Missions
There are three primary missions for the Civil Air Patrol and the Steamboat Springs Composite Squadron actively participates in all three.
The Primary Missions of Civil Air Patrol
In 1946, Congress granted a charter to Civil Air Patrol (CAP), charging its members with three missions. First, CAP was to promote aviation. As years passed, that mission expanded to include aerospace education as well. Second, CAP was to provide a training program to support the nation’s youth in contributing to society and preparing for successful adult lives. Finally, CAP was to continue its emergency services, the work for which CAP is still best known today.
Click to learn more about each of these missions and how you can follow your interests through CAP!
Becoming a qualified Mission Ready pilot in the Civil Air Patrol is not easy. We are not a flying club where you build time. We have volunteer instructors who take the time to train our pilots with the understanding they will go on to become valuable members of our organization. If you are looking to build time then by joining Civil Air Patrol you become eligible to join several of the USAF Flight Clubs located in the state of Colorado.
Civil Air Patrol’s award-winning aerospace education program promotes aerospace, aviation, and STEM-related careers with engaging, standards-based, hands-on curriculum and activities. It shapes the experiences and aspirations of youth both in and outside of CAP’s cadet program. CAP maintains both internal and external aerospace education programs. CAP members, both adults and cadets, follow a rigorous program to learn about aviation and aerospace principles. CAP also reaches out to the general public through a special program for teachers at all grade levels. Through this program, CAP provides free classroom materials and lesson plans for aerospace education and each year sponsors the premier national conference in this field.
Civil Air Patrol’s cadet program transforms youth into dynamic Americans and aerospace leaders through a curriculum that focuses on leadership, aerospace, fitness, and character. As cadets participate in these four elements, they advance through a series of achievements, earning honors and increased responsibilities along the way. Many of the nation’s astronauts, pilots, engineers, and scientists first explored their careers through CAP.
CAP’s cadet program trains young men and women in teamwork, moral leadership, aerospace education, technical skills to support emergency services, and military history and customs. Through national encampments, a college and flight training scholarship program, and the International Air Cadet Exchange, CAP cadets broaden their horizons, learn to assume responsibility, feel self-confidence and set goals for their lives. The Steamboat Springs Composite Squadron is a proud recipient of the 2019 and 2020 Quality Cadet Unit Award.
Always prepared, both in the air and on the ground, members of the Civil Air Patrol perform emergency services for state and local agencies as well as the federal government as the civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and states/local communities as a nonprofit organization. Ever vigilant, these true patriots make a difference in their communities, not only to assist in times of disaster but also to search for the lost and protect the homeland.
Best known for its members’ work in search and rescue and disaster relief missions, CAP is expanding its role in the 21st century to include an increasing number of homeland security operations and exercises. CAP also performs counterdrug reconnaissance missions at the request of law enforcement agencies and can do radiological monitoring and damage assessment. CAP members undergo rigorous training to perform these missions safely and cost-effectively.
There are many other missions of CAP. Interested in Communications or sUAS?
The Civil Air Patrol radio network operates in support of all three CAP missions: Emergency Services, Aerospace Education and Cadet Program. The focus of the CAP system is tactical communications, including air to ground, ground team to ground team, and communication with mission base, remote bases, and the Incident Command Post (ICP).
The Colorado Wing sUAS program will establish, train and maintain high competence among our sUAS Mission Pilots to be used as needed for CAP/FEMA missions throughout the state of Colorado.
