About Civil Air Patrol

Civil Air Patrol is a private, nonprofit (501c3) corporation and by Congressional charter is the official United States Air Force Auxiliary. There are eight geographical regions composed of 52 wings -- one for each state, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. Wings are divided into groups, squadrons and flights for a total of 1,900 units and more than 58,000 Cadets and Senior Members. CAP corporation and its members own and operate more that 5,000 light aircraft, the world's largest civilian fleet, and volunteers fly about 140,000 hours each year on CAP missions. The National Headquarters is located at Maxwell AFB, Alabama.

CAP was founded on December 1, 1941 by over 150,000 citizens concerned about the defense of America's coastline. Their efforts were led by writer and aviator Gill Robb Wilson, and supported by General Henry "Hap" Arnold. In 1943, CAP was assigned to the War Department under the jurisdiction of the Army Air Forces. Assisting the War Department, CAP pilots flew over one-half million hours, were credited with sinking two enemy submarines, and rescued hundreds of crash survivors during World War II. On July 1, 1946, President Truman established CAP as a federally charted benevolent civilian corporation. On May 26, 1948, Congress passed Public Law 557, which made CAP the official auxiliary of the new United States Air Force. CAP was charged by Congress with three primary missions:

Aerospace Education:
We support a variety of educational venues, in both external and internal programs. External activities such as airport open houses, air fairs and shows, general aviation safety seminars, and job fairs all receive our support. Internally, being an aviation focused organization, we have many ongoing educational programs and events.

Our Cadet Program:
This is a program for young people aged 12 to 21 years of age, designed to motivate and develop them into well-rounded future citizens and leaders. The program has four primary elements: Aerospace Education, Leadership, Physical Fitness, and Moral Leadership. There are many opportunities and benefits for cadets within the program, including orientation flights in both airplanes and gliders, academic scholarships, leadership development programs, international exchange programs, trips to military bases, and many others.

Cadets progress through 15 achievements in a 5 phase program with exciting aviation and aerospace activities occurring on local and national and international levels. Parents and educators credit the cadet program for communicating the importance of integrity, self-discipline and trust in their children's personal and professional success. It is a rewarding program that is designed to be fun and challenging.

Emergency Services:
This broad category is the work for which Civil Air Patrol is generally best known, and includes air search and rescue (nationally, we fly 85% of all inland searches); disaster relief, wherein we work with various local agencies during emergencies like fires, earthquakes, floods, etc.; and humanitarian needs.

Drug Demand Reduction
The Drug Demand Reduction Program is chartered with the responsibility to make CAP an environment that promotes and supports education, community involvement, social responsibility and respect for individuals.  The DDR Program began in 1994 to support the "Air Force Family" within 30 miles of an Air Force installation.  Since that time, the program scope has expanded to include the entire CAP organization with a special emphasis on the Cadet Program.

About Squadron 3

The Captain Jay Weinsoff Cadet Squadron 3 is a cadet squadron currently meeting at the Sepulveda Air National Guard Station, just off Victory Bulevard. We average anywhere from 10 to 15 cadet members, and about 7 senior members. Our Squadron focuses on developing young people into outstanding cadets through the cadet program. We also teach Aerospace education to our cadets, and those who are interested can earn an Emergency Services Card.

We need members to work in any or all of these areas, as well as general squadron administration, and will provide training to those members. We need adults who would enjoy working with our cadets in a variety of either leadership or administrative roles. We need people who would like to assist in either administrative or communications roles. We could use someone to maintain our web site. In other words, if you have an interest in any aspect of our program, we can use you and whatever time you might be able to contribute to your community.

And now a word from our legal officer:  "LINKS OR REFERENCES TO INDIVIDUALS OR COMPANIES DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN ENDORSEMENT OF ANY INFORMATION, PRODUCT OR SERVICE YOU MAY RECEIVE FROM SUCH SOURCES.”   CAPR 110-1