Anyone with experience with USCGA Flight Team?

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2025HSGraduate

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There is a good bit of info on the USAFA forum regarding their flight team, but I searched and couldn’t find anything for USCGA.

I have my ppl. Is it hard to get accepted to the team? Do you join your first year/second semester? How time consuming is it? When do you actually get flight time? Where is the airport located? Thanks!
 
Only thing I can answer is that the Groton-New London airport is across the Thames River from New London. It's about a 10 minute drive.

I don't even know if the CGA has a flight team.
 
My cadet is not on the flight team, but I know cadets who are. Here is their instagram page: @cga_flightteam
If you don't have success reaching out through instagram, then once you have 5 posts and are able to message, I can try to put you in contact with some of the cadets involved. There isn't a lot posted about the team, but last April, the Coast Guard Academy Flight Team won the inter-service academy flight competition with West Point and Naval Academy.
 
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ProudMom7 said:
My cadet is not on the flight team, but I know cadets who are. Here is their instagram page: @cga_flightteam
If you don't have success reaching out through instagram, then once you have 5 posts and are able to message, I can try to put you in contact with some of the cadets involved. There isn't a lot posted about the team, but last April, the Coast Guard Academy Flight Team won the inter-service academy flight competition with West Point and Naval Academy.
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Wow! Good job for them! I would think they’d brag about that more, haha. Thank you
 
2025HSGraduate said:
There is a good bit of info on the USAFA forum regarding their flight team, but I searched and couldn’t find anything for USCGA.

I have my ppl. Is it hard to get accepted to the team? Do you join your first year/second semester? How time consuming is it? When do you actually get flight time? Where is the airport located? Thanks!
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The flight team takes everyone with a PPL.

You join your first year (in the first semester).

We compete at the inter service academy flight competition at KSWF (hosted by West Point). Against USMA and USNA. USAFA is too far to travel to it.

Not very time consuming. We have several varsity athletes that are on the team (and varsity athletics are much more time consuming). Usually only one to two practices a month.

Not a lot of flight time. Maybe like 1-2 hours per practice max. Only pattern flying for the most part.

Let me know if you have more questions.
 
Texas_Pirate2024 said:
I'm working on my PPL right now but I won't have it by the time I get to the academy if I get in.

How feasible is it to get your PPL while at the academy?
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Your freedom of movement is severely curtailed your 4c year. Between sports (you have do at least a club sport if you're not on a varsity team) and classes, and military training you probably won't have much time to fly. 3c year time will be more available but still in short supply. 2c and 1c years you will have more time and freedom to leave campus.

If you manage to find time and get liberty, and can get a ride to am airport, I imagine flight training will be much like back home, limited by money more than anything. Though you might also have to get permission from command to participate in a risky activity like flight training.
 
Texas_Pirate2024 said:
I'm working on my PPL right now but I won't have it by the time I get to the academy if I get in.

How feasible is it to get your PPL while at the academy?
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The academy life is not much of a barrier to this. The flight kids routed for permission to leave whenever they want to go to flying lessons. Things change but a few years ago it was one of the biggest boondoggles around. And they just took the cadet vans so transportation wasn’t an issue either. Generally the CG is very interested in people wanting to be aviators. There is also an elective class for PPL ground school
 
Texas_Pirate2024 said:
I'm working on my PPL right now but I won't have it by the time I get to the academy if I get in.

How feasible is it to get your PPL while at the academy?
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So it's definitely possible. I know several classmates and members of class of 2025 and 2026 who have gotten their PPL in their free time while training at the academy. I would just say it is challenging. There is a flight school at the Groton-New London Airport.

I got my instrument rating during my 3/c year. I routed through my company officer to leave campus during weekday non-liberty hours (once I was done with my afternoon classes) and go train. I used cadet vans as transportation. I wasn't in season for marching band (Windjammers) that semester so I had the time to go train.

Basically time and money are the two largest constraints.
 
Offshore said:
The flight team takes everyone with a PPL.

You join your first year (in the first semester).

We compete at the inter service academy flight competition at KSWF (hosted by West Point). Against USMA and USNA. USAFA is too far to travel to it.

Not very time consuming. We have several varsity athletes that are on the team (and varsity athletics are much more time consuming). Usually only one to two practices a month.

Not a lot of flight time. Maybe like 1-2 hours per practice max. Only pattern flying for the most part.

Let me know if you have more questions.
Click to expand...
Thanks! Do you have to do a lot of fundraising? Where do the funds come from?
 
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