Virginia Civil Air Patrol members to visit General Assembly
RICHMOND, Va. (Feb 2, 2024) – Civil Air Patrol (CAP) members from across the Commonwealth will visit the General Assembly and meet with legislators and other Virginia government officials during the 2024 legislative session on Wednesday, February 7th.
The Commonwealth of Virginia actively supports CAP’s emergency services, cadet programs, and aerospace education missions performed and executed by the wing’s 2,000+ members, whose volunteer efforts are valued at around 9 million dollars annually. The Virginia Wing has 22 locations across Virginia. The cadet program focuses on providing leadership growth and career exploration opportunities to youth members between 12 and 21 years of age. CAP’s aerospace education mission efforts are internal and external, supporting educators and outreach events such as Girls in Aviation Day, STEM activities in schools, and more. The twelve aircraft assigned to the wing also support orientation flights, introducing cadets to aviation and flight instruction, where some obtain their private pilot licenses. Members train to provide emergency response by air and ground to support the state when called upon.
Every member of the General Assembly is also a member of Civil Air Patrol. During CAP members' visit, newly elected legislators are presented with their membership identification card, provided a briefing on CAP’s support of Virginia within its mission and reminded of opportunities to participate within CAP to include an orientation flight.
Civil Air Patrol members will finish their day in Richmond through support to the 2024 Virginia Aviation Business Association legislative reception. A display about CAP will be at the event as well as the resources and information that CAP provides across the Commonwealth and the nation.
About Virginia Wing
Civil Air Patrol's Virginia Wing is home to 22 squadrons spread throughout the Commonwealth and has approximately 2,250 members, 12 light aircraft, 6 small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS), and 28 multi-mission vehicles. These assets are available to federal, state, and local governments, as well as to emergency responders and law enforcement agencies to perform search and rescue, homeland security, disaster relief, humanitarian assistance, and counter-drug missions. For more information on Virginia Wing, visit the wing’s website at https://vawg.cap.gov.
About Civil Air Patrol
Founded in 1941 and established as the official civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force seven years later, Civil Air Patrol is chartered by Congress as a nonprofit organization for the purposes of youth development, aerospace education, and to promote general aviation. In an auxiliary role as a Total Force partner of the Air Force, CAP operates the world’s largest fleet of single-engine aircraft for search and rescue, disaster relief, training, and education. Civil Air Patrol is dedicated to serving America’s communities, saving lives, and shaping futures.
Visit CAP.news or GoCivilAirPatrol.com for more information. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
For More Information:
Maj. Jacob Bixler <jacob.bixler@vawg.cap.gov>
