Civil Air Patrol to celebrate 60th birthday at banquet

Friday, Nov. 30, 2001 | 9:10 a.m.

A group of volunteer pilots has over the past six decades scanned millions of miles of remote and rugged terrain to find wreckage and -- with luck -- survivors of plane crashes.

The Civil Air Patrol turns 60 on Saturday. Nevada members will observe that milestone at tonight's annual cadet banquet at Nellis Air Force Base.

"The Civil Air Patrol has helped build interest in aviation by inspiring young men to become pilots through the cadet program," said Civil Air Patrol Maj. Charles McCarty, a pilot and spokesman for the Nevada Wing, which has 280 members, including 40 Las Vegas pilots.

Congress chartered the nonprofit group in 1941, giving it three missions: emergency services, aerospace education and cadet programs.

The Civil Air Patrol, which served as the civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, began its first Las Vegas area chapter -- the Clark County squadron -- in 1960. Today there are four local squadrons, three of pilots and cadets and one that is all pilots.

"It was important that we were established at that time because of the geographic situation in Southern Nevada -- mountains, deserts and other remote areas," McCarty said. "It is vital to get rescue squadrons to areas as soon as possible, and we have fulfilled that need locally for many years."

During World War II, the patrol kept the public informed about advances in aircraft and weapons, and CAP planes patrolled U.S. coastlines, logging 24 million miles. Equipped with 200-pound bombs, they sank German submarines that attacked Allied convoys and spied on U.S. cities and military bases.

From the 1950s to the present the CAP has become more widely known for its search and rescue operations, responding not only to downed planes, but also earthquakes, floods and other disasters, McCarty said.

Following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Civil Air Patrol provided the first aerial photos of the World Trade Center twin tower ruins and was the only civilian aircraft allowed to fly after the nation's air traffic system was shut down, he said.

In the aftermath of the incidents that destroyed the World Trade Center and damaged the Pentagon, the CAP transported blood, medical supplies, government officials and rescue equipment, and helped provide food and shelter for rescue workers, McCarty said.