Civil Air Patrol: Cass County Composite Squadron MO-149

Aerospace Education

Civil Air Patrol (CAP) promotes and supports aerospace education, both for its own members and the general public. CAP educational programs help prepare American citizens to meet the challenges of a sophisticated aerospace society and understand its related issues.

CAP offers national standards-based educational products, including a secondary textbook, Aerospace: The Journey of Flight, and the middle-school-level Aerospace Dimensions. Teachers can get free classroom materials and lesson plans from CAP by joining CAP's Aerospace Education Membership program.

The program includes formal graded courses for members to become knowledgeable about all aspects of aviation, including flight physics, dynamics, history, application, etc. The course work also includes all aspects of the space program and new technologies that make advances in aviation and space exploration possible. There are also several programs for CAP pilots to improve their flying skills and FAA ratings so that the safety of the CAP aviation program may be enhanced.

Cadet Aerospace Education

The CAP Cadet Program has a mandatory aerospace education program; in order to progress, a cadet must take courses and tests relating to aviation. They also have educational opportunities through guest speakers, model building, and actual flight. Certain programs offer a more specialized approach to the education process.

The Aerospace Education Excellence (AEX) Program offers hands on examples to demonstrate the lessons learned in the text portion.

The Model Rocketry Program is an achievement program for cadets interested in the science, technology, and flight of model rockets.

The Near Space Program is a new program that offers members a way to build, launch, track, and recover weather-balloon based experiments.

Orientation Flights (O-Flights) actually offer cadets a way to experience first hand flight in airplanes.

Senior Aerospace Education

Senior members of the CAP may choose to study aerospace as part of the Senior Member Training Program progression requirements. CAP encourages its senior members to learn about aviation and its history, although this is not mandatory. Those who complete the Aerospace Education Program for Senior Members may earn the Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager Aerospace Education Award.

External Aerospace Education

The purpose of the EAE, as stated in CAP's 1946 Congressional Charter, is to "encourage and foster civil aviation in local communities."

Outside of its organization, CAP provides school teachers with resources and help in terms of integrating aviation and aerospace into the classroom. This outreach program includes seminars, course material and sponsorship of the National Congress on Aerospace Education. Members also help municipalities better understand the needs and benefits of airports and other aviation related facilities to their communities, and how to better manage them.

CAP members may visit schools, host field trips, science competitions and fairs, and other assorted activities. In addition to schools, CAP reaches out to other organizations, such as the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, 4-H, and more.

CAP also sponsors several prestigious awards for those who promote aerospace to the public.