Main Content

Frederick cadet becomes CAP pilot weeks before heading to US Naval Academy

Cadet Maj. Aaron Hull
1 of 3
Civil Air Patrol Cadet Maj. Aaron Hull, a member of Maryland Wing's Frederick Composite Squadron, has earned his CAP pilots rating just weeks before heading to Annapolis as a member of the U.S. Naval Academy class of 2016.

By Maj. Brenda A. Reed, CAP
Maryland Wing Public Affairs

6/15/2012–FREDERICK, MD–Civil Air Patrol Maryland Wing Cadet Maj. Aaron Hull has earned his CAP pilot status just weeks before leaving for his plebe summer at the United States Naval Academy. Hull, a cadet in the Frederick Composite Squadron, will be a member of the USNA class of 2016.

Hull is a graduate of the 2011 Civil Air Patrol Maryland Wing Solo School, held annually in Hagerstown, Md., for select cadets to complete their ground school training and solo pilot ratings. Determined to continue in his training, Hull earned his private pilot’s license while in school at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida.

“CAP activities helped inspire my love of flying. I completed all five of my orientation flights, then went on to graduate from Maryland Wing Solo School in 2011. The fantastic instruction from this training stuck with me when I attended Embry-Riddle University in Daytona for a year, where I majored in aerospace engineering and received my private pilot's license from a local flight school at 50 hours,” said Hull of his flight training.

Returning to Maryland, he flew with his Solo School instructor, Maj. Pete Loewenheim, during his Form 5 checkride in a Civil Air Patrol Cessna C-172 out of Carroll County Regional Airport on June 10.

“He has made the entire journey from solo school to private pilot to CAP pilot,” said Loewenheim, “A shining example of what the intentions of the Solo School are all about and another success story for one of our up and coming leaders in CAP. Aaron Hull truly represents what the cadet program is all about in Maryland Wing.”

Hull, a member of the Civil Air Patrol Maryland Wing since 2008, has been active during his four years in the cadet program. He has served as cadet commander of his home squadron in Frederick, Md., where he also is on the unit’s emergency services ground team. At the Wing level, he commanded the 2011 Maryland Wing drill team and the 2009 Maryland Wing color guard during the Middle East Region cadet competition. He is a 2008 graduate of the Tri-Wing Encampment and has served on encampment staff for the past three years. Hull has also attended several schools as both student and staff at Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania, the Maryland Wing Aerospace Academy, and the national CAP Civic Leadership Academy in 2011.

“Civil Air Patrol has been instrumental in preparing me for the Naval Academy. Probably the largest help was during the application process, where I used several examples of personal leadership in the various essays and interviews required for the Congressional nomination and the appointment from the Academy. Whether the questions were related to personal integrity or the willingness and ability to lead others, experiences in CAP helped me be prepared for everything,” Hull said about the role of CAP in his preparation.

“Civil Air Patrol helped to develop my confidence in professional situations, which was very helpful for the Congressional interviews. CAP activities such as Legislative Day and Civic Leadership Academy allowed me to speak to members of Congress and their staff and as establish contact with my Congressman long before the application process. Being a familiar face is always a helpful asset when applying for a nomination,” continued Hull.

This extraordinary cadet has been involved in so many programs within Civil Air Patrol at all levels of the organization. When asked about the most influential part of his four years in CAP, Hull stated that attending Tri-Wing Encampment for four years was by far the most influential. “I learned so much at encampment… learning from mistakes and adapting to difficult environments made encampment very challenging, but incredibly rewarding. I don't think that I could even count the number of lessons learned and connections made at encampment over the years.”

Hull graduated from high school in 2011 from Saint John's Catholic Prep in Frederick, Md., and attended a year at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona, Fla. While in high school, he captained the indoor track team and was active in cross country track. His numerous awards include the 2011 Tri-Wing Encampment Commandant of Cadets Leadership Award, 2009 Maryland Wing Cadet NCO of the Year, the Balfour Community Service Award, Outstanding Citizen Award by the Sons of the American Revolution, and the 2011 Embry-Riddle Academic Leadership scholarship.

As far as career goals, Hull would like to become a Navy fighter or helicopter pilot. He hopes to participate on the sailing team while he is majoring in mechanical engineering or systems and weapons engineering at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with more than 61,000 members nationwide. CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and was credited by the AFRCC with saving 113 lives in fiscal year 2010. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the more than 26,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for 69 years. It is the largest sponsor annually of Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. For more information on Civil Air Patrol, visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com or www.capvolunteernow.com.

More than 1,500 members of CAP serve in Maryland. Last fiscal year wing members flew 42 search and rescue missions and were credited with 31 finds. For more information, visit www.mdcap.org.