MAGNOLIA — Dover policeman Scott Hurd said his son Tyler would be “thrilled” to play the role of an injured airplane passenger, thrown to the ground from a simulated crash near Magnolia on April 16. This was a chance for the 10-year-old to help volunteers from Magnolia Fire Co. and the Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol in their joint training mission.

The day started with about a dozen CAP cadets arriving at Magnolia Fire Station 55 for a class on basic field first aid, taught by Emergency Medical Technician Ralph Tucker.

Tyler was being positioned by his father in a mock crash site behind a mound of dirt on the property of Al Johnson’s Airport just west of town. His shirt was sprayed with some red paint to simulate blood and he was prepped to tell rescuers he was in a lot of pain.

CAP dispatched one of their planes from Dover Air Force Base to the area, hoping the crew would be able to detect and track radio signals coming from an emergency locating transmitter. This equipment is installed in almost every airplane as required by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Working with air traffic controllers at Dover, the air crew determined the source of the signal was coming from the vicinity of Johnson Airport. Crewman Darold Weber radioed for the cadets to respond and work the area on foot. They were led to the scene by Magnolia Assistant Chief Tom Stoltz and ambulance driver Mathew Stoltz.

It didn’t take long for the team to find Tyler with his simulated injuries and get him ready for to be transported by ambulance as directed by Chief Stoltz.

The Civil Air Patrol was founded on Dec. 1, 1941 to mobilize the nation’s civilian aviation resources for national defense when the threat of war with Germany appeared likely.

In early 1942 German submarines began attacking merchant vessels along the East Coast. With the military unable to re- spond in force, CAP established coastal patrol flights to deter, report and prevent enemy operations. The second unit of Civil Air Patrol was based at what now is Georgetown Airport.

Since then, CAP has evolved as a total force partner and auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force providing 90 percent of the inland searches for missing aircraft, disaster relief, storm damage surveys and other vital missions for federal, state and local governments..

There are now more than 60,000 volunteer members throughout the country in the Civil Air Patrol with a fleet of more than 500 air- craft.

Their cadet program for children 12-18 promotes aerospace education with adult members from all walks of life filling other positions in planning and serving onair crews. Records show about 10 percent of Air Force academy admissions were former CAP cadets.

Tyler’s father said his son was “really excited being part of the training session and he hasn’t stopped telling all his family and friends what it was like being rescued. Now he wants a chance to get a ride in an airplane”.