MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. – Five Civil Air Patrol cadets will get the opportunity to learn to fly this summer at Delaware State University, thanks to private pilot scholarships awarded by CAP’s National Advanced Flight Academy program.
The NAFA program was created in 2016 as a priority of National Commander Maj. Gen. Joe Vazquez, who sought to expand the flying opportunities of CAP’s youngest members at a time when U.S. airlines, especially regional carriers, are facing pilot shortages.
“Today’s scholarship announcement is a year in coming,” said Lt. Col. Leslie Vazquez, CAP’s aviation industry liaison who oversees the program. “We’re proud to name this first class of young CAP pilots receiving an early opportunity at advanced flight. We hope it will be just the first of many future classes to get such a chance.”
Recipients of NAFA’s inaugural scholarships, valued at up to $12,000 each, are:
- Cadet Maj. Wyatt Hartman, Sparrows Point, Maryland
- Cadet Capt. Erin Dundas, Rutland, Vermont
- Cadet 1st Lt. James D. Kidd, Southwest Ranches, Florida
- Cadet 2nd Lt. Duncan Campbell, Frederick, Maryland
- Cadet 2nd Lt. Riley D. Campbell, Frederick, Maryland
The Campbells are brothers serving in the Maryland Wing’s Frederick Composite Squadron. Duncan, 19, is the current cadet commander of the Frederick squadron, while younger brother Riley, who turned 17 in April, is the cadet deputy commander.
Hartman, 18, is the highest-ranking cadet among the scholarship recipients. He is a member of the Glenn L. Martin Composite Squadron in Middle River, Maryland, where he most recently served as cadet commander.
Dundas, 20, and Kidd, 17, are members of the Rutland (Vermont) Composite Squadron and Cooper City (Florida) Composite Squadron, respectively. Kidd currently serves as the cadet flight commander for his unit, while Dundas recently concluded a two-year term on her wing’s cadet advisory council.
The flight training begins June 27, 2017. at the university in Dover and will last six to eight weeks.
Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force. In this role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 aircraft, performs about 90% of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 80 lives annually.
CAP’s 57,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. CAP also plays a leading role in STEM/aerospace education, and its members serve as mentors to 24,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs.