May 31, 2009: DNN Reports Alaska CAP Delivers Tons of Sled Dog Food

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On this date, the Disaster News Network reported that the Alaska Wing of the Civil Air Patrol had helped to deliver tons of sled dog food to Alaskan villages stranded by flooding and dependent upon dog sleds.

An excerpt from DNN:

The most immediate need to the villages of Eagle, Stevens Village, Circle and Tanana is approximately 8,000 pounds of dog food per week due to the large population of sled dogs in that portion of Alaska. According to officials, 10,000 pounds was delivered to these villages May, 25 by way of airplane provided by Samaritan’s Purse and the Civil Air Patrol in association with AKVOAD, the Alaska Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and private individuals.

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May 30, 1942: James Island CAP Coastal Patrol Squadron Flies First Mission

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On this date, the James Island/Charleston, South Carolina Civil Air Patrol Coastal Patrol squadron flew its first mission.

Source: Flying Minute Men

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May 29, 1999: CAP Fights for its "Independence" from the USAF

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On this date in 1999, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported that the Civil Air Patrol was "fighting for its independence" from the United States Air Force.

An excerpt:

Now the Civil Air Patrol - which has a $30 million budget and 60,000 members nationwide - is fighting for its independence against an unlikely opponent: the Air Force.

A recent audit found lax spending practices and safety procedures at Civil Air Patrol national headquarters. It prompted the Air Force to ask Congress for control of the organization.

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May 26, 1948: Congress Passes Law Making CAP USAF Auxiliary

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On this date in 1948, Congress passed Public Law 557 permanently establishing Civil Air Patrol as the auxiliary of the new U.S. Air Force.

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May 25, 1998: Massachusetts CAP Plane Crash Kills Two Crew Members

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On this date in 1998, a Civil Air Patrol Cessna 182 crashed in Massachusetts during a training flight, killing both crew members.

An excerpt from Aviation Safety Network:

The Civil Air Patrol Cessna 182 was conducting what was briefed as a 1 hour instrument proficiency flight. After 30 minutes the pilots cancelled the instrument flight rules clearance and the flight continued under visual flight rules. About 15 minutes later the airplane was observed to conduct a low approach to a private airport, and then initiated a climbing right turn. During the climb, the bank increased and the airplane descended into trees with no change in engine power.

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May 24, 1942: Red Propellers Removed from CAP Coastal Patrol Aircraft Insignia

On this date in 1942, Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters issued a memorandum ordering the removal of the now famous red propellers from Coastal Patrol aircraft to avoid confusion with enemy Japanese aircraft.

From the CAP NHQ history website:

General Memorandum-29, May 25 1942, (GM-29) with special classified addendum only for Coastal Patrol personnel and operations section. Now required the removal of the red three bladed propeller from the CAP aircraft emblem on all aircraft assigned. The official CP insignia now consisted of a blue circle with white isosceles triangle was the only authorized insignia for CAP-CP aircraft This was in keeping with the current practice of the AAF to avoid confusion with Japanese emblem. This directive and practice remained in effect till the Coastal Patrol units were disbanded in 1945.

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May 23, 1947: SD CAP to Hold First Air Races Since 1934

On this date in 1947, a South Dakota newspaper reported that the Civil Air Patrol was holding the first air races at the Sioux Falls airport since 1934 and sponsoring an air fair on May 25, 1947.

Below is an actual clipping of the article from, what I believe, is from the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.  The clipping is courtesy of Mark Hess, Lt. Col, CAP of the Georgia Wing.

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May 22, 1993: Bus with 23 CAP Cadets Overturns in California

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On this date in 1993, a military bus carrying 24 teens--23 of whom were CAP cadets--overturned on the way to an outing at Point Mugu, California.

An excerpt from the Los Angeles Times:

A bus filled with Southern California teen-agers on their way to an outing at Point Mugu overturned on a narrow, steep road near Camarillo on Saturday, injuring 17 youths and five adults, officials said.

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May 21, 2003: South Dakota CAP Locates Gyrocopter Crash Site

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On this date, the South Dakota Civil Air Patrol located the site of a fatal gyrocopter crash.

An excerpt from the SDWG and the Codington County Sheriff's Office:

At approximately 12:45 p.m., on May 21, 2003, wreckage was spotted by the Civil Air Patrol approximately 1 – 3/4 miles northeast of South Shore. The aircraft was piloted by one subject who did not survive the crash. The Codington County Sheriffs Office, Codington County Emergency Management, the Civil Air Patrol, and the National Transportation Safety Board will be conducting an investigation at the crash site, which is located in a remote, hilly, pasture region northeast of South Shore.

