I'm a 17 year old fresh private pilot. My career aspiration is to be an airline pilot, and I had considered the Air Force as a means to help me get there. I decided I was afraid to make the commitment, and I'd go the civillian route. CAP sounded like it was made for me when I first heard of it. You can live at home, continue your job, and still serve.. not to mention fly.
I do have a few questions though. Do you get assigned to missions at any random time, or do you ask for missions? How long is the training for TMP? As a TMP, how often could you get missions? Once you meet the requirements for a MP, can you immediately start training, or must you be selected?
You'll have to wait unti l8 before starting training as Transport or SAR pilot. Won't be able to give orientatin rides to cadets until 21.
Mission assignment procedures vary quite a bit depending on how your particular unit does things. TMP requires 100 hours of PIC time with at least 50 being cross-country and completion of the General ES exam. Don't get to do much as TMP except ferry aircraft or fly as communications relay. In other words, very little call for TMPs. You start training for positions when you want. No real selection process.
I appreciate the reply. Thats mostly what I had read on the website. I pretty much figured that TMPs wouldn't get much flight time. I was hoping to use that to help me get up to 175hrs pic to start mission training. I'll probably join as an observer (i think thats what they call it, the comm guy in the right front seat) this summer when i turn 18. I think that would be a good way to get used to CAP operations while i get my flight time from instrument training (probably).
I wouldn't discourage you from becoming a TMP when you turn 18. As a CAP pilot you would be able to use the airplane for proficiency flying, which is usually quite cheaper than renting. And, you do get a few opportunities to fly on Air Force missions.
A typical example would be if there is a CAP exercise that is based in another town. You could fly the airplane and crew there, but when you arrive the SAR pilot would fly the mission while you would serve as part of the crew. And then you could fly it back.
You're not going to build up a ton of free hours in CAP as a TMP, but you can get some.
Just for clarification, because expectations are crucial in these cases.
You won't join "as an observer", we don't track people like the active services do - count on about 6 months of getting your paperwork together and learning the ropes before you can do much flying, depending on the ops tempo of your unit.
If you are 18 and a licensed pilot you can complete a Form 5 check ride which allows you to rent the CAP aircraft at some pretty attractive rates to build hours, etc
Meanwhile, you can start training as a mission scanner which is a prerequisite to mission observer. MS & MO skills are complimentary, and many aircrew do both at the same time, but you have to complete MS first.
Generally, for a motivated new member with an aircraft nearby and the skilled personnel around to so the training, its about a year before a new member is considered an "asset" to CAP in the capacity of being able to function independently, etc.
YMMV depending on how much time you can give, etc. That can all change quickly if yo attend one of the national schools like NESA, where these ratings can be knocked off in a week or so of intense training.
Thanks for that input. It still sounds like an exciting program, and I still do plan on joining. I won't be at 100 hours pic for awhile, so I'm not expecting to get my hands on controls anytime soon anyways. The affordable renting should help out though.
