information provided by Civil Air Patrol
LANSING, Ill. (June 17, 2019) – On Saturday, June 8, members from Civil Air Patrol’s Thunder Composite Squadron based in Lansing hosted an “Aviation Day” at Lansing Municipal Airport. Aviation Day was designed to help Girl Scouts from Chicago’s Hegewisch neighborhood earn their Aviation Badge.
The Girl Scouts’ visit to the airport started with an Introduction to the Civil Air Patrol Cadet program led by Thunder’s commander, Major Barb Buckner.
Next, “Introduction to Aviation” and “How to Become a Pilot” classes were taught by Thunder’s Captain George Roy, a certified ground and flight instructor and former corporate pilot who began his interest in aviation as a cadet in Civil Air Patrol.
After the class, the Girl Scouts were taken out to see one of Civil Air Patrol’s Cessna planes. They participated in a pre-flight inspection of the plane before getting the chance to sit in the plane and pose for photos.
The day wrapped up with a class on Aviation Weather conducted by Thunder’s Captain Mark Carroll, a meteorologist, who let the scouts also listen to a live weather report from the airport. While the scouts continued to ask questions, Thunder’s Major Rick Zalud showed them what a plane’s emergency locator beacon (ELT) looks like and how Civil Air Patrol helps locate planes when the beacon is transmitting.
The Civil Air Patrol is an auxiliary branch of the United States Air Force that gives an opportunity to youths ages 12 to 20 and senior volunteer members to participate in real search and rescue missions; learn about STEM, aviation and military careers; acquire leadership skills; and more.
Thunder Composite Squadron meets every Wednesday, 7:00–9:00pm, at Heritage Middle School in Lansing, Illinois. Youths from throughout the region are welcome to join. Thunder Squadron includes members from Lansing and surrounding communities in Illinois and Northwest Indiana.
