Civil Air Patrol

asdf

5-Year Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2011
Messages
43
I am interested in CAP. I am a sophomore though. Would I be able to accomplish much before I graduate high school and would I be "too old" to start?
 
I joined at the start of sophomore year and I would say yes, it is worth it even if you are a bit late, however you will have to be very proactive. With CAP, you get out what you put in. In a little less than two years I was able to do a lot of stuff and gain a lot of valuable leadership experience. Being older, I was often in charge of things above my actual CAP rank, which was often an interesting dynamic. If you have more specific questions let me know. Oh, and in case you were wondering, I am a junior at USAFA (less than 400 days to graduation!)
 
I joined up as a sophmore and still from now you can learn alot. Encampment is coming up in the summer and you've got atleast another 2 years in. I'm currently a junior and lovin it! :smile:
 
It is the end of my sophomore year now. How far along would I most likely get in 1 1/2 to 2 years? I think it is too late to sign up for the encampment for this year also.
 
You can still do quite a bit in two years. I realize I mis-wrote. I joined at the end of the summer AFTER my sophomore year of high school. If you are proactive you can get the Billy Mitchell award in that time and have a whole lot of great experiences. As long as you have no problem being ranked lower than little kids, it should be a great experience.
 
Your tone makes me have to ask: Are you trying to do CAP just because it would look good on a USAFA app. If that's the real question, then choose something you really want to do.

Instead of asking "how far can I get in that time," ask "Will I enjoy CAP and desire to be involved in it?" If the answer to the second question is yes, go for it. If not, find another organization/activity you would be interested and engaged in and join that seeking leadership. Leadership in CAP vs. leadership in (say) a local mountain-climbing club both look good to USAFA. Do the one that you like, that will show in your application process.
 
Okay thank you. It definitely looks like something worth doing. :smile:
 
IMO - When you join, let the Cadet Commander know that you want to Fast Track. Fast Track is not a CAP term, but it is to say that you want to promote as quickly as possible. Which is every 8 weeks. Study in such a way as to ACE each exam. Being a good leader early will show others that you are ready for more responsabilies. Excel in CAP and you should have Senior Members willing to write a review to be submitted with your USAFA application. If they are a retired military Senior Member (officer or enlisted) it can improve you application. Who would know better on what kind of person would do well in the Air Force than a retired Air Force member?
 
Hornetguy- It is something I am truly interested in. It is not just something that I would do to "look good." I was just wondering if I would have enough time to get the most out of it. I understand how I may have come off the wrong way though.
Seamonkeydo- Thank you for the advice.
 
Hornetguy- It is something I am truly interested in. It is not just something that I would do to "look good." I was just wondering if I would have enough time to get the most out of it. I understand how I may have come off the wrong way though.
Seamonkeydo- Thank you for the advice.

It wasn't necessarily coming off the wrong way. Just assessing the goal or reason to join. No one is too old to be in CAP. If you are interested, go for it. You will get out of it what you put in. ;) As most things are.
 
I am interested in CAP. I am a sophomore though. Would I be able to accomplish much before I graduate high school and would I be "too old" to start?
I joined at the beginning of sophomore year, but I am old for my age, so I was still one of the oldest cadets there. I say, by all means, join! It's been a great experience so far. If you join now, you can still go to encampment this summer, and then try to get your Mitchell (the 1/2 way point in the program, and academy admissions respects the Mitchell Award). Just work hard to get promotions and be respectful to the little kids with higher rank. It may get annoying, but just make sure you can outdo them on general knowledge and stuff and they'll respect you anyways. Join and promote!! It will help you in the long run, and is really fun. PM me if you want to know some more about some of the opportunities CAP offers, and there are a LOT of opportunities that nobody talks about at meetings.
 
Emergency Services is one of the 3 missions of CAP and it offers alot of unique opportunities you can't really get anywhere else as a teenager.
 
How far along in the program does one need to go to be eligible for flying?
 
If its something you want to do, do it. I joined late, but still love it. You can promote every two months (if you're on top of everything) [or once a month if you've been in JROTC for a certain amount of time (I think it's 2 yrs)]. To get the Mitchell award, which is equivalent to Eagle Scout, you will need to promote 10 times.
 
anyone know what happens if you get a speeding ticket? I know I need to notify the academy but how much can they do to you for getting one? anyone have experience with this or know what the actions taken are?
 
We explained what the ticket was, what punishment was received (fine, traffic school, and community service), what we learned, and showed clean record since. Didn't hear anymore about it.
 
I've seen a few cadets fly their first month. It just depends on if flights are available.

Yep, there are generally much less flights in the winter than summer. Took me about 6 months, I know people who got it right after they had a uniform.

I’m going for my Wright Brothers tomorrow, cant wait.

But yeah by no means is it too late, I know somebody who joined a week before they turned 18. They got a lot out of it.
 
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