What to expect?

[Rogue]

Hi all my name is Jeff, I'm a student pilot and obviously new here! I'll admit my reasons are selfish - I want to build time and experience, so that is the basis for my question. What to expect if I join the local composite squadron. I know they have weekly meetings but what happens at those meetings? If I join how would I progress? Do I start out in the back seat with a set of binoculars and move up to the right seat working the maps and eventually get some PIC time? I realize it probably has a lot to do with how many members are in the local squadron and how many missions they are given which is what I'm trying to get a feel for here. Do ya'll fly every day? weekend? or just when there is a need? Can I join before I have my Private liscense in hand and help out? thanks for suffering my newness, I appreciate ya'lls time. Oh and the local squadron for me would be http://eglincomposite.org/visitor/eglin/  . I have read about going through the orientation program and so forth so my question is more along the lines of how long do the steps take to progress through? and what would be a safe expectation of time committment? Thank ya'll for your time, Jeff

[RiverAux]

Your best bet is to go visit the squadron and talk to them about these issues.  To address some of them:
1.  You don't need to be a pilot to join.
2.  Opportunities for funded flying will be almost non-existent until you have 175 hours of PIC time.  Once you get your license and get qualified as a CAP pilot you can basically rent the CAP plane to build time, but you will have to pay for it. 
3.  Plenty of good stuff for you to be doing until you can become a mission pilot. 

[AlphaSigOU]

It really depends on the squadron you join; the squadron I belong to in Texas Wing has a very active flying mission and flies one of the sixteen Gippsland GA-8 Airvan aircraft with the ARCHER hyperspectral imaging system. Meeting nights can vary; you may get a well-attended meeting that focuses on flying techniques and safety or a real snoozer on some obscure topic in aerospace education.

Again, the flying budget allocated by the Air Force to CAP for SAR exercises will determine how much flying is performed throughout the year. Most other flying (proficiency flying, for example) is usually paid out of the member's pocket; the rental rate may be economical, but the fuel costs ain't.

You may certainly join CAP while a student pilot, but you may not fly pilot in command on CAP aircraft until you've earned your private pilot license and been checked out by CAP stan-eval. However, you can begin your training in the back seat as a mission scanner, then later upgrading to mission observer. (I am both a qualified mission scanner and observer.) As a senior member, you cannot use CAP aircraft for initial flying training for a private certificate, but you can work on your instrument rating afterward.

Using the old, worn-out phrase 'you get out of it what you put into it', being an active member in CAP can vary in involvement. Some are quite content to attend a once-a-week meeting; others are quite active, some devoting their weekends for CAP. I'm a former cadet who got back into CAP as a senior member after a 17-year break in membership. Much of my interests now focus on flying rather than working with cadets as an adult leader.

[Rogue]

Thank ya'll that certainly clears a few things up. I'm at a point in life where I could donate my weekends and I wouldn't mind being a scanner and/or observer at all, in fact I'd love just the experience gained from being around seasoned pilots. I'm not really so much concerned with being able to rent a plane ( in fact I didn't know that you could! ) at this point, so being able to build instrument time in the future would be a definete bonus  It definetly sounds like something I could do, thanks again. I will be contacting the local composite for sure.

[JohnKachenmeister]

Thank ya'll that certainly clears a few things up. I'm at a point in life where I could donate my weekends and I wouldn't mind being a scanner and/or observer at all, in fact I'd love just the experience gained from being around seasoned pilots. I'm not really so much concerned with being able to rent a plane ( in fact I didn't know that you could! ) at this point, so being able to build instrument time in the future would be a definete bonus  It definetly sounds like something I could do, thanks again. I will be contacting the local composite for sure.

But don't try to use binoculars in the back seat too much.  That can cause airsickness!