The private helicopter disappeared early Monday morning after it departed Sioux Falls for the Watertown/Sisseton area on a trip originating in Kansas.  The aircraft had no emergency locator transmitter on board.  CAP has been conducting an airborne and ground visual search during daylight hours, and following up leads and reports from the public, since mid-day Monday.

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May 20, 2009: Florida CAP Finds Fatal Crash Site of Parachute-Deployed Aircraft

On this date, the Florida Civil Air Patrol spotted the wreckage of a Cirrus SR20 that had crashed May 19, 2009 while on a training.  Both the pilot and student were killed.  The plane was equipped with a ballistic parachute.

An excerpt from  Velozia Air:

A Cirrus SR20 single-engine plane belonging to The Delta Connection Academy flight school crashed 15 miles northeast of Sanford, Florida (near Orlando) while on a routine training flight.  The occupants of the airplane, instructor Adi Atkinson and student Derek Fox, were killed on impact.  Even though witnesses had seen the plane crash around 2:30 pm on Tuesday, authorities didn’t reach the crash scene until after 4:00 am on Wednesday.

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May 19, 1942: Flagler Beach, Fla. CAP Coastal Patrol Flies First Mission

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On this date, the Flagler Beach (Florida) Civil Air Patrol Coastal Patrol Squadron flew its first mission.

Source: Flying Minute Men

1941-48 Civil Air Patrol History

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May 18, 1990: Virginia CAP Locates Site of Six Fatality Plane Crash

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On this date in 1990, the Virigina Civil Air Patrol assisted in locating a missing light plane that had been missing after taking off from North Carolina.  All six souls on board died in the crash.

An excerpt from the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

The bodies of the Washington area men, who left North Carolina in a Cessna 210 enroute to Winchester last Thursday, were found by a ground search team amid plane debris about two miles south of the community of Shady Grove Corner.

A 10-member Appalachian Search and Rescue Conference team had been combing the heavily wooded terrain since early yesterday when [Doug DeBoer]'s brother discovered plane debris about two miles off state Route 612. The name of DeBoer's brother was unavailable.

The search drew scores of personnel and volunteers from the Civil Air Patrol, Virginia National Guard, personnel from the Coast Guard and Quantico Marine Corps Base, as well the state police and the emergency services department. The Appalachian search conference, whose team discovered the bodies, is a Charlottesville-based group of volunteers trained in search and rescue techniques.

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May 17, 2007: Alabama CAP Finds Site of Fatal Helicopter Crash

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On this date, members of the Alabama Civil Air Patrol found the crash site of a fatal helicopter crash.

An excerpt from KTKA-TV.

Rescue crews recovered the body of John Scott, 26, of Pomona (Kansas), after a two-day search.

He was flying alone from Lakeland, Fla. to Topeka, when the helicopter crashed in a heavily forested region of north Alabama Sunday.

The helicopter went down in the Bankhead National Forest, which covers about 180,000-acres. Scott was found dead in the wreckage.

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May 16, 1909: Early Aviatrix, CAP Colonel Nancy Hopkins Born

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On this date in 1909, early aviatrix and Connecticut Wing Civil Air Patrol Colonel Nancy Hopkins was born.

An excerpt from Wikipedia:

In 1930 she entered the Women's Dixie Derby which was a 2,000 mile air race from Washington, District of Columbia to Chicago, Illinois. She flew her Viking Kitty Hawk B4 biplane, NC30V. That same year she was one of four women in the 5,000-mile Ford Reliability Air Race, and the only woman pilot.

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May 15, 1957: Ike Likes CAP, More or Less Says Racial Discrimination Bad

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On this date in 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower held a news conference and was asked about racial discrimination in the Civil Air Patrol.

An excerpt from his news conference from the American Presidency Project:

Q. Louis R. Lautier, National Negro Press Association: I have been requested to ask this question: Would you comment on the extent to which the Civil Air Patrol program is open to all the people without discrimination and, as an auxiliary of the Air Force, do you think it should seek recruits from all segments of the population?

THE PRESIDENT. Well, my contact with the Civil Air Patrol goes back to the beginning of World War II when I was Operations Officer of the War Department.

I found them a very splendid organization. They were completely a volunteer organization, but there was a law which provided that the Air Force in carrying out its missions could utilize this group which, so far as I know, was organized according to its own rules and under its own bylaws. And I think into those things the War Department, as it then was, at least, never inquired. I guess we thought it was none of our business.

