Outgoing First Air Force General Flies with CAP

After a distinguished 35-year career in the U.S. Air Force, the first three-star general to officially fly with Civil Air Patrol is retiring.


Lt. Gen. Kirk Pierce will step down March 31 from his post as commander, Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, First Air Force (Air Forces Northern and Air Forces Space), in a change of command with his successor.


Pierce retires with more than 5,000 flight hours in a variety of Air Force aircraft, along with Civil Air Patrol’s Cessna 182T at Tyndall Air Base, Florida, and Cessna 206 at Maxwell Air Force Base. Tyndall is home to First Air Force and Maxwell to CAP National Headquarters.


Flying with CAP began nearly two years ago, and he has already accumulated about 140 hours of flight time in the Air Force auxiliary’s Cessnas.


“It gives me a great opportunity to get out and fly,” Pierce said. “I went out and flew with the Civil Air Patrol [CAP-USAF] team in Colorado Springs, which was awesome! It’s a big part of our command, and I’m really excited about doing it.”

More About Gen. Pierce and His CAP Flying

91 Scholarships Worth $155K Go to Cadets


Ninety-one scholarships totaling $155,000 have been awarded to Civil Air Patrol cadets from 32 wings and one overseas unit.


The total includes 63 academic scholarships worth $123,500 and 28 flight scholarships worth $31,500. Cadets in the Southeast Region accounted for the highest numbers of scholarships, 19.


The recipients were chosen from 1,698 applicants 89.5% over the previous year. In all, 984 applied for academic and flying scholarships.


Applicants for academic scholarships totaled 604, with 177 ranked as highly qualified. That’s a 45% increase from fiscal 2022. Highly qualified means the applicant had a 3.87 or higher GPA and an SAT score of at least 1311 and/or an ACT score of 28 or above. 


Of the 758 flight scholarship applicants, 227 have piloting experience equivalent to the CAP pre-solo badge or more.


Applicants for the Youth Aviation Initiative, Cadet Wings, Cadet Lift, and Take-off programs numbered 1,467.

The Scholarships Listings for CAP Cadets

Longley Now Chairing Board of Governors

Col. John R. Longley Jr. is the new chair of Civil Air Patrol's Board of Governors.


Selected by his 10 colleagues, the former Oregon Wing commander is in his first term of service on the board, CAP's top governing body.


“I am profoundly honored to have the opportunity to serve on the BoG and to participate in the development of Civil Air Patrol policy and to evaluate its implementation as a member of the board,” Longley said.


The BoG consists of four U.S. Air Force appointees, three members appointed jointly by the secretary of the Air Force and CAP's national commander, and four members-at-large selected by the CAP Senior Advisory Group.


Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Kevin McLaughlin, who recently chaired the Board of Governors, is now vice chair.

More About Col. Longley and His BoG Colleagues

California Cadets Save Elderly Choking Victim

Three CAP cadets having lunch at a Cupertino, California, restaurant  sprang into action to save a choking elderly woman’s life March 4.


(From left) Cadet 2nd Lt. Esme Chen, Cadet Capt. Samhita Srivatsan, and Cadet Tech. Sgt. Maxim Manokhin — all members of the California Wing’s Jón E. Kramer Composite Squadron 10 — were finishing their meal when one of the waitstaff came to their table to ask if anyone knew the Heimlich maneuver.


Because they were seated in a far corner, the cadets were the second-to-last customers to be asked to help. Regardless, their quick actions saved the 78-year-old woman's life.

More About the Cadets' Lifesaving Actions

Capitol Campaign More Successful Than Ever

This year’s National Legislative Day campaign reached more congressional offices than ever before. 


The campaign, designed to inform and educate members of Congress and staff about CAP programs and service, has met with 94% of Congress so far. Last year the figure was 89%.


The highlight of the month-long hybrid campaign was a day of in-person meetings in Washington, D.C., where hundreds of CAP adult members and cadets representing every wing blanketed the Capitol complex. This was an opportunity for members to tell their CAP story to help Congress understand CAP's role as both a nonprofit and the U.S. Air Force auxiliary.


Along with the record number of campaign meetings, 39 wings met with 100% of their state congressional delegation, up from last year’s record of 34. Leading this charge were California (54 meetings), Florida (30), and New York (28).


Several members of Congress and staff (see our Tweet of the Week, above) also joined the Congressional Squadron, including U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., a former CAP cadet major and the first Gen-Z member of Congress, and U.S. Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., an active pilot.


While the campaign is officially over, several CAP wings are pursuing meetings with hard-to-reach offices while the Government Relations team is conducting follow-ups, including supporting appropriations requests with more than 300 offices.  

Meet the National Government Relations Team
The '2022 Report to Congress,' Other NLD Materials

After 50+ Years in CAP, National Capital Wing's Davies Still Finding Acceptance, Purpose


Jane Davies, a first-generation American, wasn’t accustomed to the word “can’t.”


But as a freshman engineering major at the University of Connecticut’s Waterbury campus, the glass ceiling crashed hard, thanks to one pontificating professor.


