Cadet Captain Calvin Przybysz from Civil Air Patrol’s Dunkirk Composite Squadron earned his private pilot’s certificate recently. C/Capt Przybysz was a recipient of CAP’s Cadet Wings scholarship.

“Cadet Wings gave me the opportunity to do what most people at my age would never even think of, and then some! If you’re in the Civil Air Patrol and you’re not aiming to get into the Wings program, you’re either doing something wrong, or you’re already in it!” said Przybysz.

Captain Martha Pickard wrote a letter of recommendation on Cadet Przybysz’s behalf for the scholarship. “We’re making pilots in upstate New York thanks to the Cadet Wings scholarship program and it is awesome.” said Pickard

The Cadet Wings program is a scholarship program for Civil Air Patrol Cadets to earn their private pilot’s certificate. It is funded by the US Air Force to help curb the looming pilot shortage.

To learn more about CAP visit, www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com.

Now celebrating its 80th year, Civil Air Patrol is the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and as such is a member of its Total Force.

In its auxiliary role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 single-engine Cessna aircraft and more than 2,100 small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) and performs about 90% of all search and rescue operations within the contiguous United States as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center.

Often using innovative cellphone forensics and radar analysis software, CAP was credited by the AFRCC with saving 130 lives during the past fiscal year. CAP’s 56,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies.

As a nonprofit organization, CAP plays a leading role in aerospace education using national academic standards-based STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education resources. Members also serve as mentors to more than 22,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs.