Aviation
The Civil Air Patrol was created in 1941 by a
group of concerned pilots, at a time when the U.S.
Air Force did not exist. Both the U.S. Army and U.S.
Navy each had an air branch, which was quickly being
brought up to the level already achieved by the
major European nations, in expectation of America's
involvement in WW II. However, the services lacked
sufficient aircraft to guard America's vast
frontiers, and this surveillance job was undertaken
by the Civil Air Patrol.
After WW II had ended, the U.S. Air Force was
created, and, recognizing its value through
demonstrated past action, the Civil Air Patrol was
designated "The Air Force Auxiliary." Today, still
preserving our direct ties with the U.S. Air Force,
CAP falls under the Department of Homeland Security.
It is then not surprising that there is ample
room for pilots in the Civil Air Patrol. If you hold
a valid U.S. pilot's license and medical
certificate, you will find in CAP a place where your
contribution can truly make a difference. Aviation
specialty tracks cover the obvious CAP Pilot,
Mission Pilot, and Transport Pilot, as well as the
highly valuable skills of Scanner, Observer, Air
Crew, and other aviation-related work.
The Civil Air Patrol has the largest fleet of
private aviation in the world, and that is not
counting the many pilots who own their own aircraft
and are willing to fly them when an emergency
requires it. The cost of flying privately-owned
aircraft is covered whenever they are authorized to
fly under the umbrella of a mission number.
Some aviation specialties require that the member
pass a background investigation, since some CAP work
is sensitive in nature and, should the gathered
information fall into the wrong hands, it could
result in compromised National security.
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