The Ace Basin Civil Air Patrol Squadron held an open house at the Lowcountry Regional Airport on Saturday, October 31. The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) has three primary missions: emergency services, aerospace, and cadet programs. The aerospace mission emphasizes STEM education, with cadets aged 12-17 receiving five free orientation flights.
Advanced programs include competitive flight academies and the Cadet Wings scholarship for obtaining a private pilot's license. The CAP also conducts STEM activities like building and launching rockets and high-altitude balloons, where cadets design experiments and create related media.
Captain Megan Atherton, Commander of the Squadron, is really happy to announce a new meeting location. “We are moving our location for meetings to Libertas Academy on Smith Street, about a mile and a half from the airport. The meetings are on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. We changed our time so that people who are traveling a little further, like from Summerville, can still make the meetings.”
Atherton also announced some rank advancements in the organization, “We had promotions this last week. We had three cadets rank up in the airman phase, and we had one transition from an NCO, non-commissioned officer, to a Mitchell. Mitchell is the name of the promotion. She transitioned to an officer, so she's now a second lieutenant.”
The Civil Air Patrol was established in 1941 to introduce younger pilots to frontline operations with the assistance of older retired pilots. CAP initially patrolled coasts for U-boats and now collaborates with the Air Force on intercepting slow-moving planes and provides border support in Texas.
Over time, the program expanded to teach cadets leadership and various life skills, including wilderness survival and medical training.
For more information call 802 485-8624 or go to their website at www.sc113.cap.gov.
