Civil Air Patrol cadets get taste of pilot life
By Airman 1st Class Keith Holcomb, 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
/ Published July 28, 2017
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- About 40 cadets from the Civil Air Patrol are visiting Columbus Air Force Base July 22-30 to train as if they were a pilot undergoing Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training.
The cadets went through a national program called SUPT Familiarization Course.
SUPTFC is a program which allows 15-18-year-old CAP cadets to get a realistic perspective of the U.S. Air Force’s SUPT course.
“It’s like a weeklong overview of what undergraduate pilot training is, we will be going through simulators, learn ops-limits, emergency procedures, and things like that,” said Cadet Dennis Blaschke, a CAP member from South Carolina.
Cadets experienced more than a week of academics and flight simulations to learn exactly what it takes to become a pilot in the world’s greatest Air Force.
“We are basically being taught leadership and help promote the military and specifically the Air Force to our generation along with the piloting,” said Cadet David Dimella, a CAP member from New Jersey.
While educated on the basics of piloting and military leadership, the cadets were tested and graded by the CAP instructors to see who was in the top percentage of performers. The top cadets earned a flight with Columbus AFB pilots.
Like SUPT students, the cadets were scored and ranked during the course, and celebrated their own aircraft “assignment night” where they were “assigned” to aircraft frames based on their performance, Blaschke said. They also attended their own graduation ceremony at the end of the week.
The CAP is the official auxiliary force of the U.S. Air Force. It provides assistance with humanitarian and search and rescue missions.