Civil Air Patrol cadets get taste of pilot life

Capt. Whitt Hollis, 41st Flying Training Squadron Class Flight Commander, speaks to Civil Air Patrol cadets July 25, 2017, on Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. The cadets saw static displays of all three Columbus AFB aircraft and learned about the process of becoming an Air Force pilot. (U.S. Air Force photo by Elizabeth Owens)

Civil Air Patrol cadets get taste of pilot life

Civil Air Patrol cadets prepare for their simulated T-6A Texan II flights July 25, 2017, on Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. The cadets are familiarized to the instruments, emergency procedures and more throughout the Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training Familiarization Course. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Keith Holcomb)

Civil Air Patrol cadets get taste of pilot life

Published July 28, 2017
By Airman 1st Class Keith Holcomb
14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs

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.