last modified: Wednesday, August 27, 2003

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MAXWELL AFB, Ala. — Civil Air Patrol will be making news at general aviation’s AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wis., from announcing a partnership with Exxon Mobil and exhibiting CAP’s first new GA8 Airvan, to showing public school teachers how to save money in the classroom.

CAP is partnering with Exxon Mobil to provide a private online eStore for CAP members, through which they can order products at a discount. CAP and Exxon Mobil will hold a press conference on Friday, Aug. 1, to release details of this innovative Internet service that simplifies purchasing for CAP members scattered throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.

Appearing as the centerpiece of CAP’s aircraft display at AirVenture will be the first Gippsland GA8 Airvan purchased by CAP. The custom Airvan, modified to support CAP homeland security and other missions, was flown across the Pacific to Wisconsin from the manufacturing plant in Australia, and will display the red, white and blue CAP paint scheme. CAP is purchasing Airvans because its larger cabin size provides space for mission-critical equipment and excellent visibility for aerial photography. CAP has contracted with Gippsland to provide Airvans on an Indefinite Delivery – Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) basis for the next three years.

CAP’s Aerospace Education Division will hold a workshop for teachers to demonstrate the many free classroom aids available to teachers through CAP membership. Among other inquiry-based activities, participating teachers will learn to build a Wright bat and a Goddard rocket. CAP also will be a major presence in the KidVenture area, sharing aerospace and aviation-related hands-on activities with visiting children.

Two groups of CAP cadets will participate in the Wild Blue Wonders competition for middle school “flight teams,” vying for honors in computer-assisted navigation, general knowledge about aviation and model-building. Each of the teams won regional contests to move up to the final competition in Oshkosh. The teams are comprised of CAP cadets from the Seattle, Wash. and Raleigh, N.C. areas and will compete against six other regional winners.

CAP will have staff and members on hand to tell aviation enthusiasts about the volunteer opportunities available to civilians through membership in CAP, which is the civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. Among CAP staff attending will be Al Allenback, CAP executive director, Judy Rice, CAP deputy director of aerospace education, CAP Director of Strategic Partnerships Jim Shea, Chief of Flight Training John Sharp and Col. Rick Greenhut, CAP, commander of CAP’s nine-state Northeast Region.

CAP is a nonprofit organization with more than 64,000 members nationwide. It performs 95% of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. Volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the almost 27,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for more than 60 years.

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