WHO - The Central New York Group (134^th NYCAP Group) is comprised of 300 members organized into 5 squadrons. Approximately half of our members are Senior Members (adults) 18 years and older and half are young men and women cadets 11 to 18 years of age with an option to extend until 21. Many adult members are currently in the National Guard or Reserves or have had previous military experience. Several civilian members have a technical background in science, engineering, or education. Our cadets are in middle school, high school, and college and many are in home schooling programs.

WHAT - The Civil Air Patrol is chartered by Congress as the Auxiliary of the US Air Force. The CAP has three missions: Emergency Services, the Cadet Program, and Aerospace Education. The Central New York Group is activated for Search & Rescue, Communications Support, and Damage Assessment missions by the Air Force at the request of federal, state, or local Emergency Management Offices or the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center.

Central New York Group emergency missions have included the Sara Ann Wood search, the Oneida Lake and Seneca River floods, the Tully Mudslide disaster, the Heidi Allen search, the 1995 Watertown Straight-line Windstorm, the North Country Ice Storm, the Labor Day Wind Storm, and Y2K. Senior members and cadets worked side by side to get the job done.

Cadets are educated in the basics of aeronautics, astronautics, and electronics / communications, the fundamentals of followership and leadership, as well as military customs and courtesies. Special training is also provided by Air Force ROTC Detachment 535 at Syracuse University on topics such as Current Events, Core Values, Military History, and Aerospace Education Labs. In addition, cadets are encouraged to take advantage of special Unit Training Activities (UTA’s) which are supported by the 174^th Fighter Wing and the 274^th Air Support Operations Squadron, NY Air National Guard; local, state, and national encampments; the International Air Cadet Exchange program; and orientation flights on CAP and military aircraft.

WHEN - The Civil Air Patrol is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to respond to natural or man-made emergencies. Senior Members (adults) typically meet one or two nights plus one UTA Saturday training day each month. Cadets meet one night per week, including during the summer, and are also encouraged to participate in the UTA training days. A reasonable level of attendance at meetings and training exercises is expected but it is understood that family, work, and school responsibilities must come first in the lives of our members.

WHERE - The Area of Operations of the Central New York Group covers 8000 square miles including the counties of: Cayuga, Onondaga, Oswego, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, Madison, and Herkimer. The Central New York Group is available to support other Groups in the New York Wing, and other Wings in the Northeast Region, according to an established mutual aid plan. In fact, elements of the Central New York Group were deployed to New Jersey to assist in the emergency response to Hurricane Floyd.

GOALS - The goals of the Central New York Group are:

1. To create a strong CAP organization that assists young adults in making career path choices primarily in military, technical, or aviation related fields.
2. To support the community by providing Emergency Management officials with organized teams that are trained and equipped for Air / Ground Search & Rescue and Disaster Relief missions.

2002 Draft Mission Statements:     Emergency Services        Cadet Programs

 For further information please see the CNY Group web site or call (315) 454-6495.

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