On Nov. 15, 2015, the Greensburg squadron of the Civil Air Patrol took possession of a Cessna 172P. On hand to receive the aircraft on behalf of the squadron was Maj Keith R. Clapp, Group XII Commander for the Southern Indiana area of operations.
“As the official civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air force, these aircraft are purchased with funding from the Department of Defense, along with other support equipment such as communications and ground vehicles. This aircraft is equipped with specialized equipment for use during Air Force assigned missions such as search and rescue and disaster relief sorties”, Clapp stated.
The aircraft is also used in aerospace education for both cadets and senior members.
“Having an aircraft locally allows us to be a fully operational squadron,” said Capt S. John Donaldson, commander of the squadron. “This allows us to respond to the needs of the local community in a much quicker time frame.”
The aircraft has recently come out of maintenance after undergoing extensive refurbishment of the interior, upgrading of the avionics, and a new paint job in the customary Civil Air Patrol livery. Once the modifications were completed, the plane was transported from Indianapolis to its new home in Greensburg.
Maj Clapp expressed sincere appreciation to the Greensburg Airport Board and airport manager Jerry Scheidler. “Southeast Indiana is vitally important from an operational standpoint. This simply would not have been possible without the swift and unwavering support of these community leaders. We look forward to being a part of community and partnering with additional groups and agencies in the region”, Clapp said.
The Greensburg squadron meets every Sunday at the Greensburg Municipal Airport from 2:00-5:00 p.m. Civil Air Patrol is always looking for additional volunteers for both the Cadet Program (ages 12-18) and adults. To find out more about the squadron and how to join contact either Maj Keith R. Clapp (859-652-6945 or kclapp@inwg.cap.gov) or Capt S. John Donaldson (239-243-6088 or jdonaldson@inwg.cap.gov) or visit the squadron web site at www.indiana175.org.
Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with more than 60,000 members nationwide. Civil Air Patrol performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. Civil Air Patrol volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counter-drug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the more than 24,000 young people currently participating in cadet programs. Civil Air Patrol has been performing missions for America for 75 years. For more information on CAP, visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com.