Maryland Wing Aerospace Academy 2006

2dLt Stacey Bowen, CAP

 

7/3/2006 – Fort Detrick, MD – During the third week of June, four cadets from the Mt. Airy Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol participated in the 10^th annual Maryland Wing Aerospace Academy held at Ft. Detrick, where they spent seven days in a military atmosphere, focusing on glider flight training, model rocketry, and a variety of other aerospace topics.

 

CAP Cadets Joshua Newsome of Eldersburg, Paul Rea of Damascus, Zachary Bowen of Finksburg, and JT Kmetz of Monrovia, joined 31 other cadets from Maryland and West Virginia, assisting and participating in activities throughout the week.  Cadet Newsome was a first year camp attendee, cadet Rea served as an assistant to the medical officer and trained for flight line crew, cadet Bowen worked on the flight line crew, and cadet Kmetz held the position of flight sergeant.

 

Project officer for glider operations, and licensed CAP pilot, Captain Olin Kinney provided classroom instruction for the cadets which included:  aerodynamics of glider flight, procedures of tow aircraft, glider hook-up, glider flight line operations with emphasis on safety, and the effects of weather conditions on glider and powered flight operations. 

 

Once classroom instruction was completed, each cadet was given the opportunity to travel to Frederick Municipal Airport and receive 2 front seat glider flights in a Blanik L-23 Super, where they were able to experience first hand what they had learned on the ground.  Gliders were towed and flown by CAP pilots from around Maryland and Virginia who volunteered their time to fulfill CAP’s Aerospace Education mission. 

 

Ft. Detrick provided CAP with an area for tent camping behind the Odom Physical Fitness Center.  CAP also had use of the fitness center, where they took part in team building exercises, a volleyball tournament, and swimming throughout the week.  The Detrick Center for Training and Education Excellence was open to academy attendees and staff for classroom use as well. The post dining facility provided meals to the cadets and staff each day.

 

The camp provided model rocketry classes to cadets, which culminated in a field trip to Sharp’s Waterford Farm in Howard County, where a launch was held at week’s end. 

 

Radio classes were offered, as well as a seminar on the planet Mars.  Cadets also traveled to Virginia to visit the National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center, near Dulles Airport.

 

Some cadets received special training during the week on the proper execution of an end-of-the-day retreat ceremony.  The ceremony took place on Thursday evening, and was attended by U.S. Army Garrison Commander, Col. Mary Deutsch.  Col. Deutsch also visited cadets in the classroom during the week, speaking to them about their achievements in Civil Air Patrol, and how their experiences can prepare them for a career in the military.  At the close of the retreat ceremony, Major General Eric B. Schoomaker, Commanding General of the United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, along with Col. Deutsch, presented cadets with coins and congratulated them on their hard work and dedication to learning about customs and traditions of those serving in the military.

 

Project officer for the academy was 1st Lieutenant Ron Long, also of Mt. Airy Composite Squadron.  Lt Long works for the U.S. Army Garrison at Ft. Detrick.   This was Lt. Long’s 5th year coordinating the academy.   

CAP, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with more than 60,000 members nationwide. CAP volunteers perform 95 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state, and local agencies.

Members take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the almost 25,000 young people currently participating in the CAP Cadet Program. CAP's cadet programs provide young men and women with a safe and motivating environment in which to grow and explore opportunities in the military and aviation industries. Beginning at age 12, cadets can progress through a 16-step program of leadership and aerospace education. CAP has been performing missions for America for more than 63 years.

There are approximately 1,300 members of CAP in Maryland. Last fiscal year wing members flew 34 search and rescue missions and were credited with 23 finds.

The Mt. Airy Composite Squadron meets on Thursday evenings from 7-9 p.m. at the Mt. Airy Senior Center, adjacent to the Mt. Airy branch of the Carroll County Public Library.  Prospective cadets, age 12-18, and their parents are always welcome. More information can be found on their squadron website at http://www.mtairy-cap.org  .