March 11, 1960: CAP Airplanes Aid in Arkansas Bomber Crash

On this date in 1960, CAP airplanes were called in to assist in the investigation of the crash of a United States Air Force B-Stratojet in Pulaski County, Arkansas.  Three crew members died and one survived the crash.


An excerpt from Arkansas Ties:

Reports persisted that two airplanes had been involved in a mid-air collision but the control tower at Adams Field said there was no evidence that a second plane was involved. As a precaution, the Civil Air Patrol sent search planes between Little Rock and Conway.

Many witnesses insisted that they saw two planes but others said the wings separated from the fuselade (sic) after the explosion, which may have led to the two-plane confusion. 

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December 20, 1968: Two California Civil Air Patrol Members Killed While Searching for Missing Airplane

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On this date, two members of the California Civil Air Patrol were killed when their search plane crashed into Tecate Peak in California while searching for a missing Piper Cherokee PA-28-100.  The Piper had indeed crashed killing all three on board.  That plane was located December 24, 1968.

An excerpt from LOSTFLIGHTS:

As the flight progressed westerly towards San Diego, the turbulence and visibilty became increasingly worse near the mountainous Laguna Range. Fighting turbulence and spatial disorientation, it was not long before the single-engine Piper departed controlled flight (possible in-flight breakup) and impacted the snow covered slopes of Cuyapaipe Mountain fifty miles east of it's destination. All three were killed.

The next day an air search was mounted for the missing aircraft which was mostly conducted in poor weather conditions. Tragedy struck twice while in the process of the search, two members of the local Civil Air Patrol were killed when their own plane collided with nearby Tecate Peak. 

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September 25, 1960: Aviation Legend, CAP Lt. Col. Ruth Rowland Nichols Dies

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On this date in 1960, famed aviatrix and early Civil Air Patrol pilot Ruth Rowland Nichols died.

She is the only woman yet to hold simultaneous world records for speed, altitude, and distance.  Nichols was also a lieutenant colonel in the CAP and a friend of Amelia Earhart.

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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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April 7, 1964: Warren Commission Interviews Witness about Oswald/Ferrie/CAP Connection

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On this date in 1964, the Warren Commission investigating the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, interviewed a witness about any connection among suspected assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, New Orleans businessman David Ferrie, and a New Orleans area Civil Air Patrol squadron.

An excerpt from alt.conspiracy.jfk:

On April 7, 1964, the testimony of Edward Voebel was taken by Warren Commission senior counsel Albert Jenner in New Orleans.  While the Warren Commission had not actively investigated the possibility of an association between Oswald and Ferrie, Ferrie's name came up briefly when Voebel was questioned about Oswald's activities with the CAP.  Voebel recalled that he had first become a friend of Oswald's when he witnessed him being beaten up one day after high school.  Two brothers who had earlier gotten into fistfight with Oswald had sent a friend of
theirs to beat him up.  Voebel noted that their school "seemed to draw a lot of bad characters" and that "it was almost impossible to go to school without brushing against somebody or getting involved in a fight." In his testimony, Voebel stated that Oswald had attended "two or three meetings" of the CAP and "bought a uniform and everything, and seemed to be very interested at the outset?

 Toward the end of his testimony, Voebel was asked if he could recall who had headed their CAP unit at that time:

 Mr. JENNER. Who was the majordomo of the CAP unit that you attended ?
 Mr. VOEBEL. I think it was Captain Ferrie. I think he was there when Lee attended one of these meetings, but I'm not sure of that. Now that I
think of it, I don't think Captain Ferrie was there at that time but he might have been. That isn't too clear to me.

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March 29, 1964: Coast Guard Radio Traffic Requests CAP Alaskan Earthquake

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On this day in 1964, the U.S. Coast Guard radioed an Alaskan community hit by a Good Friday  earthquake if their airport could accommodate Civil Air Patrol aircraft.

The radio traffic from Jack's Joint:

P 281555Z MAR 64

FM USCGC SEDGE

TO CCGDSEVENTEEN

   KODIAKSARCOORD

BT

UNCLAS

EARTHQUAKE, TIDAL WAVES.

1.  TOWN OF CHENEGA DESTROYED, HALF OF POPULATION MISSING.  THEY REQUIRE

    ASSISTANCE BADLY.  IF CORDOVA AIRPORT IS OPEN, CORDOVA AIRLINES OR

    CORDOVA CAP (CIVIL AIR PATROL) COULD LAND CHENEGA.

2.  EXTENT OF ASSISTANCE REQUIRED IN VALDEZ NOT YET DETERMINED.

BT

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March 7, 1964: Amelia Earhart's Sister Muriel Allows CAP to Create Earhart Cadet Award

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On this date in 1964, Muriel Earhart Morrissey, famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart's sister, allowed the Civil Air Patrol to create the Earhart Award for Cadets.


An excerpt from the National Capitol Wing's Website:

“This seems like a very nice thing to do – the kind of award Amelia would choose herself. Thank you!” —Muriel Earhart Morrissey [Amelia's sister]

Earhart’s sister granted Civil Air Patrol permission to create the Amelia Earhart Award for cadets March 7, 1964.  In a handwritten note, she compliments the award certificate’s artwork, which is believed to be identical to the artwork still in use today.

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February 18, 1969: Nevada CAP Sends out Ground Teams to Crash That Killed 35

Image by Thom Watson via Flickr

On this date in 1969, the Nevada Civil Air Patrol sent out ground teams to look for a DC-3 that crashed after a trip gambling in Nevada. The crash killed all 35 people on board.

Don Jordan also has an extensive write-up about the tragedy.

An excerpt from the AP story:

Hawthorne, Nev. (AP) -- A plane carrying 35 persons back to Southern California after a night of Nevada gambline vanished Tuesday in the mountainous desert of the California-Nevada border 200 miles north of Los Angeles.  An all-day ground hunt in a drizzling overcast produced no clues, and only one search plane was able to get aloft.  A rancher 60 miles south of Hawthorne reported he heard a low-flying plane at 4:20 a.m. The Civil Air Patrol sent two ground search teams into the area.  "It sounds good. It is a good lead," said Col. JAMES HELM of the CAP Walker Lake Squadron.

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