CAP and Iowa Aviation Promotion Group Team up To Bring Flying To Kids

1st Lt Jessa Brace
Deputy Commander
Southwest Iowa Composite Squadron

RED OAK, IA – The Red Oak Municipal Airport, in conjunction with the Iowa Aviation Promotion Group and local EAA members, recently held its annual Youth Day Camp on Saturday June 18th.  Along with local pilots and members from the Southwest Iowa Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, 25 area youth from Clarinda and Red Oak to Audubon spent the morning learning about aviation and aviation related careers.

The 4-hour day camp, hosted at the Red Oak Airport, featured interactive lessons on pre-flight checks, aircraft maintenance, weather and the Civil Air Patrol Aerospace Education program.  Each youth  also got the chance to participate in a 15-minute flight with an EAA Young Eagle pilot before concluding the day with a pizza party and certificate presentation complete with t-shirt and balsa wood plane.

For its part, CAP focused largely on introducing the youth to the Civil Air Patrol, its rich history, and what it has to offer both in the field of aviation and how it ties to its other 2 main programs; Emergency Services and the Cadet Program.

Participants, led by Squadron Commander Capt Jason Erickson, got the chance to see what kind of equipment is used by CAP members during a search and rescue exercise, both on the ground and in the air, as well a demonstration of how it works.  The youth also got an up-close look at the Cessna 172 CAP aircraft that is housed in Red Oak, which included a look at special equipment on the plane that is used to tow gliders.

CAP Senior Member David Paul, a local pilot and instructor at the airport, worked with the youth to conduct pre-flight checks on an aircraft which included a fuel sample test, making sure all of the lights worked properly as well as checking to make sure no visible signs of damage were present.

The Iowa Aviation Promotion Group, in partnership with the Iowa Space Grant Consortium, Iowa DOT Office of Aviation, sponsoring airports, and aviation groups such as the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), has held half day Iowa Youth Aviation Camps at various locations in Iowa.  In 33 camps held 2006 through 2010, over 1100 youngsters have attended. – www.flyiowa.org

For additional photos – click here.

National Call-In set for June 29-30 for Congressional Gold Medal proposal

Dear CAP Member

I’m asking for your help in honoring our CAP World War II volunteers for the hazardous combat and humanitarian missions they flew as civilians during the war. They never received the recognition and honors they deserved for their unusual service at a critical time for the nation.

Recently two bills (HR 719 and S 418) were introduced in Congress to award CAP the Congressional Gold Medal (CGM) for its World War II operations. CAP would receive a single CGM to honor our WWII members and each identified living veteran or the family of those deceased would receive a replica of the medal.

Because the CGM is considered the highest Congressional recognition given, Congress has set the bar very high for this award. Before relevant committees will consider awarding the medal to an individual or group each bill must have 2/3 of the House and the Senate as cosponsors. That is 290 Representatives and 67 Senators.

Your help is needed to get those cosponsors during a special National Call-In during June 29 and 30. During the two-day period I’m asking CAP members and friends to contact their Congressional Representative and two Senators to ask that they become cosponsors. Every call is necessary in order to fully gain the attention of those Members of Congress who have not yet become cosponsors.

This is our one chance to honor our World War II members before all are no longer with us. On May 25 we lost another Coastal Patrol veteran when Melvin Daniels of North Carolina passed on. Time is clearly running out.

Please join your fellow CAP members as they contact their Congressional offices on June 29 and 30. I’ve attached background information as well as some tips for your use. I also ask that you please keep your wing commander apprised of any results via email. Wing commanders should pass those results on to their region commander (who will forward this information to CAP’s Washington Representative, John Swain). If you have any questions you can email John Swain at dcoffice.cap@verizon.net or Lt Colonel Jack Faas at jfaas@aol.com.

Thank you for your help with this very important matter.

Sincerely

AMY S. COURTER
Major General, CAP
Commander

Senior Member Promotions – Capt Erickson

We are extremely proud and happy to announce that Jason Erickson has recently been promoted to the rank of Captain!