As reported in the Stillwater Gazette the St Croix Composite Squadron has purchased a new hanger.
The St. Croix Composite Squadron of Civil Air Patrol has purchased a hangar at the Lake Elmo Airport.
The hangar, located at 31 Hawker Lane, is heated and fully insulated. It is 40-feet deep by 60-feet wide, which is large enough for a typical Civil Air Patrol aircraft, such as Cessna 172 or 182, a press release from the civil air patrol states. The squadron will also store its van inside, and still have space for classrooms and a small office.
Recently, the squadron spent some busy Saturdays, cleaning out the hangar, and moving in. The next step will be to outfit the hangar with tables, chairs, and audio-visual equipment. The final configuration remains to be decided, but the squadron has access to some movable partitions, to test out a few layouts.
Squadron commander, Major Mike Bordonaro, said that the Senior Members began meeting at the hangar on March 17 and will meet weekly each Thursday at 7 p.m. For the remainder of the spring 2022 semester, the cadets will continue to meet 6:30 p.m. each Monday at Rockpoint Church in Lake Elmo, and then switch to meeting at the hangar in the summer.
In April, the St Croix Squadron will celebrate its 36th year as a unit, serving the eastern suburbs of Saint Paul and western Wisconsin. St Croix Squadron is one of 24 units within the Minnesota Wing of Civil Air Patrol (www.mncap.org).
Membership in the Civil Air Patrol is open individuals, beginning at age 12. Youth may join as cadets between their 12th and 18th birthdays, and remain cadets until they turn 21.
Included in a cadet membership, the youth are offered up to ten free orientation flights in CAP or military aircraft – five in a powered aircraft and five in a glider aircraft.
Follow-on flight training is available, with possible scholarships to help a cadet earn a pilot’s license.
Adults who join CAP are part of a group that’s goal is to provide service to their communities.
Pilots who qualify may be eligible to fly certain missions where the expenses of the flight are funded by the U.S. Air Force or other agencies.