BEMIDJI BONDS: Taking flight in Bemidji with the Civil Air Patrol

Leadership, aviation and handling emergency situations are all aspects members of the Bemidji squadron of the Civil Air Patrol learn and become acquainted with.
The group is just one of many across the country associated with the Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary unit of the United States Air Force, which operates at national, regional and state levels. The state levels of the CAP are referred to as wings and within each wing are individual squadrons such as the one that resides at the  Bemidji Regional Airport.
1st Lt. John Schrader of the Northland Composite Squadron in Bemidji, and a member for eight years, said the organization focuses on three main missions including teaching aerospace, providing programs for the youth and aiding in emergency situations.
“For the youth, we offer cadet programs, which gives them different opportunities to learn leadership qualities and earn scholarships,” Schrader said. “For emergency services, we have squadron training, following the same standards as FEMA, so we can go into any event or emergency and assist.
“In those situations, we are secondary responders, instead of primary responders,” Schrader continued. “If there’s a natural disaster, though, we can get called out and still to do anything from traffic control to sandbagging in a flood situation.”
The one type of event that does call upon the CAP first is if a plane goes down in the area. Schrader said in the case of a plane going missing, the responsibility falls on them to find it.
Equipment such as vans and communications for the emergency services are funded by the Air Force as are some of the training expenses. Schrader said the squadron also holds yearly fundraisers to assist in finances and help provide scholarships for the cadets.
“The cadet program gives the young members a foundation,” Schrader said. “It will help them do better in whatever they do.
“The best part of being part of the CAP is watching the cadets come in as a fresh, new person and seeing them become part of the group and learn,” Schrader said.
During their time in the cadet program, young CAP members get to take multiple flights and become familiar with the aircraft. Many of the planes that cadets ride in are Cessna aircraft, as CAP has the largest single-engine Cessna fleet in the world, according to Schrader. On select occasions, the cadets even get to go to the Twin Cities and fly in a C-130 military transport aircraft.
Currently, the local CAP has 40 members, with 20 senior members and 20 cadets. Nationwide, the CAP has close to 1,700 units with more than 61,000 members.
To join CAP locally, Schrader said those interested have to visit three meetings and then have an interview conducted. Following an interview, Schrader said potential members can apply. The program has a $33 annual membership fee and a one-time squadron fee of $20.
The CAP meets year-round each Monday from 6-8:30 p.m. in its hangar at 4503 Hangar Drive Northwest at the Bemidji Regional Airport. For more information, contact Schrader at (218) 252-0689.