Is the civil air patrol a joke for adults?

It really depends on where you are and how well your unit is worked into the state/county emergency management plan.

The CAP can bring some great assets to an emergency manager...if he/she knows about them.

I am an active duty Army Guardsman and worked emergency management for 7 years. I have seen the CAP participate in a lot of training exercises. They are a real good asset to have if you need aerial pictures taken of an emergency site and you ned them quick. As an example.

The members of the Civil AIr Patrol do not get called to active duty. We are civilians. Some squadrons have cadets, some are senior only, some are both. Some seniors work with the cadets, some don't but all are screened for anything that would disqualify them from working With cadets. As to training, it depends on your specialty and on your units. I am a communicator and train and operate often. I'm also a scanner, observer and have been an incident commander. I can pretty much count on at least one exercise and 4 to 5 meetings a month, but remember I AM A VOLUNTEER and participate as much as I want to. If I don't participate enough I may lose my qualifications. Hardly a Joke, we save lives. Those of us who work with the cadets are responsible for leading young people into skills of leadership and developing character.

in NYC its a joke. i attended a meeting because i was interested in joining. NEVER WENT BACK. a group of impaired senior citizens.