Flying For the Civil Air Patrol

[A.Member]

1.  You must wear a uniform
2.  Only CAP members are allowed to fly in the aircraft (ie. no joy rides for friends and family)
3.  Aircraft must remain within state unless explicitly authorized

A CAP cadet pilot may not carry another cadet in the aircraft as a crew member or passenger.

Agreed.  I was simply illustrating the point that use of the aircraft is much more restrictive than a simple FBO rental.

[bosshawk]

Young man: you must have a very vivid imagination.  Your original post had 100-110 total time, now it is 45.  You claim to be half way to your instrument rating.  Your original post stated that you had 25 hours of mountain time, now it is 7ish().  Why don't you get your PPL and then come talk to us, along with a membership as a senior.  Since you say that you are only 16, that will take another two years.  Perhaps, by then you will have enough flying time to be serious about being a CAP pilot.  In the meantime, keep flying and try not to inflate your qualifications.

[C172N]

Young man: you must have a very vivid imagination.  Your original post had 100-110 total time, now it is 45.  You claim to be half way to your instrument rating.  Your original post stated that you had 25 hours of mountain time, now it is 7ish().  Why don't you get your PPL and then come talk to us, along with a membership as a senior.  Since you say that you are only 16, that will take another two years.  Perhaps, by then you will have enough flying time to be serious about being a CAP pilot.  In the meantime, keep flying and try not to inflate your qualifications.

Actually no, I said when I turn 17 those (100-110 TT, 25 Mountain PIC w/Instrument rating etc) will be my qualifications. And how do I know that? As I stated before I have 45 hours TT 7 hours PIC mountain. My PPL requirements are done and I'm half way through my Instrument requirements.

[C172N]

And I also stated under my last post "So yeah, I believe my estimates (for my "future qualifications")are correct and I just started flying in May"

[Eclipse]

Beating you up here isn't going to welcome you into the fold, but the fact of the matter is that you did not present your qualifications in your
original post as "estimates".

Your only option today is to join as a cadet and experience the rich opportunities that provides, including many that are directly flight related.

With the hours and experience you already have, you could probably attend one of the flight academies and solo that week for 1/3 of what it would cost you to do it on the street, while at the same time being immersed in our leadership and aerospace curriculum and programs.

[C172N]

Ok, so let's get off this hour/experience non-sense.

What are some of the things CAP offers...Is it like Boy Scouts of America?

Does everyone there share a passion of flying?...I would join RIGHT away, but the nearest facility is a hour away from me and it would be hard to make the meetings until I get my drivers license in November. I think I will however fly to the airport and visit to talk to some members/commanders. 

[Eclipse]

NHQ's site has a lot of information: http://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/html/index.htm but much of CAP is local, meaning
different things are stressed in different units.

Your best best is to have a discussion with a local Squadron CC.  Give him a call and discuss membership.

[Short Field]

Ok, so let's get off this hour/experience non-sense.

It is hard to take you seriously when we don't know what you post is truth and what is imagination.  A big word of advice:  When you talk to the Squadron Commander of the unit you plan to join, don't BS him.

[Flying Pig]

....and your squadron commander is probably not going to be real interested in you being a student pilot.  Telling everyone what you "project" your time to be is of no use to anyone.  Its a waste of time really.  There are MANY student pilots who are cadets in CAP.  You will be one of them.  You wont be "applying" to be a CAP pilot anywhere.  You will be joining as a cadet, like every other cadet and you happen to have  a student pilot license.
Obviously I dont know you, but I dont think CAP is going to be the avenue you are looking for to start racking up massive amounts of cheap hours.  But good luck.

CAP offers many things.  But individual wings and squadrons can vary dramatically.  Find your local unit and talk to the command staff.  They will be better geared to assist you with what you need.

[SABRE17]

honestly, when i joined, i was drawn in by the chance to fly, im 17 now and have more hours with my local CFI (2.7) then i do with a CAP CFI (0). there have been 2 fly days at my unit in as many years of me being there. and for a unit with out an aircraft i understand. fortunately NER command is moving to my base ( Coast Guard Station Cape Cod) so hopefully ill get a chance to fly the GA-8 or a 182 more.

fact of the matter is being a pilot in CAP is tough you really have to keep more qualifications up to date then a private pilot. when the 102nd fighter wing left there were f-15 pilots that wanted to join, then saw the amount of paperwork and check rides they needed and mysteriously got jobs with airlines and never came back to meetings.

my advice to you is join as a cadet and get some ground qualifications and your mission radio operator and other radio quals you'll be very good off when you get to be a mission pilot or even scanner. it helps the mission a lot when you have a ground team member that can read sectionals and know a little bit about how an air crew works. the inverse is the same, having ground quals makes being a scanner or observer or even pilot a little easier. 

if you want to really help your unit spread your knowledge of flight and maybe inspire some cadets to do more flying and maybe your unit will get to do more flying.

