform three congressionally assigned missions: Emergency Services, which includes search and rescue (by air and ground) and disaster relief operations; Aerospace Education for youth and the general public; and Cadet Programs for teenage youth. CAP does humanitarian missions for FEMA and the American Red Cross. As well CAP has recently been tasked with courier service missions for the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security. CAP also performs non-auxiliary missions for various governmental and private agencies, such as local law enforcement and U.S. Customs.

Membership in the organization consists of cadets ranging from 12 to just under 21 years of age, and officers from 18 years of age and up. These two groups each have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of pursuits; the cadet program contributes to the development of the former group with a structured syllabus and an organization based upon United States Air Force ranks and pay grades, while the officers serve as instructors, supervisors, and operators.