Civil Air Patrol cadets get up-close look at aviation at Cessna summer program
Twenty-one Civil Air Patrol cadets from throughout the country interested in a career in aviation recently spent a week in Independence, Kan., at Cessna Aircraft Co.
Cessna’s Independence facility manufactures the company’s propeller aircraft — the 172 Skyhawk, 182 Skylane and 206 Stationair — as well as the Citation Mustang business jet.
“Cadets received hands-on experience shadowing Cessna employees and obtained tangible visuals of the aircraft production process,” said Cessna Training Supervisor Mike Rainey. “Each cadet also had the opportunity to fly along as an observer on a training flight in one of our new Garmin G1000-equipped airplanes.” This is the second year for the program. Each cadet, ages 14-21, was selected to attend the limited-space program based on his or her application.
“The students from last year valued the inside look they got at Cessna and the aviation industry,” Rainey said. “In fact, by the end of their week, most said they wanted to work for Cessna someday.”
The Civil Air Patrol commands the world’s largest single engine piston fleet, which includes 540 Cessnas, making CAP Cessna’s largest single engine piston customer. CAP is a non-profit volunteer organization that conducts 95% of the nation’s inland search and rescue missions, aerial reconnaissance for homeland security, and disaster relief and damage assessment, among other missions. Its more than 57,000 members include 22,500 cadets ages 12 to 20.