Search and rescue, disaster response, homeland security are all missions that the Civil Air Patrol handles. The CAP is the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary.
Recently, Photojournalist Whitney Gramling and Tim McGinnis went up with the Civil Air Patrol to learn more about what they do, and why you should care.
They flew on a Gippsland, GA-8. Some of the men describe it as a plane version of a station wagon.
"We're blessed to have this one available to us," said Ralph Michael Knox.
Knox, a chemical engineer by day, is also a pilot in the Civil Air Patrol. He says the Gippsland, GA-8 is not built for speed.
"It's a 55-horse power. It's an eight passenger, and our other aircraft are four passenger and 230-horsepower or less. So this has a tremendous amount of carrying capacity," said Knox.
What makes the aircraft so special is it carries a high spectral imaging device. It can show you what just about anything on the ground is.
"The high spectral imaging is the cutting edge as far as detecting survivors on the ground from a wreck or crash or discriminating between objects on the ground after a hurricane on the ground," said Knox.
While NewsChannel 15 was on board, their mission: practice for the real thing.
"Today, it's a hurricane preparedness training flight to look at areas that are prone to flooding if there's a tidal surge," said David Carraway, a retired Army Lt. Colonel who headed up the mission.
As they took off and flew over the Waccamaw River down to Murrells Inlet then up the coast, the whole time Carraway is at the computer.
Cameras underneath the plane capture images he reads to determine if survivors, or heavy damage is below.
"If it looks like there's something that's a plausible event, then we'll notify our people on the ground, the ground teams, and then they'll go to that location," said Carraway.
Recently Carraway and the others used the plane and equipment to survey the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It's used to look for missing hikers, or missing persons in tough terrain, or survivors of plane or car crashes.
"The Civil Air Patrol nationwide saves over 100 lives every year," said Carraway.
It also gives young people a chance to learn about flying and much more. Ralph Michael Knox's son was a cadet in the Patrol. He went on to graduate from West Point.
"We develop leadership skills and flying skills for our cadets... Really the CAP is one of the best opportunities available," Knox said.
You can learn more about the Civil Air Patrol this weekend on Carolina This Week with Tim McGinnis. It airs at 9 a.m. Sunday on NewsChannel 15.
