Colorado Wing Civil Air Patrol

Colorado Wing Civil Air Patrol

The Colorado Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, the United States Air Force Auxiliary
Associated branches
United States Air Force
Executive staff
Commander Lt Col Celeste Gamache
Vice Commander Lt Col David Hurtado
Chief of Staff Lt Col Henry Wearsch
Current statistics
Squadrons 30
Cadets 816
Seniors 893
Total Membership 1709
Statistics as of Dec 14[1]

Colorado Wing Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is the highest echelon of CAP in the state of Colorado. Its headquarters are located at Peterson AFB, and the wing is under the command of Lt Col Celeste Gamache.

The Colorado Wing (COWG) operates in the Rocky Mountain Region for the CAP. The Wing consists of 30 squadrons in three groups within Colorado. CAP squadrons are of three types: Cadet, Composite and Senior: 1) "Cadet" squadrons consists of basic cadets, with a minimum of three senior members (adults) for supervisory, administrative, and training requirements; 2) "Senior" squadrons consists exclusively of senior members, all over the age of 18; and, 3) "Composite" squadrons consists of both cadets and senior members, conducting both cadet and senior programs.[2]

Structure

The Colorado Wing is the highest echelon of Civil Air Patrol in Colorado, and reports to Rocky Mountain Region CAP, who reports to CAP National Headquarters. The wing supervises the individual groups and squadrons that comprise the basic operational unit of CAP. The Colorado Wing headquarters are located at Peterson AFB, Colorado.

Below the Wing level, Colorado is divided into smaller groups. Each group conducts its own training and programs,

Underneath each group are numerous squadrons. Squadrons are the local level of organization, and squadrons meet weekly to conduct training. There are three types of Civil Air Patrol squadrons:

Group 1

Group 1, Sqdn 167, conducts operations in Northern Colorado, out of Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, Building B8.[3]

A youth gets acquainted with a Civil Air Patrol aircraft in Colorado.
Senior Airman Paul Kelly explains weapon handling and safety to members of the Colorado Springs Cadet Squadron.
Squadrons of Group 1
Sqdn No. Name/Type Location Meets at Website
023 Arvada Cadet Arvada Lincoln Academy

ColoWingCAP.org

072 Boulder Composite Boulder Calvary Bible Church

ColoWingCAP.org

099 Broomfield Composite Broomfield First Baptist Church

ColoWingCAP.org

031 Foothills Cadet Golden Belmar Baptist Church

ColoWingCAP.org

021 Greeley Composite Greeley Greeley–Weld County Airport

ColoWingCAP.org

136 Jefferson County Senior Rocky Mountain Metro Airport Runway Grill dining room

ColoradoCAP.org

143 Mile High Cadet Aurora Buckley Air Force Base

ColoWingCAP.org

068 North Valley Composite Thornton Village Baptist Church

ColoWingCAP.org

181 Steamboat Springs Composite Steamboat Springs Steamboat Springs Airport

ColoWingCAP.org

147 Thompson Valley Composite Ft. Collins Military Sciences Bldg,
Colorado State University

TVCSEagles.com

022 Vance Brand Cadet Longmont National Guard Armory building

ColoWingCAP.org

Group 2

Group 2, Sqdn 169, conducts operations in Western Colorado, from Montrose, out of Montrose Armory.[4]

First Lt. Chad Morris of the Civil Air Patrol's Colorado wing photographs a sports utility vehicle from 1,000 feet during a homeland security mission simulation.
Squadrons of Group 2
Sqdn No. Name/Type Location Meets at Website
139 Cortez Senior Cortez Municipal Airport CAP Hangar, Cortez Airport

ColoWingCAP.org

160 Heart Of The Rockies Composite Alamosa San Luis Valley Regional Airport

ColoWingCAP.org

189 Mesa Verde Cadet Dolores K-9 Search And Rescue Building

ColoWingCAP.org

141 Montrose Composite Montrose Montrose National Guard Armory

ColoWingCAP.org

015 Thunder Mountain Composite Grand Jct. near

Grand Junction Regional Airport

ColoWingCAP.org

Group 3

Group 3, Sqdn 165, conducts operations in the greater Denverarea and Southern Colorado.[5]

Cadets from the Colorado Springs Cadet Squadron at Peterson AFB participate in winter training.
A member of the Colorado Wing of the Civil Air Patrol speaks to military veterans while manning a recruitment booth.
Squadrons of Group 3
Sqdn No. Name/Type Location Meets at Website
159 Air Academy Cadet USAF Academy USAFA (various locations on site)

ColoWingCAP.org

190 Banning Lewis Cadet Colorado Springs 7094 Cottonwood Tree Dr

ColoWingCAP.org

162 Black Sheep Senior Centennial South Metro Fire Rescue Authority HQ

ColoWingCAP.org

030 Colorado Springs Cadet Peterson AFB Peterson AFB, Building 350

ColoWingCAP.org

186 Dakota Ridge Composite Littleton Centennial Community Church

ColoWingCAP.org

157 Douglas Cadet Castle Rock New Hope Presbyterian Church

ColoWingCAP.org

188 Evergreen Composite Evergreen Evergreen Lutheran Church

ColoWingCAP.org

098 Fremont-Starfire Cadet Canon City Freemont County Airport

ColoWingCAP.org

148 Mustang Cadet South Aurora Department Of Military Affairs ColoWingCAP.org
173 Parker Cadet Parker Parker Evangelical Presbyterian Church

ColoWingCAP.org

080 Pikes Peak Senior Peterson AFB Peterson AFB Chapel, Building 1410

ColoWingCAP.org

179 Pueblo Eagles Composite Pueblo Colorado National Guard Armory

ColoWingCAP.org

183 Valkyrie Cadet East Denver Wings Over the Rockies Museum vcs.cowg.cap.gov

School Squadrons

School Squadrons operate from within the School District.[6]

School Squadrons
Sqdn No. Name/Type Location Meets at Website
803 27J School District Brighton Brighton Heritage Academy

ColoWingCAP.org

Encampment

Cadet encampments, usually a week in length, provide cadets with an intense look at military life. Encampment attendance is a prerequisite for the Gen. Billy Mitchell Award. Senior members may also be awarded the ribbon for providing leadership at CAP encampments.[7]

Colorado Wing's Encampment has been held at the US Air Force Academy, Ft Carson and Peterson AFB in Colorado Springs, CO.

Ground search and rescue

The Wing operates a ground search and rescue ("GSAR") school on an annual basis, normally held in the Gore Range of the Rocky Mountains, west of Kremmling[8] To participate, Cadets must be at least 14 years old, hold the rank of at least Cadet Senior Airman, successfully pass a physical fitness test, and have previous participation in cadet summer activities. Additionally, all participants must have completed basic training in emergency services (offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency) and be able to hike long distances with a 20-25 pound pack. Participants spend the entire school (normally, eight days) in a field environment, and are awarded a Ground Team member badge at the successful completion of the school.

Air search and rescue

N652CP, Thompson Valley's Cessna 182T, sits on the ramp at Akron Airport, Colorado.

CAP cadets can qualify to participate in FAA-approved air-search flights as observers with a CAP-certified pilot. Cadets with their pilot-in-command license can qualify as cadet pilots for air-search flights. Training is provided, along with age and license requirements.[9] [10]

Awards and decorations

See also

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/23/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.