Brent Bohner, age 12, of Keen, N.H., for his question:

WHAT IS THE CIVIL AIR PATROL?

The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force. It operates under the Air Force Continental Air Command, but it is not a federal government agency. There are about 100,000 adult and teen age members who serve without pay.

CAP has about 50,000 cadets who are from 13 to 21 years old and it also has about the same number of senior members over 21 years old. More than 600 high schools across the nation offer CAP aerospace education courses:  .

Members of CAP wear uniforms similar to the U.S. Air Force uniforms, but they wear a different insignia and badges. The CAP has more than 12,000 FAA licensed pilots and about 5,000 aircraft. It operates a radio network that includes more than 20,000 fixed, mobile and airborne stations.

The Civil Air Patrol was started in 1941 in the office of Civilian Defense. It was transferred to the War Department in 1942 as an auxiliary of the Army Air Force. In 1946 Congress chartered it as a nonprofit private corporation and the CAP became a civilian branch of the U.S. Air Force in 1948.