CALUMET — Five local Civil Air Patrol cadets experienced their first orientation flight on Dec. 5 at Houghton County Memorial Airport.

The cadets, all members of the recently formed Cadet Program in the Copper Country Composite Squadron, are students at Hancock County Public School where the cadet program is based. Squadron members and pilots, Major Joe Burl, who is also the squadron commander, 2nd Lt. Todd Lewis and Maj. Joe Masini flew the cadets in a CAP corporate aircraft.

Copper Country Composite Squadron holds its meetings on Wednesdays during the 6th and 7th hour of the school day. The adult, senior members meet on Mondays at 5:30 p.m. at the airport. The Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program includes up to ten orientation flights as well as opportunities for actual pilot training often leading to the solo stage or an actual private pilot’s license.

The five cadets who took part in their first “O flight”, all Cadet Airmen, are Austin Jordan, Corbin Eikenberry, Forest Gordon, Alexis Babcock, and Avery Wright.

For information on the Civil Air Patrol contact 1Lt. Cristy Kirschke, 313-415-0081.

Civil Air Patrol is the longtime auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and as such is a valued member of its Total Force. In its auxiliary role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 single-engine aircraft and 1,944 small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS). It performs about 90% of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 82 lives annually. CAP’s 60,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Operating as a nonprofit organization, CAP also plays a leading role in STEM/aerospace education, and its members serve as mentors to about 25,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs. Visit www.CAP.News or www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com for more information.