Considering joining. Tell me the good, bad and ugly of the CAP

[aviator_josh]

I'm a retired firefighter/paramedic with a long history of service that is looking to give back to the community. I'm a private pilot/instrument student and also a light sport CFI. When I was a teen, I was a cadet in my local squadron with high hopes of going to the naval academy. Instead I fell in love with helping people (which I first realized from the CAP) and became a firefighter instead.  I was in an accident that left me with a significant back injury so unfortunately doing ground SAR is out of the question.  My strong suit now is flying so I'd like to contribute somehow with that. So here are my questions.  How does it work flying for the CAP. Do you get checked out and then you can "rent" the plane to train in?  I've heard it's terribly bureaucratic and that drives many people away.  How difficult is it to be able to fly?  I'm not only interested in SAR, I'd love to do intro flights for cadets or whatever missions there are.  I feel like I've come full circle and am back to my first passion of flying. The Civil Air Patrol was the catalyst to get me in emergency services, and I'd like to return and give back.  Tell me some good and bad stuff about CAP. 

[mdickinson]

Seems like CAP flying would be good for you because

• You can give flights to cadets (orientation rides). Even though you don't have a CFI-A, you can use your CFI teaching skills to give the cadets basic intro to flying (turns, climbs, instruments, weather, etc.)
• You get to train with others at SAREXs a few times a year on SAR. You would start out by training as a Scanner (the guy who sits in the back seat of the aircraft) then once you had a bunch of online courses and a radio class under your belt, could move up to SAR/DR Mission Pilot Trainee, assuming you have >175 hours PIC. Flying as a SAR/DR Mission Pilot is very rewarding - not only because you get to practice SAR skills, but because you get to train all the new Scanners and Observers.
• Once you have gotten some experience as a SAR/DR Pilot, you would probably be asked to train into mission base positions such as Air Ops Branch Director and Ground Branch Director, and perhaps later Planning Section Chief. Each one of these "mission ratings" is a learning experience and a different type of challenge.
• Once you have taken a checkride with a CAP check pilot, you are awarded your CAP Pilot Wings and you can then rent the airplane just about any time you want for proficiency flying. (There are several limitations to CAP proficiency flying, compared to renting from your local FBO. These include rules such as: you can't take any non-CAP member flying; you have to wear some sort of CAP uniform whenever you fly; you can't take the plane away overnight; you can't use the plane to conduct personal business; etc. But if you want to go up and do airwork, practice landings, make a cross country flight with a CAP buddy, etc. then it is a great deal.)
  

Possible hurdles you might encounter could include

• Getting qualified to fly SAR can take quite a while. How long varies hugely from place to place, between 4 months and 2 years. It depends on several local variables, including availability of qualified instructors; how much time your local instructors have to teach you during (or outside of) squadron meetings; how often your wing holds SAREXs; how many other people are attending those SAREXs to get scanner training, etc.)
  -> One way to turbocharge your progress toward SAR/DR Mission Pilot would be to attend a week or two of Mission Aircrew School in Indiana this summer. (For info, go to http://nesa.cap.gov/ and click on "MAS". I've attended twice; it's a very good school, tons of learning in a short time, well worth the cost.)
• You might encounter people with an attitude of "well, hold on there, you can't just jump right into scanner training... slow down, we're going to have to get to know you first and decide if we like you..."   But then again, you might encounter people who, when you describe your background as a firefighter, pilot, and light sport CFI, say "wow, great, let's get you involved right away!" It's just the luck of where you live and who's running things there.
• You might encounter a lack of training availability. For instance to move from Scanner to Mission Pilot Trainee, you need a radio communications class in how to use the CAP VHF-FM Radio. (surprisingly to pilots, several procedures on the CAP radio are markedly different from the VHF-AM radio we are accustomed to using to speak to ATC.) If you happen to live in an area where there isn't someone qualified to teach this class, it could be something you have to wait for, or travel for. Hopefully your area has folks who offer this class every few months so it won't hold you back.

There are paperwork requirements, signatures you have to get, online tests you have to take - but provided you are getting good advice from someone knowledgeable about the process, and have an informal mentor who wants to see you progress and will coach you on what steps to work on next, I think you will find the minor hassles well worth it, especially given how rewarding it is flying cadets and flying SAR training.

[aviator_josh]

VERY informative! Thanks for the response!

[Flying Pig]

Great response above.  You probably already have, but search through the other discussions.  this question is asked often, and for the most part it's the same answers.   Great info hidden in many of those previous discussions.