Thursday, November 04, 2004
Civil Air Patrol
I've mentioned before that David is a member of the Civil Air Patrol. Here's are some fast facts, off the website:
THE ORGANIZATION
Nonprofit, 501(c)(3) corporation
The Auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force
More than 64,000 members, including 27,000 cadets ages 12- 21
Eight geographic regions, 52 wings, 1,700 units
National Headquarters at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., 160 support staff
World's largest fleet (550) of single-engine, piston aircraft
Nation's most extensive communications network
1,000 emergency services vehicles
AEROSPACE EDUCATION
100 aerospace education workshops each year
Aerospace classroom materials, grades K through college
Nation's premier annual aerospace education conference
CADET PROGRAMS
Multi-step leadership training
Cadet glider and powered orientation flights, flight training scholarships
International Air Cadet Exchange program
OPERATIONS
95% of nation's inland search and rescue
100 lives saved per year
Aerial reconnaissance for homeland security
Disaster-relief and damage assessment
Transport for time-sensitive medical materials
Counterdrug missions
I took the top left photo on Tuesday night, at the weekly meeting. I met quite a few people the week before, when the Big Announcement was made, but there were people who hadn't attended, so I met several more senior members the other night and hobnobbed with the ones I'd met before. David is very much involved with the CAP and has been for about six years, so to meet the CAP people and observe and participate is to delve into a big part of David's life. It's very obvious, even from the very first meeting, that his cadets and the other senior members have a great deal of respect and admiration for him, not just as a knowledgeable and experienced pilot, but on a personal level. He's a natural instructor, too -- very patient, and thorough. It sounds like I'm just gushing on, here, biased and all that, but other people see him that way, too... and they're not engaged to him!
