RALEIGH COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – This Saturday, 5/13/2023, Cadets of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) will get a chance to take to the air at Raleigh County Memorial Airport with one of CAP’s Volunteer Pilots.
The opportunity to experience the wonder of flight is one of the most exciting parts of being a cadet. Cadets get to experience a flight in a single-engine aircraft from the right side of the cockpit. Not only do they get to learn from a CAP Pilot, but they also get to experience the things they learn in the most hands-on way. Deputy Commander of Cadets Amanda Schmidt reports, “Orientation flights are an excellent opportunity for CAP Cadets to learn about the basics of flight.
In addition, this weekend, from May 12-14th, Maj. Thomas Plass, Beckley Composite Squadron’s Emergency Service Officer (along with Lt. Col Kathleen Dawson), will be leading ten members on an 8-mile backpacking trip to the location of an old 414-crash site in the Monongahela National Forest. Cadets will be thrown into a real-life exercise searching for a down aircraft. Cadets will be setting up a base camp, learning how to survive in a wilderness setting, and applying the skills that they have learned during their ground team training.
Cadet Staff Sargent Ashton Zari reports, “I have gotten to learn so much about how to survive in the wilderness both at my local squadron and from Hawk Mountain Ranger School that I can’t wait to see how it applies to the actual wilderness. This is something I would have never had a chance to do if I wasn’t a part of Civil Air Patrol”.
The Beckley Squadron meets from 6:00-8:30 pm at the Raleigh County Memorial Airport on the lower level of the terminal building. If you have specific questions about how to get involved with CAP, please come to a meeting or contact Lt  Col David Chaney at dchaney@wvwg.cap.gov. “We welcome all Cadets 12 Years Old and Older.”