Indiana Wing Civil Air Patrol

Indiana Wing of Civil Air Patrol
Associated branches
United States Air Force
Command staff
Commander	Col Aaron Angelini
Chief of Staff	Lt Col Joe Curry
Current statistics
Squadrons	25
Cadets	886
Seniors	468
Total Membership	1,354
Website	inwg.cap.gov
Statistics as of December 31, 2023

The Indiana Wing Civil Air Patrol^[1] (abbreviated INWG) is the highest echelon of Civil Air Patrol in the state of Indiana. Its headquarters is located in Terre Haute, Indiana.^[2] The Indiana Wing involves 1,354 adult and youth volunteers organized into five group headquarters, a legislative squadron, and twenty-five total subordinate squadrons located throughout the state, including four School Enrichment Programs. Civil Air Patrol's 2nd largest cadet squadron, the Anderson Preparatory Academy Cadet Squadron (GLR-IN-803), is located in Anderson, Indiana.^[3]

Missions

Indiana Wing performs Civil Air Patrol's three key missions:^[4] emergency services, which includes search and rescue (by air and ground) and disaster relief operations; aerospace education for youth and the general public; and cadet programs for teenage youth.

Indiana Wing supports Civil Air Patrol's Emergency Services missions by flying eight Civil Air Patrol aircraft, small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and operating twenty vehicles. The Wing operates 19 high-frequency (HF) stations, and 16 very high-frequency (VHF) repeaters and 177 VHF base and mobile radios.^[5] Indiana Wing is involved in search and rescue, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief.

Indiana Wing offers the CAP Cadet Program^[6] in a number of communities across the state, and provides a free orientation flight program that flew 277 cadets in 2023. Of the 2023 flights, cadets were provided 348 powered orientation flights and 52 glider orientation flights.

Support for CAP's Aerospace Education mission includes outreach to schools, education for cadets, and participation in local aviation events.^[7][8] As part of CAP's Aerospace Education program teachers who join Civil Air Patrol as an "Aerospace Education Member" may receive a flight in CAP aircraft^[9] as well as free national academic-standard aligned books, STEM kits, and award programs.^[10] The AEM program has a one-time only fee with no requirement for meeting attendance and uniform wear -- and is available for home schools. Additionally, Indiana Wing maintains a hot air balloon for aviation education and community outreach.

Organizational structure

Indiana Wing is organized into a wing headquarters unit, five group headquarters overseeing 25 squadrons, and a legislative squadron. In addition, the Anderson Preparatory Academy Cadet Squadron reports directly to the wing headquarters.

Four group headquarters are aligned with Indiana's Department of Homeland Security districts^[11] and have oversight for the squadrons within those districts. The fifth group headquarters oversees units within school districts.

• Indiana Group I: IDHS Districts 1, 2, and 4
• Indiana Group III: IDHS Districts 3 and 6.
• Indiana Group V: IDHS District V.
• Indiana Group XII: IDHS Districts 7, 8, 9, and 10.
• Indiana Group 800: Indiana Wing Schools Group

Past Wing Commanders

Civil Air Patrol Cadet Senior Master Sgt. Bryce Bookwalter instructs a squad of Indiana CAP cadets in the use of equipment used to locate aircraft ELT signal devices, during a ground team training exercise.

Members of the local Civil Air Patrol prepare to conduct an exercise with the Grissom emergency management team and members of the 434th Communications Squadron.

Civil Air Patrol Cadets navigate the conditioning course at Camp Atterbury.

Spaatz Award Recipients

Carl A. Spaatz ribbon

The General Carl A. Spaatz Award is the highest award in the Civil Air Patrol cadet program. The award honors General Carl A. Spaatz, who was the first Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force and the second National Commander of Civil Air PatrolAir Patrol.

First awarded in 1964, only 0.5% of CAP cadets ever earn the Spaatz award. Indiana Wing ranks 18th among the 50 U.S. states in the number of Spaatz awards earned. Award recipients from Indiana include:

A member of the local Civil Air Patrol operates a radio direction finder during an exercise with the Grissom emergency management team and members of the 434th Communications Squadron in Kokomo, Indiana.

Civil Air Patrol Cadets train with direction finding equipment used to locate aircraft distress beacons referred to as ELTs.

Civil Air Patrol Cadets work together to cross a gap at the conditioning course at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center.

Legal protection

Under Indiana law, private employers whose businesses are within the borders of Indiana are forbidden from disciplining their employees who are members of the Indiana Wing, if those employees miss work in order to respond to an emergency as a part of Civil Air PatrolAir Patrol.^[14] Private employers are only exempted from this rule if they designate an employee as an "essential employee to the employer," and the state commander of the Indiana Wing must be notified.^[15]

The State of Indiana^[16] and all political subdivision of the state^[17] do not have a right to seek an exemption to giving Civil Air Patrol employees leave time by designating them an "essential employee to the employer." Rather, they are forbidden from penalizing any employee who takes leave from their work responsibilities to respond to a Civil Air Patrol mission.

All Indiana secondary school students, whether public or private, are entitled to leave from school to participate in Civil Air Patrol training and missions. Schools are forbidden by law from marking these students as absent or penalizing them in any way.^[18]

See also

• Indiana Air National Guard
• Indiana Guard Reserve
• Civil Air Patrol

References

External links

• www.inwg.cap.gov official site