General Overview

Aerospace education is a CAP Mission, just like Emergency Services and the Cadet Program.

Civil Air Patrol (CAP) promotes and supports aerospace education, both for its own members and the general public.
CAP educational programs help prepare American citizens to meet the challenges of a sophisticated aerospace society and understand its related issues. CAP offers national standards-based educational products, including a secondary textbook, Aerospace: The Journey of Flight, and the middle-school-level Aerospace Dimensions. Teachers can get free classroom materials and lesson plans from CAP by joining CAP’s Aerospace Education Membership program.
The program includes formal graded courses for members to become knowledgeable about all aspects of aviation, including flight physics, dynamics, history, application, etc. The course work also includes all aspects of the space program and new technologies that make advances in aviation and space exploration possible. There are also several programs for CAP pilots to improve their flying skills and FAA ratings so that the safety of the CAP aviation program may be enhanced.

Cadet Aerospace Education

The CAP Cadet Program has a mandatory aerospace education program; in order to progress, a cadet must take courses and tests relating to aviation. They also have educational opportunities through guest speakers, model building, and actual flight. Certain programs offer amore specialized approach to the education process.

The Aerospace Education Excellence (AEX) Program offers hands on examples to demonstrate the lessons learned in the text portion.

The Model Rocketry Program is an achievement program for cadets interested in the science, technology, and flight of model rockets.

The Near Space Program is a new program that offers members a way to build, launch, track, and recover weather-balloon based experiments.

Orientation Flights (O-Flights) actually offer cadets a way to experience first hand flight in airplanes.

Senior Aerospace Education

Senior members of the CAP may choose to study aerospace as part of the Senior Member Training Program progression requirements. CAP encourages its senior members to learn about aviation and its history, although this is not mandatory. Those who complete the Aerospace Education Program for Senior Members may earn the Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager Aerospace Education Award.

External Aerospace Education

The purpose of the EAE, as stated in CAP’s 1946 Congressional Charter, is to "encourage and foster civil aviation in local communities."

Outside of its organization, CAP provides school teachers with resources and help in terms of integrating aviation and aerospace into the classroom. This outreach program includes seminars, course material and sponsorship of the National Congress on Aerospace Education. Members also help municipalities better understand the needs and benefits of airports and other aviation related facilities to their communities, and how to better manage them.

CAP members may visit schools, host field trips, science competitions and fairs, and other assorted activities. In addition to schools, CAP reaches out to other organizations, such as the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, 4-H, and more.

CAP also sponsors several prestigious awards for those who promote aerospace to the public.

Aerospace Education Excellence Program (AEX)

The Aerospace Education Excellence Program was created to give a hands-on experience, to complement the text learning portion of AE.

AEX has been designed in three different levels, starting with levels K-5 through 6-12, and also includes senior level projects.

In addition, through participation in the Aerospace Education Excellence Award Program (AEX), all CAP units are eligible to earn an AEX Award plaque and certificate of accomplishment.

To recieve the award, the squadron and cadets must complete six or more activities and lessons in a one year time. They must also hold an Aerospace Education Day or a two-hour minimum field experience for the members.

Model Rocketry

Civil Air Patrol’s Model Rocketry program is an achievement program for cadets interested in the science, technology, and flight of model rockets.

The guide builds on the foundation of Aerospace Dimensions, Module 4: "Rockets," to introduce cadets to the hobby and science of model rocketry.

The guide begins with simple alternative-power models and progressively challenges cadets with more advanced models.

Cadets who complete the written and performance requirements for each of the three stages described in this text, as certified by their unit commander, will recieve the Cadet Model Rocketry award.

Near Space Program

The Missouri Wing of the Civil Air Patrol has embarked on a project to launch Simulated Satellite payloads (SimSats) into Near Space, at or above 100,000 feet using High Altitude Balloons as the launch vehicle.

This is an Aerospace Education program that will enable participants to gain knowledge in a wide variety of fields, such Amateur Radio, weather, space science, engineering, program management, telemetry systems, experiment design, cosmic ray studies, atmospheric studys and more.

CAP members actually construct the payloads that are sent up, which takes precise calculations, a little ingenuity, and a lot of fun. They participate in the planning stages for the launch, as well as the actual launch itself. They track the balloon as it ascends through the atmosphere and weather patterns, and across many miles or even states. They also perform search and recovery for the equipment payload, where they can finally analyze their experiments.

Our goal is provide education opportunities and monthly launch, tracking and recovery services for Amateur Radio Groups, High Schools, Community Colleges, Technical Schools, CAP Squadrons and other interested groups.

Cadet Orientation Flight Program (O-Flights)

The Cadet Orientation Flight Program is designed to introduce our youth to general aviation through hands-on orientation flights in single engine aircraft and gliders.

The program is limited to current CAP cadets under 18 years of age. Squadron commanders try to arrange orientation flights for new CAP cadets as soon as possible after the cadet joins CAP.

The program is voluntary and primarily motivational and it should stimulate an interest in general aviation and aerospace activities. At no time will cadets sustain any costs associated with this program.