Viking Composite Squadron
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Adult Membership

Though Civil Air Patrol is known for its flying missions, CAP adults members, known as Senior Members, do so much more than just fly. In fact less than a fifth of all CAP members are pilots or aircrew members. CAP supports a variety of missions that require adults from all walks of life.

In emergency services and operations CAP not only need aircrew members, but also ground team members to aid in the rescue of survivors or to assess damage after a disaster. CAP needs communications personnel to relay critical messages when there is limited or no telephone support. Administrative staff, financial managers, logistics and supply personnel are needed to document missions and get personnel critical supplies and equipment in the field that they need to conduct missions.

Adults are needed to support the cadet program. CAP has over 23,000 cadets across the country that need mentors willing to help guide and support them.

CAP also needs adults for its aerospace education program. In addition to educating our own members, CAP’s adult leaders provide training and resources to teachers who reach out to students of all ages across the country.

Membership path

To be eligible to apply as a Senior Member in Civil Air Patrol, you must:

  • be at least 18 years of age or be a member of the Armed Forces on active duty at any age

  • be a citizen of the United States of America or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence

  • meet suitability requirements as outlined in CAPR 39-2, para 3.2.1.4.

Here's what the new member path looks like for senior members:

  1. Plan a visitContact us to let us know you're coming to visit!  We'd love to hear about what you're interested in.  Don't worry - you're not expected to join up on your first meeting!  Before applying, senior members must participate in a trial period by attending three squadron meetings.  You're invited to come visit either our weekly meetings on Tuesday, or any open house meetings we do.  Any of these visits count as a squadron visit.

  2. Choose a membership type that fits you best.

    • Senior Member - As a Senior Member in Civil Air Patrol you will be able to participate in any of the three missions, wear the Air Force-style uniform and promote through the ranks as your skills and experience build. In addition to mission support, Senior Members participate in weekly meeting and will be assigned a "Specialty Track" to assist in the day-to-day operation at the squadron level.  This is the most common membership type.

    • Cadet Sponsor Member - As a parent sponsor, you'll be able to help chaperone the kids, ride or drive in the CAP vehicles, and otherwise help the other adult volunteer members. You will not be required to wear the Air Force-style uniform.  Squadron fees are waived, allowing you to support the program occasionally as your schedule allows, for around $40/yr  Normally this membership type is perfect for parents of CAP cadets who might be willing to chaperone for an event if our senior members' schedules fill up, or carpool with another CAP family.  There aren't any requirements for these members (like wearing a uniform), so it's a low-barrier entry membership.

    • Aerospace Educator  - Enjoy many free aerospace/STEM educational opportunities ranging from receipt of a variety of curriculum materials and STEM Kits to participating in a teacher orientation flight aboard one of our Cessna aircraft at your local airport. This unique membership category is designed for formal or informal educators involved in promoting aerospace/STEM education in classrooms, homeschools, museums, libraries, or other youth organizations.  This is a less common type of membership, but very powerful if you're an educator who'd like access to Civil Air Patrol's aerospace education curriculum. 

  3. Fill out a CAPF 12: Membership Application.  This will be mailed in to Civil Air Patrol national headquarters, along with a fingerprint card for a comprehensive background check.  All our senior members undergo an FBI background check prior to joining as part of our Cadet Protection program.

  4. Subscribe to the Squadron Calendar. We maintain a virtual squadron calendar with meeting information and some details about upcoming opportunities.  The calendar shows both cadet activities and senior (adult) activities.  You can add it to your mobile device as a reminder for squadron meeting locations and uniform requirements.

  5. Follow us on social media. You can follow us on our squadron Facebook page for updates on events and activities.  We also have an Instagram page (@viking.squadron)!

  6. Pay squadron dues.  Viking Squadron has annual dues of $200 per senior member (family maximum $300).  Dues are pro-rated based on when you join (see the chart below).  Bring a check made out to MN Wing CAP (Viking Squadron).  If finances are an issue, contact us and we'll work with you on that.

     
    Month joined Pro-rated dues
    January $150
    February $133
    March $117
    April $100
    May $83
    June $67
    July $50
    August $33
    September $200 (for next fiscal year)
    October $200
    November $167
    December $83

     

Congrats!  You're a CAP member!  Now what?

The following steps only apply to new Senior Members, not Cadet Sponsor Members or Aerospace Education members.

  1. Get a uniform.  According to CAP regulations, every CAP member needs a dress uniform.  For Senior Members, that's either the Air Force Dress Blues, or the CAP Aviator uniform.  Either one can be purchased through our uniform supplier, Vanguard, but feel free to purchase some individual items (like shoes or a used Air Force Blues uniform) from other sources like Amazon or eBay.  The Air Force Blues uniform is a popular choice because it's often considered to look better (and it's the actual uniform that the Air Force wears), but to qualify, you need to meet Air Force height/weight standards, and it's more expensive than the CAP Aviator uniform.  Talk to the senior members at the squadron to figure out which one is for you.
    You'll also want a utility uniform for most weeks, which is more comfortable than the dress uniform, and less stain-aware!  Ask the seniors about the Corporate uniform, or the ABU.

  2. Log in to CAP eServices to start your training.  eServices is located at capnhq.gov.  You’ll need to set up your account using your CAPID that you got above.  See our Getting Started with eServices Guide for a step-by-step walkthrough.

  3. Set up eServices.  Once you login for the first time, you’ll be prompted to complete Operational Security, or OPSEC, training. Because we are part of the Air Force organization, you must complete this before moving forward.

    1. It's also very important that we have full contact information for each cadet in eServices.  Please take a moment to add this to eServices.

      1. Log in to Civil Air Patrol eServices

      2. Left click on your name

      3. Select Contacts

      4. Add your email and phone number.

    2. ​​You can also add your photo to eServices.  It must be a headshot on a white background, and the upload software does best with small photos around 500kb in size.

      1. Log in to Civil Air Patrol eServices

      2. Left click on your name

      3. Select General Information

      4. Select the link: Click here to upload a photo for your membership card, 101 card, etc.

  4. Find a way to help.  There are a lot of things that go into running our squadron, so you have plenty of options to find something that you're interested in to help out with.  Here's a handy list of specialty tracks from another squadron that summarizes them well.  Pick one or two that sound interesting to you, then ask our Professional Development officer to assign you a job for that specialty track, and help you get started!

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