Emergency services
Search and rescue, disaster response, and damage assessment, so communities recover faster.
Civil Air Patrol Media Kit
Official logos, photography, documents, and background for journalists, partners, and anyone telling the CAP story. Everything here is free to download and use in coverage.
CIVIL AIR PATROL BY THE NUMBERS
70KMembers — 36K adults, 34K youth
1,425Operating locations
548Single-engine aircraft
5000credited lives saved
Volunteers who save lives and shape futures
Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a congressionally chartered, federally funded, 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and the civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. CAP is America’s premier public service organization that provides emergency services and disaster relief missions nationwide. Vigilant volunteers search for and find the lost, provide comfort in times of disaster, and work to keep the homeland safe. Members selflessly devote their time, energy, and expertise toward the well-being of their communities, promoting aviation and related fields through aerospace education and helping shape future leaders through CAP’s cadet program.
Writing about CAP?
- Spell out Civil Air Patrol on first reference, then use CAP. Write “CAP,” not “the CAP.”
- CAP is the civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force — a congressionally chartered nonprofit, not a government agency.
- Members are volunteers. Most are not pilots, and no military service is required.
- Young people join as cadets between ages 12 and 18 and can stay until 21. Adults join at 18 with no upper age limit.
- Local units are wings (one per state, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico) and the squadrons within them — e.g. “CAP’s Texas Wing” or “the Lubbock Composite Squadron of Civil Air Patrol.”
Cadet programs
Young people ages 12 to 18 build leadership, confidence, and character through hands-on experience.
Aerospace education
Aviation, space, and STEM education in local communities and in classrooms across the country.
Downloads and links
Official files for downloading.
Civil Air Patrol logo
Full-color wordmark on a transparent background. Use on white or light surfaces.
Civil Air Patrol logo, white
White wordmark on a transparent background. Use on dark or photographic surfaces.
How to join
A step by step rundown of how to join Civil Air Patrol
Colors and logo use
Use the logo as supplied — don’t stretch, recolor, crop, or add effects. The full-color logo goes on white or light backgrounds; the white logo goes on dark backgrounds and photography.
Do
- Put the full-color logo on white or light backgrounds.
- Put the white logo on dark backgrounds and photography.
- Leave clear space around the logo, at least the height of the “C”.
Don’t
- Stretch, squash, or rotate the logo.
- Recolor it, crop it, or add shadows, outlines, or other effects.
- Place it on busy imagery where it is hard to read.
Using the CAP name and logo
The Civil Air Patrol name, logo, and emblems are trademarks of Civil Air Patrol. You’re welcome to use them in news coverage and in materials about CAP. Putting them on products or merchandise needs a license from CAP — ask the media team below.
Colors
Tap a color to copy its hex value.
Copy-ready text
Approved wording you can drop straight into a story, program, or press release.
In one sentence
Civil Air Patrol is the civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force — a nonprofit of 70,000 volunteers who serve their communities through emergency services, cadet programs, and aerospace education.
Short description
Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is the civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and a congressionally chartered nonprofit. Its 70,000 members fly 548 single-engine aircraft from 1,425 locations nationwide, searching for the lost, supporting disaster relief, mentoring young people through the cadet program, and bringing aerospace and STEM education to classrooms.
History
Civil Air Patrol was founded on Dec. 1, 1941, days before the attack on Pearl Harbor, to put America’s civilian pilots to work defending the home front. Congress chartered CAP as a nonprofit corporation in 1946 and made it the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force in 1948.
Photo credit
Photo: Civil Air Patrol
Learn more
Learn how to join at hello.civilairpatrol.org/how-to-join, and find the latest CAP news at CAP.News.
Media inquiries
National Marketing & Strategic Communications Team
For interviews, public comment, quotes, and responses, please email our team.