BETHESDA-CHEVY CHASE COMPOSITE SQUADRON
Civil Air Patrol Maryland Wing
Meeting Information
We meet weekly, every Thursday from 1900 (7:00 pm) to 2130 (9:30 pm), at the Montgomery County Public Safety Headquarters located at: 100 Edison Park Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Prospective members are always welcome to attend! Just let us know you are coming so we can meet you at security. You can reach out to our Squadron Commander, Maj. Victor Santos at vsantos@md.cap.gov
Overview
The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Composite Squadron, founded in April 1965, is currently located in Gaithersburg, Maryland and is assigned to Group I of Civil Air Patrol's Maryland Wing.
CAP History
In December 1941, one week before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Civil Air Patrol was founded by citizens committed to using civilian aviation resources to help bolster the nation’s defense. Under the jurisdiction of the Office of Civilian Defense and later the Army Air Forces, CAP pilots flew more than 500,000 hours performing a wide variety of duties, including coastal patrol for submarine activity as well as ships and personnel in distress, forest and southern border patrols, target towing for the armed forces and courier flights. On July 1, 1946, President Harry Truman established CAP as a federally chartered nonprofit corporation, and Congress passed a law on May 26, 1948, designating CAP as the Air Force Auxiliary and giving CAP three primary missions – emergency services, cadet programs and aerospace education.
The Organization
▲ Is congressionally chartered and operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.
▲ Performs services for the federal government as the official civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and performs other missions as a nonprofit organization.
▲ Serves as a strategic partner of the Air Force as a member of its Total Force.
▲ Includes eight geographic regions consisting of 52 wings (the 50 states, Puerto Rico and the
District of Columbia).
▲ Consists of 1,435 squadrons and approximately 59,000 volunteer youth and adult members
nationwide.
▲ Has almost 7,000 aircrew members and almost 33,000 emergency responders trained to
FEMA standards.
▲ Offers opportunities for members to serve communities, participate in leadership
development training and acquire new skills that benefit personal and professional growth.
▲ Contributed over $193 million in man-hours in 2020, serving the emergency services, youth
development and aerospace education/STEM needs of communities, states and the nation.
▲ Operates one of the largest fleets of single-engine piston aircraft in the world, with 560
currently in the fleet.
▲ Flew over 70,000 hours in 2020.
▲ Maintains a fleet of more than 1,000 emergency service vehicles for training and mission
support.
▲ Impacted more than 500,000 youth over the last few years though CAP's STEM Kit Program.
Blended Mission-Vision Statement
Volunteers serving America's communities, saving lives, and shaping futures.
(Reference: CAP Fact Sheet 2023)