[SJFedor]

honestly, when i joined, i was drawn in by the chance to fly, im 17 now and have more hours with my local CFI (2.7) then i do with a CAP CFI (0). there have been 2 fly days at my unit in as many years of me being there. and for a unit with out an aircraft i understand. fortunately NER command is moving to my base ( Coast Guard Station Cape Cod) so hopefully ill get a chance to fly the GA-8 or a 182 more.

fact of the matter is being a pilot in CAP is tough you really have to keep more qualifications up to date then a private pilot. when the 102nd fighter wing left there were f-15 pilots that wanted to join, then saw the amount of paperwork and check rides they needed and mysteriously got jobs with airlines and never came back to meetings.

my advice to you is join as a cadet and get some ground qualifications and your mission radio operator and other radio quals you'll be very good off when you get to be a mission pilot or even scanner. it helps the mission a lot when you have a ground team member that can read sectionals and know a little bit about how an air crew works. the inverse is the same, having ground quals makes being a scanner or observer or even pilot a little easier. 

if you want to really help your unit spread your knowledge of flight and maybe inspire some cadets to do more flying and maybe your unit will get to do more flying.

I wouldn't hope to get anything other than an o-flight or two in a GA-8. We don't use them for dual, especially for cadets. Stuff on board is too expensive, that's why there's a minimum 300hr requirement for PIC.

[simon]

C172N, all your postings say to me that you want to be an airline pilot and use CAP to build time. So don't placate people here with the "Serve my Country" polama. People here on the forum, CAP members, who've been around the block, are giving you the benefit of the doubt and being nice. I'm not buying it for one second.

So let's call a spade a spade.

Flying is expensive. Really expensive. But you already know that. Getting to the stage where you can even be eligible for the airlines depends on how you do it. I have friends that have recently retired from the airlines, those that have made it in, those that are in process and some younger folks who dream of flying for a living. Everybody except the latter category will tell you that there are no easy options to the first leg-up-and-in. Most guys sit around flight schools drinking coffee and waiting for walk-in's. You want to go faster and cheaper. I have no problem with the desire. Except that if it was easy, everyone would do it.

The fact is, due to age, you won't be flying solo in a CAP plane for two years. Once you get there, pilots are only allowed four hours self-funded proficiency per month. So that isn't going to fast track you to the 500, 1000 or whatever hours you need to get an interview with Pinnacle, Pacific West or whatever regional you can get into. As for funded missions, you would need additional training and review (Don't underestimate this - it is not just paying a CFI to pass you) which takes about another year after you join. Even then, funded missions only happen a couple of times a month and you would be competing with far more experienced crews for the missions.

CAP has never been a way to build time. It is almost engineered, by accident or procedure, to be that way. Otherwise, as I said, everybody would do it.

[SJFedor]

And here's my question...how do you have mountain PIC time already? Your instructor is seriously sending you solo in the mountains? 

[Flying Pig]

From C172N
Well...

I have 45 hours TT now. 7ish of that is Mountain PIC time. I'm half way through my Instrument rating and I have 4 hour dual multi engine in a 310.

So yeah, I believe my estimates are correct and I just started flying in May.

The 25hrs was another projection on his part.  C172N, Attend a CAP Mountain Flying Course in Palm Springs, CA in August and I guarantee you will erase the 7hours out of your log book that you THOUGHT was mountain time!

But you need to be an experienced Mission Pilot with the recommendation of your Sq. Commander and be accepted by the school.

I wish you the best.  I would still recommend you join CAP, shine as a cadet and see what happens.  It wont hurt you by any means.  Most of us who have been there done that just know the reality of what your looking for.

[RiverAux]

The truth is that CAP is not a place that you're going to seriously build time even if you held every pilot qualification in the book and were independently wealthy and didn't need a job and could fly all day long.  While there are opportunities for funded flying they are not going to be that great.  On average, most CAP airplanes are flown only about 15-20 hours a month in total.  In my wing a pilot probably spends 2-3 times as much time on other CAP activities as they spend in the air on funded missions, so if they're lucky they might get 2-3 funded hours a month in a good month. 

[simon]

Right on the money, RiverAux.

[Flying Pig]

I think we are talking to ourselves.   Kid hasnt been back in 3 days.

[bosshawk]

We could always roll it over into a uniform thread.

[DakRadz]

Yeah... And he says it'd be hard to drive to the facility before he gets his license, but he can fly there? Sounds like he's trying to impress. Details, little and large, just aren't adding up...

Check yourself for GSW, this seems to have been a prolonged drive-by.


So what are appropriate times to wear the flight suit? And what should you achieve before wearing?

[SarDragon]

So what are appropriate times to wear the flight suit? And what should you achieve before wearing?

A. When flying.

B. Trainee status as an MS.