Commander
Welcome to the North Dakota Wing Civil Air Patrol!
This is the North Dakota Wing of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). The civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force in the Peace Garden State. More than 250 North Dakotans and western Minnesotans comprise our team of citizen Airmen whose focus directly supports the three primary CAP mission areas of Cadet Programs, Emergency Services and Aerospace Education. With professionalism as our foundation, our officers and non-commissioned officers develop North Dakota’s youth into future leaders to further serve our country and communities.
In the aftermath of state and national emergencies and during major floods, you will find our members flying aircraft and small unmanned aerial systems to find persons in distress and to capture critical aerial images that are used by FEMA and other state agencies to directly support the hardest hit areas. You will find our officers serving critical roles at incident command posts and cadets managing effective radio communications to better coordinate resources. When aircraft are missing, the Air Force calls us as the lead agency to search for those aircraft and crews. We also assist other state agencies, both in the air and on the ground, to help them perform their critical missions.
North Dakota Wing pilots operate Cessna 172 and 182 aircraft, and the L23 Super Blanik Glider. In addition to supporting the operational missions we are tasked with, North Dakota Wing flies more than 40 orientation flights per year for CAP, AFROTC, and AFJROTC cadets. CAP cadets are afforded five front-seat powered orientation flights and unlimited backseat flights, as well as five glider flights.
Our cadet program is a successful and challenging program that gets today’s youth excited about possible careers in the aerospace sciences and industry. You will find former cadets serving as decorated military leaders while many explore careers in the science, technology and aviation industries. It molds young men and women into responsible, self-assured adults that know how to lead and instills in them the self-discipline necessary to make sound life choices. Throughout our 80-year history, the cadet program has produced many leaders in aerospace and the military.
No matter where you look, our team of professional volunteers is hard at work helping to make North Dakota LEGENDARY!
We have 7 local units throughout the state. If you are interested in joining our team and making a real difference in your community, please contact us.
Semper Vigilans!
“Peace Garden One”
Justin B. Baier, Col, CAP
North Dakota Wing Commander
