2012 StatisticsVolunteer Members:

916 adult members

830 cadets

1,000 voting-age members

168 aircrew personnel

885 emergency responders

Squadrons:29 locations statewide

Aircraft:11 single engine

1 glider

Vehicles:24 vehicles

Interoperable Communications:14 VHF/FM repeaters

142 VHF/FM stations

27 HF stations

Missions:14 search and rescue missions

11 finds

1 life saved

4 counterdrug missions

18 other state support missions

Cadet Flying: 847 cadets flown

Total Hours Flown:2,296

Financial:$100,000* in state funding

$4.8M value of wing’s

volunteer hours

Address: 7401 Airfield Drive, Richmond, VA 23237-2250 Phone: (804) 743-2220 Website: vawg.cap.gov/

Wing Commander Col. James A. Covel (covel648@gmail.com)

Government Relations Advisor Maj. James Quinn (jquinnjr@jasquinn.com)

National Commander Maj. Gen. Charles L. Carr Jr. (ccarr@cap.gov)

Region Commander Col. Larry Ragland (mer_cc@mer.cap.gov)

The Virginia Wing as well as search and rescue groupsfrom Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania conducted a jointSAR exercise at Lake Anna State Park inApril. The exercise involved establishing aremote CAP mission base where day andnight search activities were conductedthroughout the weekend. It was designedto run multiple operational periods,exercise the turnover of command andmission base staff and provide fieldtraining for ground and air search teams. Aremote air operations base was establishedat Culpeper Regional Airport.

Virginia Wing Commander Col. JamesA. Covel, then wing chief of staff, servedas incident commander for three of theoperational periods. Most of the searchplanning was conducted by personnel from SAR groups ledby former Wing Commander Col. Dave Carter, with canineand equine search teams participating as well. Theoperation included a full CAP communications base withtwo VHF base stations and an HF station. All electricalpower was provided by portable generators.

The exercise, put together by a team of wing members andrepresentatives of several of the SAR groups, focused on a

scenario involving two separate groups of lost people. Mixedmission base staff was used for all operational periods, and the

incident commander position rotatedbetween CAP and the SAR groups.CAP aircraft flew a number of air searchand electronic locatortransmitter/personal locator beaconsorties in the area, though most of thesearches occurred on the ground, withsome 20 ground teams searching thepark day and night.

Despite the usual bumps andglitches in such an exercise, theimmediate after-action review

conducted at the end of the traininguniversally praised the efforts andeffectiveness of joint operations.

Other highlights for 2012 included:• providing aircraft and mission base support to CAP’s

Northeast Region in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy,with 29 sorties flown.

• flying 96 sorties on counterdrug missions.• flying 21 sorties on homeland security missions.• providing 438 cadet orientation flights.• flying190 glider sorties.

Virginia Wing members participate in a SAR

exercise designed to sharpen the skills of air

and ground teams.

*Financial data provided by wing

U.S. AIR FORCE AUXILIARY

CIVIL AIR PATROL

VIRGINIA WINGMembers hone search and rescue skills in exercise

No strangers to serving their communities in crisis,dedicated Civil Air Patrol members across Americaonce again answered the call in 2012,responding to tornadoes, wildfires,hurricanes and tsunamis throughout theyear. Their service was most notable inresponse to Hurricane Sandy’sonslaught on the East Coast in October.The superstorm, which was followedby an early winter blast, left more than100 people dead, millions withoutpower or potable water and thousandshomeless.

Working with the Federal EmergencyManagement Agency, states and other reliefagencies, CAP’s unpaid professionals representing 20wings from the Great Lakes, Middle East and Northeast regionshelped make sure the hungry were fed and the cold sheltered, asother CAP officers, noncommissioned officers and cadets didearlier in the year when Hurricane Isaac struck the Gulf Coast.

Sandy marked what turned out to be a significant milestone

in the organization’s 71-yearhistory. CAP aircrews in the skiesalong with image evaluationteams on the ground, including

officers, noncommissioned officersand cadets whose own lives were

shattered by Sandy, captured andprocessed more than 158,000 photos of

the hurricane’s destruction — one of thelargest missions in CAP’s history. The images

helped provide FEMA as well as state and local responders withan accurate picture of the damage and where help was needed.

In all, CAP supported 52 requests for assistance from federal,state and local authorities in disaster relief operations during2012. As the U.S. Air Force auxiliary, CAP also helped save 32

lives across the nation using such high-tech tools as in-flight video equipment as well as radar and cell phoneforensics software developed by CAP members. Inaddition, CAP worked with the Department of Defense,flying 2,017 hours of air defense intercept training missionsto help prepare fighter units across the country. Aircrewsconducting counterdrug and drug interdiction operationsflew 8,362 hours helping law enforcement agencies seizemore than $491.4 million in illegal drugs and currency,leading to 632 arrests.

Congressionally chartered mission No. 1

Emergency Services

Capt. Rheta Perkins, airborne photographer with Civil Air Patrolʼs NorthCarolina Wing, prepares to take photos of damage wrought byHurricane Sandy. Aerial imaging crews like the one Perkins was a partof took tens of thousands of damage assessment photos forgovernment agencies while flying some 696 sorties and logging 1,407flight hours above the shredded East Coast.

Aerial images like this billowing smoke in the Manitou Springs area of Colorado,taken in rough air from 13,500 feet by a CAP aircrew on fire watch, were some ofthe first of what later became the Waldo Canyon Fire in 2012. The massive firenear Colorado Springs,coupled with the HighPark Fire near FortCollins and other, smallerblazes, made the springand summer of 2012 themost destructive andexpensive fire season inColoradoʼs history. Morethan 200 CAP membersworked both in the airand on the ground inresponse to the fires.

This aerial image taken by a CAP aircrew reveals tidal surge damageto homes in New Jersey. Last year the photo review process wasstreamlined through crowdsourcing, using 6,000 volunteers, many ofthem CAP members, to assess 158,012 images placed on a websitecreated for that purpose. The imagesʼ depictions of storm damagewere rated as light, moderate and severe, providing response agenciesfaster, more accurate evaluations of Hurricane Sandyʼs destruction.

An F-16 maneuvers to intercept a Civil Air Patrol Cessna during a FertileKeynote exercise near the nationʼs capital in August. As

part of its expanding homeland security missions,CAP aircrews flew more than 2,000 hours during

air defense exercises in 2012 helping preparefighter units across the country.

Eager to show off their aerospaceknowledge, physical fitness and precision,cadet drill teams and color guards participatein competitions at the state, region andnational levels. Rising to the occasion withgood sportsmanship, cadets amazespectators with their skill and esprit de corps.The competitions are varied, but this activity isall about character. Each year, 144 cadetsfrom CAPʼs eight regions earn the right tocompete for national honors, and about 800more compete locally.

Congressionally chartered mission No. 2

Cadet ProgramsCivil Air Patrol inspires youth to be responsible citizens who

embody the organization’s core values of respect, integrity,volunteer service and excellence.

In school- or community-based squadrons, cadets ages 12-20benefit from a complete curriculum that teaches leadership,physical fitness, character development and aerospaceeducation. Cadets serve their communities by helping withCAP’s humanitarian efforts.In addition, they gain anappreciation for America’srole in the globalcommunity by serving asgoodwill ambassadorsabroad or hosting aviation-minded youth from aroundthe world.

Cadets attend weeklymeetings and participate inweekend activities once amonth. Each summer, theyhave the opportunity toparticipate in one or more of30 national cadet events,which offer hands-on

training and activities covering subjects as diverse as U.S. AirForce career familiarization, aerospace technology, leadershipdevelopment and flight training.

As a testament to its relevance and appeal, the cadet programhas grown more than 25 percent over the past four years, from21,000 cadets in 2008 to 26,384 in 2012. The opportunity to fly is amajor attraction for cadets; 29,856 cadet orientation flights were

conducted in CAP planes lastyear (some received more thanone flight).

Civil Air Patrol develops youth through self-paced study of the art of leadership.Cadets learn how to lead through formal classroominstruction and a laboratory of hands-on experienceswhere they apply leadership principles to real-world challenges.Through a graduated curriculum, they first learn to follow, thento lead small groups, ultimately experiencing command andexecutive-level leadership, advancing in rank and earninghonors along the way. Topics include how to think critically,communicate effectively, make good decisions, motivate othersand manage conflict.

Civil Air Patrol cadets experienceflight firsthand through the efforts ofCAP adult volunteers — aviationenthusiasts eager to share their loveof flying. Often, it is through CAP thata cadet receives the first flight of hisor her life. Aviation education isdelivered in both the classroom andthe cockpit. Cadets gain anunderstanding of the complex forcesthat cause an aircraft to achieve liftand study other fundamental topics,such as navigation, engines andaerospace history.

National Flight Academies areamong 30 annual cadet activitiesthat help mold the next generationof citizens through top-notchinstruction that emphasizes hardwork, self-discipline and teamwork.

The K-6 Aerospace

Connections in

Education program

provides engaging,

cost-free, grade-

specific, aerospace-

themed academics,

character education and physical fitness lessons for living a healthy, drug-free life. Ninety-

one percent of the teacher participants register again for the following academic year. In

2012, more than 18,000 students and 700 teachers in 92 schools in 27 states participated

in the ACE program.

Civil Air Patrol offers more than 30 free

aerospace education products and programs

designed to generate interest in STEM careers

for about 250,000 cadets and K-12 students

nationwide. The Aerospace Education

Excellence program includes 150 inquiry-based

activities easily accomplished within the

squadron or classroom. Subjects such as

robotics, rocketry, remote-controlled flying,

cyber security, satellite imagery, astronomy,

math and science help inspire young people to

pursue STEM careers.

Congressionally chartered mission No. 3

Aerospace EducationCivil Air Patrol’s award-winning aerospace

education program promotes aerospace history,flight principles, careers and relevance intoday’s world. CAP’s more than 26,000 cadetmembers as well as about 220,000 K-12 studentsnationwide benefit from the program,composed of a plethora of inquiry-basedproducts aligned with national standards oflearning that perpetuate an interest in science,technology, engineering and math (STEM)subjects and professions. Both cadets andteachers are given orientation flights thatencourage real-world application of skills andinvestigation of potential STEM careers. Cadetsalso receive a variety of employmentexploration opportunities in partnership withaerospace business, industry and educationalinstitutions that are helpingprepare the country’sworkforce to maintainnational security wellinto the future.

The Teacher Orientation Program Flight initiative provides teachers and administrators the

opportunity to experience firsthand the excitement of flying while also increasing their

aeronautical knowledge. TOP Flight ignites aviation enthusiasm that these

educators transfer into the classrooms of more than 15,000 students annually.

The Colorado Springs Cadet Squadron is

the Air Force Associationʼs CyberPatriot IV

national champion in the All Service

Division — the second straight year CAP

has won this top honor. More than

1,000 teams entered the 2012

competition. Also, the South

Dakota Wingʼs Big Sioux Composite

Squadron won the inaugural Cyber

Forensics Challenge in 2012.