By Logan Wells, News Director | Logan@kymnradio.net
Tonight, the Civil Air Patrol Squadron in Stanton will host an open house for the public and interested members. The Civil Air Patrol is an auxiliary group of the U.S. Air Force made up of volunteers. The first of the group’s main purposes is education and developing youth. Cadets in the program can join starting at age 12 and serve up till they are 21, getting first aid training and potentially their pilots license. Major Keith Kluzak from the local Civil Air Patrol says that there are scholarships available for interested cadets:
“Joining at age 16? Yeah, you’d be better off joining earlier at, say, ages 12, 13 or 14 and kind of get ramped up and be able to be on board to take advantage of some of the flight scholarships or whatnot. That’s available. Anyway, to your question, age 12 is the minimum age.”
The other primary purpose of the Civil Air Patrol is to provide support for emergency services. The group has previously provided search and rescue assistance using drones with thermal imaging attached. This past summer, the Stanton Squadron took airborne pictures of the flooding damages for FEMA to use in the storm report.
The Stanton Squadron will host an open house at the Stanton Airport from 6pm –8pm. At the event, you will be able to learn more about the Civil Air Patrol, and several items will be on display, including a Cessna 182, Search and Rescue Drones, and a Flight Simulator. If you are unable to attend, you can visit their website at https://stanton.cap.gov/
