Air Capital Composite Squadron Hosts O-Ride Rally
Augusta, Kansas. (25 February 2023) – Local teens took to the skies this weekend at Augusta Municipal Airport to experience the thrill of aviation in an Orientation Ride Rally hosted by Civil Air Patrol’s Air Capital Composite Squadron.
More than 20 cadets of Air Capital Composite Squadron were treated to orientation rides in one of three Civil Air Patrols Cessna 182s brought to the event from across the state. Orientation rides are educational flights in which cadets are introduced to the fundamentals of flight and are allowed the opportunity to fly the airplane themselves under the supervision of a qualified pilot. Each flight lasts about an hour and are always free of charge to cadet members. Every Civil Air Patrol cadet under the age of 18 is entitled to 5 orientation rides in the front seat of an airplane and 5 orientation rides in a glider. In addition to the orientation flights, Civil Air Patrol cadets are periodically given the opportunity to apply for scholarships or attend flight academies to earn their pilot’s license in a CAP airplane or glider.
During the day, those cadets who were not flying were treated to a free private pilot ground school session hosted by Civil Air Patrol instructor pilots. In addition, cadet and adult members were trained in the basics of aircraft ground handling, including hands-on training fueling, towing, and marshalling the aircraft to support the event.
At the end of the day, Civil Air Patrol flew cadets for a total of 18 hours thanks to the help of pilots and planes from Air Capital Composite Squadron in Wichita, New Century Composite Squadron near Kansas City, and Smoky Hills Composite Squadron in Salina.
Civil Air Patrol’s cadet program is a year-round program open to all youth ages 12-18 and focuses on aerospace education, leadership, fitness, and character development. In addition to cadet programs, Civil Air Patrol has an adult program for anyone over the age of 18 to help Civil Air Patrol complete its missions of emergency services, cadet programs, and aerospace education.
Air Capital Composite Squadron holds weekly meetings every Thursday from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM at the Heartland Preparedness Center located at 2808 N New York St in Wichita. Those interested in joining can attend a weekly meeting or send an email to the squadron commander at brad.hawthorne@kswg.cap.gov
