The Auxiliary Beacon
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The Tale of the DeHavilland DHC-3 Otter: An Aircraft Odyssey An Icon of Excessive Proportions and Misadventures in Aviation History Capacity: Just enough room to invite a dozen or so brave souls Length: Impressively stretching 41…
In the realm of improbable success stories, few can rival the meteoric rise of the Fort Worth Phoenix Composite Squadron. Over the past four years, this squadron has catapulted from obscurity to sheer magnificence, solidifying its…
The Sky's the Limit: Cadet Wings Program Sets Lofty Expectations From Grounded Civil Air Patrol Cadets to "Top Gun" Legends April 2025 – It’s that time of the year again when the optimistic Civil Air Patrol…
While the citizens of Arkansas experience what scientists might call "epic levels of wetness," the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) aircrews have been busy delivering Pulitzer-level aerial artistry. With 91 hours of airborne artistry logged by April…
A Wing and a Prayer: Michigan's Heroic Response to a Really Cool Ice Storm In a daring mission of epic proportions, members of the Michigan Wing have been heroically devoting all available daylight hours since last…
Reintroducing the Florida Wing's "Wilderness Adventure Camp" – Now with Added Drama and Drama Kings! Hold onto your compass, folks, because the Florida Wing's infamous Snake Creek Wilderness School has resurfaced after a 20-year hiatus, offering…
StellarXplorers: Cadet Teams Blast Off into the Finals... Again! In an astounding twist that everyone saw coming, the elite cadet teams from Colorado and Oregon have once again gracefully elbowed their way into the national finals…
April is, yet again, designated as National Child Abuse Prevention Month, a month where we make loud declarations about protecting the youth — not with mere words, of course, but by occasionally doing something about it.…
A Satirical Take on the Role of Civil Air Patrol's National Command Chief The Unstoppable Ascent of the Reluctant NCO Time flies when you're having fun—or when you're pretending not to notice that the last three…
BURKE, VA – Cadets from the Virginia Wing's Burke Composite Squadron stunned the nation—and several unsuspecting routers—by placing second in this year’s Cisco NetAcad Challenge, part of the CyberPatriot 17 competition, also known as “Hackers, But…
NRAT (No Really, Actual Tracking) Update For over 15 years, the Civil Air Patrol’s National Radar Analysis Team (NRAT) has been the GPS-fueled superhero squad you didn’t know you needed—unless you were about to crash into…
Because if you stare at the sky long enough, eventually NASA will give you a clipboard. Civil Air Patrol is teaming up with NASA for the third year in a row, this time for the 2025…
Meet the Fleet Model 7: The Pigeon of the Skies Capacity: two cautiously optimistic souls Length: 21 feet 6 inches (give or take a pigeon’s wingspan) Maximum speed: A thrilling 115 mph (as long as you’re…
Because who else can fly 3,000 hours, spot a pickup truck, and still make it home for dinner? Civil Air Patrol, the U.S. Air Force’s most dedicated volunteer squadron of science nerds, aviation buffs, and retirees…
AKA: The Great Glider Grounding of 2025 In a move that shocked at least 17 soaring enthusiasts and confused several cadets who just wanted to fly without an engine, Civil Air Patrol has hit the brakes—er,…
Civic Leadership Academy: Because Nothing Says ‘Vacation’ Like Seminars and C-SPAN Twenty of Civil Air Patrol’s most promising cadets descended upon Washington, D.C., this February for a week of handshakes, policy jargon, and PowerPoints at CAP’s…
When it rains, it pours... then CAP shows up with spreadsheets and Cessnas In mid-February, Mother Nature reminded Appalachia that she's still very much in charge, delivering a combo platter of heavy rain, snowmelt, and emotional…
Also brings enough CAP credentials to fill a hangar In a dramatic leadership shift that may or may not involve a secret handshake and a patch ceremony, Col. Brett Dolnick — Washington Wing commander, cyber defense…
Early in the week, the Florida Wing's Homestead Hair Salon Cadet Squadron group texts caught fire, and for once, it wasn’t because someone forgot to silence their phone during naptime. The extraordinary news: The Fashionista-in-Chief would…
In an unprecedented move that no one saw coming—except perhaps Col. Curtis Boehmer himself—our dear Boehmer has added yet another lavish title to his already illustrious Civil Air Patrol (CAP) resume. Yes, folks, gasp in disbelief…
