June 22, 2019
By Cadet Katia Van Horn, CAP
Lee’s Summit Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol, meets every Thursday night at Lee’s Summit Municipal Airport and is home to over fifty active members. Lee’s Summit Composite Squadron is heavily involved in the Civil Air Patrol’s three missions: emergency services, cadet programs, and aerospace education.
The cadet program is one of Lee’s Summit Composite Squadron’s most vibrant missions. Giving youth ages 12 to 21 many exciting opportunities, the Cadet Program has had a profound impact on the lives of youth throughout the metro area. Core components of cadet life are leadership, aerospace, fitness, and character. Cadets have the chance to participate in orientation flights in both gliders and airplanes, summer encampments, and national special activities.
“The Civil Air Patrol,” states First Lieutenant Cathy Boehme, squadron commander, “gives them [cadets] more opportunities in aviation, stem, and cybersecurity that will be valuable for their future careers.”
With an active ground team composed of cadets and senior members, Lee’s Summit Composite Squadron collaborates with other squadrons in the area to prepare for search and rescue missions. As a whole, the Civil Air Patrol conducts missing person and downed aircraft searches and acts as a force multiplier for the United States Air Force by using its fleet of single-engine aircraft to photograph and assess damage in the wake of natural disasters.
From April to October, Lee’s Summit Composite Squadron assists the Experimental Aircraft Association, Chapter 91 with their monthly Young Eagles program. This is just one of many opportunities for the squadron to get involved with the community and educate the public about aerospace. Cadets typically marshal aircraft, help teach flight simulators, and participate in emergency services training.
The Civil Air Patrol has been dedicated to serving communities for 77 years and is open to volunteers age 12 and up.
Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force. In this role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 aircraft, performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 80 lives annually. CAP’s 63,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. In addition, CAP plays a leading role in aerospace/STEM education, and its members serve as mentors to over 26,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs. Visit www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com or www.CAP.news for more information.