Now, I do know at the present time the Air Force is allowed to give small amounts of time and, I believe, facilities to help these people in their training. Maybe to that extent you can say the Federal Government enters into this. But it is still a voluntary organization, and I think would have to determine its own rules for membership.

Now, for my part, as a personal thing, I believe that we hurt ourselves when, in military organizations, we try to discriminate among Americans in recruiting them. I believe that just as a matter of efficiency, it is better to use those that are capable of doing things strictly on merit and without such things as you were talking about.

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May 14, 1952: President Truman "Asks" the CAP for Its Help with Congress

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On this date, President Harry S. Truman addressed a Civil Air Patrol dinner put on for members of Congress and joked that he needed their help in getting some legislation passed through Capitol Hill.

An excerpt from the Truman Library: 

Now, I want to congratulate the Civil Air Patrol on the approach it is making to Congress by having this dinner. I don't know just what you want out of Congress, but I will say to you you are going at it the right way. In fact, I would like to make a deal with you. I would like to team up with you. I will help you get what you want from the Congress--although I haven't got very much influence with them these days-if you will help me get what I want. You know, I have a little trouble in that regard, sometimes. I have got some wonderful friends in the Congress who understand what the program is all about and who fight valiantly for it. But, you know, it is a terrific thing to get a Congress to work in a presidential election year. Nobody knows that better than I do.

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May 13, 2008: North Carolina CAP Aircrew Discovers Aircraft Wreckage

On this date, an aircrew from the North Carolina Wing of the Civil Air Patrol located the wreckage of a plane crash in western North Carolina.

An excerpt from a press release from the NCWG: 

RALEIGH, N.C. – The wreckage of a missing single-engine Piper PA-32-260 was located about 9:10 a.m. today near Cold Mountain in the Shining Rock Wilderness Area along the Haywood and Transylvania County lines in western North Carolina.

The aircraft had left Rutherford County Airport in North Carolina about 5 a.m. May 12 bound for North Little Rock Municipal Airport in Arkansas. After the aircraft was reported overdue, the U.S. Air Force Rescue Coordination Center notified the North Carolina Wing of the Civil Air Patrol to begin a search.

The search continued this morning with three CAP aircraft and the assistance of a North Carolina Highway Patrol helicopter, as well as four ground teams from the North and South Carolina wings of the Civil Air Patrol, members of the Cruso Fire Department and the Haywood County Rescue Squad.

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May 12, 1942: CAP Coastal Patrol Base Established at Daytona Beach

On this date in 1942, a Civil Air Patrol Coastal Patrol base was established at Daytona Beach, Florida.


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May 11, 2004: CAP and VTS form Corporate Partnership

On this date, the Civil Air Patrol and VTS, Inc. formed a corporate sponsorship.

An excerpt from a VTS press release:

NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS -- Civil Air Patrol has signed a corporate partnership agreement with VTS Inc. (http://www.vtsweb.com/), a Minnesota-based aviation training company.

VTS develops and produces flight training devices, training curriculum and computer-based training materials for the general aviation community.

While terms of the agreement were undisclosed, VTS will provide CAP with financial and promotional support in 2004. In return, VTS will receive the right to use the CAP name and corporate supporter mark in the company's advertising, marketing and promotional programs during the year. Financial support from VTS will be used to fund CAP cadet programs.

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May 10, 2006: Pennsylvania CAP Squadron Secures Fatal Plane Crash Site

On this date in 2006, the Somerset County Composite Squadron 1502 was called in to secure the scene of a fatal plane crash in Pennsylvania.

An excerpt from the Keystone Wing Slip is at below left.

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May 9, 1996: New Hampshire CAP Float Plane Crashes

On this date in 1996, the New Hampsire Wing of the Civil Air Patrol lost a pilot when the Lake LA-4-200 Buccaneer he was flying crashed while practicing a water landing.

An excerpt from the Aviation Safety Network:

The pilot had not flown in make or model for 8 months. According to CAP regulations, in order to do water landings after such a lapse in flight time, the pilot was required to have a flight instructor with him. The pilot had called, reserved the airplane and gave the instructor's name who would be accompanying him during the flight. Witnesses saw the airplane land on the lake earlier and then saw an aborted takeoff attempt. His second takeoff attempt was successful and the pilot left the local area. The accident occurred on his return landing

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May 8, 2008: Colorado CAP Asissts in Search for Golfer Jeff Maggert's Brother

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On this date in 2008, the Colorado Civil Air Patrol participated in the search for PGA golfer Jeff Maggert's brother, who was killed in a plane crash.

