First Steps

Step 1: Visit Three Meetings

Everyone interested in joining Squadron 144 visits three meetings before applying. New cadets start together in a cohort on the first Tuesday of each month, and a parent or guardian attends all three visits with a prospective cadet. Please contact Maj. Delgado before your first visit.

Civil Air Patrol limits a prospective cadet’s trial period to 30 days, so all three visits must take place within 30 days of the first. During the trial period, prospective cadets take part in classroom activities, drill, and other low-impact activities. Overnight activities, flying, rides in CAP vehicles, and physically demanding activities such as hiking wait until they join.

Step 2: Apply Online

After your third meeting, Maj. Delgado will send you a link to the online membership application. You will need a credit card for the membership dues, and Squadron 144’s codes: Wing CA, Unit 441.

For a new cadet, a parent or guardian then meets with the squadron commander (or a designee) in person to review the application and show proof of identity. Acceptable documents are the same ones accepted for the federal Form I-9: for example, a U.S. passport, or a photo ID together with a birth certificate or Social Security card.

Adults joining as senior members also complete an FBI fingerprint background check and meet with the squadron’s membership board. We will walk you through both.

Step 3: Approval and Getting Started

Once the squadron commander approves a cadet’s online application, National Headquarters processes the membership right away. Adult memberships are completed after the background check. Either way, you will receive an email with your CAPID and instructions for logging in and starting your training.

Paper applications are used only in special circumstances, such as an applicant who needs a citizenship waiver. If that may apply to you, please mention it when you contact us.