Civil Air Patrol orders 21 Cessna piston aircraft to boost SAR and training

The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) has placed an order for 21 Cessna piston aircraft from Textron Aviation, comprising seven Skyhawk 172s, eleven Skylane 182s, two Turbo Skylane T182Ts and one Turbo Stationair HD 206.

Textron Aviation expects to deliver all 21 aircraft by year‑end, expanding CAP’s existing fleet of 543 single‑engine airplanes and enhancing its search‑and‑rescue, disaster‑response and cadet‑orientation missions.

CAP fields 72,000 members and since October 2024 has logged nearly 200,000 flight hours, conducted 860 search‑and‑rescue sorties and saved 104 lives.