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Civil Air Patrol was founded in December 1941, one week before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, by more than 150,000 citizens who were concerned about the defense of America's coastline. Under the jurisdiction of the Army Air Forces, CAP pilots flew more than one-half million hours, were credited with sinking two enemy submarines and rescued hundreds of crash survivors during World War II. On July 1, 1946, President Harry Truman established CAP as a federally chartered benevolent civilian corporation, and Congress passed Public Law 557 on May 26, 1948, making CAP the auxiliary of the new U.S. Air Force. CAP was charged with three primary missions – aerospace education, cadet programs and emergency services.

The Civil Air Patrol Corporation

• Classified as a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) corporation

• Operates as the all-volunteer civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force

• Includes eight geographic regions consisting of 52 wings (each of the 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia)

• Includes approximately 1,500 units nationwide

• Currently has nearly 57,000 members

• Operates one of the largest fleets of single-engine piston aircraft in the world, with 535 currently in the fleet

• Flies, through volunteer members, nearly 120,000 hours each year

• Maintains fleet of 1,000 emergency services vehicles for training and mission support

• Provides counseling and ministry to CAP cadets and senior members through some 900 service personnel

• Supports members with about 100 corporate staff at the CAP National Headquarters at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.

Click to download a PDF file about the history of the Civil Air Patrol 

Find out more about CAP on the National Web Site