Headline News

TEXAS -- Authorities have released the names of the three people who were killed in a helicopter crash in Kendall County. The pilot, 35-year-old Chester Monroe, 26-year-old Rusty Aaron, and 29-year-old Kaci Fairchild were killed Thursday night when their copter went down east of Fredericksburg. Officials say they were reportedly...

WEST VIRGINIA -- A Hockingport veteran who was a paratrooper in World War II was presented with the Knight of the French Legion of Honor on Saturday as thanks for his service in Europe. Lawrence Jeffers, 89, received the medal from his grandson Joshua Hultgren, a Civil Air Patrol cadet,...

ALASKA -- A pilot and his plane have been missing since Saturday afternoon, according to the pilot’s friends. Brendan Mattingly of Palmer was last seen at the Soldotna Airport between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. He was flying east to Palmer, a flight that generally takes an...

PENNSYLVANIA -- The U.S. Air Force and Civil Air Patrol helped police find a helicopter that crashed in Pennsylvania by using one of the passenger’s cell phones to get a fixed position. “All cell phones after 2007 have a built-in GPS in them,” said Danny Conley, chief of the Air...

HAWAII -- Former United States Marine Corps Col. William Judge Smith, a member of Civil Air Patrol’s Kauai Composite Squadron, was recently awarded the Federal Aviation Agency’s “Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award.” CAP Hawaii Wing Commander Col. Roger Caires represented the FAA in making the presentation to Smith during the...

WYOMING -- Searchers in southeast Wyoming have found the wreckage of a single-engine plane that failed to arrive at the Casper, Wyo., airport as planned after taking off from Texas. Albany County Undersheriff Rob DeBree says the plane was found in pieces Thursday on the south face of Laramie Peak,...

WYOMING -- Family members of four Harrison County, Texas, men in an airplane missing since Tuesday held out hope late Wednesday that they would be found alive after a full day of searching failed to locate the aircraft in southeast Wyoming. A ground and air search began Wednesday morning for the missing...

WASHINGTON -- On Saturday morning, a dozen Civil Air Patrol cadets and adults took on the YMCA's Odyssey III Challenge Course at Cottage Lake Park in Woodinville. From exercises on the ground to the roped facility rising 42 feet above the ground and stretching more than 300 feet in length,...

NEW YORK -- Awards and congratulations were extended to deserving Civil Air Patrol cadets on Thursday night. More than 35 cadets of the New York Wing’s Broome-Tioga Composite Squadron in Binghamton were recognized for their ambition and achievements in four key areas – excellence in aerospace education, physical fitness, leadership...

WYOMING -- With one hand on the open door, Sagewood Elementary School teacher Amanda Reinhardt hoisted herself into the cockpit of a 2007 Cessna Skylane. Cool and collected, Reinhardt shared the helm with veteran pilot Col. John Mitchell, a wing commander with an Air Force auxiliary called the Civil Air...

DELAWARE -- Historians of Civil Air Patrol’s World War II anti-sub presence will host a special one-day exhibit at the Rehoboth Beach Museum this weekend. On display Saturday, from noon to 3 p.m., will be photographs, aircraft parts, uniform items and other memorabilia from Civil Air Patrol's Base 2, operated...

MINNESOTA -- After two aerial searches by Civil Air Patrol this past weekend, there’s still no sign of Northfield’s Joshua Ben Bohlen, who’s been missing since Sept. 20. Northfield Public Safety Director Mark Taylor said authorities are evaluating their search options ahead of winter. He said they are waiting for fields...

OKLAHOMA – The Civil Air Patrol unit in Altus has two brand new pilots to fly their base assigned aircraft. After months of training, 2nd Lt. Michael Prater and Senior Member James Hill passed their Form 5 check rides to qualify to fly the CAP Cessna 172 based at Altus-Quartz...

MARYLAND -- Damascus High School student Ray Mattes, 15, had never seen a Washington Nationals game before, but on Sept. 19, he and three of his friends found themselves on the field in Washington, D.C., with thousands watching. The four local students were the color guard that afternoon, taking measured...

NEW YORK/ILLINOIS -- Two Civil Air Patrol squadrons in New York state, the Batavia Composite Squadron — a three-time recipient — and Condor Composite Squadron were recently announced as nationwide winners of CAP’s 2012 Quality Cadet Unit Award. The CAP squadrons are two of only eight New York squadrons so...

OREGON -- On this blue sky, first day of autumn, the voice from the sky came in ominous contrast to the otherwise idyllic setting at the beach: “... You have just experienced a magnitude-9 earthquake with ground shaking for five minutes. Exercise your evacuation plan. Remember your kit.” It was...

FLORIDA -- Most young teens are excited about the prospect of getting their driver’s license. But the goals of 15-year-old Jax Mcilrath are much higher. He wants to shoot for his pilot’s license before his driver’s license. Mcilrath is one of several cadets of the Lake County branch of the...

TENNESSEE -- Civil Air Patrol had cadets showcasing their digital flight simulator Saturday at the annual fly-in hosted by the Experimental Aircraft Association. “We’re a part of the Air Force that allows kids to see if it's something they might be interested in,” said 1st Lt. David Fowler, deputy commander...

MONTANA -- Civil Air Patrol is a civilian auxiliary to the U.S. Air Force. Locally, the Beartooth Composite Squadron has been in Billings since 1952. Thursday night saw the change to a new chapter for both the squadron, and two of its commanders. Find out more in this video report...

LOUISIANA -- Members with the Louisiana Wing of Civil Air Patrol put a sense of duty to their country, state and local communities before their own personal needs in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac. They responded immediately to requests from the Louisiana Governors Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness...

WEST VIRGINIA -- As dusk falls on the Air National Guard Armory near Coonskin Park, Civil Air Patrol cadets in dress blues practice footwork drills. It's one aspect of the Charleston Cadet Squadron program that focuses on aviation but also emphasizes discipline and teamwork. Members are able to take part...

MINNESOTA -- Members, families and friends of Civil Air Patrol’s St. Cloud Composite Squadron got a view of natural resources flying when a helicopter and aircrew from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources visited recently. Conservation Officer/Pilot Tom Pfingsten, among the DNR Division of Enforcement’s seven pilots, brought a unique...

ARIZONA -- Authorities have confirmed wreckage found in a rugged canyon east of Phoenix is that of a small plane missing from a flight school in Mesa since Thursday. All three people on board the single-engine Piper died in the crash. A spokeswoman for CAE Oxford Aviation Academy says the...

COLORADO -- Rescue crews in Huerfano County have found the crash site of an airplane that went down on Thursday. No one survived the crash, according to a press release from the Huerfano County Sheriff's Office. The exact location of the wreck was not released, but it happened in a...

WISCONSIN -- Members of Civil Air Patrol’s La Crosse Composite Squadron gave the public an inside look at their missions, as part of an open house Saturday. Attendees at the open house could test out a flight simulator, and cadet members of the auxiliary got to cut loose as well....