Civil Air Patrol relocates to Hancock Airport terminal

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Syracuse Cadet Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) has relocated its headquarters to Syracuse Hancock International Airport.

The Syracuse Cadet Squadron is now located in the upper level of Terminal A across form Market Express south, Hancock Airport said in a news release issued last week.

The nonprofit CAP is the auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, according to a media factsheet on its website.

The Syracuse Cadet Squadron had previously operated at the 1st Lt. James McConnell Army Reserve Center at 420 Electronics Parkway for more than 50 years, Capt. Robert Woodruff Jr., commander of the Syracuse Cadet Squadron, said in an email response to an BJNN inquiry.

The group held its first meeting at the airport location on March 2, Woodruff added.

“We are very excited to be the new home of the Syracuse Cadet Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol,” Christina Callahan, executive director of Hancock Airport, said in the news release. “Not only is the Civil Air Patrol a critical component of our system of support agencies during an emergency, it also provides young men and women an opportunity to get involved in aviation, and to give back to their community.”

The CAP cadet squadron is located “pre-security,” Hancock Airport said, allowing what it considers a “unique public-relations opportunity.”

Now passengers and interested community members can “easily” strike up a conversation with a CAP cadet or officer and find out more about the organization.

Many U.S. citizens have not heard of Civil Air Patrol, nor are they aware of the three core missions: cadet programs, aerospace education, and emergency services, Hancock Airport contends.

Placing the Syracuse Cadet Squadron at the airport provides a way for the organization to provide both cadet programs and aerospace education and a place to train for emergency-service response.

Civil Air Patrol, as the U.S. Air Force auxiliary, dates back to just before World War II when the homeland-defense volunteers flew aircraft searching for possible intrusions into the U.S., according to the Hancock Airport news release.

The Civil Air Patrol “cannot function” without locations for its planes and personnel. Hancock Airport “puts the cadets close to those roots.”

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com