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History of the Civil Air Patrol. World War II era roundel used by the Civil Air Patrol. Civil Air Patrol ( CAP) is the civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). It was created by Administrative Order 9 in December 1941, with Maj. Gen. John F. Curry as the first CAP national commander.
- Origins/1936-1941. The origins of Civil Air Patrol date to 1936, when Gill Robb Wilson, World War I aviator and New Jersey director of aeronautics, returned from Germany convinced of impending war.
- World War II and Postwar/1941-1948. In January 1942, German submarines began attacking merchant vessels along the East Coast. With the military unable to respond in force, CAP established coastal patrol flights to deter, report and prevent enemy operations.
- Cold War/1950-1975. Post-World War II, CAP focused its efforts on three core programs – Cadet Programs, Emergency Services and Aerospace Education. In 1948, CAP began participating in the International Air Cadet Exchange, and in 1949 it introduced its first aerospace education literature for use by CAP units or school teachers.
- Evolving Missions/1976-2000. The latter half of the Cold War witnessed the further expansion of CAP roles and capabilities. In 1979, CAP began flying Military Training Route surveys for the Strategic Air Command and the Tactical Air Command.
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Civil Air Patrol had 90 days to prove itself to Congress. Major General John F. Curry was appointed as the first national commander. Texas oilman David Harold Byrd was a co-founder of CAP. During World War II, CAP was seen as a way to use America's civilian aviation resources to aid the war effort instead of grounding them.
- 1 December 1941; 81 years ago
- United States Air Force
- 56,000 volunteers, 560 light aircraft, over 1000 ground vehicles
and persons. (Civil Air Patrol Handbook, 1944 Edition) CIVIL AIR PATROL AND THE COLD WAR The Cold War largely determined the direction of the Civil Air Patrol between 1946 and 1991. The Soviet Union had aircraft capable of deploying nuclear weapons in the late 1940s, often cloning American bombers such as the B-29.
The origins of Civil Air Patrol date to 1936, when Gill Robb Wilson, World War I aviator and New Jersey director of aeronautics, returned from Germany convinced of impending war. Wilson envisioned mobilizing America’s civilian aviators for national defense, an idea shared by others. In Ohio, Milton Knight, a pilot and businessman, organized ...
Dec 8, 2016 · As the auxiliary force of the Army Air Forces, CAP flew more than 750,000 hours with a total loss of 68 members and about 150 aircraft — a credit to the organization’s emphasis on organization and safety. So hats off to Civil Air Patrol! Well, not exactly. That recognition would come later — 70 years, to be exact.
CIVIL AIR PATROL: 75 Years of Service Richard Mulanax, PhD. Prologue he first history of Civil Air Patrol, Flying Minutemen, written by Robert Neprud in 1948, covered the Army Air Forces period of CAP’s inception in 1941 through World War II, with the creation of the United States Air Force in September of 1947.
