Coos County Teen Earns Pilot’s License through Civil Air Patrol
MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 11, 2021
Coos County Teen Earns Pilot’s License
through Civil Air Patrol
CONCORD, N.H. — Cadet Chief Master Sergeant Phoebe M. Ross, 19, of Randolph, N.H., earned her FAA Private Pilot’s Certificate this week, becoming the 115th Civil Air Patrol cadet nationwide to do so through the Cadet Wings Program. Cadet Ross competed her training at D2 Flight School at Coastal Carolina Regional Airport in New Bern, N.C.
“Cadet Ross’ accomplishment is a major milestone towards unlocking pathways to future aviation careers. We are very proud of her achievement,” said New Hampshire Wing Commander Col. Darin Ninness. “The Cadet Wings program is one of many fantastic opportunities available to Civil Air Patrol cadets as part of our organization’s commitment to develop tomorrow’s aerospace leaders.”
Cadet Wings is a merit-based program providing funded flight training for selected Civil Air Patrol cadets to earn a Private Pilot Certificate made possible by funds from the U.S. Air Force.
“I am very grateful for having been able to receive my Private Pilot Certificate this summer…thanks to the support from [Mount Washington Composite] Squadron and the Cadet Wings program,” said Cadet Ross. “Becoming a private pilot is the first step towards my next big goal of becoming a Certified Flight Instructor.”
Air Force Col. Mark Wootan is commander of CAP-USAF, the Air Force unit based at CAP National Headquarters that helped secure annual funding for the Youth Aviation Initiative and tracks those flying programs’ progress for the Air Force. “This program is indeed a difference-maker,” Wootan said previously. “These cadets are our future leaders, and this achievement is a testament to their talents and determination to succeed, as earning this certificate is not an easy task.”
The Federal Aviation Administration Airman Certificate earned by Cadet Ross grants her privileges to operate as pilot-in-command of single-engine, fixed-wing, land-based aircraft. She is a cadet at the Mount Washington Composite Squadron in Whitefield, N.H.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Maj Michael Kieloch, mkieloch@nhwg.cap.gov, 617-909-6614
Photographs and interviews available on request.
About Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol is the longtime auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and as such is a valued member of its Total Force. In its auxiliary role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 single-engine aircraft and 1,550 small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS). It performs about 90% of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 82 lives annually. CAP’s 66,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Operating as a nonprofit organization, CAP also plays a leading role in STEM/aerospace education, and its members serve as mentors to 28,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs. Visit www.CAP.News or www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com for more information.
