Cadet Lt. Col. Eleanore Katz of the Washington Wing’s Seattle Composite Squadron achieved the latest milestone in Civil Air Patrol’s Cadet Wings program when she became the 400th youth to qualify as a Civil Air Patrol pilot following her check ride June 24 from Auburn Municipal Airport.
Cadet Wings was created in 2019 with funding from the U.S. Air Force to increase the nation’s pilot population. More recently, donations by the James. C. Ray Foundation have added extra training slots that include a CAP mentor, or navigator, for the aspiring pilot.
Katz’s flight training was funded through a scholarship provided by the foundation.
“It truly feels amazing to be one of CAP’s newest pilots,” she said. “It’s a big accomplishment, and it’s been interesting looking back at all the work I’ve put in, from my first orientation flight in 2021 to attending the Southwest Region Powered Flight Academy in 2024 to finally getting to be a private pilot.”
Katz, 17, said Cadet Wings helped make her accomplishment achievable through providing excellent mentoring and allowing her to learn from peers also working to become private pilots.
Her flight instructors in Auburn were Stephen Saslow and Cameron Beardsley. At the National Flight Academy in Oklahoma she trained under Lt. Col. Greg Gempler, a CAP pilot from the Colorado Wing. Her Ray navigator in Cadet Wings was 1st Lt. Sven Freitag, a pilot serving in her home squadron in Seattle.
“I definitely wouldn’t have gotten where I am today without them and am very grateful,” said Katz, a CAP member since May 2020.
Becoming the 400th CAP cadet to receive their private pilot certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration made the moment even more satisfying.
“To me, being the 400th graduate is a substantial landmark,” she said. “That means that Civil Air Patrol has helped 400 cadets achieve their goals of being pilots. That’s 400 youth that may be later found in the military, the airlines, or in similar career fields.
“That is 400 dreams that have come true.”
“Congratulations to Cadet Katz on being our 400th Cadet Wings graduate,” said Maj. Gen. Regena M. Aye, CAP’s national commander and CEO. “She has proven that the sky isn’t the limit — it’s just the beginning of the next phase of her journey.
“I am so proud of our Cadet Wings graduates — becoming a pilot takes courage, discipline, and dedication. I hope Cadet Katz experiences blue skies and smooth landings as she builds hours and experience as a pilot.”
Katz said Cadet Wings “allowed me to truly focus on my flight training to ensure that I was able to finish it in a timely manner and was with me along the way to celebrate my successes and answer my questions.”
Early in her Cadet Wings journey, Katz said, she had a lot of doubts about completing the program.
“The flight school closest to me closed. and I was commuting an hour and a half to the airport in traffic two to three days a week during the school year, which was a lot of work,” she recalled.
“I definitely got a lot of help along the way from my flight instructors, pilots in my home squadron, friends from the National Flight Academy I attended, and the Cadet Wings staff at National Headquarters.”
During the second quarter of this fiscal year, 27 CAP cadets have achieved their private pilot certificates through Cadet Wings, making it one of the busiest periods ever for the program.
“The aviation team at National Headquarters certainly doesn’t have time to be bored — and for all the best reasons,” said Kathrine Schmidt, CAP’s senior program manager for cadet aviation.
“Every day, we work diligently to ensure that funding is secure so our cadets can keep flying. It takes all of us — from Cadet Programs, to our finance group, to our legal team. Every department here at National Headquarters supports these hopeful cadets,” Schmidt said.
She said the team’s “behind-the-scenes support,” coupled with the generosity of the Air Force and the James C. Ray Flight Training Scholarships, lift the financial burden off cadets’ shoulders and keeps them focused on their flight training and “soaring toward their goal of being a pilot.”
Katz, like many others, has experienced “the true magic of Cadet Wings and what makes it special,” Schmidt said
“I am grateful for her and other cadets who pursue this as they will continue sharing their experiences and giving back to their own communities,” she added.
Katz is the third Washington Wing cadet to complete the program in the last two months, following Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Kaia Kees of the Renton Composite Squadron (graduate No. 388) and Cadet Maj. Daisy Carpenter of the Skagit Composite Squadron in Burlington (No. 399).
“I’ve had plenty of friends who’ve graduated from Cadet Wings, so formally being assigned a graduation number felt like truly being welcomed into the Cadet Wings alumni along with some of the cadets I know,” Katz said.
“I do know Cadet Kees. Though she went to a different flight school, we both flew out of the same airport, Auburn Municipal Airport. Whenever we would occasionally cross paths in the parking lot, we would talk about how our training was going.”
Katz said she “probably would’ve waited a lot longer in life” to pursue her pilot’s certificate if it hadn’t been for Cadet Wings.
“I don’t come from an aviation family, so the way I got most of my aerospace-related interaction was through CAP,” she said. “As a rising senior in high school, I don’t have the financial means to pay for flight training myself yet, and my parents would’ve had a difficult time paying the expensive costs of flight training in the few months’ span when I got my certificate.”
Being a Cadet Wings graduate means “I can take all that I’ve learned and spread it,” she said. “I think Cadet Wings is one of the best things in CAP that a cadet should do. and as many people as possible should be aware of it.”
Katz is planning for a career in the aviation field, so becoming a pilot at such an early age and already understanding the basic fundamentals of flight gives her a head start toward that goal.
“I’m currently looking at colleges with aviation programs now because I want to continue studying aviation and aerospace when I’m in college,” she said.
“Outside of Civil Air Patrol, I volunteer at a local aerospace museum. Now being a pilot, I can help others better understand the fundamentals of flight and how they can get started on becoming a pilot, as well as giving me a topic of conversation with other volunteers.”
The Cadet Wings application season for 2025-2026 opens July 1 and closes Sept. 1. All eligible cadets are urged to sign up for the program as soon as possible as decisions will be made on slots available as early as mid-August. Go here to find out more about the program or to register.