An excerpt from the Rocky Mountain News:

The pilot who died in the Thursday afternoon Cessna plane crash near Black Hawk was Barry Maggert, his brother, professional golfer Jeff Maggert, confirmed Friday.

Jeff Maggert withdrew from the Players Championship in Florida when he heard the news and is flying to Colorado, the Associated Press reported.

The Gilpin County Sheriff's Office had reported that the pilot was 55 and the passenger 23. The Colorado Civil Air Patrol had reported that the pilot died and his passenger was injured.

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May 7, 1962: President Kennedy Accepts Honorary Membership in CAP, Says Still Need for "Fliers"

John F. Kennedy via last.fm

On this date in 1962, President John F. Kennedy accepted an honorary life membership in the Civil Air Patrol.  President Kennedy spoke to a group of Cadets in the Rose Garden, where he stressed that even in the "missile age," there would be a need for "fliers."

From JFKLink, the President's remarks:

I WANT to express my thanks to all of you for coming this morning, and for this award. I was invited to this affair by General Spaatz, who was of course the Commander of the Air Force in Europe in World War II, later Commander of the United States Air Force, who emphasized to me the very vital role which the Civil Air Patrol plays in supplying future cadets for the Air Force - supplying assistance to fliers who may be downed. I understand that at least one of you has participated in a rescue operation of a downed flier.
     This is a very valuable service which you render to our country. There is still a tremendous need for manned aircraft. The exhibition we saw down at Eglin Air Force Base on Friday of manned aircraft indicates that even though we are, on the one hand, moving into the missile age, there is still need for fliers and will be for many years to come.
     Our experience in Southeast Asia using old planes indicates the kind of difficulties that we may be faced with in many areas of the world, and the particular kind of flying talent which is necessary.
     So I do want to emphasize that even though we may be interested and at times stimulated by the movement into the missile space age, the need for manned aircraft is going to continue - certainly for the future that we can see ahead - and will serve a very vital national interest.
     I am particularly glad to have you ladies here and participating in this program - I'm sorry I wasn't in it when I was younger.

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May 6, 2003: Soon to be Infamous AIG Offers New Insurance to CAP Aircraft Owners

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On this date in 2003, AIG Aviation, Inc., a subsidiary of what would the be one of the infamous triggers of the 2008-? recession, AIG, offered Civil Air Patrol members new coverage for non-owned aircraft damage liability.

An excerpt from the Insurance Journal:

AIG Aviation, Inc., a member company of American International Group, Inc. (AIG), is now endorsing Civil Air Patrol (CAP) liability coverage onto the non-owned aircraft damage liability insurance form.

"The Civil Air Patrol plays a vital role in our nation's safety and security," said Jim Anderson, vice president of AIG Aviation, Inc. "However, with recent changes to Civil Air Patrol regulations, CAP pilots are facing possible liability exposures in the course of performing their official duties.

Understanding the risk exposures under the new regulations, we are pleased to provide this much needed coverage for CAP pilots."

Civil Air Patrol liability coverage is optional coverage that provides protection for physical damage to a non-owned aircraft that a CAP pilot may be responsible for during official CAP missions.

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May 5, 1942: CAP Planes Carry Bombs, Find Crippled Ships off Florida Coast

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On this date in 1942, Civil Air Patrol aircraft located the S.S. Delisle, S.S. Amazone, and S.S. Halsey off the Florida coast.  The ships  had been attacked by German U-boats. 

Also on this day, CAP planes begin carrying bombs on their sub spotting missions.

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May 4, 2005: Oz "Munchkin's" Proudest Accomplish Was as a CAP Ground Instructor During WWII

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On this date in 2005, Meinhardt Raabe, the diminutive coroner in the classic film The Wizard of Oz, told USA Today about his service in the Civil Air Patrol during World War II.

Raabe portrayed one of the Munchkins in the film and pronounced the Wicked Witch of the West as dead.  Then 89 at the time of the interview, Raabe had just published a book on his life entitled Memories of a Munchkin: An Illustrated Walk Down the Yellow Brick Road.

An excerpt from USA Today:

The accomplishment he is most proud of is his service with the Civil Air Patrol, an organization similar to the National Guard. He worked as a ground instructor during the war and says he flew every kind of single-engine airplane made at the time.

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