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Cadets show strength in numbers

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Michael McDermott knows many people might not be familiar with the Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force.

Although he now serves as the Rutland Composite Squadron's senior pilot, nine years ago that was him. He'd heard of the organization, but had no clue what it did.

For McDermott, it was the prospect of additional flying time — behind the controls of the squad's Cessna 172 — that enticed him to learn more and eventually join the volunteer, civilian organization.

"A lot of people don't know. You say to people 'Civil Air Patrol' and they'll say, 'Oh yeah, I've heard of them. What do they really do?" said McDermott, who lives in Ludlow.

On Saturday, the public was invited to find out, as the Rutland squadron opened its doors at the Rutland Southern Vermont Regional Airport for tours of their headquarters, hangar and aircraft and gave visitors interested in joining the chance to talk to both its senior and cadet members.

It was the first open house the Rutland squadron has held, according to Lou Varricchio, a senior member and the squadron's public affairs officer.

"Our emphasis is on being part of the community," Varricchio said. "Any time there's an emergency, would could be called out."

Established in 1941 only a week before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Civilian Air Patrol was conceived as a way for civilian pilots to aid in the war effort. During the conflict, the organization patrolled the country's eastern coastline in search of German submarines, to which CAP would then alert the military. Twice, it even sunk the enemy ships, McDermott said.

After the war ended CAP officially became an auxiliary of the Air Force. Today, it boasts a 530-plane fleet and a nationwide membership numbering 60,000, including five Vermont squadrons in Rutland, Burlington, Montpelier, Caledonia County and Springfield.

Its purpose has also transformed and focused around three missions — emergency services, such as aircraft search and rescue missions, homeland security anti-drug trafficking operations and disaster relief; aerospace education, including flight history and physics; and its cadet program, open to 12 to 18-year-olds, which teaches everything from survival skills, leadership and aviation training.

For several cadets in Rutland's 11-member program, CAP is also providing them some early exposure to careers they hope to have in the military or the aviation industry.

"I plan on going into the Air Force," said Airman Kyle Lewis of Clarendon, a 16-year-old sophomore at Mill River Union High School who joined CAP four months ago. "I talked to a recruiter who said Civil Air Patrol would be a good start to that goal."

To date, Lewis has participated in a model rocketry weekend in Norwich, competed in a color guard competition and even flown a plane during one training event. While Lewis hopes to be a civil engineer in the Air Force, learning to fly is another of his goals, he said.

Cadet 2d Lt. Brennan Kidder also plans to join the Air Force, but his three years in CAP have helped him hone in on his specific interests.

"The reason why I first wanted to get involved was aviation," said Kidder, 15, who joined three years ago. "I've learned since I enjoy the ground work of missions much more than flying."

While it's been several years since the Rutland squadron was called to help in a search and rescue — the last being the search for a downed aircraft near Bennington about two years ago — members frequently participate in training missions, including searches for emergency locating transmitters, the electronic devices from civilian aircraft designed to transmit a distress signal after a crash, according to McDermott.

The Rutland squadron always is looking for new members — both cadets and adults — and encourages anyone interested in attending one of their 6:30 p.m. Thursday meetings at the airport, McDermott said. He said the public would also be surprised to learn how few of its members are pilots; only an interest in volunteering is required.

Even for those who aren't looking to join, however, Varricchio hopes Saturday heightened the public's awareness of aviation in the community.

In addition to CAPs open house, members of the Experimental Aircraft Association's Green Mountain Flyers chapter showed off their planes at a pancake breakfast at the airport, while the Federal Aviation Association also gave several lectures.

Necessary opportunities for the public to make the drive to the Clarendon facility, which Varricchio said he knows many locals have never visited.

"Part of this is making people aware of the airport," he said. "It's amazing how many people who live in Rutland have never seen it… and unfortunately the United States is losing small, general aviation airports like this at a phenomenal rate."