Cessna and the Civil Air Patrol have announced the purchase of 15 Skylanes that will be delivered to the CAP throughout the remainder of 2003. The 15 Skylanes will be added to CAP’s fleet of over 550 single engine aircraft.

According to Civil Air Patrol Executive Director, Al Allenback, “The Cessna high wing aircraft are ideally suited for the type of missions we fly. To better meet the needs for our evolving homeland security mission requirements, Civil Air Patrol decided to purchase the Cessna 182s.”

The CAP was founded in December 1941 and chartered by Congress in 1946 to provide emergency services, cadet training and aerospace education. The non-profit organization performs 95% of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center.

With over 63,000 volunteers nationwide, members are trained to perform aerial and ground missions for homeland security, disaster relief, and search and rescue. Members take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to nearly 27,000 young people participating in the CAP cadet programs. Cessna Aircraft Company is a subsidiary of Textron Inc.

FMI: www.textron.com, www.capnhq.gov