“On the first day, there were 10 women in the class [Introduction to Engineering], and after he made his pronouncement — and it was quite a long pronouncement — the gist was, ‘You don’t belong here.’


“The next morning,” Davies recalled, “there were two of us in the class. It was the first time someone had ever told me I couldn’t do something.”


Not much else has stopped Davies since, especially in Civil Air Patrol.

More About Col. Davies and Her CAP Impact

Fullerton Team Places 2nd in Cisco Challenge

These six cadets from the California Wing’s Fullerton Composite Squadron 56 added a second-place finish in the Cisco Network Academy Challenge to the unit's record of success including three straight national finals and five in six years in the CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense Competition when results were announced March 20.


Each Fullerton team member will receive a $1,500 education grant from Cisco. The 2021 Fullerton team won the Cisco challenge in 2021 and also finished third overall in CyberPatriot’s All-Service Division.

More About the Cadets' Finish in CyberPatriot XV

Three CAP Wings Welcome New Commanders

Col.-select R. Brian Williams (left) has been named the next commander of Civil Air Patrol's Alabama Wing after a 30-year career in the U.S. Army.


Williams joined CAP as a cadet in 1981 and cites his experience in the organization as life-changing in terms of leadership, character development, and motivation. Alabama Wing vice commander since April 2021, he holds CAP masters’ ratings in command and cadet programs.


Williams will formally succeed Col. James A. Harris, wing commander since April 2019, in a change of command at the Alabama Wing conference in April. He will join two other wing commanders who assume command in March Col. Brian C. Howard (right) of the Nevada Wing and soon-to-be Col. Jennifer L. Smith of the Missouri Wing.

NHQ News

Legacy Flight Academy students learn about gravity and orbit at a STEM exhibit during Accelerating the Legacy 2023 in South Carolina. CAP pilots and aircraft provided orientation rides during the three-day Black History Month aviation heritage event, held at Joint Base Charleston to honor the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen.

Workshop Spearheads Innovation Efforts

A team of Project Mercury innovation facilitators hosted at Civil Air Patrol's 2023 Winter Command Council conducted an innovation workshop led by Dr. Ethan Eagle (at left), lead Project Mercury innovation workshop coach, as part of the Project Mercury collaboration between the U.S. Air Force and the Innovatrium.


Command Council members analyzed problem statements collected from grassroots members during an earlier walking brainstorm activity. The workshop provided an opportunity for a full-circle innovation exercise, where members' brainstorming inputs were synthesized and presented to the most senior leadership for analysis and action.


This abbreviated workshop accomplished two exciting goals,” said Lt. Col. David Dlugiewicz, Ohio Wing vice commander and a member of the JanEX Innovation Team. The Project Mercury facilitators introduced tools for innovative thinking that can be reused at the local level. It also gave a voice to the average members’ insights on the CAP experience and demonstrated leadership’s commitment to addressing them.”

More About the Workshop and CAP Innovation

Registration Opens for Balloon Challenge

CAP’s Aerospace Education team is launching the third annual National High-Altitude Balloon Challenge for cadets, with team registration open March 20-May 22.


Begun as the first national cadet STEM competition in 2021, the balloon challenge involves innovative cadet-designed science experiments to test high altitudes' effects on various items that could be used to support the quest to live and work in space. 


Last year more than 1,500 cadets from 122 squadrons across all eight CAP regions participated, designing more than 500 experiments for launching to the stratosphere in 50-milliliter test tubes on high-altitude weather balloons.

More About Registering for This Year's Challenge

Aircraft Artwork Continues as Silvered Wings Series


The popularity of Maj. Ronald C. Finger's “Timeline Flight” paintings leading up to CAP's 80th anniversary has inspired a second series of vintage aircraft artwork — the Silvered Wings Series.


Debuting in August and continuing into 2023, this series once again features the work of Finger, a national staff member on CAP's Marketing & Strategic Communications team.


Check out the latest vintage CAP aircraft in the Silvered Wings Series, as posted on CAP.news:

Ninth Installment of Series: Boeing Model 40-A/B 

Simplify Giving With a Donor-Advised Fund

A donor-advised fund, an account you set up with a charitable sponsor such as a community foundation or financial services company, allows you to recommend how much and how often money is granted to qualified charities such as Civil Air Patrol.


You can suggest a grant or recurring grants now to make an immediate impact or use your fund as a tool for future charitable gifts.

Learn How to Simplify Your Giving

InstaPhoto of the Week #Civil Air Patrol

This Month's Top Headlines


“Flag Finally Raised Over Ford Island After Two Years”

-KHON2.com


“General Aviation Award 2023 National Winners Named”

-Aero-News.net


“Civil Air Patrol Group Five Holds Over-Water Survival Course”

-CoastalBreezeNews.com

Report Your Blood Donations to CAP

Mission Accomplished: Since the beginning of Operation Pulse Lift, 20,027 units have been collected. The 20,000-unit goal was met March 19 nearly a month ahead of schedule when 1st Lt. Elizabeth Schmitt of the Arizona Wing's Deer Valley Composite Squadron 302 donated at an Operation Pulse Lift Blood Donor Center hosted by the 388th Composite Squadron in Glendale.

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