Aerospace Education

Cadets from across the nation gathered at the Soaring Club of Houston on 9 July to fly gliders and learn the basics of flight. Five cadets earned solo wings, with several more students well on their way to earning their own solo wings.

The Glider Flight Academy, hosted in south Texas, was established in 2008 by Major David Ayre. The academy continues to grow in popularity and diversity. This year, nearly half of the students were female cadets. Soloing cadet Major Maryanne Yoakum is a returning student from Mildenhall Cadet Squadron and resides in Togo, West Africa. “Civil Air Patrol has challenged me in ways I wasn’t able to find in my life before,” Yoakum stated, “I find that the community around aviation, especially gliding, is one that constantly challenges me.” 

On February 11, 2020, Flight Officer Harrison Wissel-Littmann presented a fun and interactive aerospace education lesson to help cadets understand gravity through a fun combination of lectures and hands-on activities.

On December 10, 2019, Civil Air Patrol George H W Bush Squadron TX-041’s Flight Officer Harrison Wissel-Littman (CAP) presented one of his best classes yet, this time on the fascinating visual simulations known as Virtual Reality. FO Wissel-Littmann provided a Virtual Reality (VR) headset borrowed from Texas A&M University. After explaining the VR technology, he allowed each cadet to wear the headset and experience life on board the International Space Station (ISS).