Hi, All!

Usually, I post about the EAA fly-ins where kids aged 8-18 can have a fantastic experience flying for free! Our next one is coming up in May and I'll definitely post with the details, but they are so popular with this group, I thought I'd share another opportunity for kids aged 12-18 to learn even more about aviation, get flight training and more free flights, learn about search and rescue and emergency services through hands-on opportunities and more!

On Thursday evening, March 31st, the Civil Air Patrol's Eagle Cadet Squadron is having a fun OPEN HOUSE!  This is the funnest way to find out about the Civil Air Patrol, which is a cadet program and an official civilian auxiliary of the USAF. This is NOT ROTC!  However, the cadets do learn military protocol, follow a chain of command, etc. just like firefighters and police, etc.  (As you can imagine, people searching on the side of a mountain for a downed aircraft or lost hiker cannot be wondering who's in charge!)  The 3 missions of CAP are: Aerospace Education, Emergency Services (particularly search and rescue), and Cadet Training.

Things Lynne (my 14yo CAP cadet did last year): Fly, CPR/First Aid Training, Flight Line Marshaling (guide aircraft on the ramp), 2 weeks of daily free flights at Glider camp, work with the portable ATC tower at last year's fly-in, overnight FTX/SARx (field training exercise/search and rescue training) in the Jemez mountains, field first aid training, go to the Spaceport and present the colors with the Honor Guard, attend the CAP Ball, teach classes on aviation for both cadets and for some public school science clubs, learn about and shoot rockets, got her mile down to under 12 minutes, became a Cadet Technical Sergeant (moving into a leadership role-these cadets learn to lead like everything else: Hands On), and much more.  Other (older teen) cadets in her squadron went to Europe with a cadet exchange program, went to D.C. on one "field trip" (another for a national class). One received his pilot's license. Lynne is taking her pilot's exam on July 15th at age 15. I could go on and on about all the opportunities CAP is offering kids and teens, but people just don't seem to be aware of all that's out there!

So we decided to do an open house! Food, fun, activities, and kids who might be interested can meet the cadets and ask questions galore! Parents can meet parents (a lot like every homeschool group you've ever seen), and everyone can see what CAP is like!  About half her squadron is homeschooled, so don't be surprised who else you meet there! There will be some fun activities, prizes, etc. and it's only 2 hours on March 31st, so don't be late and don't miss this! It's the funnest way to ever learn about CAP!

For more info, give me a call (489-288 0), drop me a message, or email me at chrislanter4@yahoo.com, or just respond to this post!  You can also find out more about CAP and Eagle Squadron at our new website, http://www.capeagles.com!