CIVIL AIR PATROL AIRCRAFT

wacoykc · **Posted:** Tue Nov 11, 2008 4:46 pm

Does anyone know where to get a listing of aircraft that were used by the CAP during WWII? Also, are there any CAP historians out there? I have a number of questions to ask. I have tried the CAP Museum on-line without any success on even an email response.

Acree · **Posted:** Tue Nov 11, 2008 5:45 pm

Wacoykc,

I've been trying to develop such a lsit for years, with similar research success as you are having. I suppose that since, many of the aircraft used by CAP during WWII were privately owned, the records were not that clear. On the other hand, if they carried a CAP insignia, they had to be on some sort of list somewhere, right? You would think so, but I have never been able to find such a list. Anyway, try this link:

http://www.caphistory.org/index.html

If you haven't already seen these, there are many interesting photos, including some really good ones of CAP Fleetwings Seabird and Ryan SCW. I would love to find a better photo of a CAP Bellance Cruisair, too. Good luck!

Cheers,
Chuck

wacoykc · **Posted:** Tue Nov 11, 2008 7:01 pm

I met a gentleman at OSH 2003 that was a CAP historian and he came up to me to ask if my Waco Cabin was an ex-CAP airplane (It was not). I provided him with some Wacos that I knew were ex-CAP and the owners names. He then said he had been researching history/aircraft and actually sent me a CD of all his research which was quite detailed. Of course this has been mis-placed somewhere in either my house or hangar. The Waco Museum in Troy, Ohio wants to do an exhibit on CAP Wacos and I have been trying to help them but am not having much success. I have photos of maybe 10 airplanes with the CAP logo on the fuselage. My wife's second Waco RNF NC863V has a known history with the CAP in Colorado during WWII when owned and flown by William Madson.

CAPFlyer · **Posted:** Tue Nov 11, 2008 8:01 pm

The problem that we (Civil Air Patrol) have is that the War Department was in charge of us for most of WWII and they held most of the records. Sadly, when CAP was transferred under the US Air Force, it appears that those records were misplaced or destroyed by the War Department as "excess". As such the best we have for history is what individual historians have been able to find out through searches.

Your best bet is to contact the CAP Historians at Maxwell AFB - info@caphistory.org

I'm hoping that one day the CAP can afford to have a real National Museum of the Civil Air Patrol as we've operated some interesting types and our history I think is more than deserving of a museum where people can see displays of the heroism of the men and women who helped patrol our shores during the darkest days of WWII in nothing more than light airplanes with little or no ability to defend themselves from attack by hostile forces.

tom d. friedman · **Posted:** Tue Nov 11, 2008 9:13 pm

they most definetely contributed to the war effort..... they sank a number of german u- boats from aircraft you wouldn't believe could do it with jerry rigged depth charges / small bombs. they located / rescued countless ship sinking victims, aircraft ditchings etc. a reallly unrecogonized part of the war.

wacoykc · **Posted:** Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:13 pm

I will send an email to Maxwell in the morning. Apparently, in the paperwork that we received with the second Waco RNF we bought (from Roy Shoffner of Glacier Girl fame), the airplane qualifies for some special plaque recognizing it as an "authentic wartime CAP airplane".

Swiss Mustangs · **Posted:** Wed Nov 12, 2008 8:46 am

here's a nice collection

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=civil+a ... %40N02&z=t

Martin

RareBear · **Posted:** Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:29 am

I think there is (or used to be) an unofficial museum of CAP paraphenalia at the airport in Manteo, NC, near the Outer Banks.

http://www.fly2mqi.com

Walt

mustangdriver · **Posted:** Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:48 am

This is what is at the NMUSAF.

The civilian production Model 24-C8F on display (civil registration number NC16817) served in the CAP at Coastal Base 2, Rehoboth, Delaware, during WWII. The wartime owner of this airplane, CAP 1Lt. M.M. Wilder, was awarded the Air Medal for his service at Coastal Patrol Base 2. This aircraft has been repainted as it was while flying for the CAP. It was donated to the museum in 1991 by Lt. Col. George L. Wiess, USAF (Ret.), Fort Washington, Md.

And also this.
The J-3 on display is further identified as a J-3C-65-8 indicating it is a J-3 aircraft powered by a Model 8 Continental A-65 engine of 65 horsepower. It is painted in the widely known Piper "Cub yellow". The aircraft on display was donated in 1971 by the Greene County Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol, of Xenia, Ohio.

These pics are from the web site. I hope it helps.

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