Cadet Chief Master Sergeant (C/CMSgt) Kaleb Stanbridge recently had the privilege of participating in the National Flight Academy at Hartness State Airport in Vermont.  For this highly selective academy, nearly 100 CAP cadets applied this year and only 16 were selected from throughout the country.  Major Wayne Henderson, who is also from the Florida Wing, was cadet Stanbridge’s flight instructor.  Major Henderson complimented the caliber of cadets that attended the academy.

Chief Stanbridge earned his Pre-Solo Rating in only 13 sorties (2.7 hours of flight time). Pre-Solo means that he flew the entire flight himself and made all the decisions as if Major Henderson were not in the rear seat. He is eager to finish up his training and be able to solo, and we are eager to make that possible for him.  During the week of training, we flew just over 300 sorties. Fighting inclement weather, we had several flights following graduation during the afternoon of the last day, including two first solos.  

Each academy is designed for cadets who want to learn to fly. Participants receive formal ground instruction and cockpit time with a certified flight instructor. The low instructor-to-student ratio provides opportunities for mentoring and individual attention.  The Vermont academy is one of 50 National Cadet Special Activities sponsored by CAP this summer. These activities have allowed cadets to hone their skills in a variety of areas – including search and rescue, flight and emergency services, science, leadership fundamentals, citizenship and military courtesies – and to explore aerospace technology and aviation careers.  This year, more than 7,500 youth participated in CAP-sponsored summer activities.  The national activities are designed to allow cadets to explore potential aviation, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), military, or public service careers.